-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enitec EVR VMS 6.4 Readme File August 2013 (c) EET Group A/S 2013. All rights reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document contains supplemental information about the VMS software or information that becomes known after the help documents are completed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 NEW IN 6.X 2 FIXED BUGS IN 6.X 3 LICENSE UPGRADE 4 UPDATING CLIENT PROGRAMS TO VERSION 6.X 5 SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS 6 REINSTALLING CLIENTS IN WINDOWS 7 & 8 7 PROCESSOR AND HDD PERFORMANCE TESTED AFTER INSTALLATION 8 IP PTZ SUPPORT THROUGH AUTOSEARCH 9 ADAPTIVE MOTION DETECTION 10 REINSTALLING Ernitec EVR VMS FROM BACKUP WITH EXTERNAL PLUGIN DRIVERS (PTZ, TEXT DATA, ETC.) 11 DISPLAYING CUSTOMIZED CAMERA NAMES AFTER VMS UPDATE FROM VERSION 4.0 OR EARLIER 12 PCI SERR# GENERATION MUST BE DISABLED 13 SWITCHING FROM RECORDER DNS NAME TO RECORDER IP ADDRESS OR VICE VERSA 14 OLD ARECONT CAMERAS AND AUTOSEARCH 15 MANUAL PAPER SIZE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 NEW IN 6.X -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New features in version 6.4: * IP+ features in Enterprise: Previously IP+ specific features are now a standard part of the Ernitec EVR VMS Enterprise license. This includes Multistreaming, Multicasting, and two-way IP audio.In all these, notes on the features specifying that a VMS Carbon specific license is required can be ignored. * EasyMon PTZ: EasyMon for Windows now supports dome control for PTZ cameras. Please see the EasyMon Quick Guide for further information. * Windows XP dropped: Ernitec EVR VMS 6.4 no longer supports Windows XP. Please see the Installation Guide or further information. * Domain based group update: Domain based (LDAP) user group addition now includes a search tool to help user rights administration when dealing with large domains. Please see the Administration Guide for further information. * ANPR+ country codes: Ernitec EVR ANPR+ can now use specific libraries to recognize license plate country codes based on font, character spacing, and country codes. * Alarm plugin API in SMServer: The Ernitec EVR VMS SMServer now contains an interface for third party plugins for sending alarm messages from the recorders to third party systems. Specific plugins are created as projects. Please contact your sales representative for further details. * 5x5 grid: Ernitec EVR Workstation now supports 5x5 grids. Please see the User Guide for further information on using layout grids. New in 6.2.1: * High framerate support: Ernitec EVR VMS now supports specific high framerate cameras. Please see the Supported IP cameras guide for further information. * Windows 8 & Server 2012 support: Ernitec EVR VMS 6.2 now supports Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. Please see the Installation Guide for further information. * Compression changes: In previous versions, video streams from analog cameras that stream through uncompressing capture cards have been compressed to either WMC9 or JPEG format on the recorder. In 6.2 and onwards, Ernitec EVR VMS does not support WMC9 compression, and the streams will be automatically compressed in JPEG format. Note: This change only affects video streams from analog cameras through uncompressing capture cards. This change only affects new installations: old installations that are upgraded to 6.2 can still use WMC9. * VCA functionality in System Manager: Various VCA functionalities can now be enabled or disabled in System Manager on the camera configuration settings. Please see The Administrator’s Guide for further information. * VCA Visualization in Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows: Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows now supports various VCA functionalities. Please see Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows User's Guide for further information. * EasyMon enhancements: Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows now includes support for virtual cameras, automatic zoom, manual zoom, and keyboard shortcuts. Please see Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows User's Guide for further information. * Advanced memory management: applications and server software can use much more memory when installed into a 64bit OS. * EasyMon layouts: The layout for Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows can be changed via an external program. * EasyMon multi-monitor use: Several modifications have been added to enhance Ernitec EVR EasyMon for Windows use with up to four monitors. * Workstation usability enhancement: The alarm notification box remembers the last used size and position, and does not scale it when alarms come. New in 6.1.1: * Ernitec EVR EasyMon: Ernitec EVR VMS 6.1 includes a new end client application for viewing real-time and playback video and exporting video feed and images. Ernitec EVR EasyMon is intended to provide an easy-to-use, light interface for video viewing, providing an all-new GUI and usability scheme. Please see Ernitec EVR EasyMon User's Quick Guide for further information. * Custom role: Custom role is an auxiliary user group role that can be set to any user role except for administrators. Custom role provides the ability to restrict the functionalities the users can view and access in Workstation. