Configuring data storage on the FortiRecorder
If you need to store video for longer periods of time, you can extend your FortiRecorder appliance's built-in storage.
Configuring local storage
To view the size, disk space usage, and status of the FortiRecorder disk(s) or RAID array, go to System > Storage > Local Storage.
Initially, your FortiRecorder appliance will store video data on its internal hard disk drive(s). By default, it will continue to do so, regardless of the video clip's age, until all available disk space is consumed. By storing files locally first, your FortiRecorder appliance's system resources are not continuously consumed by transferring video that might not be needed, nor by transferring them while it records (which is bandwidth-intensive). However you can configure your FortiRecorder appliance to either delete or move older videos to external storage.
Configuring RAID levels
FortiRecorder-400D model comes with two pre-installed hard drives in its four hard drive bays and supports software RAID. This means that you can add two more hard drives if required.
FortiRecorder-400F comes with one 4 TB hard drive. You can have one or more RAID arrays in the logical disk. For example, if you want redundancy you can have 4 TB + 4 TB drives and 8 TB + 8 TB drives, or with no redundancy you can keep the 4 TB drive and add two 8 TB drives.
|
Number of Installed Hard Disk Drives |
Available RAID Levels |
Default RAID Level |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
2 |
0, 1 |
0 |
|
3 |
0, 5 |
0 |
|
4 |
0, 5, 10 |
0 |
To configure RAID levels
|
Back up data on the hard drive before beginning this procedure. Changing the device's RAID level temporarily suspends all data processing and erases all data on the hard drive. |
- Connect to the CLI console.
-
Enter the following command:
execute raidlevel <level_int>
The FortiRecorder appliance changes the RAID level and reboots.
Recommended hard drive models and capacities
Use surveillance-grade rated models, such as Western Digital WD40PURX and Seagate ST4000VX000, with storage capacity between 2 to 4 TB.
If you are using old disks from another system (RAID or LVM), erase all metadata on the drives.
Adding a RAID disk
FortiRecorder-400F and some other models support multiple hard disk drives.
To add a disk to the RAID array
- Remove the hard disk bay from the unit.
- Install the hard disk in the bay.
- Insert the bay into the unit.
- Go to System > Storage > Local Storage.
- Click Refresh.
- The newly added disk will appear under Drives.
- Add the disk to an array.
- Click Refresh again. The new array will appear under RAID Arrays.
- Select the new array, and adjust the portions you want to allocate to log and video storage.
- Click Add To Logical Disks.
Replacing a RAID disk
When replacing a disk in the RAID array, the new disk must have the same or greater storage capacity than the existing disks in the array. If the new disk has a larger capacity than the other disks in the array, only the amount equal to the smallest hard disk will be used. For example, if the RAID has 400 GB disks, and you replace one with a 500 GB disk, to be consistent with the other disks, only 400 GB of the new disk will be used.
FortiRecorder units support hot swap; shutting down the unit during hard disk replacement is not required.
To replace a disk in the array
- Go to System > Storage > Local Storage.
- In the row corresponding to the hard disk that you want to replace (for example,
p4), select the hard disk and click Delete. - The RAID controller removes the hard disk from the list.
- Protect the FortiRecorder unit from static electricity by using measures such as applying an antistatic wrist strap.
- Physically remove the hard disk that corresponds to the one you removed in the GUI from its drive bay.
- Replace the hard disk with a new hard disk, inserting it into its drive bay.
-
Click Refresh.
The RAID controller will scan for available hard disks and should locate the new hard disk. Depending on the RAID level, the FortiRecorder unit may either automatically add the new hard disk to the RAID unit or allocate it as a spare that will be automatically added to the array if one of the hard disks in the array fails.
The FortiRecorder unit rebuilds the RAID array with the new hard disk. Time required varies by the size of the array.
Replacing all RAID disks
If you want to replace the pre-installed hard drives with your own on FortiRecorder and re-build the RAID array, follow these instructions.
