Cisco Video Surveillance Virtual Machine Deployment and Recovery Guide for UCS Platforms, Release 7

Audience

This guide is intended for use by Cisco System Engineers, Physical Security Advanced Technology Provider (ATP) partners, and technical field staff who develop and implement Cisco VSM and UCS Servers for data center and branch office solutions.

A successful implementation also requires additional knowledge in the following areas:

• Cisco UCS platform installation and management
• Cisco Video Surveillance Manager installation and configuration

See the “Related Documentation” section for more information.

Logical Topology

Figure 1-1 illustrates the overall, logical topology of the networking and video surveillance components:

Figure 1-1 Logical Network Topology

• A UCS platform that runs the Cisco VSM virtual machine(s) that host the Media Server, the Operations Manager, or both.
• The Cisco VSM image (.ova file format) for the UCS platform.
• Various IP cameras, encoders and analog cameras.
• The operator workstations that run the Operations Manager client.
• An external network switch and external storage.

Summary Steps

To deploy Cisco VSM as a VM on the Cisco UCS platforms, do the following:

Requirements

The following table summarizes the platform and vSphere requirements for the examples and procedures described in this document.

• Platform Requirements
• vSphere Client Requirements

Platform Requirements

vSphere Client Requirements

Obtaining the Software Images

To install the virtual machine, you must add the Cisco VSM Open Virtualization Format (OVF) template file to VMWare running on a Cisco USC platform. The template file format is.ova.

The.ova template files can be obtained from the Video Surveillance Manager software download page.

Procedure

To download the.ova software images:

Step 1 Log in to the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager software download page.

Note To download the software, you must and have a valid service contract associated to your Cisco.com profile. Contact your Cisco Account Team, Cisco Partner or Reseller for more information.

Step 2 Click Video Surveillance Media Server Software.

Step 3 Select the release number for your Cisco VSM deployment. For example: 7.5.0.

Step 4 Download the OVA image for your server platform.

Cisco UCS B-Series and C-Series Servers

• Download the OVA image for 4-core servers:

For example: Cisco Video Surveillance Manager 7.x OVA image for Cisco UCS B-series, C-series, and E-series (4-core) servers (Cisco_VSM-7.x_ucs-bc-<version>.ova)

Cisco UCS Express Servers

• Download the OVA image for 2-core servers.

For example: Cisco Video Surveillance Manager 7.x OVA image for Cisco UCS-Express (SRE 9xx) and E-series (2-core) servers (Cisco_VSM-7.x_ucs-express-<version>.ova)

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers

• Download the OVA image for either the 2-core and 4-core servers (the E-series server supports both)

Step 5 Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the download.

Tip You can also access software downloads using the Cisco Video Surveillance home page or the Cisco software navigator for IP Video Surveillance software.

Installing the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine

Installing the virtual machine entails adding the Cisco VSM Open Virtualization Format (OVF) template file (.ova format) to the VMware vSphere client, as described in the following procedure.

Note UCS Express, C- and E- Series servers support a single Cisco VSM 7 virtual machine. Do not install VMs for other applications on the same server.

Procedure

Step 1 Download the Cisco VSM Open Virtualization Format (OVF) template file from the Cisco web page to the computer where the vSphere client was previously installed.

• See the “Obtaining the Software Images” section.
• The template file format is.ova. For example: Cisco_VSM-7.5-012_ucs-bc-1.2.ova
• You can also download the OVF template file to a USB drive and attach the drive the computer.
• The OVF Template is approximately 2 GB in size. See the “Requirements” section for the amount of disk size required to deploy the VM (depending on the UCS platform). This requirement is for the VM only and does not include the video partition(s) disk space.

Step 2 Launch the vSphere client.

a. Select the VMware vSphere Client icon on the desktop or select Start > VMware vSphere Client.

b. Enter the vCenter Server’s IP address and credentials to access the vCenter server (Figure 1-2).

Figure 1-2 VMware vSphere Client Login Page

Step 3 Click File > Deploy OVF Template (Figure 1-3).

Step 4 Click Browse and select the .ova template file from a local disk, or enter the URL to download the file from the Internet.

