Main system components

Management server

The management server is the central component of the VMS system. It stores the configuration of the surveillance system in an SQL database, either on a SQL Server on the management server computer itself or on a separate SQL Server on the network. It also handles user authentication, user rights, the rule system and more. To improve system performance, you can run several management servers as a Milestone Federated Architecture™. The management server runs as a service and is typically installed on a dedicated server.

Users connect to the management server for initial authentication, then transparently to the recording servers for access to for video recordings, etc.

Recording server

The recording server is responsible for communicating with the network cameras and video encoders, recording the retrieved audio and video as well as providing client access to both live and recorded audio and video. The recording server is also responsible for communicating with other Milestone products connected via the Milestone Interconnect technology.

  • Network cameras and video encoders communicate through a device driver developed specifically for individual devices or a series of similar devices from the same manufacturer
  • From the 2018 R1 release, the device drivers are split into two device packs: the regular device pack with newer drivers and a legacy device pack with older drivers
  • The regular device pack is installed automatically when you install the recording server. Later, you can update the drivers by downloading and installing a newer version of the device pack
  • The legacy device pack can only be installed if the system has a regular device pack installed. The drivers from the legacy device pack are automatically installed if a previous version is already installed on your system. It is available for manual download and installation on the software download page (https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/)
  • The recording server stores the retrieved audio and video data in the tailor-made high-performance media database optimized for recording and storing audio and video data
  • The media database supports various unique features like; multistage archiving, video grooming, encryption, and adding a digital signature to the recordings

Event server

The event server handles various tasks related to events, alarms, maps and third-party integrations via the MIP SDK.

  • All system events are consolidated in the event server so there are one place and interface for partners to make integrations that utilize system events
  • Furthermore, the event server offers third-party access to sending events to the system via the Generic events or Analytics events interface
  • The event server hosts the alarm feature, alarm logic, alarm state as well as handling the alarm database. The alarm database is stored in the same SQL database that the management server uses
  • The event server also hosts the maps that are configured and used in XProtect Smart Client
  • Finally, third-party-developed plug-ins can be installed on the event server and utilize access to system events

Log server

The log server stores all log messages for the entire system in an SQL database. This log messages SQL database can exist on the same SQL Server as the management server's system configuration SQL database or on separate SQL Server. The log server is typically installed on the same server as the management server but can be installed on a separate server for increased performance of the management and log servers.

SQL Servers and databases

The management server, the event server and the log server store, for example, the system configuration, alarms, events and log messages in SQL databases on one or more SQL Server installations. The management server and the event server share the same SQL database while the log server has its own SQL database. The system installer includes Microsoft SQL Server Express which is free edition of SQL Server.

For very large systems or systems with many transactions to and from the SQL databases, Milestone recommends that you use a Microsoft® SQL Server® Standard or Microsoft® SQL Server® Enterprise edition of the SQL Server on a dedicated computer on the network and on a dedicated hard disk drive that is not used for other purposes. Installing the SQL Server on its own drive improves the entire system performance.

Mobile server

The mobile server is responsible for giving XProtect Mobile client and XProtect Web Client users access to the system.

In addition to acting as a system gateway for the two clients, the mobile server can transcode video, since the original camera video stream in many cases are too large to fit the bandwidth available for the client users.

If you are performing a Distributed or Custom installation, Milestone recommends that you install the mobile server on a dedicated server.

Active Directory

Active Directory is a distributed directory service implemented by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems. It identifies resources on a network in order for users or applications to access them.

With the Active Directory installed, you can add Windows users from Active Directory, but you also have the option of adding basic users without Active Directory. There are certain system limitations related to basic users.

Management Client (explained)

Feature-rich administration client for configuration and day-to-day management of the system. Available in several languages.

Typically installed on the surveillance system administrator's workstation or similar.

For a detailed overview of the Management Client, see Navigating the Management Client.