Milestone XProtect. Essential 1.0 Administrator s Getting Started Guide

Milestone XProtect Essential 1.0 Administrator s Getting Started Guide

About this Guide With the purchase of Milestone XProtect Essential you have chosen an intelligent surveillance solution. This guide briefly explains how to install XProtect Essential as well as how to configure some of its key features. For more detailed feature descriptions, refer to the manuals available on the software DVD as well as on www.milestonesys.com. XProtect Essential furthermore features a very comprehensive built-in help system (see page 14). Also check www.milestonesys.com for updates to make sure you install the most recent version of our software. Copyright 2010 Milestone Systems A/S. Trademarks XProtect is a registered trademark of Milestone Systems A/S. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are trademarks of their respective owners. Disclaimer This document is intended for general information purposes only, and due care has been taken in its preparation. Any risk arising from the use of this information rests with the recipient, and nothing herein should be construed as constituting any kind of warranty. Milestone Systems A/S reserve the right to make adjustments without prior notification. All names of people and organizations used in this document s examples are fictitious. Any resemblance to any actual organization or person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and unintended. XPE70-agsg-2(c1)-110510 www.milestonesys.com Copyright, Trademarks and

Contents SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS... 4 INSTALL XPROTECT ESSENTIAL... 5 UPGRADE FROM XPROTECT BASIS+... 6 GET DEVICE LICENSE KEYS (DLKS)... 8 CONFIGURE XPROTECT ESSENTIAL THROUGH THE MANAGEMENT APPLICATION... 9 Import All Your Device License Keys in One Go... 9 Add Hardware Devices... 9 Configure Cameras... 10 Configure Scheduling & Archiving... 10 Configure Events & Output... 11 Configure Clients & Users... 11 BACK UP YOUR CONFIGURATION... 12 GET A SMART CLIENT OR REMOTE CLIENT... 13 USE THE BUILT-IN HELP SYSTEM... 14 www.milestonesys.com Page 3 Contents

System Requirements The following are minimum system requirements for the surveillance system server; that is the server on which you will install XProtect Essential. Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows Server 2003 (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows Server 2008 R1/R2 (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows Vista Business (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows Vista Enterprise (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows Vista Ultimate (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows 7 Professional (32 bit or 64 bit*), Windows 7 Enterprise (32 bit or 64 bit*) or Windows 7 Ultimate (32 bit or 64 bit*). CPU RAM Network Graphics Adapter Hard Disk Type Hard Disk Space Intel Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz or higher (Core TM 2 recommended). Minimum 1 GB (2 GB or more recommended). Ethernet (1 Gbit recommended). AGP or PCI-Express, minimum 1024 x 768, 16 bit colors. E-IDE, PATA, SATA, SCSI, SAS (7200 RPM or faster). Minimum 1 GB free hard disk space available, excluding space needed for recordings. Software Microsoft.NET 3.5 Framework Service Pack 1 or newer. DirectX 9.0 or newer required if wishing to run the Viewer application. Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe). All are downloadable from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/. * Running as a 32 bit service/application. System requirements for computers running associated applications, such as the XProtect Smart Client, are available in the comprehensive XProtect Essential Administrator s Manual. Administrator Rights When you install and configure XProtect Essential it is important that you have administrator rights on the computer running XProtect Essential. If you only have standard user rights, you will not be able to configure the XProtect Essential software. Consult your IT system administrator if in doubt about your rights. www.milestonesys.com Page 4 System Requirements

