Revolution of Video Surveillance Field
Aipix Mediaserver: A Case Study in High-Performance Video Surveillance Service Development
Our team is delighted to present Aipix Mediaserver!
Aipix Mediaserver, a component of Aipix Telecom VSaaS Platform, has an uncommon story of its creation so we are willing to share it with you.
The Story Behind the Creation of Aipix Mediaserver
It all began when our loyal client requested us to come up with the concept and then develop a software server for processing and distributing video streams, as well as storing and transmitting content from IP cameras in video surveillance systems. To be more exact it was a suggestion to participate in a competition for a video surveillance system and needed a service capable of capturing and restreaming content from video surveillance cameras. So that’s the very beginning of Aipix Mediaserver development story and we will dive into it further.
Transitioning from an abstract idea to tangible existence
The video surveillance system required more than just a standalone solution. It was supposed to be a comprehensive platform that encompassed various functionalities, including provisioning, billing, and user and access rights management. Furthermore, it was crucial for the solution to seamlessly integrate with the client’s existing services, which offered a multitude of options.
Understanding Video Surveillance as a Service
Our team began with understanding all the aspects of video surveillance as a service (VSAAS).
Equipped with a wealth of expertise in creating solutions for telecom operators, the team demonstrated a profound understanding of the functional and business requirements for this project.
The journey of development unfolded as a harmonious partnership, with our team leveraging their technical proficiency and the customer offering invaluable perspectives into their distinct demands. This synergistic collaboration culminated in the creation of a product that not only met the customer’s expectations but also embraced novel and imaginative functionalities.
Technology Stack Selection and Implementation
Initially, we intended to utilize an existing open-source solution. However, we swiftly realized that commencing with an existing solution would not suit the desired final product. We understood that so as to remain competitive within the market for similar products, we couldn’t just rely solely on open-source solutions. Hence, we made a strategic shift and opted to create our own solution, granting us complete ownership and control over the resulting codebase. Determined to meet our client’s expectations, our team dedicated themselves tirelessly, fueled by caffeine and a shared aspiration, working day and night to craft the initial version of the video surveillance system. So it takes us approximately two weeks to make MVP, which was instantly dispatched to a pre-commercial environment for testing.
Testing and Improvements
As the testing phase progressed, we humbly realized that there were aspects we hadn’t fully accounted for during the initial design phase. Here we learned much about the platform’s performance and functionality. We also uncovered several aspects that were issued during the initial design phase. However, driven by our determination, we went ahead, embracing the challenges that lay before us.
What we have now
Now Aipix Mediaserver is a market-ready product with numerous features and capabilities. Let’s enumerate outstanding and appealing feature
1. High performance
Through our meticulous implementation of key service components in C++, we achieved remarkable performance levels. With our solution, a single physical server could flawlessly capture up to 2500 streams simultaneously (5000 streams in fault tolerance mode). Remarkably, half of these streams were equipped with DVR archive and full HD resolution, all while maintaining a CPU load of no more than 20–30%.
2. Fault tolerance
The implementation of fault tolerance allowed it to carry out scheduled replacements and modernisation of equipment without stopping the service. There’re fault-tolerant features in our video surveillance platform:
- Redundancy — Aipix Mediaserver can use clustering, which is a form of redundancy to ensure that the failure of a single component would not cascade into total system failure. When two servers are clustered, the secondary server will continue to function if the primary fails.
- Automatic Failover — Our system is equipped with an automatic failover mechanism that swiftly detects any system failure and seamlessly switches to a backup system. This ensures uninterrupted video surveillance operations even in the event of a failure.
3. Support for Restreaming Camera Streams
An essential need was the ability to redistribute camera feeds in multiple formats through restreaming. Restreaming refers to the process of receiving a video stream from one source and replaying it at a different location. To fulfill this requirement, we incorporated a range of codecs and streaming protocols into our service. For video, we integrated support for various formats.
4. Secure Storage and Navigation of DVR Archive
Another essential requirement was to ensure the secure storage and efficient navigation of the Digital Video Recording (DVR) archive. Robust encryption and access control mechanisms were implemented within the storage environment to guarantee the confidentiality and security of the stored data.
Furthermore, we focused on developing user-friendly features that enhance the overall platform experience:
- Specialized DVR storage format — Our dedicated efforts in developing a proprietary DVR storage format have yielded remarkable results. Experience lightning-fast search and playback of recordings, unparalleled availability, and effortless migration of DVR archive between servers.
- User flexibility — Users have the freedom to personalize their settings, allowing them to schedule archive overwrites and prevent specific video archives from being overwritten according to their preferences.
- Custom recording parameters — Users can define their own recording parameters, including specifications such as storage size, location, and duration of data retention, tailoring the DVR system to their specific needs.
- Event-based recording — Our platform offers the capability to set up recording triggers based on key events, schedules, or specific triggers, enabling users to capture footage relevant to their requirements.
Future is Now
The Aipix Mediaserver, which initially originated from a client request, has now successfully made its way into the market as an integral part of the Aipix Telecom VSaaS Platform.
Nevertheless, sky’s the limit, so our dedication to its advancement has only grown stronger. Here’s a quick glimpse into what we are currently working on:
- Embracing Microservice Architecture — This approach divides the application into smaller, independent services, enhancing modularity, development, and testing efficiency.
- Seamless Kubernetes Integration — We’re integrating Aipix Mediaserver with Kubernetes, an open-source platform that simplifies the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
- Innovative Distributed Storage System DVR — While aware of existing solutions like Ceph, Minio, and S3, we’re forging our own path by developing a fault tolerance JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) storage for DVR archive.
- Orchestration and Federation Capabilities — It enables efficient management and deployment of media servers. The federation aspect allows seamless integration of multiple media servers, enabling them to function as a unified system.
- Elevating with Built-in Analytics — Our team is also diligently crafting built-in analytics for Aipix Mediaserver with minimal CPU utilization. This powerful feature will provide valuable insights into service performance and usage, equipping us with crucial information for future enhancements.
We are excited to share the news that Aipix Mediaserver is now being introduced on Product Hunt, a platform known for exploring and discussing the latest technological products. We warmly invite you to engage in the ongoing conversation. Feel free to express your thoughts, pose questions, and discover the features and capabilities of Aipix Mediaserver. Your valuable insights and feedback are greatly appreciated by our team.
Together, we’ll continue to innovate, refine, and create an exceptional user experience with Aipix Mediaserver.
Explore Aipix Mediaserver on Product Hunt.
For more information: https://aipix.ai/mediaserver.
