Large 24/7 project with fault tolerance

Answered

Permanently deleted user

September 22, 2020 08:32

Hello all!

Need help with hardware configuration for CCTV system for casino, project in Ukraine. 

Configuration:

Cameras:

~120 cameras in 720p,
30% - MJPEG,
70% - H264 (high quality),

~25 video- audio-encoders for casino-specific solution for audio control (mic + audio streaming in AAC codec)

Servers:

Actually, we have HP Proliant Gen7 servers with Xeon x2 with 6 cores on each socket, ~64 GB DDR4 RAM for running this system.

Main features of this system

- system should run 24/7/365 for 5 years without any modifications;
- fault tolerance is mandatory: if one of server has physical fault, system should run without any affections
- hardware must have reserved resources: system should use <60% of server resources;
- it should be scalable (in future system should be expanded to 250+ channels)

FYI:

I had read
https://support.networkoptix.com/hc/en-us/articles/206090177-Nx-Witness-Server-Hardware-Specs
https://support.networkoptix.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035832774-Large-Systems-Deployment
but is not very helpful for us.

Waiting for your feedback. 

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• 

  Norman

  • Network Optix team

  September 22, 2020 09:19

  Hi @...,

  What information is it specifically what you are missing in these articles? 

  Regarding your main features: 

  - system should run 24/7/365 for 5 years without any modifications;

  That is outside our control. Hardware and software need maintenance and could mean modifications, minor or major, are required. 

  - fault tolerance is mandatory: if one of server has physical fault, system should run without any affections

  We totally agree on that, therefore failover is a default feature and can be enabled with a single slider. 

  - hardware must have reserved resources: system should use <60% of server resources;

  Do you mean the capacity of the number of cameras that can be connected or the load on the hardware (CPU&RAM) itself?
  The first option is easy. Keep the maximum number of cameras per server at 50 cameras (~40%) and you can add another 78 cameras (60%). Be aware if you have 2 servers and want 100% failover, you have to divide the number by 2. 

  - it should be scalable (in future system should be expanded to 250+ channels)

  Any system with x64 server that meet our recommended server requirements, can grow up to 100 cameras per server, up to 100 servers in a system with an unlimited number of systems in the Nx Cloud. 

  I would recommend using our Nx System Calculator to get an estimate of the required storage and bandwidth and how to divide the camera initially over the number of servers. 

  Also, please take in consideration the number of clients you want to connect to the servers and which cameras will be displayed on each client to calculate the maximum number of TCP connections per server. 

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• 

  Permanently deleted user

  September 22, 2020 11:02 Edited

  Thank you, Norman Graafsma, for your fast answer.

  According to information, that you mentioned in previous comment, please confirm:

  1. NX Witness has program limitation to hold 2000 concurrent TCP connections? 
  2. Maximum of cameras / server = 100?
  
  Event if i have next configuration of server (on other similar project): 
  PowerEdge R440 Server with
  2 * Intel® Xeon® Gold 6240 2.6G, 18C/36T
  32GB DDR4, 
  Dual-Port 1GbE On-Board LOM
  Broadcom 57416 Dual Port 10 GbE SFP+ Network LOM Mezz Card
  
  3. According to this requirement - CPU: Intel Core i3 or higher processor:
  3.1. Which generation we should use?
  3.2. How many threads / cores per server?
  3.3. Do we have any other limitation for CPU?
  
  4. Who should I ask for validation concrete hardware calculation for our project? 

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• 

  Norman

  • Network Optix team

  September 22, 2020 15:00

  Hi @...,

  1. No limitation, just a very serious recommendation, the system might have issue when you exceed 2000 connections. 
  2. Yes and no. For large scale systems we recommend max. 100 cameras per server, but in reality you are able to connect 128 cameras per server. Be aware that this included cameras for failover. So in case you have 100 cameras connected to a server and 100 to another, and 1 fails, only 28 cameras can failover. 
  3. The recommendations are always based on the latest generations. I would take a quad-core or better. I doubt dual-cores are still available, but I use 2 cores when I set up small Virtual Machines and in general it does the job. Furthermore, there are no limitations, but obviously the recommended specs are based on desktop CPU and not Laptop CPU. 
  4. For Ukraine, I would reach out to our local partner Liniya Avtomatyky, they are able to discuss the whole project and provide their recommendations. 

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