Video Replication Management
Viinex middleware enables integrating applications to manage hierarchical video archives in geographically distributed video management systems. This includes automatically gathering information on remote object alarms for verification and providing on-demand video data from the control center for investigation. Viinex includes a ready-to-use video management mechanism accessible via HTTP REST API, while the integrating application defines the management policy.
Viinex replication modules enable the arrangement of an arbitrary graph of video data flow within the system. The simplest case is a “star” architecture, where several Viinex instances with replication sources functioning on them push their video data to a Viinex instance in a logical “center.
Out of the box, Viinex contains two built-in replication modules that allow for eventual synchronization of necessary video archive parts. Viinex provides integrating applications with these embedded replication modules, which enable replication in rolling or managed mode and access to video archives.
Rolling Replication Mode
In rolling replication mode, a Viinex instance will automatically send recorded video data to the central host video archive (sink) as soon as it appears in special video archives (sources) meant for replication, in accordance with the configuration set. It’s worth noting that it is the replication source that initiates the connection, and all data available for the source is copied to the replication sink in the control center. This is critical because remote sites may be connected by different communication service providers, and remote site IP addresses may change dynamically in the internet at any time.
Viinex’s video archive replication is robust when it comes to connection breaks during the transfer of video data. Upload will resume from the same point after reconnection, making Viinex a good choice for projects with unstable communication channels such as cellular networks with poor coverage.
Rolling replication mode is well suited for scenarios where it’s necessary to automatically receive video records, such as when there’s a risk that a video archive may be destroyed after an intrusion at a remote site or for alarm verification. Viinex allows for flexible data storage structures, where local video archives can store continuous recording (24/7) data for weeks, and only video recordings containing alarms or video 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 to prevent mixing video data from various cameras on the replication sink 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 like site1.cam1 and site1.cam2 in a video archive connected to the replication sink. If any other replication source uploads video from cameras also named cam1 and cam2, this source will get names like site2.cam1 and site2.cam2 on the replication sink side. This simple scheme allows using any names for video cameras on the replication source side and 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 the integrating application via Viinex API provides instructions on where recorded video data should be taken from in third-party VMS and NVR systems, 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 a federation of VMS servers when incidents should be investigated in the command and control center.
Examples of requests via API include receiving a video archive timeline, receiving a needed part of a video archive, and video archive replication speed control.
Read more on replication modes use scenarios in our blog.