Building a File Server and CCTV DVR in One, Need Help Please!!

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Artluo100

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
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Hey guys, what's up?

Since the number of computers in my house are expanding, I figured it was time to build a centralized file server so that everyone in the house can save their files on it and access it from another computer. It's less hassle for everybody.

So yeah, building a file server isn't so hard.. BUT I have something else that came to mind. I've been longing to set up a CCTV system around my house (The front door, the side door, the garage and the back). I've been looking into it and I found the equipment I needed online. I'm going to get a DVR card that has 8 channels that has 240 FPS total (240 / 8 = 30 FPS per camera).

So my question is, what type of equipment do I need to get both running on the same machine. What I want is to have 1 machine that does both.

I'm making network drops around my house when the summer comes. I think I'll be using Cat 6 wiring and equipping each computer with Gigabit Ethernet. All of the wiring is going to be sent down into the basement where our switch is and where our future server will be. The reason why I want to implement Gigabit Ethernet in my house is because we will be streaming music and videos from the machine plus in the future maybe even HD movies once the HTPC is set up.

Anyway back to the topic. What is the recommended specs for a machine like this?

I think I'm going to be using a RAID 5 array with about 5 500GB drive in it. What kind of power supplies should I consider. How fast should my processor be? Will dual core help? Is memory more important, or is it weighed the same?

Is a mere P3 Dually able to take on this type of job? or do I need something like a Intel Core 2 Duo?

BTW I'm trying to get the most BANG for BUCK. I just want to get something thats just enough to run this system.

Anyway THANKS GUYS!
 
I am no CCTV expert.
Depending on the bitrate at which the cameras are recording, it may be useful or even required to dedicate one of more harddrives to them.

For a file server, I would think that the storage subsystem is the `most important' part. If you plan on encoding the CCTV streams on the fly, you may need one (or more) rather beefy CPUs, depending on the bitrate of the input stream and what compression algorithm you choose.
 
Would you share teh model and source of the CCTV card?
Also, what software will you use to capture the video?

I'd say you would want to split the arrays, one for file shares and host OS, another just to capture the video.

As for CPU & RAM, you'd want to use the suggestions from the capture card and capture software as a starting point.
 
I will probably be looking at Geovision DVR Cards. I've been looking at the ones on ebay, and they all look very shady since they're all so cheap. If I am to implement a security system in my house, I might as well spend more money for a quality card rather than a pirated dvr card.

I saw this while searching on google and it seems like it's just the right card for me.
http://www.palmvid.com/content/cate...ard--v70-surveillance-software-240480-f.html#

Here are the minimum system requirements:

Operating System: Windows 2000 / Windows XP / Windows Server 2003
Processor: Pentium 4 2.6C GHz (with hyper threading), 800 MHz FSB (minimum)
RAM: 2 x 256 MB dual DDR400 SDRAM (minimum)
Recommended Hard Drive: 120GB - Click here to calculate Hard Drive Requirements
VGA Card: ATI Radeon 9550 or above (recommended)


Edit:
I'm not sure if I want to be recording 24/7 but I just did the calculation for recording 24 hours for 30 days. It would take up around 3744 GB.

Anyway so I think I'm going to be sticking with Windows Server 2003.
I've been looking at the Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs. Can somebody recommend me one that will provide good performance for a file server and dvr system?
I'm deciding to go with 2GB of ram. For hardrives, I think I'm going to go for 500GB drives. Most likely SATA2 drives (SCSI are too expensive!! =P)
I'm not sure what kind of video card I should get.
 
The geovision cards are nice if you want every single feature that you can think of....including the kitchen sink :). They are nice cards but pricey. If you like tweaking an overly complex interface then go for it....it will be hair pulling fun ;). I wouldn't recommend putting both on one computer though. The CCTV program is written just well enough that it doesn't cause the computer to crash after the OS and any auxillary programs necessary for the machine are installed.

Cameras aren't for the faint of heart though. Remember that you have to pull both a coax cable and an ideally 18/2 wire to provide power for the camera. It takes awhile and I've seen way too many people underestimate the amount of work and time. A pro might finish those 8 cameras in 2 days, but if you add up all the time you've spend yourself, it's probably closer to double that.
 
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