Install XProtect Essential If upgrading from XProtect Basis+, make sure you read the upgrade information on page 6. Prerequisites Before installation, shut down any existing Milestone software. Do not install XProtect Essential on a mounted drive (that is a drive attached to an empty folder on an NTFS (NT File System) volume, with a label or name instead of a drive letter). If using mounted drives, critical system features may not work as intended; for example, you will not receive any warnings if the system runs out of disk space. Procedure 1. Insert the XProtect Essential software DVD; wait for a short while, then click the XProtect Essential installation link. Alternatively, if you are installing a version downloaded from the internet, run the downloaded installation file from the location you have saved it to. Depending on your security settings, you may receive one or more security warnings. If that is the case, click the Run button. 2. When the installation wizard starts, click Next to continue. 3. Read and accept the End User License Agreement, then click Next. 4. Select Typical installation and follow the instructions (advanced users can select Custom installation, and choose which features to install and where to install them). 5. Click Finish on the last step to complete the installation. www.milestonesys.com Page 5 Install XProtect Essential

Upgrade from XProtect Basis+ If you are not upgrading, go straight to Get Device License Keys (DLKs) on page 8. Upgrading to XProtect Essential is an easy task, and you need not worry about spending hours reconfiguring your software. Note that configuration is stored in a new format in XProtect Essential 1.0. Your old configuration is automatically converted to the new format. Prerequisites Take note of your SLC (Software License Code). The SLC will change when the software version changes. When your SLC changes, so do your DLKs (Device License Keys). Go to the Milestone Systems website, www.milestonesys.com, and log in to the Software Registration Service Center. Under the properties for your license, click the Get DLKs by e-mail link. When you receive the.dlk file, save it on the computer running XProtect Essential. Back Up Your Current Configuration When you install XProtect Essential, it will inherit the configuration from your old XProtect Basis+ version. However, we recommend that you make regular backups of your server configuration as a disaster recovery measure. Upgrading your server is no exception. While it is rare to lose your configuration (cameras, schedules, views, etc), it can happen under unfortunate circumstances. Luckily, it takes only a minute to back up your existing configuration. Note that the following describes backup of XProtect Basis+. For information about how to back up an XProtect Essential configuration, see page 12. 1. Create a folder called Backup on a network drive or on removable media. 2. On the XProtect Essential server, open My Computer, and navigate to C:\Program Files\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance. 3. Copy the following files and folders to your Backup folder: All configuration (.ini) files, all scheduling (.sch) files, the folders SmartClientViewGroups and RemoteClientViewGroups and all of their content (the folders may not exist if upgrading from old software versions), and the file users.txt (only present in a few installations). Remove XProtect Basis+ You do not need to manually remove the old version of XProtect Basis+ before you install XProtect Essential. The XProtect Basis+ version is removed when you install XProtect Essential. www.milestonesys.com Page 6 Upgrade from a Previous Version

Install XProtect Essential Run the XProtect Essential installation file. Select the installation options that best fit your needs. Import the New DLKs 1. Open the Management Application. 2. In the Management Application s File menu, select Import DLKs... 3. Browse to the location at which you have saved the received.dlk file, select the file, and click Open. All the new DLKs are now imported into XProtect Essential. Restore a Configuration Backup (if Required) If for some reason after installing the new software version you have lost your configuration, you can restore your configuration, provided you have followed the previous instructions in this chapter. Since configuration is stored in a new format in XProtect Essential, your backed-up configuration must be converted to the new format before you can use it. Contact your XProtect Essential vendor for information about how to convert and restore your configuration backup. Update Video Device Drivers Video device drivers are small programs used for controlling/communicating with the hardware devices connected to an XProtect Essential system. Video device drivers are installed automatically during the initial installation of your XProtect Essential system. However, new versions of the video device drivers, so-called Device Packs, are released and made available for free on the Milestone website from time to time. We therefore recommend that you visit www.milestonesys.com (look under Support > Downloads) and download the latest Device Pack. Upgrade Smart Clients Smart Client users should now remove their old Smart Client versions and install the new one: 1. On the required computers, open Windows Add or Remove Programs dialog (Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs). 2. In the Add or Remove Programs dialog, select the Milestone XProtect Smart Client entry, and click the Remove button. A wizard window will open. Follow the wizard s steps, and click Finish when ready. 3. Now open a browser and connect to XProtect Essential at the following address: http://[ip address or hostname of server]:[port number; default is 80]. Example: http://123.123.123.123:80. 4. From the welcome page that appears, download and install the latest Smart Client version. If required, also download and install any Smart Client plugins needed. www.milestonesys.com Page 7 Upgrade from a Previous Version

