Knowledge Base Article
Article Type: How To
Product: Symphony
Product Version: 7.1
Component: Symphony Server
Device Brands:
Created: 26-Jan-2012 12:52:55 PM
Last Updated:

How to set up edge storage for Axis cameras

You can configure edge storage (on-camera storage) for Axis cameras to provide video recording redundancy.

To support edge storage, you need firmware 5.40 or later. Cameras that currently support 5.40 or later are listed here: http://www.axis.com/techsup/firmware.php.

  • Symphony automatically detects if an Axis camera supports and has been configured for edge storage.
  • In the Timeline, a green bar indicates that video has been downloaded from edge storage if the Tracker service crashes or restarts, or the video stream from the camera is lost.

Important: Symphony does not analyze video downloaded from the Axis camera. As such, it does not determine activity type (for example, broken rule or video signal lost).

To see visual confirmation in Symphony that video has in fact been downloaded from the edge storage:

  • Set up the Axis camera in Symphony to Record Video Always. (Server Configuration dialog box, Devices panel, Video tab.)

Symphony will then display the contrasting green bar in the Timeline when video has been downloaded from on-camera storage.

  • If Record Video is set to other options (Schedule, Pixel Changes Detected by PC, Motion Detected by Camera, Schedule & Motion Detected by Camera, or Never), you can click historical instances of the Timeline to retrieve images and video from the edge storage (SD Card or local NAS) while the camera is running and the edge storage device is configured and connected. Note that the footage that you access is not saved to the Symphony server. It is downloaded from the Axis camera’s SD card each time.

Set up edge storage for Axis cameras with firmware prior to 7.10

  1. Add the Axis camera to Symphony.
  2. Access the camera Web page to configure it:
    1. Click Setup > System Options > Date & Time.
      1. Select Time zone. Camera must be in same time zone as the Symphony Server.
      2. Select the Automatically adjust for daylight saving check box.
      3. Click Save.
    2. Click Setup > Recordings > Continuous.
      1. Select the Enable check box.
      2. From Disk drop-down list, select SD card.
      3. From Stream profile, select AS0x1.
      4. Click Save.
    3. Click Setup > System Options > Advanced > Plain Config.
      1. From the Select group drop-down list, select Storage and click Select group.
      2. Set Cleanup policy active to FIFO.
      3. Set Cleanup level to 90.
      4. Click Save.

Set up edge storage for Axis cameras with firmware 7.10 or newer

  1. Add the Axis camera to Symphony.
  2. Open the camera Web page.
  3. Configure the camera.
    1. Click Settings > System > Date & Time.
    2. Select the correct time zone. The camera must be in the same time zone as the Symphony Server.
    3. Enable the Daylight saving time adjustment setting.
  4. Configure the stream.
    1. Click Settings > Stream.
    2. Click the Stream profiles button.
    3. In the Name list, select AS0x1.
    4. Confirm the properties of the AS0x1 profile and click Save. Record these settings as you need to configure the stream to match this profile.
    5. Click Close to close the Stream profiles window.
    6. Set the properties on the Stream tab to match the settings of the AS0x1 profile.
  5. Configure clean up.
    1. Click Settings > System > Plain config.
    2. In the Plain config window, click Storage
    3. In the Cleanup level field, type 90.
    4. In the Cleanup policy active list, select FIFO.
    5. Click Save.
  6. Click the down arrow to minimze the settings pane.
  7. Click the record button (red circle).

Notes related to Symphony:

  • Historical video playback from the SD card on an Axis Camera is at recorded FPS. Therefore, the speed slider in the Symphony Client will not work.
  • If edge storage is not working during setup, restart the AI NetSendHist service on the Symphony Server.

Notes related to Axis Cameras:

When downloading video from the SD card, FPS can drop below the full FPS (25 fps in 1080p) for 3MP, 5MP, or ARTPEC 4 chip-based Axis cameras.

To format the SD card on the camera with firware prior to 7.10:

  1. Access the camera Web page.
  2. Click Setup > System Options > Storage.
  3. Select the SD card and click Format.

To format the SD card on the camera with firmware 7.10 or later:

  1. Open the camera Web page.
  2. Click Settings > System > Storage.
  3. Select and expand the option for the SD card.
  4. In the Tools list, select Format (erase all).
  5. Click the wrench icon.
  6. Click the Format button.

To record to the SD Card only when no network connection is available:

  1. Access the camera Web page.
  2. Click Settings > System > Events > Action Rules.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Select the Enable rule option.
  5. Specify Trigger Conditions as Hardware, Network, Any, and Is lost = yes.
  6. Specify Actions as: Record Video, select Stream profile, select Duration options, and Storage= SD Card.
  7. Click OK.

See also:

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