Setting up IP camera server

newalarm

Active Member
So I have two Dell r710 servers to build a server for Network cameras. Cameras are for now 4MP IP cameras connected to 3750 POE switch.
 
I plan to run zone minder on ubuntu 16 server.
 
Dell r710 specs:
 
Server 1
one 3.46Ghz Quad processor, bus 6.4 GT/s
12 GB of ram (2 gb sticks)
3.5" drives (6 slots, no drives or trays)
 
Server 2
Two 2.26 GHz quad processors, bus 5.86 GT/s
32 GB of ram (16 GB sticks)
2.5" drives (8 slots, one drive existing, no other trays)
 
These are nice, but very long, and loud (fans). I could make them work. Though would prefer something smaller and quieter.
 
Also have following that I am about to list on ebay:
 
6- Dell 2900 PowerEdge ECM01 Servers $75 obo.

3- HP Proliant DL380G5 Servers

2- HP Proliant ML370 Servers

2- NetApp FAS2020 Servers

1- Dell PowerEdge 2850 EMS

2- Cisco 3800 Series Servers

3- Cisco UCS C200 M2

2- Cisco UCS 6120XP

2- Cisco NAC 3350
 
I have not yet had time to sort through these to see if these would be better to use than the R710s.
 
Can anyone give me advice as to best server to use for POE IP cameras?
 
I'm presuming that you are linux savvy, yes? I started with ZM and later went to Blue Iris (BI) on a windows platform as most of my home PCs / servers were Windows based. Blue Iris also has a nice native Android and iOS client.
 
Personally I have BI running on a Sandylake i5 with 32gb of memory, SDD for main drive and 1 4tb drive for video footage. This services 12 cameras, 3 of which are IP, the remaining 9 are run through a 16port video capture board. CPU is reading around 26% as I type this. The 3 IP cameras are 1080P.  BI is configured to only record on motion with 180 frame pre-buffer (frames before motion detected) so the 26% is indicative of motion masking on 12 cameras + streaming to my phone.
 
I have BI set up to autocopy the recent footage to a server with more storage for archives.  The machine is overkill but I was able to reuse some parts I had when I rebuilt about 2 months ago so invested in CPU, motherboard, SDD, and memory. This has been 100% rock solid since being put into service.  
 
I run ZoneMinder on a Quad Core2 8 GB machine w/Kubuntu 15.x for 4 HD IP cameras. Works greats. I also added 2 NAS drives in a RAID mirror array for open source TimeMachine backup server.

So anything with better specs will do fine.
 
You are looking for the computer/server with the fastest CPU, most memory and fastest hard drives.  The easiest Raid is one using a mirrored drive array as described above.
 
The add here will probably be hard drives as you mention empty slots and only a few old drives.
 
Baby steps here too.  While you have some drives you do not know how much time they have been used or even if they are in good shape.
 
Easiest relating to this stuff is first to check out the life left on the drives doing a smart disk check.    If you only have one drive or two that are workable.  Let start with that.
 
Here too you have power and noise stuff.  Personally here I shut down a 1U NAS box mostly cuz it was very loud.  I could have just replaced the power supplies but then I would be spending money on it which I didn't want to do.  When I DIY'd built my 8 drive NAS box I did purchase a new very efficient server style PS for it.  You rarely hear it and the two oversized fans running in it.  Ideally then we have 8X4Tb (or more) quiet low energy box serving up 32Tb of stuff.  Old today.  Really though what do you need for anyways these days...maybe just to have at home storage?
 
New hard drive prices have fluctuated much over the years as the warranties of 1, 3 and 5 years along with verbiage relating to the enterprise versus the at home style of hard drive.
 
What you have right now could get you started with a ZM build.  Linux does OK keeping the drive going.  For long term use I would look at the purchase of new drives down the line.
 
Thanks. I currently have 4 cameras, 4 megapixels each. I intend to over time add additional cameras (2-4) in coming year.
 
I guess my post was aimed toward those who are more familiar on these type of CPUs than I am. The 710s are nice, but loud and large. I can probably make them work. I thought of using second as a home server, but I would need to figure out how to make a server accessible by PCs, Macs, and Ubuntu. But this is another subject.
 
I was wondering if in the list i provided, there was something better than the 710s. I like the simplicity of the raid drive and ability to hot swap and mirror. But probably not that necessary for home security system. (more necessary for home server).
 
