By default Spectrum reserves free space for every single local disks and network shared drives. 
Spectrum Server will start recycling the oldest footage as soon as free space of the disk is less than assigned reserved space.

What is the size of the reserved space?

• v2.6 and before: 5 GB for each local drive, 50 GB for each NAS on a server.
• v3.0 and later: 10 ~ 30 GB for each local drives, 50 ~ 100 GB at each NAS on a server.
  *But not greater than 10% of a drive total size in both cases.

Can I change the size of reserved space?

Some users might want to reasonably change the size of reserved space because of some user's requirements and need to keep larger space for longer retention days. In Spectrum, this can be configured via the following steps:

1. Open your Web browser (Chrome, Opera, Safari is recommended)
2. Enter the URL: http://{SPECTRUMSERVERIPADDRESS}:{port}/static/index.html#/advanced
3. Login with your admin account, and navigate to the Storage section.
4. You will see all the storage on this server.
5. You can change the value to meet your needs. (But it shall never be 0 GB).
6. Click Save.

* You can change the IP address to access other servers in the same Spectrum system then repeat the steps above. Then all the server in your system will have customized reserved space.

• During the upgrade from version 2.6 or lower no servers come up.
• In fact, you can see that all of them are running and allow to connect directly with a browser or via the Spectrum Client. All other servers at that moment are shown as "offline" in the resource tree.
• If you check "System Administration" menu(Ctrl+Alt+A), "Routing management" tab and click any offline server you'll see all network addresses with "0" port values.

1. If you have autodiscovery option disabled -- please turn it on till servers find each other(typically happens within seconds). To turn it on:
   - Go to "System Administration" menu(Ctrl+Alt+A)
   - At "General" tab, "System Settings" section find "Enable cameras and servers auto-discovery" checkbox and fill it in
   - Click "OK" or "Apply" to save changes
   
   
2. If you already have auto-discovery enabled but there's still no communication and servers have "0" port values at the "Routing Management"  -- likely you have multicast connections disabled on the networking level. 
   No worries, there is an easy way to manually modify this port information:
   - Go to "System Administration" menu(Ctrl+Alt+A)
   - At the "Routing Management" tab click any "offline" server
   - Click "Add" button at the right panel, "Enter URL" dialog window will pop up
   - Input network interface address which is used for connection to other servers with correct TCP port specified to the URL bar.
3. Click "OK" or "Apply" to save changes. Typically it takes seconds to get servers back online.

What is Dual Streaming?

Most IP cameras can provide multiple data streams at the same time, each at a different resolution and frame rate.  Spectrum requests two data streams, one high resolution, and one low resolution, and switches between them to provide the best image quality with the least impact on processing and network efficiency. This “adaptive scaling” is one of the most valuable features of the Spectrum  VMS.

• High-resolution (Primary) streams provide better quality image display but require significant CPU and network bandwidth to view.
• Low-resolution (Secondary) streams require far less computing power than typical high-resolution streams but provide much lower image resolution at a slower frame rate.

The primary stream is used for high-quality viewing and playback. The secondary stream is used for constant recording, for motion detection, and to save bandwidth and CPU during playback.

Why is Dual Streaming important and how does it work?

Dual Streaming on the Server

If a camera supports dual-streaming, Spectrum tries to configure the low-resolution stream at or near 640x360 resolution at 7fps. The server uses the low-resolution stream whenever possible for software motion detection and records both streams to archive unless a different behavior is specified (see the section related to settings below). However, some cameras may not or cannot comply with default System behavior, usually for one of these reasons:

• The requested settings are not available from the camera (for instance, the lowest resolution stream is higher than 640x360p)
• A secondary or low-resolution stream is not provided at all
• A low-resolution stream is provided as Primary and a high-resolution stream as Secondary
• The user has forbidden the Spectrum Server from controlling camera streams or modified them using the camera web-page or a third-party software

In these cases, the Spectrum Server will perform motion detection on the available stream that has the lowest resolution, as long as that stream is below 1024x768. 

