Site Nodes

Register recording servers with Management from the server itself or unattended, read their status, and know which cameras and recordings each one keeps.

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Contents

A Site Node is the Kalytera VMS service that connects to cameras and records their video. Management works with one or more Site Nodes, and you follow them in Configure > System, on the Site Nodes and Enrollment tabs.

What you need

  • A server installed with the Site Node profile of Setup, or a server with the Standalone profile. See Install Kalytera VMS.
  • The Register Site Nodes permission to register a Site Node, and Administer Site Nodes to manage one. The Administrator and Technician role templates include both.
  • For a Site Node on another subnet than Management: a firewall rule at the site that allows TCP 7443 to the management server.

Standalone servers

With the Standalone profile, Setup registers and trusts the local Site Node itself. You only create the first administrator, with a password of 12 to 256 characters.

Register a Site Node from its server

When Setup finishes the Site Node profile, it reports Site Node installed. Open System Manager to connect it.

  1. On the Site Node server, open KalyteraVMS System Manager. It shows Node Setup is required. Select Complete Node Setup.
  2. The Node Setup page opens. It works on that computer only.
  3. In Management address, enter the management server's name followed by :7443, with or without https:// in front.
  4. Keep Connection on HTTPS. HTTP shows a warning, and a Site Node connected over HTTP cannot take cameras, because camera passwords need HTTPS.
  5. If this server does not trust the management server's certificate, select it under Advanced > Management server certificate.
  6. Enter the Kalytera username and Kalytera password of an account that may register Site Nodes, and select Register Site Node. The page confirms with Registered: and the Site Node's name.

If registration fails, the page says why:

MessageWhat to do
This account cannot register Site Nodes.Sign in with an account that has Register Site Nodes.
Could not connect to Management.Check the address and, across subnets, the firewall rule for TCP 7443.
The Management URL must use HTTPS.Enter the address with https://.

Register a Site Node unattended

On Windows, Setup can install a Site Node and register it without anyone at the server. It uses a one-use authorization that you create first.

  1. Go to Configure > System > Enrollment and select Create authorization.
  2. Enter the server's Windows computer name and choose Expires after, from 5 minutes to 24 hours (15 minutes by default).
  3. Select Create and reveal once. Under Save the enrollment secret now, keep the secret somewhere safe: it is shown only this once.
  4. On the Site Node server, protect the secret with KalyteraVMS.Setup.exe protect-enrollment-credential --credential-reference <reference>.
  5. Run KalyteraVMS.Setup.exe install --profile site-node --enrollment-mode protected with --enrollment-authorization-id, --enrollment-management-origin (the HTTPS address of Management), --enrollment-credential-reference, and --enrollment-credential-generation.

Never put the enrollment secret in a command line, an MSI property, an answer file, a log, or a support bundle. The Setup window has no field for it.

An authorization is Active, Expired, Revoked, or Used, and at most 50 can be active at once. Unattended enrollment always uses HTTPS. If a deployment stops before it finishes, run KalyteraVMS.Setup.exe rebind-site-node-enrollment.

Check Site Node status

The Site Nodes tab lists each Site Node with its Name, Status, Last report, and Camera drivers. The status is Healthy, Degraded, Unavailable, Offline, No report yet, or Awaiting report.

When a Site Node needs attention, the tab shows the reason and the next step, with Open Monitoring and Open Support bundle. The tab also has Change security key. A Site Node that goes offline raises the built-in Site Node offline alarm, with Critical severity.

Cameras and recordings

A camera gets its Site Node when you add it: Add camera shows a Site Node selector when more than one Site Node can take it. See Add cameras. A Site Node keeps its cameras' recordings on its own storage; see Recording storage.

Good to know

  • Once added, a camera stays on its Site Node: it cannot be moved to another one from the interface.
  • A registered Site Node cannot be renamed or removed from Kalytera VMS.
  • Unattended enrollment is for Windows servers.
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