Official Response Requested From ONSSI Concerning Legacy Driver Packs...

Undisclosed #1

11/18/15 04:25am

Dear ONSSI,

If one chooses not to upgrade to Ocularis 5.x at this time, but instead one continues with a legacy version of the recorder, can you state exactly what to expect regarding legacy driver pack availability?

Will you continue to provide the latest driver packs as long as one is using the legacy version, no matter how long?

Will those driver packs have new model cameras as they come out?

Does one have to have a valid SUP to receive them?

Apologies if this had been answered elsewhere.

Thanks.

Ari Robinson

11/18/15 02:47pm

OnSSI will continue to make the latest legacy version driver pack's available. We just released version 8.2 and it is available on our website.

The newer driver pack's will continue to include newly supported models.

SUP (StayCURRENT) is not needed to receive new legacy version driver pack releases.

Ari Robinson

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Ari Robinson | 11/18/15 02:49pm

Ari, thanks. What about the future? Is OnSSI committing to provide new driver packs in 2016 and 2017, etc.? When does that end?

Ari Robinson

In reply to John Honovich | 11/18/15 03:24pm

John, the content of the driver pack is the same as the content that Milestone provides.

As long as Milestone makes the driver pack's available, they will be available to all customers using legacy versions.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Ari Robinson | 11/18/15 03:25pm

"As long as Milestone makes the driver pack's available"

And how long is that? Is it at Milestone's discretion?

Ari Robinson

11/18/15 04:21pm

Sorry John if I was not clear.

The drivers that Milestone releases are compatible with both Milestone versions and OnSSI legacy recorder versions.

Therefore, as long as Milestone makes these drivers available for their own customers, they will also be available for OnSSI customers using legacy recorder versions.

There is no time limit.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ari Robinson | 11/18/15 06:10pm

Thanks for your candor, Ari.

Therefore, as long as Milestone makes these drivers available for their own customers, they will also be available for ONSSI customers.

Of course the one rub there is that Milestone could make new driver packs ONLY work with Xprotect in all of about six seconds.

Which wouldn't be quite the concern it is if it weren't for the growing animosity between the two sides.

Ari Robinson

11/18/15 08:10pm

......Milestone could make new driver packs ONLY work with Xprotect in all of about six seconds.

If a new driver pack works in Milestone it will also work in any Ocularis legacy product with that corresponding recorder version.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ari Robinson | 11/18/15 08:33pm

If a new driver pack works in Milestone it will also work in any Ocularis legacy product with that corresponding recorder version.

Disagree.

The driver packs are .dll's. Typically one or two per camera manufacturer.

They are executable code, not simply data.

They are invoked by the higher level process as needed, whether that be Milestone or Ocularis.

A new Milestone driver pack, (i.e. set of dll's), could be written to simply check the registry to see if Xprotect was installed and return an error if it was not. This is trivial.

Even if this were not possible, what stops Milestone from making the driver packs a protected download, free but only available to registered users?

Ari Robinson

In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 11/18/15 10:21pm

The scenario that you are describing is a completely unrealistic scenario. I won’t get into Milestone’s contractual obligations, but I can and will reiterate to you that newly supported devices *will* continue to be made available for OnSSI customers who are using legacy recorder versions.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ari Robinson | 11/18/15 10:48pm

I won’t get into Milestone’s contractual obligations...

Maybe you should, since to know that they were contractually obligated to provide drivers would be huge. But you're not (quite) saying that are you? What's the downside to saying it?

Certainly, there are unverified reports that could be dismissed if both sides were to state what the contractual status was plainly:

...the long-standing agreement between OnSSI and Milestone for OnSSI to utilize the Milestone recording engine had elapsed and no further cooperation between the two companies would exist.

As the Milestone/OnSSI agreement officially ended at midnight September 30th, Copenhagen, Denmark, time —3:00PM in Anaheim, CA— the email blast announcement was sent out. - Security Hive

Of course, uncertainty plays into Milestone's hand, so maybe they would rather leave an errant report alone. But ONSSI has no reason to be timid.

If there is a valid long-term legally binding agreement for drivers, then I agree the scenario above is unrealistic, if not it doesn't seem that unlikely. Especially given the Milestone license transfer as an option/enticement.

Carrot and stick.

Undisclosed #1

11/27/15 02:46am

Cross posted from Milestone No Updates In Over a Year!:

Milestone Systems' agreement with OnSSI has expired, but Ocularis users of version 4.2 and earlier are welcome to use device packs from Milestone.

In case users need new Device Packs from Milestone, i.e. Device Pack 8.2, which was released after our agreement with OnSSI expired, they are available on our website for download.

We have no agreement with OnSSI, which allows them to distribute our new Device Packs.

Karl Erik Traberg

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 11/27/15 11:28am

OnSSI disagrees with this and says they are going to talk to Milestone and then update / respond.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to John Honovich | 11/28/15 10:32am

Nics finesse here by Milestone.

On the one hand, they don't want to be seen as the bad guy by threatening to restrict the service packs, now or in the future.

On the other, if there is no agreement on the new drivers, Milestone can make it clear that they are the ones controlling the situation, not ONSSI, by forcing customers to go to their site, possibly register etc, before be allowed to download.

Then maybe when you download your new drivers they offer to throw in a demo of Xprotect Professional too... Why wouldn't they?

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