Cisco Video Management and Storage System Enhanced Network Module Overview

Last Updated: April 13, 2010

After the Cisco Video Management and Storage System application is installed on the enhanced network module, it is called the Cisco Video Management and Storage System module. It uses the IP network infrastructure to manage live video, archived video, and video sample retrieval. It also monitors inputs for event triggering and serves as the focal point for live monitoring of video data streams (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 Cisco Video Management and Storage System System Overview

The network module fits into Cisco Integrated Services Routers (Cisco ISRs) that are optimized for the secure, wire-speed delivery of concurrent data, voice, video, and wireless services.

Specific capabilities of the Cisco Video Management and Storage System application include:

•Management of all of your video sources through a single converged interface

–Support for Cisco IP Video Surveillance Integrated Analog Video Gateway

–Support for most major third-party IP cameras and encoders and decoders

•View live and archived video through the same Internet Explorer "thin client" interface

•Store archival video locally

–Up to 500 GB of local storage and the ability to expand to external Small Computer System Interface over IP (iSCSI) or external Network File System (NFS) storage (recommended) for long-term archival

–Support for Cisco Integrated Storage System to provide up to an additional 500 GB of local storage

•Intelligently manage your video store through event-based up-speeding of video stream recording

•Notify relevant security personnel using e-mail messages, pages, and Short Message Service (SMS)

•Control system access with highly configurable user privileges

This guide supports Enhanced Network Module features for version 6.2.1 and earlier versions of the Cisco Video Management and Storage System application. To view the product feature history, see the Release Notes for the Cisco Video Management and Storage System, which lists feature support for Cisco Video Management and Storage System application versions.

The Cisco Video Management and Storage System can be used in conjunction with the Cisco Analog Video Gateway, which converts analog camera signals into IP-accessible endpoints. For more information about the Cisco Analog Video Gateway, see Cisco Analog Video Gateway CLI Administrator Guide.

The Cisco Video Management and Storage System application is one of four components that make up the Cisco IP Video Surveillance solution. Other components are the:

•Cisco integrated services routers (ISRs)

•Cisco IP Video Surveillance 16-Port Analog Video Gateway Network Module

•Cisco Video Surveillance Manager product line, consisting of the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager Software and the Cisco Video Surveillance Media Server Software

Security operations personnel can access live video and review archived surveillance video recorded at remote sites from terminals in their local facility.

You use the command-line interface (CLI) to configure the Cisco Video Management and Storage System software. This guide describes how to use the CLI to configure the software options of the
Cisco Video Management and Storage System.

System Application

Cisco Video Management and Storage System software is a Linux-based application (see Open Source License Notice) that resides on an enhanced network module that plugs into a host Cisco ISR that is running Cisco IOS software.

Cisco Video Management and Storage System software installed on the module is a network video management and storage engine with its own startup and run-time configurations and its own CLI, all of which are independent of the Cisco IOS configuration on the ISR. The Linux-based software does not have its own console but uses the internal virtual console from the host router.

After Cisco Video Management and Storage System is configured using the CLI, it runs a GUI-based video distribution and management system application, called the Cisco Video Surveillance Operations Manager, based on next-generation video encoding standards.

Launch and configuration of the system is accomplished through the host router by means of a configuration session. After the session, the host router CLI is displayed, and you can exit and clear the session.

Note The Cisco Video Management and Storage System enhanced network module supports an Internet SCSI (iSCSI) connection to an external storage device. The Gigabit Ethernet port on the faceplate of the network module and the Gigabit Ethernet port on the router can be configured as iSCSI connections. We recommend, but do not require, that the external Gigabit Ethernet connector on the faceplate of the network module be used for the iSCSI connection.

This arrangement—host router plus integrated network module—provides a router-integrated application platform for accelerating data-intensive applications.

Applications typically involve:

•Video management and storage

•Analog video gateway

•Application-oriented networking

•Contact centers and interactive-voice-response applications

•Content caching and delivery

•Data and video storage

•Network analysis

•Voice-mail and auto-attendant applications