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Affected Roles: System Owner • System Administrator
Related Apps: Nx Desktop
Difficulty: Medium
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What is Storage Backup?
The Nx Witness Storage Backup feature allows users to back up archived footage from system servers to secure NAS, DAS, or even offsite cloud-based locations such as FTP sites.
- Backups can be executed in real-time or can be scheduled daily or weekly.
- Backups can be configured to backup captured high-resolution streams, captured low-resolution streams, or all streams.
- Backup can also be configured for specific cameras.
- Once a backup has been executed Storage Backup archives can still be directly played and access via the Nx Witness Client. For example, you might have local storage for 7 days footage and a backup storage for 30 days. If you backup your local storage once per week, you can still playback video from all backed up video.
Backup Types and Disconnect Scenarios
Real-Time – backup will be performed immediately: the footage will be written to the main and backup storage immediately and simultaneously.
- Previous data before this option applied will not backed up. If a real-time backup cannot be executed because of an unexpected failure (e.g. Backup NAS not running or network connection is dropped) the backup will be lost for this time period. Once the NAS or network issue is fixed the backup will continue backing up in real-time from the point at which the failure has been rectified.
By Schedule – backup will be performed on specific days of week and specific hours. The footage will be backed up since the last time backup finished (or since the very beginning if this is the first time backup occurs).
- If the backup process can't be executed or some unexpected failure(Hardware, Network...) stops the backup process, Nx Witness will tag the time, and restart from the position where it had been stopped. If the failure can be fixed on the scheduled day, then the backup will resume.
On Demand – backup occurs only if user presses Start Backup Now and continues until completion (that means all previous data is backed up) or until it's canceled. The data before you trigger this request will be backed up.
- If the backup process can't be executed or some unexpected failure(Hardware, Network...) stops the backup process, Nx Witness will tag the time. Next time, the backup will restart from the position where it had been stopped.
Important note.
To Configure Storage Backup:
- Right click on a Server in the Resource Panel and choose Server Settings.
- In the Server Settings dialog click on the Storage Management tab.
- Find the path or storage location (local, NAS) you would like to use for Backup and click on the down arrow next to Main (Main˅) and change to Backup, then click on Backup Settings.
- In the Backup Settings dialog you will see two sections - Server Settings and Global Settings.
- In the Backup Archive From field select the cameras you wish to backup
- In the Backup Quality field select All Streams, Hi-Res, Lo-Res.
- Choose the Backup configuration (see above!) you'd like to use.
- Press Apply and OK to save.
* Each server only backs up archived recording from its own storage archive. In a multi-server environment Backup Storage should be specified for every server in system in order to back up footage from all cameras.
Comments
12 comments
can set the backup storage give 31 days video file?
If 4TB can storage 40days data. How the backup work?
reach 31days data will override the old data or continues backup till 40 days than override?
Will real time backup have a detrimental effect on server performance? Do you recommend doing backup on a schedule (LAN not WAN)
Hi Tim,
I don't think real-time will create a huge load to servers, however, it creates loads to your network and the HDD of backup storages. So the bottleneck might be the throughput of network and physical HDDs, not the performance.
Yes, we recommend scheduled backup via LAN.
Hi CMChiu -
can set the backup storage give 31 days video file?
It depends on your storage. If your storage can store more than 31 days, then it can give you 31days.
If 4TB can storage 40days data. How the backup work?
It keeps writing into the HDD, until space is full.
Then Nx will start to recycle and start to discard the oldest files.
reach 31days data will override the old data or continues backup till 40 days than override?
Backup, until space is full.
The only option I see is Network Shared Resource
Is this SMB only? How can I enter ftp credentials? what other protocols are supported?
Thank you
Whilst the release notes for v2.5.0 says;
I don't think there is a way to actually configure a FTP or cloud-based storage location.
I think what the release notes is referring to, badly, is the fact that the Storage API/SDK could allow someone to develop their own storage integration. Apparently there is an example FTP server application: https://support.networkoptix.com/hc/en-us/articles/202856206-Where-can-I-find-the-Nx-Witness-SDK-API-
For me, I am investigating the best path to get secondary storage setup in AWS. So something like AWS Storage Gateway would be the easiest for those looking to get off-site storage working without having to develop or support anything custom.
Is there a way yet to archive data to a NAS after so many day on the local server? So i want 2 weeks of High and low rez stored on the recording server, but on day,15 i want o move only the high rez off to a NAS for long term storage.
I am not sure what the settings are for this...
Hi Matthew Fox
My apologies for the delay in our response to your question.
Currently, there are no settings to achieve this.
Although it is under discussion internally, there is no outcome yet if this will make the roadmap or not.
Hi Michael Pasqualone
Also, my apologies for the delay in our response.
Your assumption is correct. With the storage SDK we enable people to develop their own storage integrations. In the (near) future we will offer cloud storage as a part of our Nx Cloud platform.
Norman,
Will you be selling cloud storage direct or just provide the s3 plugin?
Thanks
Hi Matthew Del Salto
We will sell the cloud storage. The exact outlines are not clear yet, nor is the pricing.
Don't you think by cutting out 3rd party and essentially going direct to the enduser with cloud storage will cut out the integrator from the equation?
The same could be said if you natively integrate analytics and offer that directly to the enduser you would be cutting out half the 3rd party integrations partners worked hard on.
I hope the path forward on this doesn't cut your partners and installers from the model.
Wondering if you will be charging by day or by TB.
Hi Matthew,
I didn't write we would cut out anyone. I only wrote that we would sell the cloud storage opposed to giving away a s3 plugin.
The same applies for analytics, sure we have some in-camera analytics we natively support, but these can't be compared with the awesome applications people create within our Nx Meta VMP. A platform we have invested a lot of time and money on and where it is totally up to the creator of the solution what to charge, we don't get any cut of these integrations since it only helps us to sell our VMS and vice versa.
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