• The requested settings are not available from the camera (for instance, the lowest resolution stream is higher than 640x360p)
• A secondary or low-resolution stream is not provided at all
• A low-resolution stream is provided as Primary and a high-resolution stream as Secondary
• The user has forbidden the Spectrum Server from controlling camera streams or modified them using the camera web-page or a third-party software

IMPORTANT:

"For security reasons, Windows 10 does not support SMB1 protocol. If an external storage device is still using SMB1, it will need a firmware upgrade to SMB2 or higher in order to connect to an Nx system running on Windows 10."

NAS (Network-Attached Storage) systems are networked appliances which contain one or more storage drives, often arranged into logical, redundant storage containers or RAID. NAS devices can be used to expand a Spectrum Server's storage capacity (the duration video can be archived from the System's cameras).

To Add a NAS (w/SAMBA) to on Spectrum Server 

• Make sure that the NAS you are attempting to connect to has samba installed and configured on the NAS device. 
  Note! Trashboxes/trash bins/recycling bins must be disabled as a part of the configuration step. Spectrum Server starts overwriting when the "Reserved Space" limit is reached. In order to do that it sends standard SMB-delete requests to the NAS drive. If recycle bin is enabled NAS will put files to the bin instead. The server won't get necessary space sending new delete commands instead -- eventually, it will end up with full drive and inability to record any data until the recycle bin is emptied.
• Right-click on the targeted Server in the Resource Panel and select Server Setting.
• Click Add External Storage.
• In the Add External Storage dialog input the path/URL to the Samba-shared directory. For example: \\NAS_DEVICE\smb_dir
• Input login credentials if needed.
• Press OK to apply changes.

To remove a SAMBA enabled NAS Device from Spectrum Server

• Right-click URL to NAS device in the list.
• Click Remove Storage
• Press OK to apply changes

• KB4340556
• KB4338818
• KB4054530

1. Go to Control Panel -> Programs -> Programs and Features -> Installed Updates
2. Locate the desired update
3. Right click on it and select "Uninstall"
4. Repeat the above actions to all the updates

1. Go to Control Panel -> System and Security -> Windows Update
2. Click "Check for Updates". The updates that have been uninstalled should show up
3. Right click on each update and select "Hide update".

1. Go to Control Panel -> System and Security -> Windows Update
2. Click "Restore Hidden Updates"
3. Check the desired updates and click "Restore".

If Spectrum cannot add the Compressor via Auto-Discovery or Manually using port 8080, then try the following steps in the order presented:

1. ·         Verify that the Spectrum Server is in Spectrum 3.0 or higher.
2. ·         Can you ping the compressor from the Server?
3. ·         Can you access the compressor from the Servers browser?
4. ·         Check Compressor’s firmware is on the latest firmware.
5. ·         Power cycle the unit.
6. ·         Factory Default unit.
7. ·         Re-install the firmware.

• Registered cameras will go offline upon firmware upgrade
• New cameras will not be properly discovered

How to solve this problem?

1. Re-enable ONVIF Protocol
   • Navigate to your Hikvision camera web administration interface and look for the Integration Protocol section of the settings web-page
   • Click on the Enable ONVIF checkbox
     
   • Also, make sure to enable Hikvision-CGI

1. Add a New ONVIF User
   • While still in the affected camera's web administration interface navigate to the camera's Configuration -> System -> Users menu and add a new ONVIF user (up to 32 per device). 
   • Make sure the user has Administrator rights.
2. Update Camera Authentication
   • Right-click on the affected camera(s) in Spectrum and open the camera settings dialog.
   • Update the Login and Password for each affected camera. 
     • Note: If you update all Hikvision cameras with the same username and password you can update the Login and Password for all affected cameras at the same time by selecting all affected cameras and then opening the Camera Settings dialog.

More than one item can be added to a layout simultaneously regardless of their source (live cameras, local video, images, etc.).

Spectrum allows up to 24 items to be displayed on clients running on a 32 bit OS and 64 items on a 64-bit operating system.

To add item(s) to a layout, select from one of the following:

-          Double-click on the item in Resource Tree

-          Select Open from Context Menu in Resource Tree.

-          Multiple items can be selected and added (Ctrl + Shift and select the desired items).

-          Drag and drop from Resource Tree

-          Ctrl + drag and drop items onto a scene to duplicate. To avoid duplication, release Ctrl and hit Esc while holding the left mouse button.

