Table Of Contents
Best Practice: Use the Workstation Profiling Tool
Cisco Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Performance Baseline Specification, Release 7.0 and Higher
Last Updated: April 12, 2013Contents
•Mixing Resolutions and Codecs
•Best Practice: Use the Workstation Profiling Tool
Overview
This document provides the performance baseline for a video surveillance monitoring workstation. The performance of a workstation on which you display multiple windows of surveillance video depends on many variables, including, CPU, memory, bus speeds, graphics card capabilities, and other applications that are installed on the workstation. Overall quality of experience also can vary depending on the type of system used, the number of video streams being rendered, and the characteristics of those streams.
This document describes the performance baseline for a dedicated surveillance monitoring workstation to ensure the overall quality of the monitoring experience. This document also describes the maximum number of video streams that can run with acceptable quality on a monitoring workstation when using different codecs (MPEG-4 and H.264) The values listed in the standard-definition acceptable load table were verified using NTSC video settings.
Note Make sure that you are using the version of this specification that matches your version of Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (VSM). This specification used VSM 7.0 to validate acceptable loads
Tip Use the Cisco Video Surveillance Workstation Profiler Tool to determine the expected performance of a workstation. See the Using the Cisco Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Pofiler Tool for more information.
Workstation Specifications
Table 1 describes configurations for a monitoring workstation that displays video from Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (VSM) 7.0. Workstations with these configurations were used to determine the recommended maximum video loads. This assumes that the workstation is dedicated to video. Running other software, such as firewalls, antivirus applications, CD/DVD burning utilities, and general-purpose applications will reduce the quality of the user experience.
Table 1 Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Recommended Specifications
Workstation Attribute Physical Security Client WorkstationOperating System (OS)
Windows 7 Pro, Ultimate or Enterprise, 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7, 3.07 Ghz or faster.
Memory
6 GB DDR3 or greater.
Graphics Card
Nvidia GeForce GT430 PCIe
Nvidia GeForce GTX460 PCIe
Update the graphic card drivers to the latest version.
Browser
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 or later, 32-bit or 64-bit
Network connection
Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) network connection required.
Update the network card drivers to the latest version.
.Net Framework
The Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 (full setup) must be installed on the client PC. See the .Net website for download instructions:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/confirmation.aspx?id=17851
User Account Type
A standard Windows 7 user account is required (guest accounts are not supported).
DirectX Version
DirectX 11.0 or later (included with Windows 7).
Table 2 shows the maximum number of standard-definition video streams that can run with acceptable quality on the recommended monitoring workstation.
Table 3 shows the maximum number of high-definition video streams that can run with acceptable quality on the recommended monitoring workstation when using the H.264 codec.
Mixing Resolutions and Codecs
You can use several codecs on a monitoring workstation simultaneously. However, the number of streams does not necessarily combine linearly. In addition, a 1080p 12 Mbps streams should be mixed only with a single smaller resolution stream.
Best Practice: Use the Workstation Profiling Tool
It is best practice to validate the performance of any existing system by using the Cisco Video Surveillance Workstation Profiler Tool. This tool enables the user of a workstation to determine the expected performance of the workstation.
See the Using the Cisco Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Pofiler Tool for information about installing and operating this tool.
Questions & Answers
Q. Can two video monitors be used, either with two graphics cards or one card with dual connectors?
A. Up to 2 identical graphics cards may be used in a single system with up to a maximum of 4 monitors, two per graphics card. While additional graphics cards and/or additional monitors do not generate additional performance within a system, this configuration may be used to provide greater display flexibility. It must be ensured that the total aggregate video displayed within a single system, regardless of number of displays or graphics card, stays within parameters outlined above.
Q. What is the recommended Windows 7 Configuration when using dual graphics cards?
A. To configure a Windows 7 workstation with dual cards, we recommend the following.
1. Connect the monitors to the of the graphics cards using DVI connections.
2. On the Window 7 workstation select Control Panel > System and Security.
3. Select System and click Advanced System Settings.
4. In the Advanced tab, click the Performance Settings and select Adjust for best Performance.
Figure 1 Adjusting a Workstation for Best Performance
Q. Is the Video Surveillance Multipane Client supported on Windows 7?
A. The 32-bit Video Surveillance Multipane Client is supported on Windows 7, 64-bit using Internet Explorer 8, 32-bit and the 64-bit Video Surveillance Multipane Client is supported on Windows 7, 64-bit using the Cisco Safety and Security Desktop. If you have a question about whether your workstation supports the VSM AXClient, use the workstation Profiler Tool (as described in the "Best Practice: Use the Workstation Profiling Tool" section).
