RC-E User Manual
OnSSI Federated Architecture
What is a top-site?
Your top-site is the top level management server of your entire OnSSI Federated Architecture
setup.
An example an organization could have a top-level server called
MyCorp
. Second level servers called
MyCorp/RegionalServers
. Third level servers called
MyCorp/ReginalServers/CityNames
. And so on. In this case,
MyCorp
is your top-level server. There can only be one top-level server.
Tip:
In a federated hierarchy, it is always a good idea to name your servers in a recognizable way, for example, using
regional names or names implying where/in what context the server is located. Using, for example, consecutive
numbers only, might be confusing if you have many servers.
What is a home-site?
Your home-site is the site to which you are logged in. Since you may be logged in far down in
the hierarchy, this is not necessarily the same as your top-site—but it
may
be. You are only able to see children from
the point at which you are logged in and downwards.
Can a site be both a parent and a child at the same time?
Yes, a parent with children attached, can easily be child
to another site, and vice versa. This is because the parent/child concept is relative and used only in respect to other
specified servers. So when looking at the
OnSSI Federated Architecture illustration
(see "
Illustration of OnSSI
Federated Architecture
" on page 177), site 7 is the parent of site 8, but the child of site 6.
What is the difference between logging into and connecting to a site?
To work with OnSSI Federated
Architecture you must always be logged in to a site via the Management Client. You can log in to any site if you have
administrator rights to that particular site. This is called your home-site. When logged in to your home-site, you can
see all its children (if user rights permit). From your home-site you can also connect to its children (if user rights
permit). Embedded in the connection process is an automated and seamless log-in, using the same credentials as
your home-site log in. Connecting to a child allows you to see and work with that site (if user rights permit). However,
even though technically you log out of your home-site when connecting to another site, you will still see the site
structure as your (former) home-site sees it. This means, that any changes you make to a child might not be visible
until such changes reaches your home-site via scheduled synchronization. So changes you make in your hierarchy
might not be reflected in the
Federated Sites Hierarchy pane
(see "
Panes Overview
" on page 36) until later. For more
details, see
Basic Rules of Federated Sites
(on page 174).
You cannot refresh via a connection to a child, this but must take place directly from the home-site.
When do I need to accept link requests?
Whether as the administrator of a child you must accept a link request or
not (or the link request is accepted automatically) depends on your administrator settings. See
Administrator Role and
Federated Sites
(see "
The Administrator Role and Federated Sites
" on page 174).
Where is OnSSI Federated Architecture configured and managed?
Setting up and configuring OnSSI Federated
Architecture takes place in the Management Client.
Do I need more than one Ocularis Client to work with OnSSI Federated Architecture?
When working with OnSSI
Federated Architecture, all work in the Ocularis Client can be handled from one Ocularis Client installation, i.e. there is
no need for a one-to-one relationship between sites and Ocularis Clients.
How do I view video from federated sites?
You can view video from federated sites in any Ocularis Client, i.e. there
is no need for a one-to-one relationship between sites and Ocularis Clients. You will always get the view, i.e. see the
site structure as the parent you are currently logged in to.
Can I include RC-C slave(s) in my federated hierarchy?
Yes, that is possible, but only as slave(s) to an RC-E
management server. In this case, the relationship with the RC-C server will work as described in Manage RC-C
Servers. See also Defining Alarms for information on working with alarms in a federated setup.
Is OnSSI Federated Architecture the same as multiple management servers, a.k.a. clustering?
No, OnSSI
Federated Architecture is not the same as clustering. Clustering is a method of obtaining failover support for a
management server on a site. With clustering, it is only possible to have one active management server per
surveillance setup, but other management servers may be set up to take over in case of failure. On the other hand,
OnSSI Federated Architecture is a method of combining multiple independent corporate sites into one large setup,
offering flexibility and unlimited possibilities.
On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc.
176