Yeah for speeds and such look at the Intel CPU wiki here ==>
Comparison of Intel processors
 
Commerical servers are built for longevity mostly.  They run forever especially using one at home. Again you are looking for the best speed, most memory.
 
Pay attention to the dates and number of cores in the processors. 
 
Google each of the servers benchmarks and compare the numbers.
 
The second part to this stuff is a fast SATA drive connection or having the ability to use RAID which is typically part of a rack mounted server these days.
 
Yes for a CCTV NVR it is good to do a raid array.  That said you are just starting and using used SATA drives that you do not have a history on unless you test them.
 
Read this about the evolution of the SATA drive and today the SSD Sata drive.  Personally I would install ZM software, play with it and get familiar with Linux first.
 
Serial ATA (SATA)
 
There are calculators out there for drive space relating to the number of cameras connected to one NVR.  You can purchase 1Tb, 2Tb, 4Tb drives reasonably priced.  That said just go on amazon and price out enterprise style drives with 3-5 year warrantys.
 
Look here.  Note this piece doesn't have anything to do with a RAID array.  The RAID array will just give you resilence mostly.
 
IP Security Cameras NVR Storage Calculator
 
A server is a server is a server.  There is really no issues connecting any type of server to a standard home network today.
 
Here is a picture of one of my NAS boxes that I hand built.  (two others are 4-5 drive embedded Linux NAS boxes).  Price wise to build is was around $500 for the core without the hard drives.
 
It is fast (cuz it is using a regular mITX board), an IBM M1015 (modded) SATA controller, lots of memory and running BSD.  You could purchase a 4 drive one like this one, install a fast mITX board with a lot of memory and use it for your NVR CCTV box if you wanted new, small and quiet.
 
NAS-Box.jpg
 
The two other ones look like this.
 
NAS2.jpg
 
Tinkering earlier stuff was just a tall PC case with multiple drives inside of it and one 1 U commercial style NAS.
 
You could build your own machine or hunt for server hardware, but for the money, it's pretty hard to beat the Dell XPS line.
 
For about $900, you get a new i7 CPU, 8 GB memory (expandable to 64GB), and 1TB HDD.  Granted, it's workstation-class (not server-class) hardware, but it's got good specs for a decent price.  I've got one that I use as a workstation for laying out PCBs and writing software, and it's fast and quiet.  (Plus it drives 3 screens out of the box.)  If you can wait until Cyber Monday, Dell usually runs good deals that day.  It looks like right now they have a coupon code for an additional 10% off.
 
You could start with that and a GB Ethernet switch, and you're well on your way.
 
I had a 19" rack with servers in my house before, but the noise and power consumption were awful.  Even if my wife didn't kill me, I wouldn't want to do it again.
 
So here we are a point of helping newalarm pick the best server to utilize as an NVR.
 
His choices are a Dell R710...
 
My only Dell related stuff was managing Dell contracts and the contract managers I had to deal with were total idiots which actually put them on my s-list a few years back.  The hardware was fine though 95% of the time.
 
So then ideally the two R710's would suffice.  Start building the server on the second one above for practice then populate the first one with a couple 1Tb drives (very reasonably priced these days).
 
Here using a tiny front load 2.5" hot swap raid cages on a few of the newer servers I have built; easy stuff there.  The pictured above 8 drive NAS box has a smaller 2.5" 1Tb drive next to the IBM M1015 raid card.
 
@newalarm...
 
know you have been playing with building the Ubuntu 16.04 server.  Ideally you want to familiarize yourself with a bit of Linux.  Once you have configured the ZM box all you have to do is update it afterwards.
 
Will you be leaving the Linksys WRT-54GL alone or will you be updating it?
 
It is simple to update and will provide you with a bit more features.  Somewhere around here have wall mount brackets for that AP if you want to do a POE Wall mount with the device.
 
I guess the question I had was whether or not, within the list of servers I have, there were other better options then the r710s. I need more technical people might give me a quick answer. The r710s are beasts and am sure have computing power necessary. But they are very loud.

the WRT-54 has stock OS. It has more functions then I know how to use. I would need a good reason to replace the OS. Is there a great advantage to using a different OS Pete? My only concern is when you start customizing things, it becomes harder to troubleshoot and repair down the road.
 
Remote installation of the servers would be a start. Second would be consideration of installing them in an enclosed rack, which would help with noise.

