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Ask the Expert:Cisco IP Cameras integrated with Video Surveillance Manager (VSM)

ciscomoderator
Community Manager
Community Manager

Read the bioWith Jim Firanzi

Welcome to the Cisco Support Community Ask the Expert conversation. This is an opportunity to learn how to troubleshoot Cisco IP Cameras connected to Video Surveillance Manager with Jim Firanzi.  Jim is a customer support engineer at the Cisco Technical  Assistance Center. He currently works in the Physical Security and Video Surveillance team supporting customers on the VSM product line.  Jim holds the following certifications: CCVP (CCNP-Voice), and CCNA-Voice.

Remember to use the rating system to let Jim know if you have received an adequate response. 

Jim might not be able to answer each question due to the volume expected during this event. Remember that you can continue the conversation on the sub-community discussion forum shortly after the event.   This event lasts through October 21, 2011. Visit this forum often to view responses to your questions and the questions of other community members.

13 Replies 13

John Ventura
Level 1
Level 1

Hello Jim,

I have a quick question. do yoy know if there are any SNMP MIBS available or published for the Video Surveillance Manager and/or Operations Manager?  If not, are there any plans to get some MIBS?

Thakns a lot,

John

http://www.snmplink.org/cgi-bin/nd/m/Ent/C/Cisco%20Systems,%20Inc/Broadware%20Technologies,%20Inc/Media%20stream/CISCO-PSBU-MIB.txt

Hi John,

Thanks for asking your question.  There has never been a MIB for VSOM, but there is one for VSMS.  The VSOM server health dashboard uses snmp traps sent from the VSMS server to report status of cameras etc.

On the VSMC page is a link to download the VS Event MIB.  Here's a link from snmplink:

http://www.snmplink.org/cgi-bin/nd/m/Ent/C/Cisco%20Systems,%20Inc/Broadware%20Technologies,%20Inc/Media%20stream/CISCO-PSBU-MIB.txt

I hope that helps,

Jim

Hey Jim, does Cisco have a best practice for naming Cameras in VSOM? I have been told that the first time you create a camera in VSOM the name is used in both the Proxy name and camera feed name. Thus if the camera feed is ever renamed you would end up with name discrepancies in the logs, causing the troubleshooting process a pain.

Have you experienced anything like this?

mcwalter
Level 3
Level 3

Hi Jim, Cisco recently said that you can run 2 monitors on for wirtual matrix. Are we still restricted to 16 feeds total per machine or if the bitrates are low can we go to 32?

Thanks

Michael

Hi Michael,

The limitation of 16 feeds is still in place whether displaying on a single monitor or 16 split between 2 monitors.  The limitation is also that only 2 of the 16 should be HD feeds, based on performance certification by Cisco developers.  You may be able to display more feeds successfully, but you would be running in uncharted waters, so your mileage may vary.  The supported configuration is max 16 feeds.

Thanks for asking,

Jim

philtraylor
Level 1
Level 1

Jim,

Is there any documentation on scalability with VSOM? I  have an existing system that I will be expanding to almost 4 times its  current size. My customer is concerned that the increased user load will  slow them down. I doubt this will be the case but I would like to show  them in black and white.

Regards,

Phil

Hi Phil,

I would like to better understand the use case for your customer.  What type of server are they using for VSOM?  Is this a dedicated VSOM server, or acting also as a media server (and if so, how many cameras, HD and SD are connected?)  Is the customer using motion detection?

Is the concern from a 'number of users accessing video feeds through VSOM', or more the load on VSOM from events that is the concern?

Thanks,

Jim

Jim,

The VSOM is a 1RU MSP, used only for VSOM, Currently there are 4 media servers, 64 HD cameras running at 1500kbps 10IPS 1080p, 43 SD cameras 768 kbps 10IPS 4CIF. The cameras are spread across 4 media servers on a 60 day loop. No motion detection is being used, nor will it ever be used with this customer.

The customer seems to be concerned with the additional cameras and load, rather than users. The amount of users streaming will only increase from 5 to 10 with only 5 users ever streaming simultaneously.

I am aware that at some point I will have to have them upgrade to a 2RU VSOM, I want to delay that as long as I can manage without impacting their performance.

Thanks!

Hi Phillip,

So long as the customer is only increasing from 5 to 10 users with only 5 streaming simultaneously, they will remain within the tested performance specs of a CPS-MSP-1RU server.  The current number of camera feeds for the media servers do not appear to be a bottleneck either, but you did not mention how many cameras they intend to add, and how many are HD, and at what bitrate.

Thanks,

Jim

mcwalter
Level 3
Level 3

Hi Jim,

I have another one for you. A while back a customer asked us to put a TV feed on their VSOM. We did that with an encoder, treating the TV just like an analog camera. My question is do you know of a way to do the same thing with a PC display? They have several VM screens and would like to push CNN or other sites on to them.

See the attached drawing to see what I mean.

Thanks

Hi Michael,

You already hit on the most inventive solution, configuring an analog output through an encoder so that the stream may be added to a predefined view or virtual matrix.  That solution should work for any analog feed providing the encoder is one with a driver within VSOM.

If you are looking for ways to stream media to a PC display, why not use (for example) VLC Media Player and select one of the many available rtsp streams listed on sites like http://h.24.wordpress.com/live/  ?  Using this method, part of the screen could be dedicated to CNN, the remainder displaying feeds from VSOM.  Understand however that doing this will have a performance impact which could interfere with the VSOM feeds.  Your experience would depend on how many feeds (and if any are HD) as well as how much video processing is required for the vlc stream.

Did I understand your use case correctly, or did you have something else in mind?

Jim

Thanks Jim.

Your VLC option is close to what they want to do. Since they use several VM screens they want to push the PC view around from time to time. I am really looking for a way to get it in as a feed in VSOM. The TV out and using a supported encoder is viable. Isn't there a generic RSTP stream option in the encoder menu?

MIchael,

I can't think of a (cost effective) way to get a VGA or DVI source transcoded into some analogue form that could then be piped into an encoder... *but*... What about equiping the source PC with a video card capable of TV-Out? Then you could configure a secondary (or tertiary) display on this PC which would physically be an NTSC analogue source ripe for patching into an encoder.

In fact... this gives me a TON of ideas :-)

Cheers!

Scott Olsen Solutions Specialist Bulletproof Solutions Inc. Web: www.bulletproofsi.com
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