Nx Witness servers
A recording server that arrives ready. We build it, install Nx Witness, set up the storage, run it for a while under load and only then pack it. You rack it, give it an address, and it records. We ship across Europe.
What you receive
Configured, tested, documented
Software installed
Nx Witness on the operating system, updated, with the recording service running and the licences activated if you bought them with us.
Storage set up
Disks configured for continuous writing, archive policy set, and the recording days calculated for your actual camera list rather than a brochure figure.
Burned in
We run it under load before it leaves. A disk that is going to fail early usually fails here, in our workshop, and not in your rack in month two.
Remote access ready
Set up so we can help you without a site visit, in a way your IT department can sign off on. You decide whether it stays enabled.
Documented
Addresses, accounts, disk layout, retention settings. On paper and in the file, so you are not dependent on one person remembering.
Shipped anywhere in Europe
Packed for transport with the tracking details sent through. If you would rather we install it, we do that in the Netherlands and the immediate border region.
Sizing
How many cameras fit on one server?
In Generation 6 a Professional server handles up to 256 cameras, twice what the previous generation allowed. In practice the limit is rarely the count: it is disk throughput and the number of simultaneous viewers.
The honest version: a server writing 60 high-resolution streams continuously while eight people search the archive is doing two different jobs at once. We size for the second job as well, because that is the moment you actually need it.
And if you outgrow it, you add a server. Your licences carry over — see licences.
Storage
What determines how far back you can look
Four things, and only four: resolution, frame rate, codec, and whether you record continuously or on motion. Everything else is detail.
| Situation | Recording | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 4 cameras, 4 MP, 20 fps, H.265, 4 TB | Continuous | About 10 days |
| Same cameras, same disk | On motion | Often 30 days or more |
| 16 cameras, 4 MP, 15 fps, H.265, 16 TB | Continuous | Around 2 weeks |
| Same, with lower frame rate at night | Mixed schedule | Around 3 weeks |
These are indications for planning, not promises. Scenes with a lot of movement produce more data than a quiet corridor with the same settings. We calculate it on your camera list before we quote, and we would rather deliver a disk that is a size too large than explain later why the footage is gone.
Server or appliance — which one is right
For small systems a compact machine is often enough and it can sit in a cupboard, provided the cupboard is not also the warmest place in the building. For anything that matters, we prefer a proper rack server with redundant power and disks you can pull out while it keeps recording.
What we will not do is sell you a large machine you do not need. If your fourteen cameras run happily on something modest, that is what you get, and you spend the difference on cameras that see something in the dark.
“We do not pass you on to someone else. If something is wrong, we solve it.”
Frequently asked
Questions about servers
Can you ship a server to Belgium or Germany?
Yes. We ship pre-configured servers, licences and cameras across Europe, and we configure and support remotely. Physical installation and cabling we do in the Netherlands and the immediate border region; further afield we work alongside a local party and take on the technical side.
Can I supply my own hardware?
Yes, and plenty of customers do. Send us the specification and we will say honestly whether it is suitable. If it is not — usually the disks or the network card — we will tell you what to change rather than quietly installing on something that will disappoint you.
Do I need a separate licence for the server?
No. You license recording channels, not servers. That is why adding a second server later costs hardware and nothing else.
What about a virtual machine?
It works, and in organisations with an existing virtualisation platform it is often the sensible route. The thing to watch is storage: video is a constant write load, which behaves differently from the usual mix on a shared datastore. We would rather give it dedicated disks.
How long is the warranty and what if a disk fails?
The hardware carries the manufacturer's warranty and we handle the claim for you. For systems we manage we monitor disk health, so in most cases we know a disk is on its way out before you notice anything.
Can it run alongside our existing recorders during a changeover?
Yes, and we usually recommend it. The new server records in parallel while the old one still holds the archive, so nothing is lost during the switch. That is the normal shape of a migration.
Do you offer support after delivery?
Yes, also on systems we did not supply. Remote support across Europe; on-site in the Netherlands and the border region.
Send us your camera list
We will come back with a build proposal, the recording days you can expect from it, and the price — exclusive of VAT, and with the reverse charge applied for EU businesses.
A quick word
Questions about your situation? Call Sander.
Calls again after handover to walk through it together until it really sits right. Describe your situation and you will hear straight away what we would do — with no obligation.
Sander · Adviser and aftercare