Figure 1-3 Deploying the OVF Template from a File or URL

Step 5 Complete the remaining steps to deploy the template (Figure 1-4):

Figure 1-4 Enter the OVF Template Properties

Step 6 Click Finish to accept the selected deployment settings (Figure 1-5).

Figure 1-5 Ready to Complete—Deployment Settings

Step 7 Wait for the Cisco VSM template to deploy. Click Close when the success message appears.

Step 8 Verify that the VM displays under the host entry in the Inventory tree (Figure 1-6).

Figure 1-6 Cisco VSM VM in the vSphere Client

Tip For more information about OVF Templates, see http://www.vmware.com/technical-resources/interfaces/ovf.html

Verify the VMFS Maximum Heap Size

Verify that the VMFS maximum heap size is set for the amount of storage accessed by the ESXi host.

See the following VMWare knowledge base articles for more information:

• Setting virtual machine file system heap size values (2048166) — to set the VMFS3.MaxHeapSizeMB
• ESXi/ESX host reports VMFS heap warnings when hosting virtual machines that collectively use 4 TB or 20 TB of virtual disk storage (1004424) — for the appropriate values for your VMWare version and the amount of VMFS storage the host will be accessing.

Adding Hard Disks for Media Storage

Before starting the VM, add virtual hard disks to the configuration to provide video storage space. Virtual hard disks allow you to use storage space on an available internal or external disk array.

We recommend using the Raw Device Mapping (RDM) option from a SAN storage device.

Before You Begin

The physical storage media must be installed and accessible to the virtual machine.

Procedure

To add a virtual hard disk for use by the Cisco VSM VM, perform the following procedure.

Step 1 (Release 7.2 and earlier only) Add a Paravirtual type SCSI controller to the virtual machine to control the video storage volumes.

• This adds the SCSI controller before adding the hard disk if you are adding additional Media Servers to an existing deployment.
• See the VMWare Knowledge Base article “ Adding a SCSI controller to the virtual machine (1037094) ” for instructions and more information.
• This step is not required in Release 7.5 or later since the default VM controller is already a para-virtual SCSI interface.

Step 2 In the inventory tree (left pane), right-click the VM name and select Edit Settings (Figure 1-7).

Figure 1-7 Editing the VM Settings

Step 3 Select Hard disk and click Add (Figure 1-8).

Figure 1-8 Adding a Hard Disk to the VM

Step 4 For device type, select Hard Disk and click Next (Figure 1-9).

Figure 1-9 Selecting the Hard Disk Device Type

Step 5 Select the type of disk to use (Figure 1-10).

Figure 1-10 Disk Options

Tip For more information about Virtual Machine File Systems (VMFS) and RDMs, see http://pubs.vmware.com/vi301/san_cfg/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm?context=san_cfg&file=esx_san_cfg_esx_and_san.4.13.html.

Step 6 Select the virtual disk options.

Raw Device Mapping (RDM) Options

The following table describes the recommended options for Raw Device Mapping (RDM) disks (used to create a disk from Fiber Channel-based SAN storage).

Virtual Disk Options

The following table describes the options for a virtual disk.

Step 7 Review hard disk summary and click Finish (Figure 1-11).

Figure 1-11 New Hard Disk Summary

Step 8 Click Finish again to return to the Virtual Machine Properties screen and view the newly created hard disk.

Figure 1-12 Adding a New Hard Disk to the Cisco VSM VM

Step 9 Click OK.

Defining the VLAN for the VM

Configure a vLAN if required by your network configuration.

By default, the virtual LAN (VLAN) ID ( ALL, 4095) is set on all virtual interfaces.

Tip • For more information about configuring network switches for VLAN tagging in VMware, see http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1266.

• For information about VLAN tagging, see http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-50/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.networking.doc_50%2FGUID-7225A28C-DAAB-4E90-AE8C-795A755FBE27.html.

Procedure

Step 1 Open the VM networking properties (Figure 1-13):

a. In the left pane (Inventory tree), select the hypervisor name.

b. Click the Configuration tab.

c. Select Networking (in the Hardware section). The default Virtual Switch: vSwitch 0 displays.

d. Click the Properties link to configure the virtual switch’s properties (Figure 1-14).

Figure 1-13 VM Switch Networking Properties—vSphere Client

Step 2 Select VM Network and click Edit (Figure 1-14).

