Recording and archiving paths (properties)

When you configure video and recording for specific cameras, properties include:

Recording Path

A path to the folder in which the camera's database should be stored. The default folder is C:\MediaDatabase. To browse for another folder, click the browse icon next to the required cell. You can only specify a path to a folder on a local drive. You cannot specify a path to a network drive. If you use a network drive, you cannot save recordings if the network drive becomes unavailable.

If you change the recording path, and you have existing recordings at the old location, you are asked whether you want to move the recordings to the new location, leave them at the old location, or delete them.

If you have several cameras, and several local drives are available, you can improve performance by distributing individual cameras' databases across several drives.

Delete Database

Click button to delete all recordings in the database for the camera. Archived recordings are not affected.

Important: Use with caution. All recordings in the database for the camera are permanently deleted. As a security measure, you must confirm that you want to delete the database.

Archiving Path

The path to the folder in which the camera's archived recordings should be stored. The default folder is C:\MediaDatabase. You can only edit this if you do not use dynamic paths for archiving.

To browse for another folder, click the browse icon next to the relevant cell. If you change the archiving path, and there are existing archived recordings at the old location, you are asked whether you want to move the archived recordings to the new location, leave them at the old location, or delete them. Milestone recommends that you move the archiving recordings to a new location.

Note that if you move archived recordings, your system also archives what is currently in the camera database. In case you wonder why the camera database is empty just after you have moved archived recordings, this is the reason.

Delete Archives

Click button to delete all archived recordings for the camera. Recordings in the camera's regular database will not be affected. The ability to delete is available regardless of whether you use a single archiving path or dynamic archiving paths.

Important: Use with caution. All archived recordings for the camera are permanently deleted. As a security measure, you must confirm that you want to delete the archives.

Retention time

The total amount of time for which you want to keep recordings from the camera, that is, recordings in the camera's database as well as any archived recordings. The default retention time is 7 days.

Retention time covers the total amount of time you want to keep recordings for. In earlier versions of your surveillance system, you specified time limits separately for the database and archives.

Database Repair Action

Select which action to take if the database becomes corrupted:

  • Repair, scan, delete if fails: Default action. If the database becomes corrupted, two different repair methods is attempted: a fast repair and a thorough repair. If both repair methods fail, the contents of the database are deleted.
  • Repair, delete if fails: If the database becomes corrupted, a fast repair is attempted. If the fast repair fails, the contents of the database are deleted.
  • Repair, archive if fails: If the database becomes corrupted, a fast repair is attempted. If the fast repair fails, the contents of the database are archived.
  • Delete (no repair): If the database becomes corrupted, the contents of the database are deleted.
  • Archive (no repair): If the database becomes corrupted, the contents of the database are archived.
  • Scan, archive if fails: If the database becomes corrupted, all files in the database are scanned for errors and a thorough repair of the database is attempted. This action takes more time to complete than the other repair actions, but ensures that a restore of all content in the database takes place.

If you choose an action to repair a corrupt database, this corrupt database is closed while it is repaired. Instead, a new database is created to allow recordings to continue.

XProtect Smart Client can often repair a corrupt database if it has been archived. When you open the corrupt database in XProtect Smart Client, XProtect Smart Client repairs the database automatically if at all possible.

Configure Dynamic Paths

With dynamic archiving paths, you specify a number of different archiving paths, usually across several drives. If the drive containing the camera's database is among the path you have selected for dynamic archiving, your system always tries to archive to that path first. If not, the system automatically archives to the archiving drive with the most available space at any time, provided there is not a camera database using that drive.

See also Dynamic path selection.

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