Video replication

Viinex middleware allows the integrating application to manage video archives in geographically distributed video management systems – like automatically gathering information on remote objects alarms or providing video data on demand from the control center. Viinex contains a ready video management mechanism available via HTTP REST API, while integrating application defines management policy.

Out of the box, Viinex contains built-in replication modules, which allow for eventual synchronization of video archives between Viinex instances. There are also certain properties of Viinex configuration which helps scaling up the embedding software which uses Viinex.

Replication modules are available in Viinex to arrange an arbitrary graph of video data flow within the system. The most simple case is a “star” architecture, when several Viinex instances with replication sources functioning on them, push their video data to a Viinex instance in a logical “center”. In its turn, such central instance can act as a peer providing its video data to an instance positioned higher in some hierarchy, which makes possible to gather media data in a distributed system of a large scale.

Viinex provides integrating application with embedded replication modules, that allow to perform replication in rolling or managed mode and to access video archives of external VMS and replicate parts of these archives.

Rolling replication mode

In rolling replication mode Viinex instance will automatically, in accordance with configuration set by an integrating application, send out recorded video data as soon as it appears in video archives meant for replication to Viinex central host.

It is a replication source that initiates the connection and all data available for the source is copied to the replication receiver in the control center. It is critical because remote sites may be connected by different communication service providers and remote site’s IP addresses may change in the Internet at any time.

Viinex video archive replication is robust when it comes to connection breaks when transferring data. Download will resume from the same point after reconnection, which makes Viinex a good choice for the projects with unstable communication channels like cellular networks with poor coverage.

When a replication source connects to a receiver, it always uses some credentials for authentication validation, which are specified in configuration. Evidently, if objects are in the Internet, this data should be transmitted securely and without possibility of spoofing or interception, i.e. credentials should be known only to replication source and receiver.

Rolling replication mode is well suited for events when it is necessary to automatically receive video records, like when there is a risk that a video archive may be destroyed after an intrusion at a remote site. Viinex allows for a flexible data storage structure: for example, a local video archive can store continuous recording (24/7) data for a week, and only recordings containing alarms or fragments needed for investigation will be replicated to a monitoring center for longer storage.

Viinex contains a simple mechanism for consecutive numbering of cameras at distributed sites, that prevents mixing video data from various cameras on the replication receiver side at the central host. For example, when a replication source connects to the receiver and sends video data from local cameras named cam1 and cam2, these video sources will get names site1.cam1 and site1.cam2 in a video archive which is connected to the replication receiver. And if any other replication source uploads video from cameras also named cam1 and cam2, this source will get names site2.cam1 and site2.cam2 on the replication receiver side. This simple scheme allows using any names for video streams on replication sources side and it does not require maintaining difficult consecutive camera numeration. At the same time it guarantees unique identification of video streams for all replication sources.

Managed replication mode

In managed replication mode every replication task received from integrating application via Viinex API provides instructions as to where video data should be taken from, what time interval it should relate to and what video archive channel this data should be put into for further distribution by Viinex.

Managed replication mode is well suited for working with video archives upon request, including receiving video from external VMS servers, when incidents should be investigated in command and control center.

Examples of requests via API:

1. Receiving Viinex or integrated VMS video archive timeline
2. Receiving a certain part of a video archive
3. Video archive replication speed control

Read more on replication modes use scenarios in our blog.