Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager, Release 7.9.0
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Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager , Release 7.9
Support for Video Monitoring Using an HTML5 Enabled Browser
Call a Phone or other Voice End-Point Using Cisco SASD
Create Clips From Multiple Cameras (Bulk Clips)
Hide Video from Users (Covert Cameras)
Record Motion Events to the Camera SD Card
Full support for Onvif Cameras
User Defined Field Support for Cameras, Encoders, and Servers
Cisco Encoders Support Port Address Translation (PAT)
Monitoring Video on the Management Console
Enable or Disable a Camera’s Infrared LED Lights
Cisco Connected Safety and Security UCS Platform Series Servers
Upgrading from Previous Cisco VSM Releases
Related Recovery Documentation
Operating System Support for VSM Upgrades
Adding Firefox Security Certificates
Resolving Firefox Certificate Problems
Device Configuration Fields Appear Blank
Release 7.9 Not Supported on CPS-MSP-xRU-K9
Motion Configuration Fails in Cisco Cameras with Firmware Lower than v2.8
Supported Devices: Generic IP Cameras
Supported Devices: Analog Cameras
Device Models Validated in Cisco VSM as Generic IP Cameras
Clipping Support By Application
Obtaining and Installing Licenses
Understanding the Cisco VSM Software Types
Using the Software Bug Search Tool
Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager, Release 7.9
Note Always refer to the latest online version of these Release Notes for up to date information.
This document provides important information for Release 7.9 of the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (Cisco VSM).
What’s New in Release 7.9
The new features in Release 7.9 include the following:
- Support for Video Monitoring Using an HTML5 Enabled Browser
- Call a Phone or other Voice End-Point Using Cisco SASD
- Create Clips From Multiple Cameras (Bulk Clips)
- Hide Video from Users (Covert Cameras)
- Pause Live Video
- Support for Vivotek Encoders
- Support for Bosch IP Cameras
- Record Motion Events to the Camera SD Card
- Full support for Onvif Cameras
- User Defined Field Support for Cameras, Encoders, and Servers
- LDAP Enhancements
- Cisco Encoders Support Port Address Translation (PAT)
- Monitoring Video on the Management Console
- Other Improvements
Support for Video Monitoring Using an HTML5 Enabled Browser
Web browsers that support HTML5 can be used for basic video monitoring functions such as playback and pause. HTML5 browsers do not require a plug-in such as VLC.
HMTL5 video support in web browsers is an important new technology for displaying video without a plugin, and Cisco VSM 7.9 adds support for the MPEG DASH streaming protocol to enable this.
Because this is a new technology, there are some current browser limitations:
- HTML5 currently supports H.264 video only. Other media formats are not currently supported by the HTML5 protocol.
- HMTL5 is not yet consistently and fully supported in all browsers.
- Surveillance video requires live video and low latency that place unique demands on the HTML5 video support in a browser.
For these reasons, HTML support is considered “Beta” for Cisco VSM 7.9. Cisco is committed to HTML5 as an important video delivery method across all browsers and platforms, and will continue to provide improvements in subsequent Cisco VSM releases.
Firefox , version 44.
Note Later versions of this browser may also work, but have not been tested.
Installing the Firefox Web Browser
1. Install the Firefox web browser.
2. ( Windows 10 N and KN versions only) Install the Windows Media Feature Pack to enable HTML5 video playback. This is required for the Firefox browser only. Learn more .
Tip See Adding Firefox Security Certificates for more information.Issues may be encountered when attempting to use HTML5 with Chrome and Safari due to problems in the browsers and not the Cisco software. Therefore, we do not recommend using other browsers with HTML5. Please use Firefox instead.
HTML5 is a new technology that is rapidly advancing in all browsers, but today there are known bugs that may cause issues in some cases. We have observed video stuttering issues in Chrome and crashes in Safari during our testing. All of these browsers are being updated regularly and we expect that HTML5 support in all of them will improve rapidly and these issues will be resolved.
- Use a recommended browser. Older browser versions may not support HTML5 video monitoring using Cisco VSM.
- This release supports the following features:
– View live or recorded streams
Other playback functionality is not supported, such as PTZ controls, creating clips, smooth video settings, and other features.
- This Beta supports only H.264 video streams. Audio playback is not supported. Use Cisco SASD or Internet Explorer for audio or MJPEG video.
- Each Media Server is limited a maximum of 8 streams HTML5 video streams in this release. This is a conservative limit to prevent any impact on Media Server performance.
- Each browser window supports up to 4 HTML5 video streams. Up to 8 streams can be accessed at a time on a single workstation or laptop. For example, 4 streams in one browser window and another 4 streams in a second browser window.
– Each recorded or live stream is counted against the 8 stream limit.
– Duplicate streams (such as the same live stream in 2 different browser windows) count as a single stream. For example, when the same video stream is open in 2 different windows, if you seek for video in one, the same action is performed in the second window.