-          Hold Ctrl or use a mouse to select multiple items on the scene. To select all items, use Ctrl + A. 

New items will automatically occupy all available space. The aspect ratio of grid cells will automatically adjust to the aspect ratio of an existing item to occupy the space.

To open items directly from a new tab:

-          Select desired item(s) from Resource Tree and select Open in a new tab from Context Menu

-          Drag the selected item(s) from Resource Tree and drop them to Tab Navigator

-          Ctrl + drag and drop items from scene to Tab Navigator (Multi-Selection can be applied). To prevent duplication, release Ctrl and hit Esc while holding the left mouse button. 

How to configure a layout using search:

-          Create a new layout. 

-          Enter any three consecutive characters into the search box. The results will appear automatically.

-          By adding or deleting keywords from the search box, the items on the scene will adjust.

-          Save the configured layout if desired

While operating your client, you can press F1.  This will display your client version, as well as the server version if you are connected to a server.

1. Using Windows Control Panel initiate the uninstall process for DW Spectrum Application and follow any guidance prompts until uninstall is complete.
2. To remove any remnants of the Server application (other than recorded video files) navigate to C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local and delete the DW^® folder.
3. To remove any remnants of the Desktop application navigate to C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Localand delete the DW^® folder.
4. To remove any recorded video navigate to the storage location you set up for your Server and find the DW Spectrum Media folder.

• DW Cloud connected systems can reset their password at any time by using the built-in password reset function.
• For custom systems, if a user forgets their password their System Owner or System Admins can help them reset their password. If the Owner password is lost the System will have to be re-installed.
• For Blackjack systems, if a user forgets their password their System Owner or System Admins can help them reset their password. If the Owner password is lost you will need to fill out a password reset form located HERE. 

Spectrum supports thousands of IP Video devices:

·         ONVIF Profile S Devices  – will be automatically discovered and added in Spectrum. Users will be able to see the devices on Spectrum Client (Desktop/Web/Mobile/Cloud). The latest supported list can be found – Spectrum Supported Devices  

·         RTSP Streams  – can be added by users manually. The users can log in the Spectrum server via Spectrum Desktop Client, right-clicking on the server icon then select Add Devices.

·         HTTP Streams – can be added by users manually. The users can log in the Spectrum Media server via Spectrum Desktop Client, right-clicking on the server icon then select Add Devices.

What is a Server Log?

A Server Log keeps a record of all Server transactions in basic text form. In certain cases to speed up and simplify a troubleshooting process, you might be asked to provide us with Server Logs. 

How to find the Server Log:

Gathering Server Logs is slightly different on different Operating Systems. Follow the steps below for your OS.

Find the Log via the following paths:

• Windows Standard Path: C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Digital Watchdog\Digital Watchdog Media Server\log           
• Linux Standard Path: /opt/digitalwatchdog/mediaserver/var/log

Sending the Server Log to Support:

1. Copy the “log” folder and save it to your desktop or other location. 
2. Zip the log folder into a .zip file. Logs can be up to 100MB in size.
3. Coordinate with our support team to provide the log file (e.g. Teamviewer, attachment, etc).

Server and Desktop Client are stopped right after start. In Windows "Event Viewer" you can see that application is killed by Operating System due to libeay32.dll.

libeay32.dll is a dynamic library, part of OpenSSL which is open source solution for SSL/TLS connections. It is used for any Nx Client and Server secured connections, that is why it is so important.

How to solve this problem?

You'll need to replace your libeay32.dll library.

1. Download an updated version of the libeay32.dll library.
   • libeay.dll for 32-bit Windows
   • libeay.dll for 64-bit Windows
     
     
2. Replace the existing libeay.dll file (located in your application directory) with the newly downloaded libeay32.dll file. If you have ever updated refer to Desktop Compatibility bullet point, the library should be put to every copy of Desktop Client currently installed.
3. • Spectrum Desktop Default Location 
     • C:\Program Files\\DW^®\DW Spectrum\Client\<Version_Number>\libeay32.dll
       
       
   • Desktop Compatibility Mode installations(installed after any update)
     • C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\DW^®\client\digitalwatchdog\<Version_Number>\libeay32.dll
       
