Replace the default Milesight plugin with the official Milesight plugin

The default Nx Witness installation includes a basic Milesight analytics plugin built by the Nx integrations team. Milesight now provides its own official plugin with more features and better performance. This article explains how to disable the default plugin and install the official one.

Before you begin

• You need administrator rights on Windows, or sudo access on Linux. If File Explorer asks for administrator confirmation, click Continue, or run File Explorer as administrator.
• Stopping or restarting the Media Server service interrupts recording for a short time. Plugin changes take effect only after the service restarts.
• Download the Milesight Analytics Plugin for Network Optix for your operating system from the Milesight website, in the SDK & Plugin section. Unzip the downloaded file.

Warning: Switching to the official plugin removes all event rules that use the default plugin. Record your existing rules before you start, so you can recreate them for the new plugin afterward.

Caution: Don't run both plugins at the same time. Running both adds redundant load on the Media Server and on your cameras.

Disable the default Milesight plugin

The Media Server doesn't load plugins stored in the plugins_optional folder. Moving the default plugin there disables it.

Windows

1. Stop the Media Server service. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), select the Services tab, right-click networkoptix-mediaserver, and select Stop.

2. In File Explorer, go to the active plugins folder:

   C:\Program Files\Network Optix\Nx Witness\MediaServer\plugins

3. Cut the milesight_analytics_plugin.dll file.

4. Paste the file into the inactive plugins folder:

   C:\Program Files\Network Optix\Nx Witness\MediaServer\plugins_optional

5. Start the Media Server service. In Task Manager, on the Services tab, right-click networkoptix-mediaserver and select Start.

Linux

1. Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).

2. Move the plugin file to the inactive plugins folder:

   sudo mv /opt/networkoptix/mediaserver/bin/plugins/libmilesight_analytics_plugin.so /opt/networkoptix/mediaserver/bin/plugins_optional/

3. Restart the Media Server service:

   sudo systemctl restart networkoptix-mediaserver.service

Install the official Milesight plugin

Note: For Nx Witness, the downloaded ZIP file includes a script that automates these steps: install_analytics.bat for Windows and install_analytics.sh for Linux. The scripts don't work with Nx Meta or NxGo, because those products use different folder names. For Nx Meta and NxGo, follow the manual steps and use your product's plugin folder: [VERIFY: plugin folder paths for Nx Meta and NxGo].

Windows

1. Stop the Media Server service. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), select the Services tab, right-click networkoptix-mediaserver, and select Stop.
2. In File Explorer, open the folder where you unzipped the download.
3. Open the milesight_analytics_plugin_windows_<version> folder, and cut the milesight_analytics_plugin_windows folder inside it. [VERIFY: folder structure inside the ZIP file]

4. Paste the folder into the active plugins folder:

   C:\Program Files\Network Optix\Nx Witness\MediaServer\plugins

5. Start the Media Server service. In Task Manager, on the Services tab, right-click networkoptix-mediaserver and select Start.

Linux

1. Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).

2. Move the plugin folder from the unzipped download to the active plugins folder. This example assumes you unzipped the file in your Downloads folder. Replace <user> and <version> with your values.

   sudo mv /home/<user>/Downloads/milesight_analytics_plugin_linux_<version>/milesight_analytics_plugin /opt/networkoptix/mediaserver/bin/plugins/

3. Restart the Media Server service:

   sudo systemctl restart networkoptix-mediaserver.service

Recreate your event rules

After the Media Server restarts, recreate the event rules that used the default plugin so they use the official Milesight plugin.