A Conversation with George Scholhamer
Video surveillance is a critical part of a
business’ security infrastructure. More
surveillance cameras are used today
than ever before, and installations continue
to expand. Because of the influx in
surveillance data, video storage needs
are increasing. This creates demand for
flexible, scalable and highly reliable storage
platforms.
Video is useful only if captured and
made available for redistribution. Reliable
storage solutions are critical to
maintaining video data integrity and
enabling immediate viewing. In most
surveillance projects, video storage and
servers account for 50 percent of the
acquisition and ongoing maintenance
costs of a high-capacity system. Users
invest in these platforms to capture and
store video for investigative purposes or
to maintain compliance requirements.
Ironically, as valuable as these systems
are, often little is done to maintain
them over the long term. Thankfully,
users can follow procedures to protect
infrastructure investments and maximize
ROI. We wanted to know how,
so we talked with George Scholhamer,
the vice president of sales engineering
at Pivot3.
Q. What procedure is often overlooked
in maintaining storage
systems?
A. Many users don’t realize that
leaving failed drives in place in
a RAID-protected storage system will
negatively affect performance and, in
the worst case, lead to an unprotected
array. This leaves critical data vulnerable
to loss and system failure. Replacing
failed drives as soon as possible is
critical to keeping your system in top
working order.
Q. Is it important to keep a stock of
spare drives, power supplies and
fans on hand?
A. All reputable storage systems
protect data against failures,
and most offer three-year warranties
that allow users to secure replacement
drives for free. Even so, it’s key to replenish
spares to maintain the health of
your entire system.
Some vendors offer advance replacement
of parts and helpful shipping cartons
and procedures to make the process
easy. Check with your installation
partner and product manufacturer to
determine whether they will offer assistance
to get you back up and running.
Q. Is it wise to enable alerts so problems
are identified quickly?
A. Modern systems support IT
notification methods, such as
simple network management protocol,
which enable operators to view events
through solutions such as Lenel On-
Guard or Genetec Omnicast. Customize
alerts to send e-mail notifications
directly to security staff when a problem
is identified. Health monitoring is
critical because successful notification
is the key to early problem detection
and reduced maintenance costs.
Q. What role does monitoring temperature
play?
A. Extreme temperature changes
make your system vulnerable to
failures. Heat is an enemy of computer
systems and is especially troublesome
for mechanical devices such as disk
drives. Monitor the temperature of
not only the security room but also of
the storage devices in your data center.
Modern IP systems provide this functionality.
Remotely monitoring temperature
changes allows users to react
quickly in the event of a failing air-conditioning
system, for example.
Q. Why insist on advanced RAID 6
protection?
A. RAID 5 was the first generation
of software that protected
systems against a single drive failure.
Since its development, more advanced
systems now exist that protect up to
five simultaneous drive failures and
safeguard against an entire appliance
failure. These systems require some
additional capacity, but consider this
a valuable investment given the heartache
and frustration that occurs from
lost data.
Q. Is it important to create an offsite
event vault?
A. Every IT system includes backup
for the most critical information
so a catastrophic disaster or system failure
does not result in lost data. Yet, this is
not the norm in the surveillance world.
Natural disasters, including floods
and earthquakes, along with incidents
of terrorism or simply human error
can lead to the loss of an entire facility’s
data. Therefore, it is imperative to
replicate the most critical video events
to an off-site facility to protect critical
data and surveillance footage for
investigations, corporate mandates or
compliance requirements.
Q. What are the keys to protecting
the power supply?
A. Many storage systems leverage
redundant power supplies, but
often the planning stops at the end of
the power cord. Remember that each
power cord must power the entire storage
unit. The failure of a power supply
could take down a data center because
of a circuit overload.
Deploying uninterruptible power
supplies protects against power supply,
circuit and UPS failures, and keeps
the system running. When possible, use
220 volts AC because it is much more
efficient and easier to supply to a computer
rack.
Q. Are periodic check-ups important?
A. Like many things in life, preventative
care turns a potentially
catastrophic problem into minor
maintenance. Checking system logs
and drive performance statistics helps
identify potential trouble areas before
larger problems occur. Many of today’s
leading storage vendors along
with their integration partners, provide
a host of professional services to make
this process simple and painless.
Q. How important is it to clean system
components?
A. It’s a lesson we all learned from
Mom -- but one that needs repeating
when we discuss technology.
An environment with excessive dust
or dirt affects system reliability and
life expectancy. Dust and dirt collects
on the internal components of a storage
system as normal airflow circulates
through the chassis. This creates
a “blanket” that results in the internal
components running at a higher temperature,
which decreases the life of
the system. Avoid unnecessary maintenance
costs by cleaning system components
on a regular basis.
This article originally appeared in the October 2010 issue of Security Today.