IC Now Pro - Storage configuration

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Network Disk
• Server Disk
• Disk Groups
• Device Storage Configuration

Introduction

The 'Storage' section of the configuration settings provide management of the IC Now Pro server storage. This allows network disk (iSCSI) additions, local storage drive selection, file type-specific storage drive assignments, disk group creation for images/videos from specific devices, and configuration of storage location / retention periods for recorded media.

To access this section of the software click the wrench icon (configuration) on the left hand panel of the application window

Then select "Storage"

Network Disk

The "Network Disk" section allows system administrators to integrate external storage devices, such as iSCSI storage servers  into your surveillance infrastructure. This integration provides additional storage capacity for video recordings & snapshots.

Before starting this process, ensure your iSCSI server is using the same network scheme as the IC Now Pro server e.g. IC Now Pro server is using 192.168.2.3/24, the iSCSI server is using 192.168.2.4/24.

01. To begin click the "Add NetDisk" button in the Network Disk section.

02. By default the "Server Name" will be automatically populated with the LAN IP address of the IC Now Pro server. The "Network Disk IP" is the LAN IP address of the iSCSI storage server.

03. "Normal Mode" is to be used with iSCSI storage servers that have been configured for anonymous access. "User Mode" will require a username and password to access the storage server. There is a 12 character minimum for the password when utilizing "User Mode".

04. If the iSCSI storage server was successfully enrolled as a storage device for the IC Now Pro server it will now appear in the list and default its storage type to "Video". If you need to modify this you may do so by clicking the "gear wheel" icon under the Operation column:

05.After the disk is initialized and formatted successfully it will be added to the storage pool info section for the selected category:

Server Disk

The "Server Disk" section allows system administrators to manage and configure local storage drives physically installed in the IC Now Pro server. This section contains options such as initializing local disks and assigning specific storage roles to them, in the same manner as the network disks in the previous section. NOTE: you cannot use the same disk that the operating system / IC Now Pro Services console is installed on. It is also not recommended to use a USB connected disk due to the poor I/O performance when compared to a standard 2.5/3.5" or M.2 connected disk.

01. To begin click the "Server Disk" icon (2nd icon in the left nav panel)

02. You will be presented with a list of the detected disks. To ready the desired disk and prepare it for use with the server click the click the "Initialize" button located under the Operation column

03. Then choose what type of data will be stored on the disk. Your choices are "Video", "Snapshots", & "Incident files". After selecting the desired option, click "OK".

04. After the disk is initialized and formatted successfully it will be added to the storage pool info section for the selected category:

Disk Group

"Disk Grouping" is a feature that allows system administrators to organize multiple storage disks into balanced and/or deliberate groups. This function facilitates assigning specific recording channels to designated disk groups, optimizing storage management and ensuring compartmentalized video stream allocation. Disk grouping also enables a more balanced write load when using multiple disks, potentially improving system performance and extending each disk's lifespan.

01. To begin click the "Disk Group" icon (3rd icon in the left nav panel) and then "Add Disk Group":

02. Input a name for the group in the "Disk Group Name" field, select the disks you would you like to use for the group, & then click "Next Step":

03. Choose the recorders and/or IP cameras you want to assign to this disk group and then click "OK":

04. If the disk group creation & device assignment was successful the disk group summary will be displayed:

Device Storage Configuration

When numerous devices are connected to the server, they can generate a large volume of face data, video metadata, event images, and videos. This can put excessive workload(s) on both networked & local disks. To alleviate this, the server allows configuring storage locations of video for devices with local storage like NVR/HDVRs, reducing server load. Event triggered snapshots will always be saved to the IC Now Pro server storage.

01. To begin click the "Device Storage Config" icon (4th icon in the left nav panel) and then click the "gear wheel":

02. The "Modify Device Storage Config" window will allow you to choose either:

• Link to Videos on Device will create a pointer record to stream the video from the local storage of the recorder
• Save to Central Storage will save the event triggered video to be saved on the networked or local disk of the IC Now Pro server

03. Click "OK" after the desired location has been chosen to save the modification: