We started preliminary testing of VMS server load. Here’s what we have found so far and what we plan to do next.
We used a high end laptop (quad core i7 / 16GB RAM) and a low end mini PC (dual core AMD / 4GB RAM). Full tech specs at the bottom.
For this preliminary testing, we tested Exacq for recording and viewing of up to 12 cameras. We added 1 camera at a time and then recorded system status (CPU consumption, RAM, etc.).
Here’s what we found for recording:
- CPU usage rose linearly with increased cameras. RAM usage / impact was minimal.
- For the high end laptop, while CPU usage rose, it was so trivial that even with 12 cameras, CPU usage did not go higher than 6%.
- For the mini PC, CPU usage relative to cameras was a lot higher (not surprising) but RAM usage was not impacted.
By comparison, for viewing:
- CPU usage was far more impacted by viewing than recording.
- RAM usage was not a factor.
- On the high end laptop, CPU usage of simultaneous viewing / recording was more than double that of recording alone.
- On the low end mini PC, CPU usage nearly maxed out at just 5 cameras.
Things we did not test:
- Server side motion detection as Exacq does not support it. Obviously, this is something that could have a major impact and variance across VMSes.
- Advanced options on live video display.
- Other VMSes.
- More cameras.
Below are the tech specs of the two machines used for our testing.
Test Laptop:
Operating System: Windows 8 Pro 64-bit (6.2, Build 9200) (9200.win8_gdr.130531-1504)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
System Model: HP ENVY dv6 Notebook PC
BIOS: F.27
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3630QM CPU @ 2.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.4GHz
Memory: 16384MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 16274MB RAM
Page File: 2580MB used, 30077MB available
Windows Dir: C:\Windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.02.9200.16384 64bit Unicode
Graphics Card Specs:
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
DAC type: Internal
Device Type: Full Device
Display Memory: 1664 MB
Dedicated Memory: 32 MB
Shared Memory: 1632 MB
Mini PC:
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1 (7601.win7sp1_gdr.130828-1532)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: AMD
System Model: Brazos
BIOS: Phoenix BIOS SC-T v2.1
Processor: AMD G-T56N Processor (2 CPUs), ~1.6GHz
Memory: 4096MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 3688MB RAM
Page File: 1947MB used, 5427MB available
Windows Dir: C:\windows
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
User DPI Setting: Using System DPI
System DPI Setting: 96 DPI (100 percent)
DWM DPI Scaling: Disabled
DxDiag Version: 6.01.7601.17514 32bit Unicode
Graphics Card Specs:
Card name: AMD Radeon HD 6320 Graphics
Manufacturer: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Chip type: AMD Radeon HD 6320 Graphics (0x9806)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 1960 MB
Dedicated Memory: 372 MB
Shared Memory: 1588 MB