Milestone Solution Partner IT Infrastructure
Components Certification Summary
2 Spectra Logic - MTP Certification Summary
Table of Contents
Introduction
... 3
Test Process ... 3
Topology
... 3
Key Findings
... 4
About Spectra Logic:
Spectra Logic designs video management solutions that utilize tiered disk and digital tape for secure long term retention. Our fully integrated solutions provide a no-compromise alternative to easily and cost effectively retain surveillance video for longer periods of time. Dedicated solely to storage innovation for more than 35 years, Spectra Logic’s uncompromising product and customer focus is proven by the largest information users in multiple vertical markets globally.
About Milestone Systems:
Milestone Systems is the world’s leading provider of open platform IP video surveillance software. Milestone has provided easy-to-use, powerful video management software in more than 100,000 installations worldwide.
3 Spectra Logic - MTP Certification Summary
Introduction
This certification report presents the results of benchmark and load tests performed on Spectra Logic’s nTier Verde NAS and NVR3 storage solutions. These products were used as the storage location for the long term video archive database of an XProtect surveillance system during this certification test. Test scenarios included utilizing nTier Verde as network attached storage, as well as the integration of the Spectra Logic NVR3 with T-Series tape storage as an alternate layer of archive storage. The Milestone Technology Partner (MTP) Certification program seeks to confirm that server, storage and network solutions provided by qualified MTP vendors meet the performance benchmarks required to support the Milestone XProtect VMS applications, and to measure the maximum performance available to Milestone customers if they choose to build a solution using certified MTP products.
Certified Products
Spectra Logic nTier Verde
Spectra Logic NVR3
T-Series Tape Library
Milestone XProtect Corporate 2014 (7.0a)
Performance of the solution may vary if different XProtect products and/or system components not listed in the tests details are included.
Test Process
In our test of the nTier Verde solution, four RAID 6 disk arrays were configured with 20 of the available hard disks. This single logical disk was shared through the network with XProtect and used as the archive database location. Each recording server connected to the nTier solution and was configured to archive video to the network attached storage every hour. Milestone’s server and storage calculator was used to determine the benchmark value for the storage solution. The video stream profile used for the calculator included MPEG-4 and H.264 as codecs, a resolution of both VGA and one megapixel, 30 frames per second, and 30 percent compression.
When the NVR3 and the T-Series tape library were combined to provide the archive, the NVR3 system uses Milestone’s API to request the live video from the recording server(s). The NVR3 then records Milestone’s archived video (which in this scenario was stored on the nTier Verde) into its database. The NVR3 then manages the video data according to preconfigured policies, allowing for fast search and retrieval. The tiered storage concept is implemented by transcoding the original video into a second lower resolution video, and using it to search and view from digital disk, once the video of interest is located, the original high resolution video can be quickly retrieved from digital tape.
In the test scenarios discussed in this document the XProtect Recording Servers were configured to record between 20 and 40 simulated cameras; and these cameras were all configured to record video continuously. In each of the tests we also had an XProtect Smart Client application running displaying recorded video.
Topology
4 Spectra Logic - MTP Certification Summary
an additional server hosting the XProtect Corporate Management Server, Management Client and Smart Client. Each recording server hosted a virtual camera simulator which generated at least 40 camera streams that were recorded to the direct attached, block based, live video database, and a tape storage system was added to provide an additional archive storage tier. This solution includes the NVR3 integration which transitions the video from the XProtect system to the long term tape storage solution. The nTier Verde provided the archive video database in the second scenario, which was a network attached storage location with file based storage. In the second test scenario, two additional recording servers were added to the system and the tape solution was removed. The network and all of the NICs on the servers and the storage systems supported Gigabit Ethernet. The test topology for both scenarios is shown in the figure below:
5 Spectra Logic - MTP Certification Summary
The Spectra Logic nTier Verde and NVR3 solutions are certified archive storage solutions for use with Milestone XProtect VMS systems. These solutions were able to reliably archive large amounts of video without impacting the performance of the Milestone system. These solutions exceed the benchmark values indicated by the Milestone server and storage calculator by at least a factor of two. Spectra Logic storage solutions can cost effectively provide Petabytes of easily reviewable long term video storage for any system that requires extended retention periods for surveillance video storage. The maximum performance of the nTier Verde and NVR3 is listed below:
Test Scenario Maximum Number of Cameras Live Video Read Latency Individual Video Stream Size Maximum Archive Disk I/O Per Server
Archive Array Average Disk I/O
NVR3 and T-Series Tape Library with 2x Recording Servers 80 cameras: 40 per Recording Server 0.75 milliseconds 4.6 Mbps 65.42 MBps 46.14 MBps
nTier Verde with 4x Recording Servers
140 cameras 40 on 3 servers and 20 on 1
6.07 ms 10.20 Mbps 273.66 MBps 197.42 MBps
Integrators and end users designing, installing and operating surveillance systems which incorporate these solution components can have confidence that the system will record and archive video reliably. When an organization has video surveillance retention needs that exceed 90 days, they will likely want to implement, a cost effective storage model. Spectra’s nTier Verde can be utilized as a cost effective digital disk only storage solution while NVR3 provides a tiered storage model including digital disk and tape for long term video surveillance storage. These certified Spectra Logic solutions provide several benefits from such as, lower capital expenditure, a reduction in physical size and power requirements, which also lead to lower ongoing operational expenses. Storing megapixel and high resolution
