Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager Release 7.0.1
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Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager , Release 7.0.1
CPS-MSP-1RU-K9 and CPS-MSP-2RU-K9 Servers
Special Instructions for Linux Red Hat
Dual-Stream and Custom Configurations
VSOM, VSMS, and Cisco VSM Management Console Considerations
Supported Devices: Generic Drivers for Arocont, Axis and ONVIF IP Cameras
Supported Devices: Analog Cameras
Obtaining and Installing Licenses
Supported Firmware for Cisco Network Cameras and Encoders
Understanding the VSM Software Types
Using the Software Bug Toolkit
Release Notes for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager, Release 7.0.1
This document provides important information for Cisco Video Surveillance Manager (Cisco VSM).
This document includes the following sections:
- What’s New in this Release
- Getting Started
- Important Notes
- Supported Hardware Platforms
- Released Versions
- Supported Devices
- Obtaining and Installing Licenses
- Supported Firmware for Cisco Network Cameras and Encoders
- Understanding the VSM Software Types
- Obtaining VSM Software
- Caveats
- Related Documentation
What’s New in this Release
VSM 7.0.1 includes fixes for various defects (see the “Resolved Caveats” section) and the following new features and functions:
- Support for Internet Explorer 9—Support for Internet Explorer 9 was added in this release, so VSM now supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer 8 and 9.
- 4 x 4 views—Up to 4 x 4 views are supported in the VSOM web GUI when using Internet Explorer 8 or 9 64-bit.
- Additional external Media Servers can be added to VSOM co-located with a Media Server.
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A co-located Operations Manager running on a CPS-MSP-2RU-K9 server can manage up to 20 total Media Servers.
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- Health monitoring enhancements—VSOM server health monitoring, including RAID and hardware status.
- CSV import enhancement—You can now import Media Server configuration from a comma-separated text file.
- VSOM bulk operation improvements—Improved support for camera and encoder firmware upgrades in VSOM bulk operations.
- LDAP enhancements—Additional configuration options for LDAP are supported. For related information, see the “LDAP Upgrade Requirements” section.
- Virtual machine (VM) deployment is now supported on the Cisco UCS E-Series platform. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Virtual Machine Deployment Guide for UCS Platforms for more information.
- Enhancements to SASD:
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- Video Profile Tool—VSM 7.0.1 includes a Video Profile Tool to measure and profile the video performance of a workstation and graphics card.
- Drivers with audio support for new cameras—Drivers for the new Cisco 3000, 6000 and 7000 series cameras are included in the release and audio is supported.
- All Cisco devices now support 0.1 FPS MJPEG—All Cisco devices now support 0.1 FPS MJPEG, which is useful for sending low bit rate video on a secondary stream to a redundant server at a remote location. Only live video is supported at this low frame rate.
- Variable Bit Rate support for Cisco 4 port and 8 port encoders.
- Generic Axis Driver enhancements:
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LDAP Upgrade Requirements
Because VSM 7.0.1 adds fields for LDAP server configuration, the existing VSM LDAP configuration will not work after an upgrade to 7.0.1. To resume using LDAP after upgrading to 7.0.1, log in to the VSOM server as the admin user and update the LDAP server configuration as described in Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide .
Note
LDAP configuration changes in 7.0.1 include the following:
- The Distinguished Name field is separated into the Principal and User Search Base fields. The Principal is used to perform the LDAP Binding to authenticate the user, and the User Search Base is the LDAP hierarchy containing the user records. For example, a VSM 7.0.0 Distinguished Name of cn=%USERID%,OU=People,OU=US,DC=company,DC=com would be split in to a Principal of cn=%USERID% and User Search Base of OU=People,OU=US,DC=company,DC=com in 7.0.1.
- The Userid Attribute should be set to the attribute used to identify the user record. For Active Directory, this attribute is sAMAccountName. For example, if the Principal is cn=%USERID%, this attribute would be cn.
Getting Started
VSM 7.0.1 is being delivered as RPMs for upgrades of VSM 7.0 deployed in VMs and on MSP servers.
The following sections provide information about getting started with this VSM release. There are different options depending on your deployment:
- CPS-MSP-1RU-K9 and CPS-MSP-2RU-K9 Servers
- Recovery/Factory Image
- Upgrading from VSM 7.0
- Migrating from VSM 6.3.x
CPS-MSP-1RU-K9 and CPS-MSP-2RU-K9 Servers
Cisco VSM Release 7.0.1 is available pre-installed on the MSP-1RU and MSP-2RU servers. See Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide for detailed information.
Recovery/Factory Image
A recovery image is available for download. This image is used to create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used for a recovery installation or a factory installation of VSM 7 on a CPS-MSP-1RU-K9 or CPS-MSP-2RU-K9 server that shipped with VSM 7 pre-installed. For more detailed information, see the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager Flash Drive Recovery Guide .
When using VSM 7.0.1, use the recovery image for VSM 7.0.0, and then follow the VSM 7.0.1 upgrade instructions to upgrade to the 7.0.1 release.
Upgrading from VSM 7.0
VSM 7.0.1 is available as a set of RPMs. These RPMs can be used to upgrade VSM 7.0 that is running on an MSP server or to upgrade VSM 7.0 that is running in a virtual machine on a UCS server. The RPMs can also be used to perform a fresh installation on supported MSP servers.
See the Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide for more information:
Special Instructions for Linux Red Hat
If your VSM server is running the Linux Red Hat operating system, follow these steps to update the date that the password was last set for the root user before you begin the upgrade process:
Step 1
Step 2
[localadmin@linux ~]# sudo chage -d date roo t
Important Notes
The following sections provides important information that applies to this VSM release:
- Dual-Stream and Custom Configurations
- Deployment Considerations
- VSOM, VSMS, and Cisco VSM Management Console Considerations
- Video Client Considerations
- SASD Considerations
Dual-Stream and Custom Configurations
This release provides validated High, Medium, and Low video quality settings for video supported devices. These settings have been tested and, unless otherwise noted, work in single stream mode and in all combinations in dual stream mode.
Custom settings allow customizing video settings for both single and stream and dual stream situations. The single stream custom settings are validated to allow only what a device supports. However, in dual-stream situations with custom settings, VSM 7 does not validate that the device supports a configured dual stream custom combination. The device may reject the configuration VSM may report an error to the user. In some cases, the device may accept the configuration but deliver poor quality video or video at a different frame rate or bit rate than what was requested. When using custom settings, make sure to verify that the video quality is acceptable after configuring the camera.
Generic templates provide an easy to use way to quickly configure multiple cameras that are not the same make and model. Because they are generic, these cameras support dual-streams. If a dual-stream configuration in a generic template is applied to a device, VSM does not validate that the device supports dual-streams. If it does not, the configuration may not work properly, and video quality and frame rate will not be acceptable.
Deployment Considerations
The following notes apply to deployments of this VSM release:
To provide accurate video recording, event notifications, and security, all system components of VSM must be synchronized to the same time. Cisco recommends that NTP be used to synchronize time between servers, cameras, and clients. Windows 7 time settings can be configured to point to VSOM as an NTP source, and each VSMS can be configured with VSOM as an NTP source through the VSM Management Console or through VSOM. Finally, VSOM should be configured with the NTP source to synchronize the entire system with the correct time.
In VSM 7.0.1, NTP is automatically configured on Cisco IP cameras and encoders. When the Cisco device is added to a Media Server, the device is configured to use the Media Server as its NTP source. The Media Server NTP settings override any NTP settings that are configured directly in the device through its web GUI.
- Using DHCP is required for using Medianet camera discovery in VSM 7. DHCP also offers a convenient way to assign IP addresses to many cameras at once.
When using DHCP, it is important to configure the DHCP server properly. DHCP servers support assigning addresses to devices in these ways:
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With dynamic assignment, an IP address can change when the lease expires. In general, this event causes a short loss in video while the IP address changes and streaming resumes. However, in some cases, such as if the IP address changes during certain administrative operations or during a failover, VSM is not informed of the address change and loses connectivity with the camera until the camera is reset. To avoid this situation, Cisco recommends that the DHCP server be configured with automatic assignment. If dynamic assignment must be used, Cisco recommends that a long lease time be configured.
- When running VSM 7 in a virtual machine with video being recorded on external storage devices, each RAID set should be configured with only one virtual machine, otherwise, the storage system may become oversubscribed and video frames may be dropped.
- When using dual graphics cards, Cisco recommends that both cards be the same model. See Cisco Video Surveillance Monitoring Workstation Performance Baseline Specification, Release 7.0 for information about workstation performance and graphics cards.
When using dual-graphics cards, disable Windows Desktop Composition on the client workstation to avoid a reduction in video performance. (Make this setting in the Windows 7 Control Panel by choosing Advanced System Settings , clicking the Settings button under Performance, and unchecking the Enable Desktop Composition checkbox in the Performance Options window.)
VSOM, VSMS, and Cisco VSM Management Console Considerations
The following notes apply to deployments of this VSM release VSOM, VSMS, and Cisco VSM Management Console:
VSOM provides support for firmware upgrades for some supported devices. VSM 7 does not block system administration functions in Cisco VSM Management Console while VSOM is performing firmware upgrades. However, you should not perform Cisco VSM Management Console system administration tasks that might disrupt the connection to the devices being upgraded while the upgrade is in progress. For example, using Cisco VSM Management Console to upgrade software on a VSMS that is connected to a device or upgrading the driver for the device while VSOM is upgrading the device firmware upgrade is not recommended.
If you perform a system administration task during an upgrade and the upgrade does not completed properly, VSOM detects an error and displays information in the Jobs status information for the upgrade. In this case, the firmware upgrade process must be repeated.
Medianet cameras are discovered by VSM automatically and added to the system in approximately 30 seconds. After the camera is provisioned in the system, VSOM administration features should be used if it is necessary to make changes to the VSMS to which the camera is assigned or to change camera configuration settings. Avoid deleting a camera from the system to allow it to be rediscovered so that it can be reconfigured because it can take up to 10 minutes for the camera to be rediscovered (or longer if the if the camera is rebooted).
Video Client Considerations
The following notes apply to video clients in this VSM release:
In some cases when an .MP4 clip is requested, the clip may fail to generate but no error is reported. This situation can occur if there is not enough storage on the VSMS to temporarily store the clip after it is created and before it is downloaded to the client workstation.
VSM 7 allows reconfiguring a camera, including changing the media type, while recording is active. For example, the media type can be changed from MJPEG to H.264 if the camera supports it. This action results in recorded video with changes in the media type. In this situation, playback is not smooth across the changes. In some cases, such as normal forward play, the transition may appear relatively smooth. In other cases, such as reverse play and stepping, or when audio is used, the transition can have noticeable issues. In some cases, audio may not be available for as long as 15 seconds.
Reverse playback of video streams, particularly of 10 Mpixel video streams, requires additional resources on a client workstation. During reverse video playback of 10 Mpixel video, memory use on the client workstation is heaviest. If the resources of the client workstation are overloaded, reverse playback does not run at the proper speed and is not smooth. For best performance of reverse playback of 10 Mpixel video streams, Cisco recommends that SASD be used because it runs in 64 bit mode. In addition, Cisco recommends that the client workstation have 16GB of DRAM.
SASD Considerations
The following notes apply when using SASD in this VSM release:
- SASD requires the Windows 7 64-bit operating system.
- The .NET Framework 4.0 must be installed on a client workstation before the SASD client software is installed on that system.
A standalone .NET Framework 4 installer is available from the Microsoft website. If .NET 4.0 is not installed, the following message appears during installation of the SASD client software:
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Full Package is Required.
During normal SASD operations, SASD enforces a limit of 48 panes of video. However, during Unattended Mode operation, there is no limit enforced on the number of panes. If more than 48 panes are displayed, SASD performance can be poor and, in unusual cases, can crash. See defect number CSCub06627 for related information.
Supported Devices
The following sections provide information about the devices that this version of VSM supports:
- Supported Devices: Cisco
- Supported Devices: Arecont
- Supported Devices: Axis
- Supported Devices: IQinVision
- Supported Devices: Panasonic
- Supported Devices: Sony
- Supported Devices: Generic Drivers for Arocont, Axis and ONVIF IP Cameras
- Supported Devices: Analog Cameras
Supported Devices: Cisco
Table 1 provides information about Cisco devices that this VSM release supports.
- Cisco 4500 and 4500E cameras support video analytics.
- All Cisco devices support redundancy, with some exceptions for the 2400, 2500, 2900, and 5000 Series cameras. The 2400, 2500, 2900, and 5000 series cameras do not support sending events such motion detection and contact closures to the redundant server.
- Cisco 5000 Series cameras do not support motion detection at video bit-rates that are greater than 4,000 Kbps (4 Mbps).
- The Cisco 5000 and 2900 series cameras do not allow changes to authentication settings (username and password) or networking settings (DHCP, static IP address, DNS, and so on) through VSM. These values must be configured by using web interface of a camera.
- Focus, auto Focus, and zoom are not supported on the Cisco 6000P, 3421V, 3520, 3530 camera models.
- The Cisco 3421V camera does not support contact closure.
- The Cisco 7030 camera supports three input ports. All other cisco 3000 and 6000 series camera models support one input port.
- The MJPEG stream supports 0.1 FPS for all Cisco devices.
- VBR is supported for both CIVS-SENC encoder models.
Supported Devices: Arecont
Table 2 provides information about Arecont devices that this VSM release supports.
- AV20185DN and AV8185 models are 4-channel IP cameras. To support multiple video channels from a single device, VSM 7 models these devices as Encoders.
- Arecont devices have not been qualified to support redundancy with this VSM release.
- Secondary streams are not supported in the H, M, L template settings for Arecont devices. Secondary stream can be configured by using Custom templates.
- Arecont cameras divide the maximum FPS the camera supports by the number of streams, which can result in lower FPS when both primary and secondary streams are configured for these cameras.
Supported Devices: Axis
Table 3 provides information about Axis devices that this VSM release supports.
The Axis P3301 IP camera and 7406, 7404 and 7401 encoders have been qualified to support redundancy in VSM 7.0.
Supported Devices: IQinVision
Table 4 provides information about IQinVision devices that this VSM release supports.
- IQinVision devices have not been qualified to support redundancy in VSM 7.0.
- With firmware versions 3.3/8 and 3.3/9, a camera may not respond to configurations settings for streaming and motion detection even if these settings have been configured successfully multiple times in the past. In this situation, reboot the camera.
- Firmware version 3.4/3 is not compatible with VSM.
Supported Devices: Panasonic
Table 5 provides information about Panasonic devices that this VSM release supports.
Panasonic devices have not been qualified to support redundancy with this VSM release.
Supported Devices: Sony
Table 6 provides information about Sony devices that this Panasonic release supports.
Supported Devices: Generic Drivers for Arocont, Axis and ONVIF IP Cameras
VSM 7.0 provides generic device drivers for supporting Arecont, ONVIF 2.0 and Axis VAPIX Version 2 and Version 3 compatible devices. These generic drivers are for use with IP cameras only. The functionality that they support depends on the device that they are used with. These drivers are intended to provide a quick and easy way to support devices for which VSM does not currently have a dedicated driver available. Because 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.
Table 7 described the generic device driver support for Axis and ONVIF cameras.
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Supported Devices: Analog Cameras
This VSM release provides support for several of analog cameras.
Table 8 describes the support for analog cameras.
The Cyberdome I and Cyberdome II devices include on-screen display menu support.
Obtaining and Installing Licenses
To install a license, purchase the license and obtain the license file, then upload the file to VSOM.
Table 9 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.
Step 1
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Step 2
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b.
http://www.cisco.com/go/license/
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d.
Step 3
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The additional capacity is available immediately. You do not need to restart the server or take additional steps.
Supported Firmware for Cisco Network Cameras and Encoders
The following table describes the minimum firmware versions for Cisco cameras and encoders in this release of Cisco VSM.
Understanding the VSM Software Types
Device firmware is provided by the device manufacturer. The firmware for Cisco devices can be upgraded using VSOM. Firmware for other manufacturers is upgraded using a direct connection.
See 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 VSMS and VSOM to inter-operate with video devices. Driver packs are included with the VSM software, or may be added to a server at a later time to add support for new devices.
- Use the Cisco VSM Management Console to update driver packs , as described in the Manage Drivers section of Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide .
- Go to Operations > Management Console to launch the browser-based interface. See your system administrator for login information.
- Driver pack versions must be the same on the servers that host the VSMS and VSOM or a driver pack mismatch error occurs. Templates cannot be revised when a driver pack mismatch error is present.
System software denotes the VSM software, including Media Server, Operations Manager, Cisco VSM Management Console, Safety and Security Desktop and Multipane clients. The Operations Manager and all associated Media Servers must run the same software version.
Use the Cisco VSM Management Console to update System Software, as described in the Server Upgrade section of Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide .
Language packs can be added to display the VSM user interfaces in non-English languages. Language packs are added using the Server Upgrade page of the Cisco VSM Management Console. You must upgrade the language packs on all servers in your deployment.
See the Server Upgrade section of Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide for more information.
Use the USB Recovery Disk image to create a Cisco VSM 7.0 Recovery Flash Drive (for example, on a USB stick). The recovery disk can be used to restore (reinstall) the server Operating System files and partitions without erasing video files stored on the server, or restore the Cisco VSM server to the original factory state (which deletes all data, configurations, software and video files from the appliance).
Obtaining VSM Software
Complete the following procedure to obtain software and other information for the following VSM products and components:
Step 1
http://www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Tip
Caveats
This section includes the following topics:
Using the Software Bug Toolkit
You can use the Bug Toolkit to find information about most caveats for Cisco VSM releases, including a description of the problems and available workarounds. The Bug Toolkit lists both open and resolved caveats.
To access Bug Toolkit, you need the following items:
To use the Software Bug Toolkit, follow these steps:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
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Open Caveats
Table 12 lists caveats that are open in this release.
Resolved Caveats
Table 13 lists caveats that are resolved in this release.
Related Documentation
You can access the most current information and documentation online at the following URLs:
Cisco Physical Security Product Information:
www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity/
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 Video Surveillance Manager Documentation Website:
www.cisco.com/go/physicalsecurity/vsm/docs
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