Figure 1-14 VM Switch Networking Properties—vSphere Client

The VM Network Properties screen displays (see Figure 1-15).

Figure 1-15 VM Network Properties—vSphere Client

Step 3 (Optional) Change the VLAN ID to the Cisco VSM VLAN ID (for example, 60).

Step 4 Click OK to complete the network configuration.

Tip For more information about VMWare vSphere documentation, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-pubs.html.

Configuring NTP Servers on the Blade

The server time synchronizes server operations, defines recording timestamps and backup schedules. We strongly recommend using the same network time protocol (NTP) server on all servers to ensure the time settings are accurate and identical. The clock should be set to use Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the appropriate time zone for the server.

Note The NTP settings are also defined using the Cisco VSM Management Console. The first time you log on to the Cisco VSM server using a web-browser, you are prompted to complete the Initial Setup Wizard. An NTP server is required for all Media Server-only servers, and highly recommended for Operations Manager-only servers. See the “Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console” section for more information.

Procedure

Configure NTP on the VM as described in the following steps:

Step 1 Open the Time Configuration setting.

a. In the left pane (Inventory tree), select the hypervisor name (Figure 1-16).

b. Select the Configuration tab.

c. Select Time Configuration (in the Software area).

d. Click Properties.

Figure 1-16 Time Configuration Settings

Step 2 Manually set the date and time (Figure 1-17).

Note Manually set the date and time to ensure the VM time setting is correct immediately when the VM is started for the first time. This is necessary because the NTP synchronization may not occur immediately and possible system issues can occur if the VM time is significantly different from either the hardware platform, other Cisco VSM servers, or network cameras.

Figure 1-17 Manual Time and Date Configuration

Step 3 Check the NTP Client Enabled box and click Options (Figure 1-18).

Figure 1-18 NTP Configuration

Step 4 Add the NTP server address (Figure 1-19).

a. Select NTP Settings.

b. Select Restart NTP service to apply changes.

c. Click Add.

d. Enter the NTP server IP address or hostname.

Figure 1-19 Adding the NTP Server Address

Step 5 Start the NTP server (Figure 1-20).

a. Select General.

b. Select a Startup Policy option.

c. Click Start.

Figure 1-20 NTP Startup Policy Address

Step 6 Click OK to complete the NTP configuration.

Release 7.5 and Later: CLI Method

Use the server CLI to change the localadmin user default password. You can also (optionally) configure the server network settings if the default static IP address (192.68.0.200) and DHCP IP address are not accessible to perform the initial VSM configuration.

Notes

• If multiple VMs are deployed on the same network using the default Eth0 IP address (192.68.0.200), the Eth0 address setting in the Cisco VSM Management Console will not be set (the field will be blank). This is because the operating system cannot configure the actual physical interface with duplicate IP addresses. To resolve this, enter a unique value for the Eth0 port on each deployed VM.
• You can modify the Eth0 IP address using the Cisco VSM Management Console, or the following CLI commands. See Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console for more information.
• The Red Hat GUI is not included in Release 7.5 and higher. Instead, use the CLI as described in the following procedure.

Procedure

Step 1 (Required) Log into the server using a terminal application and change the default password for the localadmin user. For example:

Step 2 (Optional) Configure the server network settings:

a. Change to the root shell and launch the network configuration tool:

localadmin@vsm-vm-server:~ # sudo su -

root@ vsm-vm-server ~# system-config-network

b. Select Device Configuration.

c. Select eth0.

d. Update the Static IP, Netmask, Default Gateway IP, and Primary DNS Server (Figure 1-22).

Figure 1-22 Network Configuration Tool: Release 7.5 and Later

e. Select OK.

f. Select Save to save the settings.

g. Select Save & Quit.

h. At the CLI prompt, restart the network service to apply the new network configuration:

root@ vsm-vm-server ~# service network restart

Step 3 (Required) Continue to the “Creating Video Repositories” section.

Release 7.2 and Earlier: GUI Method

In release 7.2 and earlier, use the included The Red Hat GUI tool.

Procedure

Step 1 (Required) Wait for the VM to boot and the Red Hat GUI interface to appear (Figure 1-23).

