Installing EdgeVis Server
EdgeVis Server is a software application that sits on a publicly accessible machine, as a point of contact for EdgeVis encoders and viewers. It is responsible for receiving the video from each encoder and redistributing it to each viewer. This section shows how to install EdgeVis Server within your organisation.
Before you begin…
The following hardware specifications will support up to 500 encoders and 500 video streams simultaneously. Users looking to support more than 500 encoders should consider utilising multiple servers – please refer to the following section Installing a multi-server installation using MSR.
A 64-bit PC running Windows 8 and above or Ubuntu 18.04 LTS/20.04 LTS, Red Hat / Centos 7.6
Other Linux distros may work, but installation support will be limited on other platformsUp to 20 encoders (stand-alone server)
Dual-Core 2.0GHz+ processor, Quad-core or Intel i3 or higher recommended
4GB RAM, 8GB recommended
Up to 200 encoders
Intel i5/Xeon Quad-Core 2.5GHz+ processor (note that many mobile i5/i7 processors are only dual core)
8GB RAM
Over 200 encoders
Intel i5/Xeon Quad-Core 2.5GHz+ processor (note that many mobile i5/i7 processors are only dual core)
16GB RAM
At least 4GB free disk space
A static IP address (both on the local network, and externally to the Internet)
All installation types of EdgeVis Server require:
An internet connection that can support the combined bandwidth needs of the encoders and viewers
Specific ports opened/forwarded on any intervening Internet firewall/router for video transmission. Not opening individual ports can be used to disable access to those services from the internet:
Encoder | Port 9300 (UDP) |
Viewer | Port 9300 (TCP) – Initial connection channel (unencrypted) Port 9301 (TCP) – Initial connection channel (encrypted) Ports 2048 (UDP) – Video / Full-res / Recording Download channel |
Server Web Management Interface | Port 9443 (TCP) |
An accurate synchronised system clock (Windows will do this automatically; Linux may require an NTP client)
Running EdgeVis Server in a multiple server configuration requires the following:
Each of the PCs in the cluster must be accessible to the other PCs without using port forwarding. For example, they must all be on the same local network or on networks connected together using a VPN.
Specifically, these ports must be accessible on each server PC (from every other server PC):
Port 1527 (TCP)
Ports 47100 & 47500 (TCP)
Port 9443 (TCP)
The connections between all the server PCs must meet these requirements:
Maximum 100ms round trip time
Minimum 10mbps bandwidth, 50mbps recommended
Slower links will result in a longer recovery period after a failure.
Multiple servers may share one internet connection with port-remapping.
Cloud/virtual machine users
Running in a virtual machine/cloud environment is supported, however be aware that most virtual machines share resources between other users, and performance may suffer in an unpredictable manner.
To counter this it is recommend to over-specify any virtual machine. For example, Amazon users should consider a m5.xlarge instance for systems running > 20 encoders.
Installing EdgeVis Server on Linux
Installation on Linux is a more involved process than Windows – with a manual installation and setup process, and as such is outside the scope of this document.
The document EdgeVis Server v8 – Linux Installation provides more details on how to install/upgrade servers on the Linux platform.
Installing a multi-server installation using MSR
At its simplest, MSR (Multi-site Resilience) is the ability to have multiple servers work together to provide an automatic fail-over capability so that, should one server fail, the remaining servers take over and all existing encoders/viewing clients continue to operate without user intervention.
MSR is an enterprise level feature that requires careful planning, and as such it is recommended to refer to the EdgeVis Server v8 - Enabling Multi-site Resilience document which provides preparation checklists and more details on how to install multiple servers into a server cluster.
Anti-virus exclusions
After installation it is strongly recommended that the EdgeVis Server database is excluded from any anti-virus scanning. This is the ‘pg_data’ directory under the EdgeVis Server application directory (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\EdgeVis Server\ on Windows or /opt/edgevis-server on Linux).
Installing EdgeVis Server on Microsoft Windows
Download the Windows server installer from our Download Center.
Run this installer (which must be run by a user with administrative privileges) which will install the files and services required for EdgeVis Server. It can also automatically open the required ports on Windows Firewall (please note that any Internet routers or non-Microsoft firewalls will need to be configured separately).
Once the installer has completed copying the files on the PC, the installer will open a web browser at the initial server configuration wizard.
It requires the following pieces of information to be entered:
Type of installation – there are three different options:
For the majority of users, the first option is likely the correct option and should be used for a fixed-infrastructure server. This options also allows the user to upgrade the server to multi-server MSR at a later date. For the purposes of these instructions select this option.
The second option is covered within the MSR documentation, as it is used to create the additional servers required within a multi-server installation.
The third option allows the user to create a ‘portable server’ – this is a server that can be used with internet connections that frequently change (e.g. on a cellular/satellite laptop). Please refer to the following section Portable Servers for further details.
Server Name - the next question is to enter a name for the EdgeVis Server:
The EdgeVis Server name serves two purposes: a user-friendly display name within EdgeVis Client to distinguish between different EdgeVis Servers; and as part of the encryption process (changes to the name require a new encryption pack to be generated that must be distributed to every TVI encoder – using the USB configuration software or local web configuration interface).
Administrator Password – this allows the user to set the password of the default Administrator account.
This password must be used to log in to the server for the first time.
Addresses for this server – it is required to supply the IP addresses for the server.
(Not required for portable servers)
The external address is the IP address encoders will use to connect to the server from outside the organisation (e.g. from the internet).
This Google link can help determine the IP address if it is not known.
The internal address is the IP address of the server on the local network. Note: For server redundancy this IP address must be accessible to all PCs that participate in the cluster.
