Configure Alta Video Storage Connect to use external cloud storage

Last modified: Tuesday October 25, 2022.

By default, when you enable Alta Cloud Storage for your cameras, the video data from your selected cameras is hosted in the Avigilon Alta-provided storage cloud.

You can choose to use Alta Storage Connect to send your video data to your own preferred cloud storage system.

Prerequisites

• Your preferred cloud storage system needs to support the Amazon S3 API. The following instructions assume using AWS concepts. If using a different provider, then substitute the equivalent information.
• You must have your preferred cloud storage system correctly set up before attempting to link Alta Video Cloud via Alta Storage Connect.
• You must be able to access your S3 configuration information while setting up Alta Video Cloud.

  For example, when using AWS S3, this includes being able to access the AWSAccessKeyId and AWSSecretKey either from the AWS S3 bucket as you set it up, or from the downloaded .csv file from when the Access keys were originally set up.

Task — View cloud backup status

1. Log in to your Alta Video deployment as an Administrator.
2. Click New tool from the tool ribbon, then select System.

   If System is already open, click the tab to view the page.

   The System page opens.
3. From Deployment, select .
4. Select Backup cameras.
5. Click View backup status.
   The Backup status dialog is shown.
   You can sort the table by clicking on the column headings.

   Click to view an overview of the backups, including the amount of data backed up in the last 24 hours, the amount of recordings from the last 24 hours that need to be backed up, and the total amount of outstanding recordings to be backed up.

   If the total duration for recordings needing to be backed up is increasing, it indicates that you might need to increase the bandwidth available for the backups, or increase the times when backups are allowed.

6. Click Close.

Task — Configure a new cloud storage provider

1. Click Settings.
2. Click Add new.
3. Type a name for the storage provider and press Enter.
4. From Backup location, select Amazon S3.
5. Copy the AWS Access key, either from the AWS Identity and Access Management console during access key creation, or from the downloaded .csv file.
6. Paste the Access key into the Access key field.
7. Copy the AWS Secret Key, either from the AWS Identity and Access Management console during access key creation, or from the downloaded .csv file.
8. Paste the Secret Key into the Client secret field.
9. Enter a suitable AWS Endpoint for your AWS Region in the Alta Video Endpoint field.
   See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/s3.html for more information.
10. Enter the AWS Region in the Alta Video Region field.
11. Enter the name of your AWS Bucket in the Alta Video Bucket field.
12. Click Done.

Task — Configure your backup to use your preferred cloud storage provider

1. From the Backup to dropdown, select the cloud storage provider to use.

   By default, this is set to Ava Cloud. If you have added your own external cloud storage providers, you can select the relevant provider from the drop-down list.

2. Click Change schedule to change the times and bandwidths used to upload your selected video data to your chosen Cloud Storage.
   Choose Always, When, or Never for the backup time, and define the bandwidth available for uploading to Cloud Storage.
   Click Done.
3. For each Site in your deployment, choose whether to use the Alta Video default settings, or to create custom settings for that site.
4. Click Done.

Task — Change the backup schedule

1. To set a default backup schedule:
   1. Click Change schedule from the DEFAULT BACKUP SCHEDULE area.
   2. Define your preferred options for the bandwidth to be used, and the schedule to be followed.

      Depending on several factors including your camera configuration profile settings, cameras can consume between 250 kbps and 10,000 kbps of bandwidth per camera when backing up their video data.

      Selecting too low a bandwidth setting could meant that the camera might never be able to back up all its data, whereas setting too high a bandwidth setting could negatively impact other devices on your network.

   3. Click Done.
2. To set a custom backup schedule for a specific Site:
   1. Scroll to the backup settings for the relevant site.
   2. Select Use custom settings.
   3. Click Change schedule.
   4. Define your preferred options for the bandwidth to be used, and the schedule to be followed for the selected site.

      Depending on several factors including your camera configuration profile settings, cameras can consume between 250 kbps and 10,000 kbps of bandwidth per camera when backing up their video data.

      Selecting too low a bandwidth setting could meant that the camera might never be able to back up all its data, whereas setting too high a bandwidth setting could negatively impact other devices on your network.

   5. Click Done.
3. Click Done.