There's a lot to them that consumer PC's don't have, and ideally, on a video application, you don't want the machine to go down if a PS issue or other normal malady starts occurring.
 
There's no reason why the machines need to connect to the outside world or have a video card.
 
As long as your R/W speeds can handle the bandwidth you're sending to them.....not to mention the smart thing would be to use one NIC and network segment to bring the video into the machine and a second NIC to act as the bridge to the clients.
 
@newalarm
 
Look for a cheap used 1/2 sized rack on wheels that looks a bit like this.  I wouldn't pay more than $50 for a used one. 
 
rackonwheels.gif
 
In the 90's used this style of enclosed racks in airports in the EU under ticket counters.  Thinking they were bit smaller and noise and space was an issue (no servers on the rack though).
 
enclosed rack.gif
 
Old friend (living by herself?) of the wife built a 1.X million dollar home (~ 8k SF) and went with a control4 system included by GC / subcontracted by Control4.  Control4 put a full size rack on wheels in her utility room.  Installers put the patch panel on the rack (sort of a mickey mouse way to do it).  All the wires come from a wall and ceiling and are long enough to pull the rack out some 5-6 feet off of the wall.   It's just sitting next to a spare freezer, HVAC and hot water heater there.  That said utility room looked to be around 25 feet by 25 or so big.
 
Noise/Power  - it's up to you.  I have my stuff in the basement and divided up to two sections.  One section is just for servers and louder.  I did shut down the old 1-2u very loud servers.  Then again originally purchased them used for a song and dance, much like you did. 2nd set up is in a closet and everything is in media panels and it's been fine now for over 10 years(?).  Mini everything there.  Custom closet with a solid core door which is in a room with another solid core door which typically is closed.
 
I would need a good reason to replace the OS. Is there a great advantage to using a different OS Pete?
 
More features than the stock OS.  (RF power for one - be careful with this).
 
Actually it is more of a standard now when using these boxes to use a 3rd party OS than the junk on them.
 
Read over here ==> Introduction to DD-WRT - What is DD-WRT Firmware?
There is more than just DD-WRT.  There is also Open-WRT and Tomato flash.
Once installed you never really have to upgrade or change the firmware anymore.
Feature set is levels above stock firmware.  Best of all it is free and will extend the life of your Linksys AP (until you decided to upgrade).
 
  • Advanced QoS (Quality of Service) controls for bandwidth allocation to your various Network connections.
  • Adjustable antenna power to increase your wireless spectrum.
  • WDS wireless bridging /repeating protocol AKA the "Repeater Bridge" mode, which allows you to easily expand your network using a second wireless router.
  • Cycle your router from the Administration settings.
  • Built-in DNS (Domain Name System) caching - speeds up your connection to an array of sites.
  • Viewable performance graphs and statistics to watch your network performance and measure your bandwidth levels.
  • Configure the router as a Wi-Fi hotspot for your business or neighbors with a verification page using the integrated Chillispot or NOCATSPLASH.
  • Radius Authentication for additional wireless security.
  • VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) Support.
  • A functional DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.
  • Create unique SSIDs (service set identifiers) when using multiple routers.
  • NAT (Network Address Translation) support.
  • Frame Bursting Capabilities.
  • Software support for the SD-Card hardware modification.
it becomes harder to troubleshoot and repair down the road.
 
An old Linksys WRT device is only worth $20. 
 
Only issue I have had with one of many is that the radio burned out after 6 years. 
 
I need to catchup on this thread. and will do so shortly.
 
But over weekend, was able to power up the servers and check them. Found a few Cisco UCS C200 M2 Server 98gb of ram, 2 processors, Intel Xeon X5650 @ 2.67ghz each, 6 core processors. NO hard drives. They are thin, but long. Not sure if they would fit in a standard rack. Fairly loud as well.
 
Ok, I will stick with the Dells for now, keep both. They have 4 gig ethernet ports on back, so I could do input on one, output on another. But would need to figure that one out.
 
I will look around for some short racks. These servers are about 24" long.
 
The r710s that i have with the dual processor has 2.5" drives. I have option of Sata or SAS. Would Sata drives suffice (much cheaper)?
 
Dell, when you say "Mirror the OS and then run the storage as RAID", you mean provide two drives for the OS, raid 1 style, and then raid hot swap drives? I am new to raid...and servers for that matter.
 
Also, manual for r710s state that 1T drives are max capacity. I would assume you can get bigger drives to work?
 

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