Once complete the server will take approximately one minute to initialise the databases and services required. Once complete the web browser will load the server management portal.
Portable Servers
During the installation of a standard standalone EdgeVis Server it is necessary to enter the External and Internal IP addresses. This is to allow for a potential Multi-Server MSR installation, where each server has to tell encoders/clients how to connect to this particular server, and to allow MSR servers to connect to each other automatically.
However, in certain circumstances it is not possible to know the internal IP address of the server in advance, or it is an address that may change often (e.g. on a mobile laptop server that uses cellular/satellite communications for internet access).
The EdgeVis Server installer allows the user to skip the requirement to supply internal/external IP addresses during installation, but with the limitation that this server can’t be later used to upgrade to an MSR installation automatically.
A portable server does not operationally change how the user/viewers/encoders connects to the server – the only change is that the server does not have the information required to enable MSR.
Start Menu Shortcuts
The installer will also create several shortcuts on the Start menu in a folder called EdgeVis Server:
EdgeVis Server Login - opens the web-based configuration for EdgeVis Server in a web browser.
Restart Server - stops and starts the EdgeVis Server.
Logging in to the management portal
Once the installation is complete, the web browser will automatically open the server’s web management portal (or, manually by selecting EdgeVis Server Login from the EdgeVis Server group in the Start Menu). Alternatively open a web browser and, if on the same machine, use the following address:
https://localhost:9443/
If attempting to connect from a different computer, connect as follows:
https://[external ip address]:9443/
If the EdgeVis Server PC or network has a firewall enabled, ensure that port 9443 is opened. The management portal operates over the secure HTTPS protocol and all communication between the web browser and EdgeVis Server is securely encrypted.
A self-signed certificate is created on installation, causing the browser to show a security warning. Accept the security exception to connect. On loading the page, a log-on screen is presented. Enter the default username and password:
Username: Administrator
Password: <as entered during the initial setup>
Browser compatibility for the EdgeVis Server management portal
EdgeVis Server requires an HTML5 browser with JavaScript and local storage enabled. It is tested with the latest versions of Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Other browsers may work but are unsupported.
Firewall ports – making the server accessible externally
While the installer will automatically open the firewall ports on the installation PC, making EdgeVis Server available to the internet will likely require the same ports opened on any additional firewalls and routers between the server and the internet.
For example, most internet connections have an internet router (or NAT’d firewall) between the internet and the local network. By default, these routers will not allow traffic into the network meaning it is impossible to connect to the EdgeVis Server from outside the local network.
The following ports will need to be opened on any firewall, and port-forwarded to the EdgeVis Server’s PC to allow encoders and viewers to connect to the EdgeVis Server:
EdgeVis Encoder and Client Ports
Port 9300 (UDP) – Encoder connection channel
Port 9300 + 9301 (TCP) – Viewer control channels (9300 unencrypted, 9301 encrypted)
Port 2048 (UDP) – Viewer video channel
EdgeVis Server Web Management Portal (optional – if external access is required)
Port 9443 (TCP, HTTPS)
Networking security can be a complicated subject - it is recommended that properly trained IT staff should perform this step to ensure the network security of your organisation is maintained.
Installing licences on EdgeVis Server
New in Version 8.5 - Trial Licences
In EdgeVis Server versions 8.5 and above, EdgeVis Server allows an unlimited number of temporary licences to be assigned for the first 30 days after installation. This is to allow full installation of EdgeVis Server and all devices, while a licence request is processed in parallel (please refer to the Requesting the encoder licence files section below for details regarding this process).
If no valid licence is installed before the 30 days elapses, then all temporary licences are invalidated on day 31.
For EdgeVis Server versions prior to 8.5: On logging on to the server for the first time, the server will display a warning on the server homepage that the server does not have any licences installed that would allow encoders to be available on the server.
The different products within EdgeVis require that each be assigned the appropriate types of licence. It is necessary to obtain the corresponding licence from Digital Barriers after receiving the encoder. It is not possible to purchase a hardware encoder without purchasing the equivalent software licences – these licences can be obtained from Digital Barriers during installation.
Requesting the encoder licence files
From the server homepage click the visit the licence page warning message (or use the Licence Management option in the Maintain this server section on the homepage).
This will display the licence page for the server which will show that there are no available licences:
This should show that the server has no licences available. Select the Request a new licence menu option.
This will then prompt for a Sales reference number. This can be found on the paperwork received from Digital Barriers with the encoder(s).
This number takes a standard form:
DB-XX-XX-XXXX-XXXX (where X is numeric)
This will generate a licence request that must be sent to Digital Barriers. It is possible to either download the request, or embed it directly into an e-mail. Whatever mechanism is selected this information should be e-mailed to:
Digital Barriers will create the appropriate licence file that will be returned to the e-mail sender, allowing the licences to be installed onto the server.
Installing the licence file onto the server
Once the licence file has been received from Digital Barriers the next step is to upload the file to EdgeVis Server. Return to the Licence Management page and use the Upload a new licence menu option. This allows the received licence file to be uploaded to the server.
The new licence file contents should now be reflected on the Licence management page:
With the licences installed it is now possible to create the accounts necessary to attach an encoder to the server.
Licences for additional purchases
To purchase additional encoders to use on the server the above steps must be carried out again, to install the additional licences for the new encoders. The process is almost identical, with one simplification. During the purchase of the new encoders the original Sales Reference Number of the EdgeVis Server must be supplied to Digital Barriers – this is presented within the Licence management page.
When requesting a new licence file EdgeVis Server will remember the original Sales Reference Number entered during the initial setup and will not request a new Sales Reference Number. Send the request as described above, which must include the original Sales Reference Number.