- If HTML5 is not used, then the VLC browser plug in will be used instead.
– The VLC plug-in does not provide any playback controls.
– If the plug-in is not installed, video will not be displayed.
- See Browser VLC Plugin Support for more information.
Call a Phone or other Voice End-Point Using Cisco SASD
In release 7.9, each video camera can be associated with a SIP end-point, such as a phone near the camera. A Cisco SASD user who is monitoring video from that camera can then click the phone icon
to call the end-point.
This feature allows voice calls to be placed to different voice endpoints for each camera. If the Cisco IP camera has the SIP App installed, users can also place a voice call to the camera.
Note Placing a voice call to a Cisco IP camera requires special configuration using the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CallManager). See the CallManager documentation for more information.
See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide to configure the SIP protocol and URI address on each camera.
Create Clips From Multiple Cameras (Bulk Clips)
Users can create video clips from multiple cameras using the Bulk Clipping feature in Operations Manager. The clips can be automatically transferred to an FTP server, if necessary.
- Up to 30 clip requests can be queued per Cisco Media Server at a time. When 30 clips are being created, new clip creation requests are discarded.
- A maximum of 10 hours of video clips can be created.
- Bulk clip creation is supported using Operations Manager only, and is not supported using the Cisco Video Surveillance Federator.
- Bulk clipping is only supported for normal recording and failover recording. It is not supported for other recording like LTS recording.
- If a clip creation fails, the FTP transfer of remaining clips may be delayed by 12hrs.
If the clips will be automatically transferred to an FTP server, a Cisco VSM admin user must enter the FTP server address, login credentials, and directory path.
- Click the FTP Server Details tab and enter the required information.
- The FTP Details tab is accessible only by Cisco VSM admin users.
- FTP credential requirements are:
– The FTP username supports lowercase and uppercase letters and numbers only.
– The FTP password does not support the following characters:
Hide Video from Users (Covert Cameras)
Administrators can hide live or recorded video from users for specific cameras. You can hide all live video streams, all recorded video, or recorded video for specific time spans.
- If users select a “covert” live stream, previously recorded video is displayed instead.
- If users select a “covert” recording, then the live stream is displayed.
- If both live and recorded video is hidden (covert), then the viewing pane is blank (no video is displayed).
- A maximum of 4 recording covert recording times can be created.
- Clips:
– CVA clips—Video and audio is not displayed for covert times (CSCvb73058).
– Video is not included in a clip if a covert time is included.
– MP4 clips will not be created if a covert time is included.
– Clips from multiple cameras (bulk clipping) will not succeed if any of the selected cameras include a covert recording time. An error message is not displayed.
- Covert options are not supported by SASD Federator or Operations Manager Federator.
- Cameras cannot be replaced by another camera if in covert mode.
- Media Servers cannot be replaced by another Media Server if any camera assigned to the server is in covert mode.
- Cameras cannot be deleted when in covert mode.
- The Cisco VSM Management Console localuser will not see live or recorded steams if covert mode is turned on. No warning is displayed.
Changes to a user’s user group and user role require the user to log out and log back in.
- Configure the covert options on cameras using the Operations Manager (see the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide ). Use Bulk Actions to enable covert features on multiple cameras.
- Add users to a user group with Forbid Covert Feed permissions.
Pause Live Video
Users can pause live video streams in Cisco SASD and other viewers.
This option is enabled by default.
Cisco VSM administrators can disable this feature using the Operations Manager. Any user assigned to a user group with the Pause Live Video access permission can use the pause button when viewing live video streams in Cisco SASD.
Support for Vivotek Encoders
Cisco VSM Release 7.9 supports the Vivotek VS8401 (4-port) and VS8801 (8-port) encoders.
Support for Bosch IP Cameras
Cisco VSM Release 7.9 supports the Bosch generic and panoramic IP cameras.
Record Motion Events to the Camera SD Card
Using Edge Storage, you can record motion, contact closure, or camera app events to a camera’s SD card and manually copy those motion events to the Media Server, if necessary.
The minimum firmware version is 2.8 on Cisco cameras.
The following are not supported in this release:
- Scheduled copy of all camera recordings to the Media Server is not supported in this release.
- Time-slot based camera recordings and scheduled recording on camera for events is not supported in this release.
- Data must be copied or backed-up and the SD card must be formatted while switching from event based recording to continuous recording (or vice versa) on camera storage. This is a camera limitation.
Full support for Onvif Cameras
In Release 7.9, you can add Onvif camera models to the list of supported devices when adding a new camera.
Adding an Onvif camera using this method provides support for the full resolution range on the camera, and other camera features.
Note Up to 2 video streams are supported on each Onvif camera in this release, even if the camera model supports more than 2 streams.
User Defined Field Support for Cameras, Encoders, and Servers
A Custom Text field can now be created for servers and encoders (as well as cameras). This allows admins and users to enter a description for the device. You can optionally define the minimum and maximum number of characters and enter the initial text.
