How to Resolve Avigilon Storage Full Errors
An Avigilon security system is a powerful tool for asset protection and monitoring, but its effectiveness relies on its ability to record and store video footage. When you encounter a 'Storage Full' error, it means your system has run out of disk space and may have stopped recording new footage, creating a critical gap in your security. This guide will walk you through managing your Avigilon storage effectively.
Understanding Why Avigilon Storage Becomes Full
The 'Storage Full' alert on an Avigilon NVR (Network Video Recorder) or server is a straightforward issue: the hard drives allocated for video data have reached their maximum capacity. This is not necessarily an error, but rather an indication that a storage management policy needs to be implemented.
The primary cause is often the absence of a data aging or retention policy. Without this, the system will save all video until the disk is 100% full and then, depending on its configuration, it will either stop recording or begin raising alerts.
Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Avigilon Storage
You can manage your storage and resolve this issue using the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) Client software.
Step 1: Review Your Current Storage Status
- Log in to your ACC Client with administrative privileges.
- In the Site Explorer, select the server that is reporting the error.
- Navigate to the Server Setup section.
- Here you will find information about your storage volumes, including the total capacity and the amount of space currently used. This will confirm which drives are full.
Step 2: Configure Data Aging and Retention Settings
This is the most crucial step to prevent the storage from filling up in the future. By setting a retention time, you are telling the system how long it should keep video before automatically deleting it.
- Within the Server Setup area of the ACC Client, find the Recording and Bandwidth or a similarly named section.
- Look for settings related to Data Aging or Recorded Data Cleanup.
- Enable the feature that allows the system to delete aged data.
- Set a retention time in days. This value determines the maximum age of video files the system will keep. A typical setting is 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on your organisation's security policies and legal requirements.
- Once you apply this setting, the system will begin to purge any footage that is older than your specified retention period, freeing up space and allowing new recordings to commence.
Step 3: Optimise Camera Recording Settings
If your storage is filling up faster than you'd like, you can adjust camera settings to reduce the amount of data being recorded without significantly compromising security.
- Lower the Resolution: Does every camera need to be recording at 4K? Reducing the resolution on cameras in less critical areas can save a massive amount of space.
- Adjust the Frame Rate (FPS): A lower frame rate results in smaller file sizes. For many areas, 10-15 FPS is sufficient instead of a full 30 FPS.
- Use Motion-Based Recording: Instead of recording 24/7, you can configure cameras in low-traffic areas to record only when motion is detected. This drastically reduces unnecessary data consumption.
Step 4: Adding More Physical Storage
If you have a legal or operational requirement to store footage for a long period, and optimising settings isn't enough, the only solution is to expand your storage capacity. This involves physically installing new hard drives into your Avigilon NVR or server. After installation, the new hardware must be configured in the ACC software to be recognised and used by the system. This task is often best handled by a certified Avigilon installer.
By proactively managing your data retention policies and optimising your camera settings, you can ensure your Avigilon system never stops recording due to a full hard drive.