Figure 1-23 Logging In to the VM Console: Release 7.2 and Earlier

Step 2 (Required) Enter the default VM username and password: localadmin / secur4u

Step 3 (Required) Follow the on-screen prompts to enter and re-enter a new password (first login only).

Step 4 (Optional) If you are unable to access the VM using the default static IP address or network-provided DHCP address, you can define the VM network settings using the guest OS GUI, as described in the following section:

• (Optional for Release 7.2 and Earlier) Use the Guest OS to Configure the Network Settings.

Step 5 (Required) Continue to the “Creating Video Repositories” section.

(Optional for Release 7.2 and Earlier) Use the Guest OS to Configure the Network Settings

If you are unable to access the VM using the default static IP address or network-provided DHCP address, you can define the VM network settings using the guest OS GUI, as described in the following procedure.

Otherwise, continue to the “Complete the Setup Wizard” section.

After the network settings are changed, launch a web browser and connect to the Cisco VSM Management Console using the new IP address. You must complete the Initial Setup Wizard and restart the server using the browser-based Management Console, or the network settings will be revert back to the default settings (see Table 1-7).

Procedure

Step 1 Complete the following required procedure in the order shown:

a. “Installing and Configuring the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine” section

b. “Powering On the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine” section.

c. “Change the Default VM Password and Network Settings” section

d. “Creating Video Repositories” section

Step 2 Power on the VM, if necessary (see the “Powering On the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine” section).

Step 3 Right-click the desktop and select Open Terminal.

Step 4 Enter the following commands to open the network configuration settings (Figure 1-24)

localadmin@localhost ~]$ xhost local:root

localadmin@localhost ~]$ sudo system-config-network

Step 5 In the Devices tab, select the Eth0 port and click Edit (Figure 1-24).

Figure 1-24 Network Configuration

Step 6 Change the network settings from the default 192.168.0.200 address to the desired network configuration (Figure 1-25).

Figure 1-25 Ethernet Device Configuration

Step 7 Click OK.

Step 8 (Optional) Revise the network configuration for the Eth1 port, if necessary, and click OK.

Step 9 Select File > Save to save the configuration changes.

Step 10 Click Activate to apply the updated configuration settings (Figure 1-26).

Figure 1-26 Activate the Network Configuration

Step 11 Follow the on-screen prompts to confirm the changes.

Step 12 Do not restart the VM. Continue to Complete the Setup Wizard.

Note You must complete the Initial Setup Wizard and restart the server using the browser-based Management Console or the network settings will revert to the default values.

Usage Notes

• Each Cisco VSM server can have up to 32 video repositories for storing video, backups and video clips.
• Always create the video repositories before using the Cisco VSM Management Console described in the “Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console” section.
• Each VM should have exclusive access to its own RAID array (1VM:1RAID-Array).
• After the VM configuration is complete, use the browser-based Operations Manager GUI interface to define which partition (repository) will be used for storing video, backups, and video clips. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.

Understanding the Integration Script

Each VM should have exclusive access to its own RAID array. For example, if you have a RAID-5 set of 10 drives with 3TB, then the entire ~25TB is provided as a single volume; the single volume appears to the Cisco VSM server as a single hard drive.

The integration scripts split the single storage volume into two partitions of equal size, formats the partitions, mounts them, and integrates them into Cisco VSM.

Understanding Mount Points

Each repository (partition) has a mount point to specify the path through which the files are accessed. The common convention for naming repositories is /media#, with /media1 - /mediaN used for storage volumes.

Internal and External Storage Limitations

External FC SAN based Storage:

• The maximum partition sizes are:

– 32-bit operating systems (such as Red Hat 5.8)—16 TB maximum size per partition

– 64-bit operating systems—100 TB maximum size per partition (the maximum size tested is 30TB with ten 4TB hard drives)

• There can be multiple media partitions, media1 ….mediaN, based on the retention period for the video recordings of the cameras being hosted on the particular VM.

Internal RAID based Storage:

• The maximum virtual disk size is 2TB. (http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/07/new-vsphere-50-storage-features-part-1-vmfs-5.html)
• Multiple 2TB virtual disks can be added to the VM, based on the retention period for the video recordings of the cameras being hosted on the particular VM.