Get Device License Keys (DLKs) This step may not be required; your XProtect Essential vendor often takes care of the process for you. If you have received a Device License Key file from your vendor, you can skip this chapter. You must have a Device License Key (DLK) for each hardware device (IP network camera or IP video encoder) to be installed. To get Device License Keys, do the following: 1. Go to the Milestone website at www.milestonesys.com, click the Login link, and select Software Registration. 2. Log in to the online registration system. If you do not have a login, click the New To The System? link, and follow the instructions. When ready, log in using the registered e-mail address and password. The DLKs will be e- mailed to the e-mail address specified in your login, so it is a good idea to use a single e- mail account for all persons who should be able to retrieve DLKs. 3. If you have not yet registered your SLC (Software License Code; listed on your product license sheet), do so by clicking the Add SLC link and completing the SLC registration steps before proceeding. 4. When ready, click the link representing the SLC. 5. For each hardware device required on your system, click the Add new MAC link and specify the device s MAC address and a description. The MAC address is a 12 digit hexadecimal (example: 0123456789AF), referred to as a serial number by some vendors. For information about how to find the MAC address for a specific hardware device, refer to the manual for the hardware device in question. For video encoders, specify the number of cameras to be used with the hardware device. Note that you are allowed to install only the number of cameras listed on your product license sheet. For example, a fully used four-port video encoder counts as four cameras even though the cameras are connected through a single hardware device, therefore a fully used four-port video encoder will use four licenses. 6. Click Submit. The hardware device is added to a list of devices under the SLC in question. 7. If more hardware devices are required, click the Add new MAC link and repeat the process. 8. When ready, click the Get DLKs by e-mail link to have DLKs for all the hardware devices registered under the SLC e-mailed to you. When you receive the.dlk file, save it on the computer running XProtect Essential. www.milestonesys.com Page 8 Get Device License Keys (DLKs)

Configure XProtect Essential through the Management Application The Management Application is XProtect Essential s server-side user interface; all management of your surveillance system is handled here. In the Management Application, wizards guide you through common tasks, such as adding of hardware devices and cameras to the system. Detailed configuration, without wizards, is of course also possible. Multi-instance configuration through templates or quickly editable summaries lets you configure multiple cameras, events, users, etc. in one go. You access the Management Application by double-clicking the Management Application desktop shortcut. Alternatively, use Windows' Start menu: Start > All Programs > Milestone XProtect Essential > Management Application. Import All Your Device License Keys in One Go The DLKs you received in an e-mail when registering your hardware devices (see page 8) can be specified manually when adding individual hardware devices to XProtect Essential. However, you can avoid having to specify each DLK manually, by saving the.dlk file attached to the e-mail at a location accessible by the surveillance server for example on a USB stick or on a network drive and then doing the following: 1. In the Management Application s menu bar, select File > Import DLKs 2. Browse to the location at which you have saved the.dlk file. 3. Select the.dlk file, and click Open. 4. All DLKs from the file are now imported in one go. Add Hardware Devices You add cameras and other hardware devices, such as video encoders, to your XProtect Essential system through a wizard. You can use up to 26 cameras at a time per XProtect Essential server. If using video encoders on your system, bear in mind that video encoders can have more than one camera connected to them. For example, a fully used four-port video encoder will count as four cameras. If microphones are attached to your hardware devices, they are automatically added as well. Note that you can only use one microphone at a time with XProtect Essential. Before adding hardware devices, make sure you have configured their IP addresses, passwords, etc. as described by the manufacturers. Then do the following: www.milestonesys.com Page 9 Configure XProtect Essential...