If the text field is created for cameras, you can optionally display the field Cisco SASD and in maps. This allows users to enter or revise the camera description.
To enable this, administrators must create text custom field in Operations Manager, and select the Appear In SASD & Map box. Cisco SASD users can then select the
icon next to a camera and modify the camera description or notes.
Note Users must belong to a user group with the Update UDF in SASD permission to see the
icon and edit the text field. Users who do not have the permission can see the text, but not edit it.
LDAP Enhancements
Cisco VSM super-admins can view the user groups assigned to an LDAP user by clicking the Test LDAP Access option.
A secure connection (sLDAP) option is available for secure connections between Cisco VSM and the LDAP server. When selected, all data communication, including user passwords, are encrypted.
Cisco Encoders Support Port Address Translation (PAT)
This release adds custom port support for Cisco encoders.
By default, each camera or encoder in Cisco VSM must have a unique IP address.
However, if multiple devices share a single IP address, the network router can also be configured with Port Address Translation (PAT), allowing the devices to be differentiated by a custom port number (using a static port address translation: ip-address: port-number).
Port entry fields for HTTP, HTTPS and RTSP are displayed if:
- The network router is configured for PAT. See the router documentation for more information.
- The following system settings are turned on in Operations Manager.
– Allow Custom Port configuration
- The camera or encoder model supports PAT/custom ports.
- The custom port numbers are configured on the camera or encoder. See the device documentation for more information.
- The port numbers for each device is unique.
See “Configuring Custom Camera and Encoder Ports (PAT)” in the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.
Note Ensure that the RTP Video and Audio ports for all Cisco encoders are unique. These ports are used to stream video, audio from the device via PAT. Check the encoder documentation for more details on configuring the RTP video and audio ports.
Monitoring Video on the Management Console
A localuser account can be enabled on a Cisco Media Server to allow operators to log in to that server and monitor video. This can be used to give users access to local video only, even if the Cisco VSM Operations Manager is unavailable.
The localuser can do the following:
- The localuser is not notified if a camera is in covert mode.
- If a camera is in covert mode for the live stream in the Operations Manager, the localuser will not be able to view the live or recording stream in the Management Console.
- If a camera is in covert mode for the recorded stream in the Operations Manager, none of the camera recordings will be available to the localuser in the Management Console.
Enable or Disable a Camera’s Infrared LED Lights
A Day/Night filter setting allows you to enable or disable a camera’s infrared LED lights (IR LEDs) using the Cisco VSM Operations Manager.
- When enabled, the camera LEDs will be on.
- The setting is mirrored in the camera UI.
- The setting is only available for cameras that support IR LEDs.
- Use bulk actions to change the setting for multiple cameras.
The following Cisco cameras support the Day/Night filter setting:
Other Improvements
See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information about the following improvements.
- Administrators can enable or disable (hide) the Snapshot icon in SASD using the Generate Snapshot operator permission in the Operations Manager.
- Cisco VSM users with Users & Roles permissions can now change the passwords for users in their location hierarchy. Super-admins can change any other user’s password.
- Users can reset their own password by clicking Forgot Password on the Operations Manager login page. Users must enter answers to security questions, and then enter a new password.
– Administrators can change the security questions in the Settings > Password page.
– Users are prompted to answer the security questions the first time they log in, or when they change their password.
– Users can also change their answers by clicking Profile in the top right of the Operations Manager.
Getting Started
Cisco VSM Release 7.9 is pre-installed on new servers, can be installed as a virtual machine, or used to upgrade an existing deployment.
Release 7.9 is pre-installed in new installations on the Cisco Connected Safety and Security UCS Platform Series servers:
See Cisco Connected Safety and Security UCS Platform Series Servers for more information.
Upgrades can be performed on Cisco VSM virtual machines (VMs) and on Cisco Video Surveillance servers.
- For previous releases, upgrade to 7.7 or 7.8 first, and then upgrade to the latest release.
- Upgrades are supported on physical or virtual servers running the RHEL 6 operating system (upgrades are not supported on servers running the RHEL5 and SUSE operating systems).
- The CIVS platform is not supported and cannot be upgraded to VSM 7.7 or higher.
See Upgrading from Previous Cisco VSM Releases for more information.
An .OVA template file is used to install a new virtual machine (VM) instance of the server.
After an .OVA virtual machine is installed, you can use the Cisco VSM Management Console to perform future upgrades of the system software.
See Cisco Video Surveillance Virtual Machine Deployment and Recovery Guide for UCS Platforms for more information.
See the following for more information:
- Cisco Video Surveillance Manager: Install and Upgrade Guide
- Cisco Connected Safety and Security UCS Platform Series Servers
- Upgrading from Previous Cisco VSM Releases
- Recovery/Factory Image
Cisco Connected Safety and Security UCS Platform Series Servers
Cisco VSM Release 7.9 is pre-installed on new installations of the Cisco Connected Safety and Security UCS Platform Series when ordered with the Cisco VSM software installed.