Obtaining the Storage Partition Script

Download the appropriate script for the Cisco Video Surveillance release and OS you are deploying:

• 32-bit Red Hat OS (Release 7.0 to Release 7.2)
• 64-bit Red Hat OS (Release 7.5 and Higher)

32-bit Red Hat OS (Release 7.0 to Release 7.2)

For VM deployments running the 32-bit version of the Red Hat OS, download the setup_external_storage.sh script from cisco.com.

Procedure

Step 1 Go to the Cisco Product Support Page.

Step 2 Click Download Software.

Step 3 Click Video Surveillance Media Server Software.

Step 4 Select the 7.2 release page.

Step 5 Download the “ CPS-SS External storage configuration script for Video Surveillance Manager 7.2 and later ” (setup_external_storage-1.0.zip).

Step 6 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the download.

Step 7 Complete the Release 7.2 and Earlier: Adding Storage Partitions.

64-bit Red Hat OS (Release 7.5 and Higher)

For VM deployments running the 64-bit version of the Red Hat OS, download the setup_media_storage.sh script from cisco.com.

Tip In release 7.7 and higher, the setup_media_storage.sh script is also included in the OVA image, and can be run from /usr/BWhttpd/bin.

Procedure

Step 1 Go to the Cisco Product Support Page.

Step 2 Click Download Software.

Step 3 Click Video Surveillance Media Server Software.

Step 4 Select the 7.5.0 release page.

Step 5 Download the “Video repository configuration script” ( setup_media_storage-1.0.zip).

Step 6 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the download.

Step 7 Complete the Release 7.5 and Later: Adding Storage Partitions.

Understanding the Script Options

The storage script splits a single storage volume into two partitions of equal size, formats the partitions, mounts them, and integrates them into Cisco VSM.

The script offers the following options:

Release 7.5 and Later: Adding Storage Partitions

For Cisco VSM OVAs running Release 7.5 or later on Red Hat 6.4, run the setup_media_storage.sh script to add partitions from an internal or external storage system.

Note The script is supported with storage on the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System in this release. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System Hardware Installation Guide for more information.

Run the Script With No Options

Caution The following steps erase the partition table on the specified volume, which deletes all data on the volume.

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Procedure

Step 1 Prepare for the external storage integration:

a. If your platform uses external storage, install the external storage system as described in the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System Hardware Installation Guide.

b. Add the storage to the Cisco VSM virtual machine as described in the “Installing and Configuring the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine” section.

Step 2 (Release 7.5 and 7.6) Download the setup_media_storage.sh script to the server and make it executable.

Tip In release 7.7 and higher, the setup_media_storage.sh script is also included in the OVA image, and can be run from /usr/BWhttpd/bin. Proceed to Step 3.

a. Download the script as described in the “Obtaining the Storage Partition Script” section.

b. Extract the setup_media_storage.sh script from the setup_media_storage-1.0.zip, and upload the script to the Cisco VSM server using a SFTP or SCP tool (as the user ‘ localadmin ’).

c. Log in to the Cisco VSM server shell as the user ‘ localadmin ’ and move the script to /usr/BWhttpd/bin/ with the following command:

[localadmin@vsm-server ~]$ sudo mv /var/lib/localadmin/setup_media_storage.sh /usr/BWhttpd/bin/

d. Make the setup_media_storage.sh script to be executable with the following command:

[localadmin@vsm-server ~]$ sudo chmod +x /usr/BWhttpd/bin/setup_media_storage.sh

Step 3 (Optional) Display the Cisco VSM release details and the current filesystem disk space usage:

a. Display the Cisco VSM build details to verify the release is supported:

b. Display the filesystem disk space usage (in human readable format):

Step 4 (Optional) Display the help output for command options and other information:

Step 5 Run the script from the directory where the script is located.

The script discovers any connected storage devices and creates new media partitions for use by Cisco VSM.

In the following example, the script is run without options, which creates new partitions.

Note After running the script, the newly created /media partitions are available for recording in Cisco VSM, without needing to reboot the server.

Step 6 Enter the command df -h to display the available media repositories (/media1, /media2 and/or /media3) created by the script.

Step 7 Verify that the filesystem disk space usage and external storage partitions are correct.

a. Display the filesystem disk space usage (the -h option displays the results in human readable format):

b. Verify the results by listing the contents of each partition.