1. In the Management Application, start the Add Hardware Devices wizard. 2. Select a hardware detection method, and follow the wizard. Tip: We recommend the Express option: it scans your network for relevant hardware devices, and helps you quickly add them to your system. Note, however, that the Express option only scans for hardware devices supporting device discovery (a method with which hardware devices make information about themselves available on the network), and only on the part of your network (subnet) where the XProtect Essential server itself is located. Configure Cameras You can specify a wide variety of settings for each camera connected to your XProtect Essential system. Settings include video format, resolution, motion detection sensitivity, where to store and archive recordings, any PTZ preset positions, association with microphones, etc. You configure cameras under Advanced Configuration > Cameras and Storage Information in the Management Application s navigation pane. PTZ Cameras PTZ (Pan/Tilt/Zoom) cameras are supported in XProtect Essential. Such cameras can be operated manually as well as automatically. Check the Device Pack Release Notes, available from the Downloads section of the Milestone website, www.milestonesys.com, to see exactly which PTZ features are supported for the hardware and firmware used in your installation. You configure PTZ presets and automated PTZ operations individually for each PTZ camera: Under Advanced Configuration in the Management Application s navigation pane, select Cameras and Storage Information, then double-click the required camera. Tip: If you have analog PTZ cameras attached to video encoders, you can use them too. However, they require a bit more initial configuration: In the Management Application s navigation pane, expand Advanced Configuration > Hardware Devices, double-click the required hardware device and specify PTZ Device properties. Fisheye Cameras You can also use fisheye cameras for 360 panoramic images: First, under Advanced Configuration in the Management Application s navigation pane, select Hardware Devices, then double-click the hardware device to which the fisheye camera is attached, enable fisheye, and if required specify a fisheye license key. Then, under Advanced Configuration in the navigation pane, select Cameras and Storage Information, double-click the required camera, and configure the fisheye view. Configure Scheduling & Archiving Do you want some cameras to transfer video to XProtect Essential at all times, and other cameras to transfer video only within specific periods of time, or when specific events occur? With the scheduling feature, you can specify this as well as when you want to receive notifications from the system. Archiving is an integrated and automated feature that helps you store recordings beyond the capabilities of XProtect Essential s www.milestonesys.com Page 10 Configure XProtect Essential...

standard database. With XProtect Essential s default settings, archiving takes place once a day or whenever databases become full; you can specify additional archiving times if required. You configure scheduling and archiving under Advanced Configuration > Scheduling and Archiving in the Management Application s navigation pane. Configure Events & Output Events, for example based on input from sensors, can be used to automatically start/stop recordings, to automatically send notifications, etc. Output can be used for activating external units, such as sirens or lights; output can be triggered automatically by events. Users can also activate events and output manually from their clients. The use of most input events and all types of output requires that external sensors are wired to input/output (I/O) connectors on the hardware device in question, and that I/O operation on the hardware device is supported by XProtect Essential. Check the Device Pack Release Notes, available from the Downloads section of www.milestonesys.com, to see if I/O operation is supported for the hardware and firmware used in your installation. You configure events and output under Advanced Configuration > Events and Output in the Management Application s navigation pane. Once you have configured events, you can use them with features throughout XProtect Essential, regardless of where sensors, users, etc. are physically located. Configure Clients & Users Two client applications, the Smart Client and Remote Client (see page 13), are included with XProtect Essential. To quickly and easily configure how client applications should be able access the XProtect Essential server, and which users should be able to use the client applications, start the Configure User Access wizard. Note, however, that the wizard gives users access to all cameras on your system; if you require different rights for individual users, you should use Advanced Configuration instead: Under Advanced Configuration > Server Access in the Management Application s navigation pane, you can specify whether you want clients to be able access the XProtect Essential server from the internet, how many clients you want to be able to connect simultaneously, etc. Under Advanced Configuration > Users in the navigation pane, you can configure who should have client access, and with which rights. If required, you can add users from Active Directory, thus leveraging your organization s existing user data. www.milestonesys.com Page 11 Configure XProtect Essential...