- Cisco CSS UCS Server User Guide — supported features, physical installation and setup instructions
- Release Notes for the Cisco CSS UCS Servers
- After the server appliance is installed, see the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager: Install and Upgrade Guide to perform the initial Cisco VSM setup.
- For additional server hardware documentation, see the Cisco UCS C-Series Server Documentation (Roadmap) .
Upgrading from Previous Cisco VSM Releases
Cisco VSM can be upgraded using a
.zipupgrade file that includes all required software packages. Installing the.zipfile upgrades all components and ensures that all packages are running the required versions.For complete instructions, see the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager: Install and Upgrade Guide .
- Release 7.7 and later—Use the Software Management page on the browser-based Operations Manager to upgrade all of the servers in your deployment.
- Release 7.5 and earlier—Upgrades to release 7.9 are supported only from releases 7.7 or 7.8. To upgrade from an earlier release, you must first upgrade to 7.7 or 7.8, and then upgrade to 7.9.
Note Upgrades from Release 7.2 and earlier are performed using the Management Console. See Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide for your release.
- Clear the cache in each user’s web browser after upgrading Cisco VSM. If not cleared, the browser may attempt to use outdated content and display the error message “Operation failed: Authentication failed, this request is not allowed” until the page is refreshed.
- Always upgrade using the Cisco VSM user-interfaces. Do not perform the upgrade using the Linux CLI.
- Release 7.0 was pre-installed on the Cisco Multiservices Platform (Cisco MSP) servers, including the CPS-MSP-1RU-K9 and CPS-MSP-2RU-K9.
- Release 7.2 to Release 7.7 was pre-installed on the CPS-UCS-1RU-K9 and CPS-UCS-2RU-K9 Cisco CSS UCS series servers.
– The CIVS platform is not supported and cannot be upgraded to VSM 7.7 or later.
– CPS-UCSM4-1RU-K9 / Cisco CPS UCSM4 2RU
Note Virtual Machine (VM) installations can also be upgraded using the Cisco VSM Management Console. Upgrades are supported from release 7.7 or higher on the RHEL6 operating system.
Recovery/Factory Image
You can also create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used to recover an installation or perform a a factory installation of Cisco VSM Release 7.9 on a supported physical server that shipped with Cisco VSM 7.9 pre-installed. This includes CPS-UCSM4-1RU-K9 and Cisco CPS UCSM4 2RU.
Related Recovery Documentation
For more information, see the following documents:
Important Notes
- Operating System Support for VSM Upgrades
- LDAP Usernames
- Browser VLC Plugin Support
- Adding Firefox Security Certificates
- Custom Fields
- Device Configuration Fields Appear Blank
- Windows N and KN Versions
- Release 7.9 Not Supported on CPS-MSP-xRU-K9
- Motion Configuration Fails in Cisco Cameras with Firmware Lower than v2.8
Operating System Support for VSM Upgrades
Upgrades are supported on physical or virtual servers running the RHEL 6 operating system.
Upgrades are not supported on servers running the RHEL5 and SUSE operating systems.
LDAP Usernames
LDAP users should not be “localadmin” or “localuser” since these are the default privileged usernames in the Cisco VSM Operations Manager and Cisco VSM Management Console.
Browser VLC Plugin Support
Some web browsers no longer support plug-ins (such as the VLC plug-in) for video playback. Browsers instead support a limited number of extensions.
Because of this, VLC browser plugin support is changing based on the browser:
Plug-ins, including the VLC plug-in, are no longer supported.
Plug-ins are still supported for the November 2016 50.0.2 release, but Mozilla, the Firefox developer, has announced that Plugin support will end after December 2016 .
Plus-ins, including the VLC plug-in, are supported, but support may vary depending on the Safari and MacOS version.
- Go to the VLC for Mac OS X download site:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html- From the Download VLC menu, select “VLC Web Browser plugin package”.
Adding Firefox Security Certificates
When using an HTML5 web browser for the first time, you may be asked to get a security certificate. Follow the online prompts to get and save the certificate.
For example, if you see the Warning window shown in Figure 1:
2. Click Advanced > Add Exception.
3. Click Confirm Security Exception.
Note See Resolving Firefox Certificate Problems if the Get Certificate prompt continues to appear.
Figure 1 Accepting the Firefox Security Certificate
Resolving Firefox Certificate Problems
If the Firefox certificate Warning message continues to appear, you may need to delete old certificates for your Cisco VSM server (Figure 2), and then restart Firefox.
Figure 2 Removing Old Server Security Certificates
1. Open Firefox on your Windows computer.
2. In Firefox, go to Tools > Options.
4. Click the Certificates tab.
7. Locate the Cisco VSM server hostname or IP address. This is the same address you used to log in to Cisco VSM.
8. Click Delete and then OK to delete all certificates related to that server.
9. Close and reopen the Firefox browser.
10. Get the new security certificate as described in Adding Firefox Security Certificates.
Custom Fields
Custom Fields are supported for cameras, encoders, and servers. The following limitations apply.