Use the -al option to list all results in long format.:

Step 8 Continue to “Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console” section.

Note After the server configuration is complete, use the browser-based Operations Manager GUI interface to define which partition (repository) will be used for storing video, backups, and video clips. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.

Run the Script with the Restore Option

The restore option retrieves and restores any media partitions that were previously configured on the disk so they can be used again.

This option is used after the Cisco VSM system software is recovered, since the recovery process deletes any Cisco VSM storage partitions from the Cisco VSM configuration.

Tip See the “Understanding the Script Options” section for more information.

Procedure

Step 1 Restore the Cisco VSM system software.

See the Cisco Video Surveillance Manager Recovery Guide (UCS Platform) for more information.

Step 2 Complete the “Release 7.5 and Later: Adding Storage Partitions” section, except use the restore option to the integration script.

For example:

Step 3 Verify that the filesystem disk space usage and external storage partitions are correct.

a. Display the filesystem disk space usage (the -h option displays the results in human readable format):

b. Verify the results by listing the contents of each partition.

Use the -al option to list all results in long format.:

Step 4 Continue to “Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console” section.

Note After the server configuration is complete, use the browser-based Operations Manager GUI interface to define which partition (repository) will be used for storing video, backups, and video clips. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.

Release 7.2 and Earlier: Adding Storage Partitions

For Cisco VSM OVAs running Release 7.2 or earlier on Red Hat 5.8, use the following methods to add storage partitions from either an external or internal storage source.

• External Storage Script: Release 7.2 and Earlier:

– Script Examples: Release 7.2 and Earlier

• Internal Storage CLIs: Release 7.2 and Earlier

External Storage Script: Release 7.2 and Earlier:

For Cisco VSM OVAs running Release 7.2 or earlier on Red Hat 5.8, use the setup_external_storage.sh s cript to add partitions from external storage. The script discovers any connected storage devices and creates new media partitions for use by Cisco VSM.

Note Only storage on the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System is supported in this release. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System Hardware Installation Guide for more information.

Caution The following steps erase the partition table on the specified volume, which deletes all data on the volume.

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Procedure

Step 1 Install the external storage system as described in the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System Hardware Installation Guide.

Step 2 Add the storage to the Cisco VSM virtual machine as described in the “Installing and Configuring the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine” section.

Step 3 Obtain the correct script for your OS and Cisco VSM release as described in the “Obtaining the Storage Partition Script” section.

Step 4 Run the script from the directory where the script is located (see the Script Examples: Release 7.2 and Earlier).

Step 5 Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the script.

Step 6 Enter the command df -h to display the available media repositories (/media1, /media2 and/or /media3) created by the script.

Tip Refer to the following Script Examples: Release 7.2 and Earlier for more information.

Step 7 Continue to “Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console” section.

Note After the server configuration is complete, use the browser-based Operations Manager GUI interface to define which partition (repository) will be used for storing video, backups, and video clips. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.

Script Examples: Release 7.2 and Earlier

This following examples show how to use the setup_external_storage script to add storage partitions to a Cisco VSM server from a supported (and connected) external storage system.

• Example to Run a Script for a Single External Storage System
• Example to Run the Script for Multiple External Storage Systems

Example to Run a Script for a Single External Storage System

The following example creates a single media repository (/media1) from a single external storage system.

Example to Run the Script for Multiple External Storage Systems

The following example creates a multiple media repositories (/media1, /media2, and /media3) from multiple external storage systems.

Internal Storage CLIs: Release 7.2 and Earlier

For Cisco VSM OVAs running Release 7.2 or earlier on Red Hat 5.8, complete the following steps to add a media partition from an internal storage system.

• Log into the server and enter the CLI commands as described.
• The following steps erase the partition table on the specified volume, which deletes all data on the volume.
• Partition and mount an sd# device for each hard-disk added to the VM.

Procedure

Step 1 Install the external storage system as described in the Cisco Video Surveillance Storage System Hardware Installation Guide.

Step 2 Add the storage to the Cisco VSM virtual machine as described in the “Installing and Configuring the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine” section.

