Auto Maintain - Do I really need this?

[3dogpottery]

There is an item within the Dahua setup menu labelled "Auto Maintain". When selected, there appears a single tab with two check boxes. One check box is labeled "Auto Reboot", and the other check box is labeled "Auto Delete Old Files". When the "Auto Reboot" box is checked, a submenu pops up and provides you with a choice of which day of the week you would like your camera to reboot. So, my question is: Why would I want my camera to be rebooted once a week? Moreover, if it is giving me no problems, why would I ever want to reboot it?

The second checkbox labeled "Auto Delete Old Files" also seems to be useless to me. I am guessing that this refers to the camera's log file. I would think that when the memory allotted for this log is full, oldest data would be rewritten with new data.

 

[JimandYen]

On my Q-See 8816 NVR I use the Auto Maintain / Auto Delete to only keep recordings for 5 days. That way my HD doesn't end up with zero space. I'm not sure how Linux based systems work but I think a HD can work better if there is still space on it.

I don't use the auto reboot but most computers seem to benefit from an occasional reboot for some reason. I do it manually once in a while.

 

[3dogpottery]

Thanks for the information JimandYen. The reason I posed this question is because when I turned the "Auto Reboot" feature off, my IPC-HFW4300C cameras stopped loosing video. Every so often, one of these cameras would report "Resources Limited. Open Video Failed". I tried lowering the resolution, the frame rate and the bit rate to no avail. However, after turning off this auto reboot feature, I have since been able to increase all of these settings to their max with no video failures. Very curious. The only way to get the video back after one of these failures was to give the camera a hard reboot. I guess all reboots are not equal.

 

[JimandYen]

Wow. I didn't know all that was going on. I haven't used the auto reboot option but I might do it just to see if I have the same problem you are having. That's a few steps above my tech level so I'd be contacting support for that problem.

 

[badmop]

I have a huge thread with problems with 4 cameras dropping out, auto reboot is turned on all 4 of those cameras. I'd be curious if that's my problem.

I am having cameras drop out about 5 or 6 times a day, give or take. They drop out for about 10 minutes max, sometimes 4-7 minutes.

How often were your cameras acting up?

 

[3dogpottery]

It was premature of me to blame the "Auto Reboot" feature because two of my IPC-HFW4300C cameras lost video last night. So, I don't think turning off this feature will help you badmop. I was beguiled into believing that I had found the culprit because my cameras maintained video for a record two days.

My cameras lose video in both the main and sub streams. Both streams report "Resources limited, open video failed!. I don't really know what this error message is trying to tell me. Yeh, I know the video failed. Like, duh. But what does the "open" reference mean? "Resources limited"? Whose resources? The cameras? The networks? If the cameras resources are limited, what is consuming those resources. Why do the cameras maintain video for several days? Why does it take a hard reboot and not a soft reboot to regain video?

After contacting HDSecurityStore, I was told that my cameras have the latest firmware released on June 21, 2014. I cannot find anyone else who is having this problem with this brand of camera.

 

[badmop]

It seems like a network issue, maybe your router, switch or something in the middle there.

When the cameras lose video, both sub and main, if it is night time go outside and look to see if the IR lights are working. That would help eliminate it being a low power problem, or lack of power. Possibly anyhow.

 

[3dogpottery]

I posted you a "Thank You" badmop for your helpful advice. I did see the IR lights working last night, even though that wasn't the reason I made the trip outside. Incidentally, it is snowing here in Reno, Nevada as I write this. Regarding the lack of power, I will look into it.

 

[Matthewtalk]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

Be wary of a defect in the Dahua NVR firmware (at least for the 4108) regarding this feature.

Being so used to working with Windoze which we know needs to be rebooted periodically or it will crash, I turned this feature on, forgetting it was Linux kernel O/S. At 2 AM two nights ago I was awoken to my NVR buzzer. I dashed to the 'control room' to discover all my screens were black. I was panicked. I have had home invasions. It came up screen by screen, it had just rebooted itself using that auto-maintain feature.

I had set the Auto Maintain feature ON, for 14:00 hours. Well it rebooted at 02:00 hours. This suggests a defect in the time handling of that particular setting. I have turned it off. If its a Linux or UNIX or derivative kernal underneath, it does not need to be rebooted, unless any vendor proprietary extensions have introduced memory handling errors. I advise leaving it off until there is a demonstrable need to turn it on.

 

[bp2008]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

Be wary of a defect in the Dahua NVR firmware (at least for the 4108) regarding this feature.

Being so used to working with Windoze which we know needs to be rebooted periodically or it will crash, I turned this feature on, forgetting it was Linux kernel O/S. At 2 AM two nights ago I was awoken to my NVR buzzer. I dashed to the 'control room' to discover all my screens were black. I was panicked. I have had home invasions. It came up screen by screen, it had just rebooted itself using that auto-maintain feature.

