Manual > Surveillance System Construction Guide > Major Function Construction > Video Recorder > Video Recorder System Configuration and Operation > Introduction of Configuration Examples for Each Need > When Connecting Multiple Cameras Simultaneously (Distributing Recorders)

System configuration and setting example for distributing recorder terminal PCs

This section explains the system configuration and setting examples for distributing the recording process of video recorders by using multiple recorder terminal PCs.

The example configuration introduced here is a system configuration that assumes connecting multiple cameras simultaneously and performing high-quality recording. Note that high-quality recording assumes recording at a SVGA resolution and a frame rate of about 20 fps.

Key points of this configuration

•When recording at a high frame rate, the server PC and recorder terminal PC should be configured as separate PCs.

•A NAS drive is used as the destination for transferring and viewing recorded data.

•Six cameras can be connected simultaneously for recording. The number of cameras connected to one recorder PC is limited to "3", and the cameras are distributed across two PCs.

Expected specifications

item	Setting values etc.	supplement
Video Compression Method	MJPEG	Connection is also possible with "H.264".
Camera Image Resolution	SVGA (800*600)	Set on the camera.
Camera quality	usually	Set on the camera.
Camera Frame Rate	24fps	Set on the camera. If your camera only allows you to select from a set of preset values, select the frame rate that meets your requirements (up to 30 fps).
Recording Frame Rate	20fps	Set from the recording settings when registering the camera.
Number of cameras connected simultaneously	6 units	Three cameras will be registered to each of the two recorders, for a total of six cameras distributed across two recorder terminal PCs. If you wish to record high quality footage with more than the number listed above, you can do so by adding more recorder terminal PCs.

This configuration is an example. By setting the camera and recording frame rate to a low value, you can increase the number of cameras that can be supported by one recorder terminal PC. If you want to connect multiple cameras and record by lowering the camera fps, please refer to the description in "When connecting multiple cameras simultaneously (low fps recording)".

System configuration image

p_videorecorder_0112

Components

explanation

Server PC

(Panel Server)

The server PC will be configured to run only Panel Server.

Recorder registration/Camera registration

When registering recorders, register two recorders, "Recorder1" and "Recorder2". Also, when registering cameras, assign "Camera1", "Camera2", and "Camera3" to Recorder1, and "Camera4", "Camera5", and "Camera6" to Recorder2.

recorder	camera	Settings for each camera
Recorder1	Camera1	Recording frame rate: "20" fps
	Camera2	File division unit: "5" minutes
	Camera3
Recorder2	Camera4
	Camera5
	Camera6

Please note that the number of days for automatic deletion for each camera (the number of days for which data is saved) should be determined based on the period for which you actually want to save the data and the amount of disk space available. For an estimate of the size of recorded data, please refer to "Recorded Data File Size and Disk Space".

Recorder terminal PC1

(Panel Browser)

This PC will be registered as a recorder terminal for "Recorder1". On this PC, run only the video recorder in Panel Browser and do not display other functions (graphic screen, alarm monitoring, trend graphs, etc.).

setting	explanation
Local Disk	Create a folder for recording directly under the local disk of the PC you want to record on. In this example, we will use the "C:\videorecorder" folder.
NAS Drive	Set up the NAS drive so that it can be connected via network sharing, and create a folder to which the recording data will be transferred. In this example, we will use the "G:\videorecorder" folder.
Recorder registration settings	When registering the recorder, set the recording destination to the local disk, transfer to the NAS drive, and view destination to the NAS drive.

Please pay attention to the number of client licenses. A client license is also consumed for the Panel Browser running on each recorder terminal PC.

Recorder terminal PC2

(Panel Browser)

As above, register this PC as a recorder device for "Recorder2".

setting	explanation
Local Disk	Create a folder for recording directly under the local disk of the PC you want to record on. In this example, we will use the "C:\videorecorder" folder.
NAS Drive	Set up the NAS drive so that it can be connected via network sharing, and create a folder to which the recording data will be transferred. In this example, we will use the "G:\videorecorder" folder.
Recorder registration settings	When registering the recorder, set the recording destination to the local disk, transfer to the NAS drive, and view destination to the NAS drive.

