Avigilon VMA-AS1-8P, VMA-AS1-24P, VMA-AS1-16P User Manual

User Guide

Avigilon™ HD Video Appliance Models:

VMA-AS1-8P, VMA-AS1-16P and VMA-AS1-24P

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CENTER and ACC are trademarks of Avigilon Corporation. Other product names mentioned herein may be the
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http://www.avigilon.com/patents Unless stated explicitly and in writing, no license is granted with respect to any

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This document has been compiled and published covering the latest product descriptions and specifications.
The contents of this document and the specifications of the products discussed herein are subject to change
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http://www.avigilon.com

PDF-VMA-AS1-A

Revision: 3 - EN

20160115

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Configuring Windows Embedded 7 2

Licensing the Avigilon Control Center System 3

Internet Activation 3

Manual Activation 3

Adding Licenses 4

Configuring the Network 5

Configuring a No DHCP Network 5

Configuring an External DHCP Network 6

Configuring an Internal DHCP Network 7

Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software 12

Starting Up and Shutting Down the Avigilon Control Center Client Software 12

Starting Up the Client Software 12

Shutting Down the Client Software 12

Logging Into and Out of a Site 13

Logging In 13

Logging Out 13

Changing the Administrator Password 14

Connecting Cameras to the Avigilon Control Center System 14

Setting the Recording Schedule 15

Creating a Recording Template 15

Setting Up a Weekly Recording Schedule 16

Setting Data Aging 16

Adding Users and Groups 17

Adding Groups 18

Adding Users 18

Advanced Settings 19

LED Indicators 21

Restarting the Operating System 22

Replacing a Hard Drive 23

Limited Warranty & Technical Support 26

iii

Introduction

The Avigilon HD Video Appliance is the all-in-one solution for network video recording. The video appliance
includes:

l A network switch to connect and power IP cameras.

l Built-in server and storage to run the Avigilon Control Center™ Server and retain recorded video content.

l Video ports to display live video and allow users to operate the Avigilon Control Center Client software

directly from the appliance.

This guide describes how to configure the system after the appliance has been powered and is connected with
keyboard, mouse and monitor. It is recommended that cameras not be connected to the appliance until after the
appropriate network configuration has been set up.

1 Introduction

Configuring Windows Embedded 7

When you start the HD Video Appliance for the first time, you will need to configure the Windows operating
system that is installed on the appliance.

1. On the first screen, carefully scroll through the list and select your preferred language.

NOTE: You will not be able to change this setting after Windows applies your settings at the end of this
procedure.

Figure 1: The language selection screen during initialWindows set up.

2. Click Next.

3. Select your locale preferences then click Next.

4. Enter a user name for accessing the appliance. You can also enter a unique computer name or use the
default. When you are ready, click Next.

5. Set a password for the user name you entered on the previous screen. When you are ready, click Next.

6. On the following page is the end user license agreement for the Windows operating system. Review the
terms then select the I accept the license terms check box and click Next.

7. Select the correct date and time for the system then click Next.

8. Select the network mode for the appliance. The recommended option is Work Network.

Next, Windows applies all your settings and restarts. Once restarted, you will need to license your Avigilon
Control Center system.

Configuring Windows Embedded 7 2

Licensing the Avigilon Control Center System

Before you can configure cameras and monitor live or recorded video, you will need to activate your Avigilon
Control Center software license. The license is provided with the appliance.

After the appliance reboots, the first screen you see is the Avigilon Control Center software license wizard.

Other parts of the Avigilon Control Center system may start while you perform this procedure, but you will not be
able to use any of the features until after license activation is complete.

1. Click License Activation.

2. On the following screen, select one of the following:

l Internet Activation – If the appliance has an internet connection, select this option to quickly

license the Avigilon Control Center software.

l Manual Activation – If the appliance is not currently connected to the internet or you plan to keep

the system in a private intranet, select this option.

Internet Activation

1. On the Enter Product Key page, enter your license key. A green check mark will appear beside your
license key when it is correct.

2. Click Next.

3. On the Product Registration page, enter your contact information to receive product updates. Then click
Next.

4. The Admin Tool connects to the Avigilon licensing server and activates the license.

When the Activation Succeeded message is displayed, click Finish.