Device Configuration Fields Appear Blank
Some versions of Internet Explorer 11 cause device configuration fields to appear blank when clicking between tabs. Click inside the field and press the right arrow button on your keyboard to make the settings appear again.
Windows N and KN Versions
Windows N is a special version of Windows shipped in Europe that does not have Windows Media Player installed and other Media features. Windows KN is a similar version shipped in Korea. If you are unsure about the version of Windows you are using, consult your system administrator.
Workstations running Windows N and KN versions need to install the Windows Media Feature Pack in the following conditions:
- If you use Firefox to monitor video using HTML5. See Support for Video Monitoring Using an HTML5 Enabled Browser.
- If Cisco SASD does not play sound effects (such as beeping when an alert is generated), you may need to install the Windows Media Feature Pack . Do not install this if sound effects play normally.
Release 7.9 Not Supported on CPS-MSP-xRU-K9
Release 7.9 is not supported on the Cisco Physical Security Platform servers CPS-MSP-1RU-K9 or CPS-MSP-2RU-K9.
Motion Configuration Fails in Cisco Cameras with Firmware Lower than v2.8
This issue only occurs when a new Cisco camera with firmware lower than 2.8 is added to Cisco VSM 7.9.
This issue does not occur if the camera was previously added to Cisco VSM. For example, the issue does not occur if the camera was added to Cisco VSM 7.8 and the deployment is upgraded to release 7.9.
Released Versions
Cisco VSM Release 7.9.0 is released with 7.9.0-160i. The component package versions are:
- Cisco_VSBase-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_VSMS-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_SASD-7.9.0-50.noarch
- Cisco_VSOM-7.9.0-171.i386
- Cisco_AMQBroker-7.9.0-1.noarch
- Cisco_VSRecorder-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_VSDrivers-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_MPClient-7.9.0-6.noarch
- Cisco_DashCast-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_CDAF-7.9.0-171.noarch
- Cisco_VSMUpgrade-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_VSF-7.9.0-171.noarch
- Cisco_Tomcat-7.0.55-3.noarch
- Cisco_MetaDataService-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_VSTools-7.9.0-071d.i686
- Cisco_GeoServer-7.8.0-1.noarch
Supported Devices
The following sections provide information about the devices that this version of Cisco VSM supports:
- Supported Devices: Cisco
- Supported Devices: Arecont
- Supported Devices: Axis
- Supported Devices: IQinVision
- Supported Devices: Mobotix
- Supported Devices: Panasonic
- Supported Devices: Pelco
- Supported Devices: Sony
- Supported Devices: Generic IP Cameras
- Supported Devices: Analog Cameras
- Device Models Validated in Cisco VSM as Generic IP Cameras
Supported Devices: Cisco
Table 3 through Table 8 provide information about Cisco devices supported in this release:
- Cisco 2400/2500, 2600, 2800, and 2900 Series
- Cisco 3000 Series
- Cisco 4000 Series and 5000 Series
- Cisco 6000 Series
- Cisco 7000 Series
- Cisco CIVS-SENC-4P and CIVS-SENC-8P
Additional Notes on Cisco Devices
- Cisco 4500 and 4500E support video analytics.
- Redundancy is supported for all Cisco devices some exceptions for the 2400, 2500, 2900 and 5000 series. The 2400, 2500, 2900 and 5000 series do not support sending events to the redundant server such motion detection and contact closure events.
- Cisco 5000 series does not support motion detection at video bit-rates above 4,000 (4 Mbps). The “H” video preset in Templates has been chosen to not exceed this, so motion detection will work.
- The Cisco 5000 and 2900 camera series do not allow changes to the authentication settings (username/password) or networking settings (DHCP/Static, DNS, etc.) through Cisco VSM. These values can only be changed using the camera web interfaces.
- Focus, Auto Focus and Zoom support are not available for Cisco 6000P, 3421V, 3520, 3530, 3535, and 3050 camera models.
- When Cisco VSM manages a Cisco 6930, 2830, or 2835 camera, it automatically enables the HTTP protocol on the camera and uses this protocol to send PTZ commands to the camera. Other configuration commands continue to use the HTTPS protocol.
- The Cisco 2830, 2835, 3000 series, 6000 series and 7030 cameras now support MJPEG primary streams.
- Cisco 3421V and 6050 cameras does not support Contact Closure, Cisco 7030 camera supports 3 input ports. All other Cisco 3000, 6000 series cameras support 1 input port.
- In PTZ Tour Configuration, the configured transition time configured includes the time that it takes the camera to move from the one preset position to the next preset position in addition to the time that the camera is expected to stay in the preset position. If the transition time is configured to a value that is less than the time that it takes the camera to move from one preset position to the next, the camera moves between the first and second presets positions only, instead of touring between all preset positions that are configured in the tour.
- The minimum firmware version required to support camera applications is 2.5.0-10.