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. * Hybrid licensing: Unique hybrid camera license means that when migrating from an analogue camera to a network camera, there is no need to change anything in the license. Administrator can just delete the existing analogue camera from the system, which frees up a camera channel license which can be taken into use for a new network camera. Please see the Administrator's Guide for information on removing channels. * Centralized software update: Centralized software update allows the administrator to automatically distribute and install new versions of the Ernitec EVR software from a centralized management/master server to all connected Ernitec EVR slave servers. This, combined with the automatic client application upgrading feature, means that a complicated networked setup with multiple servers and clients can be updated from a single central management server with no need to physically access other machines involved. Note: Centralized software update is introduced in Ernitec EVR VMS 6.1, which acts as the basis for the feature: the full functionality will be available when updating from 6.1 to a newer version. * Restoring settings to other recorders: Restoring configuration settings to another PC makes it possible to easily copy settings of one server to another. This speeds up the installation of multiple “copy” servers, where most of the configuration options should always be the same. It also provides an easy and fast method for using a cold-standby spare server for failover purposes. Please see the Administrator's Guide for information on creating backups. * Alarm disabling: Manual alarm enabling/ disabling is made possible by a new “Disable alarms” action. Now it is possible to define that all alarms in a server will be enabled/ disabled e.g. based on a digital I/O state. This is an addition to existing capability of being able to enable/ disable alarms based on a time schedule.Please see the Administrator's Guide for information on adding alarms. New in 6.0: * Multi-streaming: Multi-streaming enables separate feeds from a single camera. The feature allows for separate streams to be used for recording and viewing, as well as an additional stream for remote streaming. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. * Remote Workstation: The remote workstation functionality enables users to open an additional video stream from a camera with different image quality in comparison to the “prime” viewing stream. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. * Multi-casting: Multi-casting enables a single stream to be opened and sent to multiple workstations and gateway applications simultaneously. When using multicast, the video stream for each video channel is sent to LAN only once. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. * Edge Storage: The Edge storage functionality enables uninterrupted recording during network blackouts. In practice, in the case of network blackout, video feed is stored on a SD card on the camera. Once network connection has been re-established, video is transmitted from the camera’s SD card to the recorder. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. * Licensing: The license interface has changed slightly to allow more versatility in license control. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. * Watchdog enhancements: The Watchdog functionality has been improved to enable three new protocols: TCP, SMS (requires an external SMS module), and e-mail. Please see the Administrator's Guide for further information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 FIXED BUGS IN 6.X -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This list includes bugs fixed between versions 6.2.5 and 6.4: ** General - VCA performance optimization fixes. - Slow response times with NAS/SAN disks no longer drops them from the configuration. ** System Manager - Fixed a bug where ANRP license disappeared when changing the ANPR camera settings. - Changed: When the user selects the backup target directory, C:\ root is not allowed. - NAS selection dialog no longer user editable. - Backup files now have default names. - Fixed a situation in which a NAS connected to a master DVR was visible for a slave DVR, even though it wasn't connected to it. - Fixed a rare hang situation when updating slave DVR licenses from a master DVR. - Fixed a bug causing the storage amount slider to be active after initial NAS configuration, but having no effect on the storage amount. - Fixed an error on doing a new installation on a machine with existing DVMS material on the disks, in which the material disks were not found and created properly ** EasyMon - Fixed a rare crash when using automatic zoom and moving the playback timer. - Fixed a bug causing the time slider to get stuck after series of steps using the time and date selector dialogs. - Fixed a rare crash when adding a new IP address in the login dialog. - Fixed a bug in which, when adding a new IP address in the login dialog, the server disappeared if it was not accepted by pressing the continue button. - Performance optimization in EasyMon in cases where there are very high number of high-framerate cameras used in same EasyMon window. This list includes bugs fixed between versions 6.2.1 and 6.2.5: ** General: - Fixed a rare memory leak. This list includes bugs fixed between versions 6.1.5 and 6.2.1: ** General: - Fixed an image skipping bug - Fixed problems with removing shortcuts when uninstalling the software ** Recorder: - Fixed a problem