To replace all disks in the array
-
Because the X.509 certificates used by SSL/TLS connections are stored on the hard drive(s), rebuilding the array with new disks removes those certificates. Certificates are included in the configuration file backup, however. After you install the new hard drives, restore the configuration.
(Skip this step if you do not use the factory certificates and can re-import your own custom certificates later.)
- Shut down the FortiRecorder unit.
- Remove the hard disks.
- Install the new hard disks.
- Boot up the system.
-
Enter the following CLI command to rebuild the disks:
execute factoryreset disk
This command will use the default RAID level based on the number of drives used. You can also use the following command to rebuild the disks with the specified RAID level. For the supported RAID levels, see Configuring RAID levels.
execute raidlevel <level_int>
The FortiRecorder sets the RAID level and then reboots.
Configuring external storage
To extend your local storage, you can use an external USB storage device if your FortiRecorder model has USB ports.
To safeguard your surveillance video in the event that your FortiRecorder appliance is destroyed by fire, flood, intrusion, or other event that it is recording, configure your FortiRecorder appliance to store its video at a remote location, such as a branch office or cloud storage provider on the Internet.
|
Best practice is to connect cameras and other services (GUI, CLI, external file storage, etc.) on different network interfaces so that video streams have dedicated bandwidth. Live video streams may be lower quality or have choppy motion if cameras do not have constantly available bandwidth. |
Tested and supported NFS servers
- Linux NAS
- FreeNAS
- Openfiler
- EMC VNXe3150 (version 2.4.2.21519(MR4 SP2))
- EMC Isilon S200 (OneFS 7.1.0.3)
- Windows Server 2016
To configure external storage
- Go to System > Storage > External Storage.
- Enable external storage.
- Expand the Device section.
-
Configure the following settings:
Setting Name
Description
Protocol
Select one of the following types of storage media:
- External USB: External USB device.
- iSCSI Server: An iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) server.
- NFS: A network file system (NFS) server.
Specify the maximum video file size that is allowed to be stored on the external storage device.
You can view the remote storage usage information on Dashboard > Status.
Username
The user name of the FortiRecorder unit's account on the iSCSI server.
This option only appears if iSCSI Server is the selected protocol.
Password
The password of the FortiRecorder unit's account on the iSCSI server.
This option only appears if iSCSI Server is the selected protocol.
Hostname/IP Address
Type either the IP address or fully-qualified domain name (such as nas.example.com) of the iSCSI or NFS server.
This option only appears if iSCSI Server or NFS is the selected protocol.
Port
Type the port number on which the server listens for connections.
The default is 2049 for NFS and 3260 for iSCSI.
This option only appears if iSCSI Server or NFS is the selected protocol.
Directory
Enter the path of the folder on the server, relative to the mount point or user's login directory, where the FortiRecorder appliance will store the data.
Note: Do not use special characters such as a tilde ( ~ ). This will cause the storage to fail.
This option only appears if NFS is the selected protocol.
Encryption key
The key used to encrypt data stored on the iSCSI server. Valid key lengths are between 6 and 64 single-byte characters.
This option only appears if iSCSI Server is the selected protocol.
iSCSI ID
The iSCSI identifier in the format expected by the iSCSI server, such as an iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN), Extended Unique Identifier (EUI), or T11 Network Address Authority (NAA).
This option only appears if iSCSI Server is the selected protocol.
-
Expand the Status section.
The Status section indicates if the iSCSI share was successfully mounted on the FortiRecorder unit's file system. This field appears only after you configure the iSCSI share and click Apply.
Status may take some time to appear if the iSCSI server is slow to respond. If a
Not mountedmessage appears, then the iSCSI share was not successfully mounted. Verify that the iSCSI server is responding and the FortiRecorder unit has both read and write permissions on the iSCSI server. -
Click Apply.
If the remote iSCSI device has not been formatted, before you can use it, you must format it with the following CLI command:
execute storage format - Go to Camera > Configuration > Camera Profile.
- Select the camera profile used by cameras that should use remote storage, and then click Edit.
-
From Storage Options, select Move.
- Click Create.