Q. How do PAL video settings affect expected behavior?
A. While the standard-definition acceptable load tables were verified using NTSC video settings, using PAL settings (such as 25 fps) should not degrade the quality of the monitoring experience.
Q. Can I use a workstation that does not meet the recommended baseline specifications?
A. When considering the number of codecs, resolutions, and frame rates supported by VSM, and the number of workstations, graphics cards and processors that are available, it is difficult to determine the optimal workstation for a given user experience, so this document provides recommended maximum loads. Workstations that do not meet the baseline specifications may be able to render some video, but they cannot provide the same quality of monitoring experience. If you have a question about whether your workstation can perform the tasks that you need, follow the best practice of using the workstation Profiler Tool (as described in the "Best Practice: Use the Workstation Profiling Tool" section).
Q. What is the difference between "minimum requirements" and this "baseline specification"?
A. Minimum requirements define what is required to install and run the VSM AXClient to display a single video stream. They do not define acceptable loads for multi-paned use cases or the necessary configuration to ensure a quality monitoring experience.
Related Documentation
Refer to the following documentation for additional information about Cisco Video Surveillance, including server installation, system configuration, video monitoring, and other features.
Topic Related Document DescriptionAll Documents
Links to all of the documents described in this table.
Release Notes
Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager, Release 7.0
Describes the new and changed features, open and resolved caveats, and other information.
Server installation
Cisco Physical Security Multiservices Platform Series User Guide
Instructions to physically install and set up the Cisco VSM server appliance. Each server can run the Media Server application, the Operations Manager application, or both.
Management Console
Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide
Use the browser-based Cisco VSM Management Console to set up and maintain a Cisco VSM server. Tasks include server software and driver pack upgrades, Media Server backups.
Browser-based configuration and monitoring
Use the browser-based Operations Manager to configure and manage a Cisco VSM deployment.
The Operation Manager can also be used to monitor live and recorded video.
Workstation video monitoring
Cisco Video Surveillance Safety and Security Desktop User Guide
Use the Cisco Video Surveillance Safety and Security Desktop (Cisco SASD) application to view cameras, video and alerts on a graphical map. You can also display a video grid on a separate monitor, view Video Walls on multiple workstations, or create unattended workstations.
Video clip player
Use the Cisco VSM Review Player desktop application for basic playback of multi-pane video clips.
Workstation requirements
Cisco Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Performance Baseline Specification
Baseline performance specifications for a video surveillance monitoring workstation.
Workstation Profiler Tool
Using the Cisco Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Pofiler Tool
Describes how to use the Cisco Video Surveillance Workstation Profiler Tool (Profiler Tool) tool to analyze the ability of a PC client to render video.
Deploy a Cisco VSM virtual machine.
Cisco Video Surveillance Virtual Machine Deployment Guide for UCS Platforms, Release 7.0
Deploy a virtualized Cisco VSM on a supported Cisco Unified Computing System platform.
VMware HA for Cisco VSM 7.0 Operations Manager on UCS B- and C-Series Platforms
Describes the key requirements and instructions for deploying a highly available Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (VSM) 7.0 Operations Manager in a virtualized environment on a UCS B- and C-Series server using VMware HA.
Restore or repair the server software
Instructions to repair or restore the Cisco VSM server software.
•Repair: reinstalls the Operating System files and partitions without erasing video files stored on the server. You must backup the Cisco VSM database before using the recovery image, and then restore the database after the recovery process is complete. This action also preserves the RAID configuration.
•Factory Restore: Restores the server to its factory default settings, reinstalls the operating system, and clears and reconfigures the RAID. This action deletes all data, configurations, software and video files from the appliance, and then reinstalls the operating system and Cisco VSM software. Perform this procedure only if necessary.
API Reference
•Cisco Video Surveillance API Programming Guide
•Cisco Video Surveillance API Reference Guide
Describes the application programming interface (API) used to display video using third party applications.
Note These documents are available on the Cisco Developer Network (CDN). See you Cisco support representative for more information.
Migrating a 6.3.2 system to release 7.0
Cisco Video Surveillance Migration Guide, Release 6.3.2 to 7.0
Describes how to migrate a release 6.3.2 Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (Cisco VSM) deployment to release 7.0.
Migrating a Cisco Video Surveillance deployment from release 6.3.2 to release 7.0 is a one-time process that is performed using a special set of Cisco utilities. You can migrate the entire deployment, including all Media Servers at a single time, or migrate the Media Servers over an extended period of time.
Note This document is available on the Cisco Developer Network (CDN). See you Cisco support representative for more information.
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