Step 3 Log in to the Media Server as the “localadmin” user and follow these steps to

a. Create a GPT partition on a volume.

localadmin@linux:~> sudo su -

linux:~ # parted /dev/sdb

linux:~ # parted> mklabel gpt

linux:~ # parted> mkpart primary xfs 100%

b. Verify the partition creation, partition number and size:

linux:~ # parted> print

c. Quit the Parted partition editor:

linux:~ # parted> quit

d. Create the Linux file system on the partition:

linux:~ # mkfs.xfs -f -L media# /dev /sdb1

-L specifies a label for the partition filesystem.

-f overwrites the existing filesystem on the LUN being configured, if necessary, and creates a new label and filesystem.

media# is the media partition you choose (e.g. /media1, /media2, etc.).

sdb# is the partition number output in previous steps (e.g. /dev/sdb1).

e. Create a partition directory:

linux:~ # mkdir / media#

f. Add a fstab entry:

linux:~ # vi /etc/fstab

LABEL=media# /media# xfs rw,nodiratime,noatime 0 0

Step 4 Repeat Step 3 to partition and mount an sd# device for each hard-disk added to the VM.

Step 5 Verify the mounts:

linux:~ # mount –a

Step 6 Reboot the Cisco VSM virtual machine by logging out and selecting the Reboot option at the bottom of the screen.

Step 7 Continue to “Completing the Initial Server Setup Using the Management Console” section.

Note After the server configuration is complete, use the browser-based Operations Manager GUI interface to define which partition (repository) will be used for storing video, backups, and video clips. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.

Usage Notes

• Complete the “Creating Video Repositories” section before completing the initial server setup wizard, or errors with the network settings can occur on co-located servers (servers that host both the Operations Manager and Media Server services.
• (Release 7.2 and earlier) You can also use the Guest OS to configure the network settings if you are unable to access the VM using the default static IP address or network-provided DHCP address. See the “(Optional for Release 7.2 and Earlier) Use the Guest OS to Configure the Network Settings” section.
• Click Help in the Management Console for more information, or see the Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide.

Default Network Settings

The Cisco VSM server includes two network ports with the following default configuration:

• Eth0 port—static IP address 192.168.0.200
• Eth1 port— DHCP

Release 7.5 and Later

You can also change the default network settings using CLI commands, if the default static IP address (192.68.0.200) and DHCP IP address are not accessible to perform the initial VSM configuration.

See Release 7.5 and Later: CLI Method.

Release 7.2 and Earlier

If you cannot access either of these addresses with a web browser, you can also change the network settings using the guest OS console, and then use the Cisco VSM Management Console to complete the configuration and restart the server. See the “(Optional for Release 7.2 and Earlier) Use the Guest OS to Configure the Network Settings” section.

Table 1-7 summarizes the network access and configuration options.

Note You may also need to configure one or more vLANs for the virtual machine to be able to access the default IP address, a DHCP address, or any other address that may be assigned to the virtual machine. See the “Defining the VLAN for the VM” section for more information.

Complete the Setup Wizard

Use the browser-based Cisco VSM Management Console to complete the initial server setup.

Procedure

Step 1 Complete the Virtual Machine installation in the following order:

a. Installing and Configuring the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine

b. Powering On the Cisco VSM Virtual Machine

c. Creating Video Repositories

Step 2 Launch a web browser and enter an IP address described in Table 1-7 to access the Cisco VSM Management Console.

Step 3 Enter the VM password you entered in Change the Default VM Password and Network Settings.

Note The username “localadmin” is read-only and cannot be changed.

Step 4 Click Log In.

Step 5 Enter a new password when prompted.

Step 6 Complete the Initial Setup Wizard to enable the server services, change the network settings, configure NTP servers, and other settings.

Tip See the Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide for more information about the services and settings supported in your Cisco VSM release.

Step 7 Click Restart Services to save the changes and restart the server.

Step 8 Re-login to the Cisco VSM Management Console.

Step 9 Configure additional server settings, if necessary.

• Click the Help menu in the Management Console for more information.
• See the Cisco Video Surveillance Management Console Administration Guide for more information.

Step 10 Use the Cisco VSM Operations Manager to perform additional configuration and administrative tasks.

• For example, go to the Media Server configuration page and define which partition (repository) will be used for storing video, backups, and video clips. See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.
• See the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager User Guide for more information.