with the DVR/Filesystem initialization taking too much memory - Fixed a rare crash on recorders related to metadata reading - Fixed a problem with WDServer and CPU temperature readings on R520 - Fixed HTTPS properties for camera autosearch - Fixed a bug occassionally causing slow indexing speed ** Workstation - Fixed a bug in which audio was not visible in Workstation when audio devices were not connected ** System Manager - Fixed an unhandled exception when removing a dead recorder in a big system - Fixed an unhandled exception when canceling backup quickly - Fixed a bug relating to motion detection method being changed to default when settings are saved - Fixed a bug in which Wrong progress states were handled during bacup configuration - Fixed cosmetical and usability issues in recorder update dialog - Fixed a rare problem when a camera mask was corrupted the user tried to change it ** EasyMon for Windows - Fixed a rare thread deadlock when using video buffering option - Fixed a bug relating to changing a camera name while playing forward in playback mode, and the playback continuing backwards - Fixed a problem with EasyMon not exiting when the license was changed - Fixed a bug in which whenever settings were changed, EasyMon acted as the password had been changed - Fixed problems in using layouts that were created with a profile that was renamed after layout creation - Fixed a bug due to which, When a USB stick was full, exporting to it failed with no error message and zero sized image - Fixed a bug causing the time slider to stop moving when zooming controls were used - Fixed a problem that caused the play speed indicator not to reset to "-" when pressing the "time backwards" button while realtime streaming - Fixed a bug causing the timestamp tooltip to not disappear if the mouse cursor moves from EasyMon to another window while the tooltip was displayed - Fixed a bug that caused the layout change view to be distorted after trying to rename layout with same name as different layout - Fixed a problems with deleting system management servers from EasyMon login window - Fixed a rare occasion crash when an end user opens several windows and resizes them, and then switches between windows - Fixed a problem with changing tab order When a tab has a long name - Fixed a bug causing the "go to current time" function to pause streaming when already in current time - Fixed a bug that caused the video panel to lose focus when exporting or printing images - Fixed a bug causing the 'Print' option to be available for a camera with no signal This list includes bugs fixed between versions 6.1.1 and 6.1.5: ** General: - Fixed SmServer hang in big systems - Fixed SmServerout-of-memory state error - Improved the SMServer queue count - Fixed editing of SMServer address in startup - Fixed changing output state controlled wrong output component - Fixed SMServer so that it doesn't allow log on or event registration until it has been fully initialized ** System Manager: - Fixed demo license functionality in Virtual PC enviroment ** EasyMon for Windows: - Fixed EasyMon export so that camera selection is always visible - Fixed EasyMon crash when editing System Management Server address at login when there is only one address - Fixed crash in EasyMon when changing between two maximised layouts This list includes bugs fixed between versions 6.0 and 6.1.1: ** General: - Fixed an issue where 'Processdialog' crashed in XP when using DVMS via Remote Desktop - Changed the SMServer license sending to happen only once ** System Manager: - Fixed an issue where the user was not able to add I/O devices to a new profile from a slave recorder - Changed a Watchdog log option so that newest events are displayed first by default - Changed e-mail settings so that there is a new button to modify existing e-mail addresses - Fixed an issue related to IO alarms with no actions being displayed as having no alarm settings at all - Improved the mouse scroll functionality in Camera Settings multiple streaming ** Workstation: - Error messages are now more informative when PTZ cameras are disconnected - Activity graphs have been corrected to show the correct amount of frames when pre- and post-event recording is used in alarms ** Recorder: - Recorded material was sometimes corrupted. Filesystem data handling has been changed so that full frames are flushed instead of partial frames - Improved MPEG-4 and H.264 encoding so that all frames are shown in playback -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 LICENSE UPGRADE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LICENSE UPGRADE: The Ernitec EVR VMS 6.4 software requires a license key on installation. Please see the Installation Guide for information on updating the license key. Note: It is possible to link a slave recorder with Ernitec EVR VMS software 5.X or earlier to a master recorder with Ernitec EVR VMS 6.X. However, the features and functionality of the slave recorder is severely limited, and it is highly recommended to use the newest software version on all recorders. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 UPDATING CLIENT PROGRAMS TO VERSION 6.X -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The client programs can be updated to version 6.X automatically by connecting to a recorder with 6.X software from a client application with an older software version. Note however, that if the client programs are updated automatically from a version older than 5.4, the following new features are not installed: * Compressed application files faster first start-up * Application files are shared with multiple users * Application files are cached so that they are not reloaded when connecting to a different SM server * Ernitec EVR System Monitor To enable these features, the client programs need to be installed manually. To manually update the client programs to 6.4, remove the existing DVMS version and then install version 6.4. Note: In some cases, in which a client computer only has client software - no recorder - and the software requires a new version of the SlimDX or DirectX libraries, the clients need to be installed cleanly (the old clients uninstalled before installing the new clients). In these cases, automatic updating may cause problems with video feed display. A clean install will correct the problem. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please see Ernitec EVR VMS Administrator's Guide for the complete chart of supported operating systems. Windows XP: - Ernitec EVR VMS 6.4 no longer supports Windows XP. If you continue using Windows XP, do not install Ernitec EVR VMS 6.4. Note: In case of large systems, in which you all recorders cannot be upgraded from Windows XP to a newer, supported OS, but you need to upgrade the VMS system to Ernitec EVR VMS 6.4, you can upgrade the OS on the Master Recorder and continue using Ernitec EVR VMS 6.1-6.2.5 on the Slave Recorders. Windows 7 & 8: - Ernitec EVR VMS is Windows 7 compatible with the following issues: * Not all capture cards have official manufacturer Windows 7 support at the time of writing this. Confirm level of support from card manufacturer * SoundMax audio will not show up in System Manager as selectable device if the drivers have not been installed from OEM site or manufacturer * Using network storage may "steal" pre-mapped Z-location for VMS use. On reboot, Explorer may show mapping that differs from where the drive is actually mapped to * Users should ensure that the latest drivers are installed, as Windows 7 comes with lots of default drivers that lack functionality - Ernitec EVR VMS is Windows 8 compatible with the following issues: * Ernitec EVR VMS system does not support capture cards in Windows 8 * SoundMax audio will not show up in System Manager as selectable device if the drivers have not been installed from OEM site or manufacturer * Using network storage may "steal" pre-mapped Z-location for VMS use. On reboot, Explorer may show mapping that differs from where the drive is actually mapped to * Users should ensure that the latest drivers are installed, as Windows 8 comes with lots of default drivers that lack functionality Windows Server 2008 R2: - Ernitec EVR VMS is Windows Server 2008 R2 compatible with the same issues as Windows 7 (see above) and with the following features installed: * .NET Framework 4.0 Features * Desktop experience Ernitec EVR EasyMon: - Ernitec EVR EasyMon supports only Microsoft Windows 7 or newer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 REINSTALLING CLIENTS IN WINDOWS 7 AND 8 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Windows 7 and 8, When a user edits the SMServer addresses through the login address selection screen, the edited addresses are saved into a Virtual Store folder. The Virtual Store folders are user specific. For this reason, the DVMS specific data is not erased if the Ernitec EVR VMS software is uninstalled. Thus, if the user edits the SMServer addresses through the login address selection screen and continues to uninstall and reinstall the VMS software, the result may be a SMServer IP address conflict between the address recorded in the DVMS program folder and the one recorded in the Virtual Store folder. If a SMServer IP address conflict occurs, it can be resolved by deleting the files in the DVMS virtual folder: c:\Users\\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\ProgramData\DVMS\ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 PROCESSOR and HDD PERFORMANCE TESTED AFTER INSTALLATION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the recorder software is installed, the performance of the processor and HDD drives are tested at end of the installation. The results of the tests are used to determine the maximum possible frame rate of the system. The performance test is done by processing images at full capacity for about one minute. The exact time depends on the computer. During this time, a performance monitor dialogue is displayed, and it may look like the computer is unresponsive. Please wait until the testing is complete before using the computer (even if it looks unresponsive). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 IP PTZ SUPPORT THROUGH AUTOSEARCH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When installing autosearch supported IP PTZ cameras through the autosearch tools (IP camera finder or Automatic camera search tools), the PTZ drivers are installed automatically along with the camera drivers, so there is no need to install external PTZ drivers. In these cases, the PTZ functionality has some changes: - All presets and camera tours are saved in the camera itself, not on the recorder - All previous presets for the cameras, in case they are stored on the recorder, are lost and need to be reinstalled - If presets are added or modified through a camera's own UI, they will be also available through Ernitec EVR VMS software In addition to IP PTZ cameras, this feature supports analog PTZ cameras connected to Axis IP video servers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 ADAPTIVE MOTION DETECTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In rather rare and unusual situations, when constant movement dominates scenery over very long periods of time, the adaptive motion detection method may learn to interpret "real" movement to be regarded as noise movement to be ignored (like tree in a wind). In these cases the recording may not be triggered even it should have been. In these cases, comparative motion detection or hermeneutic motion detection is recommended. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 REINSTALLING Ernitec EVR VMS FROM BACKUP WITH EXTERNAL PLUGIN DRIVERS (PTZ, TEXT DATA, ETC.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When performing a clean reinstallation of Ernitec EVR VMS software through backup settings in a system with PTZ drivers, it is important to perform the tasks in the correct order: 1. Backup the settings in System Manager. 2. Uninstall all PTZ drivers. 3. Uninstall Ernitec EVR VMS software. 4. Manually delete the VMS configuration folders as instructed by Ernitec EVR support personnel. 5. Reinstall VMS software. 6. Reinstall all PTZ drivers. 7. Restore the settings from the backup file. 8. If required, reconfigure the PTZ drivers. If the reinstallation process is not performed in the order described above, the process may lead to unexpected errors. This order applies to all reinstallation cases of the VMS software regardless of the version. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 DISPLAYING CUSTOMIZED CAMERA NAMES AFTER UPDATE FROM VERSION 4.0 OR EARLIER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After updating the system from version 4.0 or earlier to 6.X, customized camera names are not displayed by default. Instead, default names (Camera1, Camera2, etc.) are displayed. To restore customized camera names after Ernitec EVR VMS 6.X update: 1. In System Manager, open the camera settings page for a camera for which you want to restore a customized name. 2. Click 'OK' to save the settings 3. The customized name for the camera is restored. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 PCI SERR# GENERATION/SERR DMI MESSAGE MUST BE DISABLED -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PCI SERR# Generation/SERR DMI Message is a BIOS-based service that generates system error messages. When MiraCap capture cards are used, this service may cause video display to freeze or blue screen errors to occur. Make sure that this service is disabled in BIOS settings. To disable PCI SERR# in HP computers: 1. Restart the computer and press F10 when the logo screen is displayed. 2. Select the language. 3. From the Advanced menu, choose 'Bus Options'. 4. Set PCI SERR# to 'Disable'. 5. Press F10 to save the settings. 6. Press F10 to exit the BIOS settings. To disable SERR DMI Messaging in DELL computers: 1. Restart the computer and press F2 when the logo screen is displayed. 2. Click 'Maintenance' and then 'SERR DMI Message' and press ENTER. 3. Set SERR DMI Message to 'OFF' and press ENTER. 4. Press ESC, select 'Save/Exit', and then press ENTER to save and exit the BIOS settings. In computers from other manufactures, find the corresponding BIOS setting and set it to disabled. Note: This setting is already disabled in DVRs delivered by the manufacturer. However, if the BIOS settings are reset, make sure to set this option back to disabled. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 SWITCHING FROM RECORDER DNS NAME TO RECORDER IP ADDRESS OR VICE VERSA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you use the 'Change recorder address' tool in System Manager to change a recorder's IP address (e.g. 127.0.0.1) to its DNS name (e.g. 'localhost' or 'recorder1.example.com') or vice versa, the SMServer may stop handling events (e.g. alarms, Watchdog notifications, I/O polarity changes or changes in camera signal reception) from the recorder for approximately five minutes. During the interval, other features (e.g. video, audio and data streams and playback) will function normally. After a five minute interval, the SMServer will restore the connection with the recorder, after which events will be handled normally. The interval affects only the real time handling of events; any alarms that have occurred during the interval can be viewed later through the 'Alarm search' tool in Workstation, and the Watchdog logs can be viewed in System Manager. To avoid the problem, please ensure that you change a recorder's IP address to its DNS name or vice versa only at a time when a five minute interval in event handling will not cause problems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 OLD ARECONT CAMERAS AND AUTOSEARCH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some older, no longer sold Arecont cameras (at least AV5100, AV1300, AV2100, and AV5105) have problems with autosearch. These cameras should be added manually by selecting the model from the drop-down menu after autosearch has failed to find them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 MANUAL PAPER SIZE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- All of the product manuals are currently in A5 paper size (148x210mm): When printing manuals in A5 size, if your printer does not support the paper size, select "Fit to printable area" and "2 pages per sheet" to print on A4 paper.