Commend Manual

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Commend ManualVersion 2.1

Revision 2.1.7

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Contents

1 General 21.1 Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.1.1 Audio recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.1.2 ICX interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.1.3 Auto configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2 Prerequisites 52.1 DIVA requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2.1.1 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.1.2 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.1.3 Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

2.2 Commend requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2.1 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2.2 Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2.3 Licensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

3 Setup 73.1 DIVA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3.1.1 Add Commend server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.1.2 Assign camera to station . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.1.3 Create Event Handler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.2 Commend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113.2.1 ICX/TCP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113.2.2 RTP settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

3.3 Time Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133.3.1 DIVA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133.3.2 Commend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3.4 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4 How to 154.1 Search for conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164.2 Popup camera on call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

4.2.1 All stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174.2.2 Specific stations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

4.3 Use custom ICX messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184.3.1 Signal (Receive from Commend Server) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184.3.2 Action (Send to Commend Server) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

4.4 Filter ICX Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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Chapter 1

General

The Commend Intercom plugin enables DIVA to interface with a Commend System via the ICX protocol. Itprovides the ability to lip-sync record conversations using DIVA videostreams and audio send by Intercom Sta-tions. The ICX protocol is used to retrieve the Commend configuration, signal DIVA that a conversation hasstarted or stopped and to control several functions in DIVA using the macro engine. It also provides the abilityto control functions in the Commend System.

This documents describes the functions and requirements of the Commend Intercom plugin. It applies to DIVAversion 2.1.6 and higher.

See below for a simplified schematic of basic DIVA-Commend installation.

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1.1 Capabilities

This section explains the capabilities of the Commend Intercom plugin in DIVA.

1.1.1 Audio recording

Audio is recorded in the original G.722 codec. This results in superb HD audio quality within a frequency rangeof 7kHz. The audiostream is recorded together with the assigned videostream. This means that the CommendStation (subscriber)needs to be linked to a camera.

The following recording profilesare available:

• Record video and audio on a call request (recording off by default)

• Record video and audio when a conversation starts (recording off by default)

• Record video and audio using DIVA recording profile

In DIVA there are two ways to record the audio, using True Lip Sync recording or Near Lip Sync recording.

True Lip SyncVideo and audio are linked using timestamps from the audio and videostream. This is supported on selectedcameras, see divasecurity.com for the device compatibilitylist.

Near Lip SyncVideo and audio is not linked using the timestamps from audio and video. This is supported on camerassupported by DIVA

Using the META search (DivaSearch layout) capabilities in DIVA the user can quickly find recorded conversa-tions from or to specific stations in a certain time frame.

1.1.2 ICX interface

All communication to and from the Commend Server is done via the ICX interface. DIVA supports the followingfeatures provided by the ICX interface:

• Send and receive (auto) configuration messages (see next paragraph on ’Auto Configuraton’)

• 8 digit call number support

• Receive and interpret call requests

• Receive and interpret conversation started messages

• Receive and interpret conversation ended messages

• Send start conversation command

• Send stop conversation command

• Send and receive generic/custom messages

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The DIVA macro engine can use ICX messages to automatically execute actions supported by DIVA. Forinstance:

• Popup camera

• Trigger dome preset

• Start or stop conversations (using layout buttons)

• Send custom commands (using layout buttons)

• Trigger other supported actions in DIVA, see DIVA manual for more information

1.1.3 Auto configuration

Configuring DIVA to use the Commend System is made easy by automatically retrieving all essential infor-mation from the Commend Server when connecting to the Commend System. It supports the following autoconfiguration options:

• Find Commend Servers in the LAN

• Find Commend Cameras in the LAN

• Automatically import Station list on adding Commend Server to DIVA

• Automatically configure audio recording channels (RTP ports)

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Chapter 2

Prerequisites

There are special requirements for both the DIVA installation and Commend system in regards to licensing andcomponants before the system can make use of the features provided by the CommendIntercom plugin.

The installer should have advanced knowlegde of both DIVA and the Commend system before starting theinstallation. Please contact your supplier for support and training.

2.1 DIVA requirements

2.1.1 Software

• DIVA version 2.1.6 or higher

2.1.2 Hardware

• One or more recording servers (master/slave configuration)

• Cameras with the capability to stream in 25 fps in any supported codec by DIVA (the framerate is impor-tant for accurate audio/video synchronization)

• High quality network which can handle the high bandwidth usage of streaming video. This is to preventlags in video/audio recording.

• Central time synchronization server for:

– DIVA server(s)

– DIVA clients(s)

– Camaras

2.1.3 Licensing

• Server licensing (minimum):

– DIVA-P-BASE (DIVA Pro license)

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– DIVA-P-VCH (no. video channels)

– DIVA-P-CLC (no. of Remote client connections)

– DIVA-P-COMMMEND (no. RTP channels, this should be equal to the number of RTP channels onCommend Server)

2.2 Commend requirements

2.2.1 Software

• Software package version 2.1 or higher

• RTP recording interface via Intercom Station or IP-subscriber card

2.2.2 Hardware

• Commend Intercom Server (GE300, IS300, GE800, IP-32, SIS)

• Intercom stations

• Central time synchronization server for:

– Commend Server(s)

– Intercom Stations

• High quality network which can handle the high bandwidth usage of streaming video to prevent lags invideo/audio recording.

2.2.3 Licensing

• ICX license to enable data interface

• D-level subscriber port per recording channel

• L-IP-REC-1 license per recording channel

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Chapter 3

Setup

3.1 DIVA

3.1.1 Add Commend server

There are two ways to add a Commend server to the configuration. The easiest way is to let DIVA search forCommend servers in the local network. Press the ’Find’ button in the lower left corner of the screen to openthe ’Find’ dialog (assuming the ’Device’ tab is open and the intercom serverlist is visible). Select the commendservers in the list which need to be added.The alternative way is to add the servers manually. Press the ’+’ button in the bottom-left corner of the screento add one server. The fields displayed in the image below should be filled in with the correct information.When done press the ’Apply’ button which is located in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

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3.1.2 Assign camera to station

After adding the server to the configuration it will automatically fill the stationlist with all the available stationson the Commend System. The callnumber and stationnames are defined in the Commend configuration andcannot be edited by DIVA. The last column is used to assign cameras to the stations (one to many). Seescreencapture below for an example stationlist. After adding a Commend Server to the configuration or chang-ing a setting it can take up to 10 seconds before the stationlist is displayed.

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3.1.3 Create Event Handler

To manage Commend conversation messages, (custom) ICX messages and to review communication betweenDIVA and the Commend server an Event Handling layout needs to be created in DIVA. All ICX messagesreceived by DIVA will be put in the eventlist. These events can be used to find communication or configurationerrors. The screencapture below shows how this layout should look like.

This layout is uses the following layout components (panels):

• Event Live panel (upper left)Shows live camera of selected conversation

• Event Playback panel (upper right)Shows the event image of selected conversation

• Playback controls (middle)Used to playback the recorded video, enable the ’Audio’ button and select the playback panel to hear theaudio before starting playback

• Event list (bottom)List of recent conversation, it can hold up to a 1000 events

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Selecting an item in the eventlist will show the live camera in the upper left panel (Event Live panel) and cor-responding recorded image upper right panel (Event Playback panel). To playback recorded video and audiofrom a conversation select a ’Conversation Started’ event in the eventlist, select the Event Playback panel,press the ’Audio’ button and press the ’Play’ button icon to start playback. If the recorded video holds audio ablue audio icon will appear next to the green playback icon in the event playback panel.

Please refer to the DivaManual on more information on how to create layouts. The screencapture belowshows how this layout should look like.

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3.2 Commend

3.2.1 ICX/TCP settings

To configure settings for the ICX interface open the ’TCP/IP’ tab in the ’Interfaces-Data’ menu-item. The ’Typeof connection’ should be set to ’Video extended’ and the ’Local Port’ to an appropriate value, by default 17600.See example screenshot below. In the ’Subscriber-RTP Configuration’ these interfaces are used to link theICX configuration to the RTP configuration thus enabling audio recording in DIVA.

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3.2.2 RTP settings

To enable RTP streaming of audio to DIVA first open the ’Subscriber-RTP Configuration’ menu. Each row (RTPport) on the right side of the table represents one L-IP-REC-1 license. In this menu the following settings areimportant:

• RTP Server IPThis is the DIVA server IP address where the audio is streamed to

• RTP PortPort on DIVA which will be listening for incoming audio data. It should be incremented by 2 if morechannels are configured. DIVA will use these ports to receive the audio in the auto-configuration.

• QualityShould be set to 7KHz G722, DIVA does not accept other formats

• RTCP - intervalNeeded for time synchronization, recommended is a value of 5 seconds

• Interface synchronizationLink to ICX interface defined in ’Interfaces-¿Data interfaces’. If this is not correctly configured DIVA willnot be informed to record audio

• SNTPShould be set to ’On’, tells the station to synchronize its time

See example screenshot below.

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3.3 Time Synchronization

Time synchronization is crucial for proper lip-sync recording, therefore both the Commend and DIVA equipmentshould synchronize its time to one central time-server.

3.3.1 DIVA

Open the settings menu of DivaShell by pressing the key combination CTRL-ALT-HOME. In the ’Time synchro-nization’ menu fill-in the timeserver address in one of the edit boxes. See example screenshot below.

3.3.2 Commend

Open the ’Intercom Server-Realtime (SNTP)’ menu and fill-in the timeserver in the ’SNTP Server’ column. Seeexample screenshot below.

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3.4 Troubleshooting

The DIVA event handler layout explained in a previous chapter is also used to find communication or configu-ration errors:

Problem: No ICX messages in DIVA Event ListCause: Commend Server not added to DIVA configurationSolution: Add Commend server

Cause: DIVA does not have Commend licensesSolution: Add Commend license to DIVA license (contact supplier)

Problem: No connection error messagesCause: DIVA cannot connect to ICX interface of Commend ServerSolution: Check host settings in DIVASolution: Check licensing in Commend SystemSolution: ICX interface used by another application

Problem: No server or device in conversation started/ended, call request.Cause: No device assigned to station defined in eventSolution: Check Station-Camera configuration

Problem: No audio in recordingCause: RTP configuration in Commend incorrectSolution: Check RTP configuration in Commend SystemSolution: Check RTP licensing in Commend System

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Chapter 4

How to

This chapter explains how to use several DIVA functions in combination with the CommendIntercom plugin:

• Searching for recorded conversations

• Use DIVA macro engine to automatically popup camera

• How to create and use a layout to handle conversations

• How to filter ICX messages from the DIVA event list

• How to use send and receive custom ICX messages

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4.1 Search for conversations

Each call generates an event which is stored in the DIVA database. Using the fixed layout ’DivaSearch’ theuser can search for these events (conversations). See screenshot below for an example:

Several filters can be used to quickly find the conversation:

• Start and end date/timeTimeframe in which conversations are searched

• Intercom serverCommend server on which the stations are configured, selection defines stationlists of ’Station 1’ and’Station 2’ fields

• Station 1All stations of selected Commend server; empty selection is wildcard for all stations

• Station 2All stations of selected Commend server; empty selection is wildcard for all stations

After correctly defining the search paramaters the ’Search’ button can be pressed. If the search returns resultsthey are displayed in the ’Search Result’ list on the left side of the screen. Selecting a result (conversation)automatically displays the live and recorded video/audio of the corresponding camera. To playback the audiodouble-click on the ’Event Image’ to make it fullscreen, enable the ’Audio’ button and press the ’Play’ button.

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4.2 Popup camera on call

Using the DIVA macro engine it is possible to popup cameras which is linked to a specific station. Configurationis done in the ’Viewer Macro’ tab. To add a macro the ’+’ button, the Macro Rule window will be displayad. Seefollowing paragraphs for an example, assuming the layout ’Live full screen’ is present.

4.2.1 All stations

To popup a camera for all stations only one macro is needed. See the configuration example below, no stationshould be selected.

4.2.2 Specific stations

To popup a camera for a specific station, a macro for each station to station combination should be made. Seethe configuration example below, select the stations in the ’Plugin Settings’.

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4.3 Use custom ICX messages

4.3.1 Signal (Receive from Commend Server)

Currently interpreted ICX messages are conversation started, conversation ended and call requests. Otheruninterpreted ICX messages are processed as ’GenericEvent’ signal in DIVA. To create a (viewer) macro openthe ’Viewer Macro’ tab and press the ’+’ button in the lower left corner. See below for an example. Fill in thehex message in the ’Value’ field.

4.3.2 Action (Send to Commend Server)

Currently supported ICX commands are start and stop conversation. Other (custom) ICX commands can besend using the ’SendCommand’ action. To create a (viewer) macro open the ’Viewer Macro’ tab and press the’+’ button button in the lower left corner. See below for an example. Fill in the hex command in the ’Command’field, for instance to trigger an alarm output in the Commend System.

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4.4 Filter ICX Messages

By default all ICX messages are displayed in the eventlist and stored in the database. Too many unnecessaryevents can be confusing for the operator if only events related to conversations are used. To filter ICX messageswhich should not be displayed create the file ’CommendIntercomSignalFilter.txt’ in the following folder on theDIVA server:

On Windows 7 64 bit:C:/Windows/SysWOW64/config/systemprofile/AppData/Roaming/Diva/Settings/Plugins

On Windows 7 32 bit:C:/Windows/System32/config/systemprofile/AppData/Roaming/Diva/Settings/Plugins

Each line represents the first 4 digits of an ICX command.

After modifying this file the ’DivaManager’ service should be restarted to load the filter.

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