Back Up Your Configuration You have now covered the key elements of your XProtect Essential system configuration. Now is therefore a good time to back up your configuration so you can restore it later if something happens to your system. While it is very rare to lose your configuration, it can happen under unfortunate circumstances. Luckily, it takes only a minute to back up your configuration. In the following, we assume that you have not changed XProtect Essential s default configuration path, which is C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance on servers running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, and C:\Program Data\ Milestone\Milestone Surveillance on servers running all other supported operating systems. If you have changed the default configuration path, you must take your changes into consideration when using the method described in the following. 1. If XProtect Essential is used on a server running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, make a copy of the folder C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\ Milestone\Milestone Surveillance and all of its content. If XProtect Essential is used on a server running any other supported operating system, make a copy of the folder C:\Program Data\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance and all of its content. 2. Open the folder C:\Program Files\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance\devices, and verify if the file devices.ini exists. If the file exists, make a copy of it. The file will exist if you have configured video properties for certain types of cameras for which changes to the properties are stored in the file rather than on the camera itself. 3. Store the copies away from the XProtect Essential server, so that they will not be affected if the server is damaged, stolen or otherwise affected. Remember that a backup is a snapshot of your XProtect Essential system configuration at the time of backing up. If you later change your configuration, your backup will not reflect the most recent changes. Therefore, back up your system configuration regularly. Tip: When you back up your configuration as described, the backup will include restore points. This allows you to not only restore the backed-up configuration, but also to revert to an earlier point in that configuration if required. Read more about restore points in the XProtect Essential Administrator s Manual. If you ever need to restore your backed-up configuration, do the following: 1. If XProtect Essential is used on a server running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, copy the content of the backed-up Milestone Surveillance folder into C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance. If XProtect Essential is used on a server running any other supported operating system, copy the content of the backed-up Milestone Surveillance folder into C:\Program Data\ Milestone\Milestone Surveillance 2. If you backed up the file devices.ini, copy the file into C:\Program Files\Milestone\Milestone Surveillance\devices www.milestonesys.com Page 12 Back Up Your Configuration

Get a Smart Client or Remote Client You view live and recorded video with a client, either the XProtect Smart Client or Remote Client. The clients, especially the Smart Client, have many advanced features for quickly finding relevant video sequences, for exporting video sequences for use as evidence, etc. Users and administrators can get their Smart Client or Remote Client in two ways: Either simply from the software DVD or from the surveillance system server. To get a Smart Client or Remote Client from the server, do the following: 1. Open an Internet Explorer browser (version 6.0 or later), and connect to the IP address of the XProtect Essential server with the port number specified under Advanced Configuration > Server Access in the Management Application s navigation pane (default is port 80). Example: If the server s IP address is 123.123.123.123 and you use the default port number 80, connect to http://123.123.123.123:80. 2. When you connect to the server, you will see a welcome page. On the welcome page, simply click the required link to get your client. The Smart Client must be downloaded and installed on users computers. The less featurerich Remote Client is run straight from the server, without any need for installation. Tip: The Smart Client is available in more than 20 different languages; read more about this in the XProtect Essential Administrator s Manual and in the Smart Client User s Manual. www.milestonesys.com Page 13 Get a Smart Client or Remote Client

Use the Built-in Help System XProtect Essential features a very comprehensive built-in help system, with help and advice on many levels: Concepts (like What is a PTZ camera?) Procedures (like How do I configure a PTZ Camera?) Basic facts (like Can I use the character # when I name a PTZ camera?) Useful tips (like keyboard shortcuts, etc.) The help system matches the tasks you work on, and a search feature quickly lets you find related information. To access the help system from anywhere within the Management Application, click the Help button in the toolbar. Alternatively, press F1 on your keyboard. The Smart Client features a similar help system. www.milestonesys.com Page 14 Use the Built-in Help System

Milestone Systems offices are located across the world. For details about office addresses, phone and fax numbers, visit www.milestonesys.com.