- The minimum firmware version required to support connected edge storage is 2.0.
Supported Devices: Arecont
Table 9 provides information about Arecont devices that this Cisco VSM release supports.
Additional Notes on Arecont Devices
- AV20185, AV20365, AV12186, AV8365 and AV8185 are 4-channel IP cameras. In order to support multiple video channels from a single device, Cisco VSM 7 models these devices as “Encoders”.
- Arecont devices have not yet been qualified to support redundancy in Cisco VSM 7.
- Secondary streams are not supported in H, M, L template settings for Arecont Devices. However secondary stream can be configured using Custom templates.
- Arecont cameras divide the Maximum FPS the camera supports by the number of streams. This could result in lower FPS when both primary and secondary streams are configured for these cameras.
- Arecont AV10XX5, AV5115, AV2115 support VBR and multicast streaming.
- There is a restriction with motion detection for Arecont multi-sensor cameras. False motion events are generated if both half and full resolution size images are requested simultaneously using Cisco VSM or Arecont Camera Web Interface or a third party Media Player.
Supported Devices: Axis
Table 10 provides information about Axis devices that this Cisco VSM release supports.
Additional Notes on Axis Devices
- Axis P3301 IP camera and Q7401, Q7404, and Q7406 encoders have been qualified to support redundancy in Cisco VSM 7.0.1.
- Axis 233D supports contact closure configuration and events.
- Support for 0.1fps MJPEG stream for all supported Axis models.
The following table documents the various Field-Of-Views supported for the Axis M3007 panoramic cameras and support for PTZ and Motion Detection for these Field-Of-Views.
The Axis M3007 camera allows the user to configure various mounting options directly in the camera web interface that affects the possible values for Field-Of-Views that can be configured on the camera. The table below provides this mapping:
Supported Devices: IQinVision
Table 13 provides information about IQinVision devices that this Cisco VSM release supports.
Supported Devices: Mobotix
Table 14 provides information about Mobotix devices that this Cisco VSM release supports.
Supported Devices: Panasonic
Table 15 provides information about Panasonic devices that this Cisco VSM release supports.
Additional Notes on Panasonic Devices
- Panasonic devices have not yet been qualified to support redundancy in Cisco VSM 7.
- Only same field of views can be configured on primary and secondary streams on Panasonic cameras SW458/SF438.
- The following table documents the various Field-Of-Views supported for the Panasonic SF 458 and SF 438 panoramic cameras and support for PTZ and Motion Detection for these Field-Of-Views.
Supported Devices: Pelco
Table 17 provides information about Pelco devices that this release supports.
Additional Notes on Pelco Devices
- Pelco devices have not yet been qualified to support Redundancy in Cisco VSM 7.
- Audio volume controls are not supported for NET540XT
- For Pelco NET540xT PTZ to work, the analog camera should be chosen as Pelco Analog Camera (pelco_sarix) in Operations Manager and not as Pelco D.
- The user needs to directly configure the Serial protocol on the Pelco NET540XT encoder outside of Cisco VSM.
- The Pelco Spectra IV TXB-N (H.264 capable model) run Pelco Sarix firmware and can be supported in Cisco VSM as a Pelco Sarix Generic IP camera (additional details in the Generic IP camera section).
Supported Devices: Sony
Table 18 provides information about Sony devices that this release supports.
Additional Notes on Sony Devices
- Sony devices have not yet been qualified to support redundancy in Cisco VSM 7.
- These Sony devices do not support motion detection with the H.264 media type.
- The Sony SNC-RX5x0 cameras stop streaming video when the Object Detection window is opened in the camera’s web interface.
- For Sony HM662 Panoramic camera, only the 360 degree view is supported. De-warped views are not supported.
Supported Devices: Generic IP Cameras
Cisco VSM Release 7.9 provides the following device drivers to support IP cameras from various vendors. The functionality they support will depend on the particular device that they are used with. They are intended to provide a quick and easy way to support devices for which there isn’t yet a specific driver available for Cisco VSM. Since these drivers may not be tested with a specific device, some issues may be encountered. When using these drivers with a device, failover and redundancy are not supported.
Note The vendor specific generic driver should always be used before a non-vendor specific driver such as ONVIF.
- Supports only IP Cameras, no support for Encoders
- No Motion Detection support
- No contact closure support
- Multicast streaming is supported only for the primary stream
- Multicast port must be an even number within the range 16000:19999
- Audio Multicast issues are observed on most of the ONVIF cameras. Hence do not enable audio when multicast is enabled for video.
- Capture Mode on the camera cannot be changed using ONVIF APIs. So, it is assumed that the camera is in the desired capture mode before adding it to VSOM using ONVIF
- This ONVIF driver has been tested with a limited number of camera models from Axis, Sony, Panasonic, Bosch, Pelco, Samsung, J2000IP, Hikvision and Cohu. We have found that these cameras have some variations in how they have implemented the ONVIF specification. Hence there may be compatibility issues when using this ONVIF driver with a particular device that is ONVIF compliant.