       
   • Media Server
     • C:\Program Files\DW^®\DW Spectrum\MediaServer\libeay32.dll
       
       
4. Start Spectrum (Client or Server)

FAQs

Question: Does VMS keep LDAP passwords?
Answer: No, for security reasons.
Question: Does an LDAP Server have to be a part of a Local Network together with the Media Server?
Answer: No. An LDAP Server must be available for the Media Server rather on LAN or via WAN.
Question: Why I cannot see the LDAP "button" in the Desktop Client?
Answer: LDAP users with roles assigned are not allowed to modify LDAP Server settings. The basic concept is that if they accidentally modify these setting they will lose permission to connect. 
Question: Why does LDAPS (LDAP over SSL) do not work?
Answer: Most likely you'll be required to change certificates or to install certificates to both machines: LDAP Server and the Media Server.

Troubleshooting an LDAP Connection

Step 1: Test your LDAP Server with a 3rd Party LDAP Browser / Client

• Win --> Softerra LDAP Browser
• Ubuntu --> OpenLDAP

A test query can look like the one below:

ldapsearch -LLL -x -H ldap://ad.my.domain.com:389 -s sub -D Administrator@my.domain.com -b CN=Users,DC=my,DC=domain,DC=com -w PaSsWoRd123 -o ldif-wrap=150

where:

• URL: ldap://ad.my.domain.com
• port: 389
• DN of an admin: Administrator@my.domain.com or CN=Administrator,CN=Users,DC=my,DC=domain,DC=com
• Search Base: CN=Users,DC=my,DC=domain,DC=com
• password: PaSsWoRd123

A valid output would look something like this: 

dn: CN=Users,DC=my,DC=domain,DC=com
objectClass: top
objectClass: container
cn: Users
description: Default container for upgraded user accounts
distinguishedName: CN=Users,DC=my,DC=domain,DC=com
instanceType: 4
whenCreated: 20151113032937.0Z
whenChanged: 20151113032937.0Z
uSNCreated: 5696
uSNChanged: 5696
showInAdvancedViewOnly: FALSE
name: Users
objectGUID:: puf/DK2dGkCF/7bTR7V+iw==
systemFlags: -1946157056
objectCategory: CN=Container,CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=my,DC=domain,DC=com
isCriticalSystemObject: TRUE
dSCorePropagationData: 20170619233637.0Z
dSCorePropagationData: 16010101000001.0Z
.....

If you manage to fetch/browse the information from your LDAP Server using the 3rd party Browser / Client please proceed to Step II.
Otherwise, we strongly encourage you to talk to your LDAP system administrator for further assistance before proceeding to Step 2 below.

Devices that operate with ONVIF Profile S will automatically be detected by Spectrum and displayed in the resource tree.  Real Time Streaming Protocols (RTSP) and HTTP streams can also be added manually to Spectrum. You can also use our Spectrum Compatibility List to see if your camera is supported.

What is a Network Issue?

What will a user see in Spectrum when a Network Issue occurs?

What are the possible causes of this issue?

1. Network Bandwidth is not adequate.

2. A camera/stream is not being received as expected.

3. The networking devices are not configured properly or are incapable of handling the necessary traffic types.

4. There is an issue with network cabling.

How to address a Network Issue?

1. Check your network bandwidth.  
   Drag & drop the Server experiencing the issue onto the Viewing Grid in the Desktop client and monitor the network traffic to look for any obvious issues.
2. Try to isolate the problem camera/stream. 
   Try removing devices one by one and check if the issue is reproduced. Try rebooting the affected camera. If you are seeing this issue with an RTSP/HTTP stream you may want to remove and add the stream(s) again to see if that resolves the issue.
3. Try VLC. 
   Try opening the camera streams in VLC (with logging) and check if the packets are lost there. The streams URL can be retrieved through Camera Settings from the Advanced tab (“Primary Stream”, “Secondary Stream”).

How to avoid this issue

1. Make sure your network is stable and that throughput is adequate between the affected camera and Server.
2. Choose stable, dependable cameras/streams.
3. Simplify the network architecture as much as possible so that the path between the camera/stream and Server is as direct as possible. The more routing you have the more likely a camera/stream is to be affected.
4. Make sure to use high-quality cabling.