Please pay attention to the number of client licenses. A client license is also consumed for the Panel Browser running on each recorder terminal PC.

Client PC

(Panel Browser)

The client PC that displays the graphic screen, etc., is prepared separately from the recorder terminal PC. Graphic screen and other function screen display (trend, etc.) and viewing/playback of recorded data are performed on the client PC. Note that multiple client PCs can be configured.

If you have multiple client PCs, pay attention to the number of client licenses. You need as many client licenses as the number of Panel Browsers you want to run simultaneously.

Storage for recorded data (e.g. NAS)

Use NAS as the destination for transferring recorded data. Make sure to connect to the network share using the same drive letter from all recorder terminal PCs and client PCs (connect as "G:" in this configuration example).

Selection points:

❖Please select a model with a fast disk rotation speed (7,200 rpm or higher) and a fast network connection speed (minimum 100BASE or higher).

❖The amount of data required for NAS varies depending on the number of cameras, storage period, recording fps setting, data resolution on the camera side, etc. In addition, "Recording data file size and disk capacity" lists the reference value of the size of the generated recording data.

❖If you would like to make the recording data redundant with this configuration, please set it up yourself using NAS functions (such as RAID).

Network Camera

Below is an example of camera body settings. For details on tuning the camera body, please refer to "About camera body settings and tuning".

setting	explanation
Video Compression Method	If you can choose the compression method, we recommend using "MJPEG".
Frame rate	Set the frame rate of the camera to around "24" fps. If you can only choose from a fixed list, choose one close to it (e.g. "30" fps).
resolution	Keep it at around SVGA (800*600). The higher the resolution, the greater the processing load and data size.
image quality	Please select the image quality that suits your purpose. Try from the "Normal" level and tune according to the situation. The higher the image quality, the larger the processing load and data size will be.

Network Devices

The network equipment for connecting to the network camera should be configured so that bottlenecks do not occur. For example, even if you select high-spec models for the LAN port of the recorder terminal PC or NAS device, if the relay device such as HUB is slow, it will become a bottleneck. Also, if the communication load with the network camera is high, consider preparing multiple LAN ports and HUBs for the PC and configuring the route of the normal network and the network connected to the camera separately.

When communicating with a network camera, the network load may become high depending on the settings of the camera itself (such as the fps value and resolution of the camera itself), the number of cameras connected, etc. Therefore, please select a LAN port with as fast a communication speed as possible for the communication connection with the camera.

Points to note about this configuration

Important points to note	explanation
Simultaneous playback of recorded data	Playing back data recorded at a high fps places a high load on the CPU. When playing back multiple files recorded at 20 fps at the same time, the maximum number of files that can be played back at the same time is two. For an estimate of the number of files that can be played back at the same time, please refer to "Number of files that can be played back at the same time".
When displaying multiple live images simultaneously	The video recorder screen has a function that allows you to simultaneously display live images from multiple selected cameras. However, if you simultaneously display live images from high-fps cameras side-by-side, the processing load may become very high due to the streaming data sent from each camera, so please be careful. As a guideline for displaying video from multiple cameras simultaneously on a typical PC, in the case of high fps cameras (approximately 20 to 30 fps, resolution 800*600, medium image quality level), the maximum number of cameras that can be displayed simultaneously is three, and at most five.
Users must make the recording data redundant themselves.	If you wish to make the recording data transferred to NAS redundant, you must create the system yourself (for example, use NAS to create a RAID configuration, or create a backup system to a separate drive). For details on using the video recorder function in a server duplex configuration, please refer to the description in "When operating a server in a duplex configuration".

When connecting multiple cameras at the same time (distributing recorders)

When connecting multiple cameras at the same time (distributing recorders)