- Some of the known caveats are listed below:
- ONVIF user account—Some Axis cameras require a special ONVIF user account, which can be created on the camera's web interface before adding an AXIS ONVIF camera to the VSOM. This page is at Setup --> System Options --> Security --> ONVIF --> Add
- Camera and VSMS (Media Server) Time Synchronization—ONVIF camera and VSMS server to which ONVIF camera is being added should have their time synchronized ideally using NTP.
- Codec Change through VSOM—Hikvision camera requires a reboot after the codec is changed from VSOM.
- The Minimum Firmware Version of Hikvision cameras supported is V5.3.0, to be added as ONVIF camera in Cisco VSM.
- Megapixel Mode setting on the camera SND-7080
- To support the resolutions (1600*1200) and (2048*1536), change the Megapixel Mode to 3-Megapixel in the following page on the camera browser: Settings -> Audio & Video -> video profile -> Megapixel mode
- Enable Authentication on the camera before adding it to VSOM In the camera browser, go to Camera Setup -> Configuration -> User Settings. Select User and enable “Require Password” field.
- Media Transport Type— Only UDP is supported. Streaming fails if TCP is selected.
- Unsupported Resolutions —Streaming fails for the resolutions 176*144, 176*120, 160*120
- Codec Change through VSOM— Switching from H264 to JPEG or vice-versa requires a camera reboot. And camera needs to be deleted and added in VSOM after camera is up.
- Support for Audio— Camera does not support ONVIF Audio
- Frame rate— Only Framerate 30 is supported
- Dual Streaming— Secondary configuration overwrites the primary configuration. So, dual streaming is not supported on Bosch cameras using ONVIF.
- Capture Mode Setting— If the camera is added in VSOM using Multicast, changing the capture mode on the camera browser manually causes the streaming to fail. After this, only the unicast streaming works
- User Authentication— User Authentication should be enabled in the camera browser as follows - Setup -> User mng -> User auth. Choose ON for User auth.
- Media Transport Type— Only UDP is supported. Streaming fails if TCP is selected
- Support for Audio— Camera does not support ONVIF Audio
- Set Configuration Issues — Camera returns success even if one or more of the parameters are not valid for that camera/video stream. ONVIF profile gets updated with values but Camera still uses the previous correct value. Recommend to configure only the values as allowed in the camera browser.
- Support for Password change on the camera— Camera does not support password change for the administrator users using ONVIF API.
Supported Devices: Analog Cameras
This Cisco VSM release provides support for the following analog cameras.
Device Models Validated in Cisco VSM as Generic IP Cameras
The camera models listed in Table 21 have been tested with VSM Release 7.9 as generic IP cameras.
Clipping Support By Application
You can create and view video clips using the following Cisco VSM applications:
Note When converting a virtual clip to an MP4 file, only the entire duration of the virtual clip can be saved, not a segment.
Obtaining and Installing Licenses
To install a license, purchase the license and obtain the license file, then upload the file to the Operations Manager.
Table 23 lists the part numbers for the Cisco VSM licenses. Multiple camera and VSMS licenses can be included in a single license file. For example, a single license file might include support for 25 additional cameras and two additional VSMS devices.
- A license for 10,000 Cisco cameras is included by default (you do not need to purchase and install an additional license for Cisco cameras).
- You can add 1 Media Server and 10 non-Cisco cameras without a license for initial setup purposes only. This feature is removed when you add any permanent license.
Step 1 Purchase additional licenses:
a. Determine the part number for the license you want to purchase (see Table 23 ).
b. Purchase the license by contacting your Cisco sales representative or any Cisco reseller. For more information, visit http://www.cisco.com/en/US/ordering/index.shtml .
c. When the purchase is complete, you are issued a Product Authorization Key (PAK) in paper form, or in an e-mail message.
Step 2 Obtain the license file:
a. Locate the Product Authorization Key (PAK) that was created with the purchase.
b. In a web browser, open the Cisco Product License Registration web page.
http://www.cisco.com/go/license/
c. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the form and enter the Product Authorization Key (PAK). When you are done, a license file with the extension
.licis sent to your e-mail address.d. Transfer the file to the drive of the PC used for the configuration.
Step 3 Install the license file in Cisco VSM:
a. Log in to the Operations Manager.
b. Select System Settings > Software Licensing .
c. Click Add and select the license file located on your local drive.
d. Click Save to install the file and activate the additional capacity.
The additional capacity is available immediately. You do not need to restart the server or take additional steps.
See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.
Understanding the Cisco VSM Software Types
Table 24 describes the different types of software and firmware that are installed on servers, cameras, and encoders.
System software denotes the Cisco VSM software, including Media Server, Operations Manager, Cisco VSM Management Console, Safety and Security Desktop and Multipane clients. All servers running the Operations Manager and associated Media Server services must run the same software version.
Use the Operations Manager to update the System Software on all servers (such as Media Servers) associated with the Operations Manager. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for instructions.
- The Operations Manager and all associated servers must run the same system software version.
- To update a Federator server, log in to the Federator server Management Console. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for instructions.
- To repair or restore the Cisco VSM system software, see the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager: Install and Upgrade Guide for your hardware platform. For VM installations, see the Cisco Video Surveillance Virtual Machine Deployment and Recovery Guide for UCS Platforms ).
OVF template files are used to install the system software as a virtual machine (VM) on a supported Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) platform.
- OVA template files are downloaded from the Cisco website.
- The file format is
.ova.For example:Cisco_VSM-7.9.0-331d_ucs-bc.ova- See the Cisco Video Surveillance Virtual Machine Deployment and Recovery Guide for UCS Platforms for instructions to install the .ova image and perform the initial VM setup.
- After the VM setup is complete, use the Management Console to complete the configuration.
Use the USB Recovery Disk image to create a Cisco VSM 7 Recovery Flash Drive (for example, on a USB stick). The recovery disk can be used do the following:
- 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.
See the Cisco CSS UCS Server User Guide for more information.
Device firmware is provided by the device manufacturer. The firmware for Cisco devices can be upgraded using Operations Manager. Firmware for other manufacturers is upgraded using a direct connection.
See the “Upgrading Camera and Encoder Driver Firmware” section of the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for instructions to upgrade Cisco device firmware, or refer to the device documentation.
Device driver packs are the software packages used by Media Servers and the Operations Manager to interoperate with video devices, such as cameras. Driver packs are included with the Cisco VSM software, or may be added to a server at a later time to add support for new devices or features.
- Install new driver packs to add support for additional devices.
- Upgrade existing driver packs to enable support for new features.
- When updating or installing a driver pack, you first install the file on the Operations Manager, and then on the Media Servers that support the cameras or encoders. You can install the new version on all Media Servers, or only the Media Server(s) that support the affected devices. If the driver pack version is different on the Media Servers in your deployment, a driver pack mismatch error can occur.
– A warning message is informational only and the cameras and encoders can be configured normally.
– A critical message appears if the driver pack mismatch will impact the functionality or compatibility between the Operations Manager, Media Servers, and the video device. The upgrade is not allowed. Camera and encoder templates cannot be revised until the same driver pack version is installed on all Media Servers.
Note We strongly recommend upgrading driver packs using the Operations Manager interface (see the “Driver Pack Management” section of the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide). This allows you to upgrade multiple servers at once.
Language packs can be added to display the Cisco VSM user interfaces in non-English languages.
Language packs are added using the Operations Manager (release 7.6 and higher). See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for instructions.
Obtaining Cisco VSM Software
Complete the following procedure to obtain software and other information for the Cisco VSM products and components:
Step 1 Go to the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager product page .
Step 2 Click Download Software .
Step 3 Select a product category. For example:
- Video Surveillance Device Driver
- Video Surveillance Manager Stand-alone Tools
- Video Surveillance Media Server Software (including system software)
Step 4 Select the release for your server, device, or deployment (Figure 3).
Step 5 Click Download or Add to Cart and follow the onscreen instructions.
Figure 3 Download Software Page
You can also navigate the Cisco Physical Security product pages to download software updates and other information:
Step 1 Go to the following URL.
http://www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity
Step 2 Click View All Physical Security Products.
Step 3 Click IP Video Surveillance.
Step 4 Click Cisco Video Surveillance Manager.
Step 5 Click Download Software for this Product .
Step 6 Click a Software Type and follow the onscreen instructions.
For example: Video Surveillance Media Server Software (Figure 3).
Step 7 Select the release for your server, device, or deployment.
Step 8 Click Download or Add to Cart and follow the onscreen instructions.
Caveats
This section includes the following topics:
Using the Software Bug Search Tool
You can use the Bug Search Tool to find information about most caveats for Cisco VSM releases, including a description of the problems and available workarounds. The Bug Search Tool lists both open and resolved caveats.
To access Bug Search Tool, you need the following items:
To use the Software Bug Search Tool, follow these steps:
Step 1 To access the Bug Search Tool, go to https://tools.cisco.com/bugsearch/
Step 2 Log in with your Cisco.com user ID and password.
Step 3 To look for information about a specific problem, enter the bug ID number in the Search for field.
Step 4 For more information, go to the Bug Search interactive tour .
Open Caveats
Table 25 lists caveats that are open in this release.
Resolved Caveats
Related Documentation
See the following locations for the most current information and documentation:
Cisco Video Surveillance 7 Documentation Roadmap
Descriptions and links to Cisco Video Surveillance documentation, server and storage platform documentation, and other related documentation.
http://www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity/vsm/roadmap
Cisco Physical Security Product Information:
www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity/
Cisco Video Surveillance Manager Documentation Website
www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity/vsm/docs
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks . Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1721R)
Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
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