Manual Activation

1. Click Step 1: Generate Activation File.

2. On the Enter Product Key page, enter your license key.

A green check mark will appear beside your license key when it is correct.

3. Click Next.

4. On the Select Activation File page, confirm where the activation file will be saved. Click [...] to navigate to
a different file location.

You can rename the activation file, but you must keep the .key extension.

5. Click Next.

On the following page, you will see the Activation File Saved message.

6. Find the saved activation file and copy the file to a computer with internet access.

3 Licensing the Avigilon Control Center System

7. Open a web browser and go to http://activate.avigilon.com.

8. At the Avigilon License Activation web page, click Browse to locate your activation file then click

Upload.

9. The activated license file should download automatically. If not, allow the download to occur when you

are prompted.

10. Complete the product registration section to receive product updates from Avigilon, then click Register.

11. Find the downloaded license file and copy the file to the appliance.

12. If the Activation File Saved message is still displayed in the Add License wizard, click Next. Otherwise
skip this step.

13. Click Step 2: Add License File.

14. On the Import License File page, click [...] to locate the license file then click Next.

15. When the Activation Succeeded message is displayed, click Finish.

Adding Licenses

If you ever choose to upgrade your existing license to a different edition, you would need to perform the
licensing procedure again. However, you would access the Add License wizard from the Avigilon Control
Center Server Admin Tool software.

1. To open the Admin Tool, perform one of the following:

l Select All Programs or All Apps > Avigilon > Avigilon Control Center Server > Avigilon Control

Center Serve r Admin Tool.

l

From the appliance desktop, double-click .

2. In the Admin Tool window, select the Settings tab and click Licensing.

3. Click Add Lice nse.

4. Complete either the Internet Activation or Manual Activation procedure to add the new license to your
current system.

Adding Licenses 4

Configuring the Network

Depending on how you intend to use the HD Video Appliance, you may choose to configure the network switch
component of the appliance differently.

The three most typical network configurations are:

1. No DHCP server — the HD Video Appliance and the connected cameras will run as a self contained
system without a DHCP server.

This configuration is most likely used by a small business that may not have a network infrastructure, and
prefers to use the HD Video Appliance like a traditional closed circuit surveillance system.

2. External DHCP server — the HD Video Appliance and the connected cameras will work with an existing
DHCP server on the network.

This configuration is most likely used by a small office that already has some network infrastructure that
will be used with the appliance, like a router that gives the office computers internet access.

3. Internal DHCP server — the HD Video Appliance will act as the local DHCP server for the connected
cameras and any other devices that may also be connected to the appliance.

NOTE: The HD Video Appliance is intended to be used for connecting and powering IP cameras, not for
general computer networking. However, if you prefer, the appliance can be configured to do so.

This configuration is most likely used by a small business that prefers to use the appliance switch
component instead of a router for connecting all network devices together. Other network devices can
include voice over ip (VoIP) phones or external network drives.

Complete the procedure that will configure your preferred network:

Configuring a No DHCP Network 5

Configuring an External DHCP Network 6

Configuring an Internal DHCP Network 7

Configuring a No DHCP Network

If you plan to connect cameras directly to the HD Video Appliance and run a self contained system, all you need
to do is connect cameras directly to the numbered ports.

5 Configuring the Network

Figure 2: Example of no DHCP n etwork conn ection s on an 8 port HD Video Appliance.

Avigilon cameras are able to assign IP addresses to themselves when a DHCP server is not available through
Zero Configuration Networking (Zeroconf). The Avigilon Control Center software should automatically detect all
connected cameras through the 169.254.1.0/16 subnet.

If you would like to access the internet through the HD Video Appliance, you can add an internet connection to
the U2 port. The U2 port is separate from the numbered camera ports, so it will not interfere with video
recording.

After you connect cameras to the numbered ports, you can configure the Avigilon Control Center system. See
Configuring the Avigilon Control Center Software on page 12.

Configuring an External DHCP Network

If you already have a router, or switch, to connect your other network devices, you can connect the HD Video
Appliance directly to the router so that cameras can be addressed using the router's built-in DHCP service.

Figure 3: Example of external DHCP network conn ection s on a 16 port HD Video A ppliance

1. Connect a network cable from the router or switch to the appliance's U1 port.

2. Connect Avigilon cameras to the numbered ports.

Configuring an External DHCPNetwork 6