I had set the Auto Maintain feature ON, for 14:00 hours. Well it rebooted at 02:00 hours. This suggests a defect in the time handling of that particular setting. I have turned it off. If its a Linux or UNIX or derivative kernal underneath, it does not need to be rebooted, unless any vendor proprietary extensions have introduced memory handling errors. I advise leaving it off until there is a demonstrable need to turn it on.

Linux and Windows are both exceptionally stable operating systems. It is the other software on them that causes most problems, or faulty hardware.

 

[Matthewtalk]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

I have a degree in computing and over twenty five years in systems analysis, architecture, team leading, programming, and problem investigation of mission-critical, distributed computer systems, and I have co-authored R&D published in the Associating of Computing Machinery, and invented automated programming environments. 80% of enterprise systems use UNIX because they need stability. Windows has only 3% of the execution paths covered by automated tests. A Windows server just plugged in, no software installed will crash out of memory within a month or two. It is most definitely not the case that Windows is an exceptionally stable operating system.

 

[fenderman]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

A Windows server just plugged in, no software installed will crash out of memory within a month or two. It is most definitely not the case that Windows is an exceptionally stable operating system.

I can tell you that is absolutely not the case. You are simply making this up. I have MANY windows systems running for many months 24/7 - no crashes. Windows is super stable.

 

[Matthewtalk]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

I can tell you that is absolutely not the case. You are simply making this up. I have MANY windows systems running for many months 24/7 - no crashes. Windows is super stable.

Sorry to cause you cognitive dissonance.
That quote about windows crashing is from a computer science professor, now specializing in computer security, a Professor C. Baker in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He has done extensive government sponsored research in AI, and consulted to many enterprise computing operations in the financial industry, and the military.
If Windows were so stable as you insist, then the enterprise computing industry has a lot to learn from you because 80% of enterprise projects use UNIX or a derivative for stability. Its been that way for twenty years.
The demands on an O/S of running hundreds of processes and users and heavyweight database and application servers are beyond what most load their home windows machines with.
Matthew

 

[fenderman]

Sorry to cause you cognitive dissonance.
That quote about windows crashing is from a computer science professor, now specializing in computer security, a Professor C. Baker in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He has done extensive government sponsored research in AI, and consulted to many enterprise computing operations in the financial industry, and the military.
If Windows were so stable as you insist, then the enterprise computing industry has a lot to learn from you because 80% of enterprise projects use UNIX or a derivative for stability. Its been that way for twenty years.
The demands on an O/S of running hundreds of processes and users and heavyweight database and application servers are beyond what most load their home windows machines with.
Matthew

Your credentials or the professor's are irrelevant, I have personal experience that directly contradicts your statement. Nothing beats direct experience. There are other considerations for enterprise and reasons why Linux is used. To say that Windows is inherently unstable and will crash on its own in one or two months is a complete fallacy... My windows systems are not magical.... I have over 20 systems running blue iris and recording all day and don't have these alleged crashes...

 

[3dogpottery]

I started this thread on the auto maintain issue. For what it's worth, the problem was not with "Auto Maintain", but with my ignorance. I have taken fendermans advice and have since hard weird my cameras. I now have a really good working system. I have found Blue Iris exceptional for remote viewing of my cameras. I now use my Danua NVR as a backup.

 

[Q™]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

I have a degree in computing and over twenty five years in systems analysis, architecture, team leading, programming, and problem investigation of mission-critical, distributed computer systems, and I have co-authored R&D published in the Associating of Computing Machinery, and invented automated programming environments...

...but I still need to come to this amateur/newbie camera forum because I'm not quite certain why my Foscam's run so poorly...

 

[zero-degrees]

Re: Auto Maintain - Do I really need this? NO

I have a degree in computing and over twenty five years in systems analysis, architecture, team leading, programming, and problem investigation of mission-critical, distributed computer systems, and I have co-authored R&D published in the Associating of Computing Machinery, and invented automated programming environments. 80% of enterprise systems use UNIX because they need stability. Windows has only 3% of the execution paths covered by automated tests. A Windows server just plugged in, no software installed will crash out of memory within a month or two. It is most definitely not the case that Windows is an exceptionally stable operating system.

Wow, I'm surprised you didn't just play this card...


- - - Updated - - -

...but I still need to come to this amateur/newbie camera forum because I'm not quite certain why my Foscam's run so poorly...

View attachment 6946

 

[bp2008]

Degrees, experience, and research papers do not make people right. These things only make people expensive to hire.

 

[tygger]

Old thread, but I'm still wondering if you all think auto reboot is a good idea. I've only had mine up for a few months and they've been stable without, so I'm inclined to skip this feature.