What is DMPro?

Applies to:  DMPro

Summary:

This article outlines the core purpose of DMPro and the overall flow from adding new cameras, servers and storage units, through to managing them and their licenses, as well as assigning tasks to resolve issues.

Overview:

DMPro tracks the health of key components in your Hanwha Vision video systems across many locations securely via the cloud. It also enables you to track the imminent expiration of software licenses, and update camera firmware. DMPro remotely manages and monitors your Hanwha Vision systems.

• Health monitoring: Monitor the health of both Hanwha Vision and third-party cameras, WAVE servers, and storage.
• Firmware management: Identify devices that need firmware updates, incorporating new features, bug fixes, performance improvements, and cybersecurity enhancements. Schedule them to maximize uptime.
• License management: Track software licenses assigned to specific cameras, and proactively renew them to maximize uptime.
• High accessibility: DMPro uses the secure cloud for high availability and remote access from anywhere.

DMPro makes it easier for Administrators handling multiple dispersed systems to stay aware of the status of the installations.

• Cameras can fall offline for any number of reasons, as can recording servers.
• Servers and storage units can show warning signs of strain even before they fail, and so scheduled interventions could have eliminated unscheduled downtime.
• As cameras become smarter, the underlying firmware and on-board apps need frequent updating, often with camera-specific versions.
• Some software is licensed as a service, typically with a 1, 3, or 5-year duration. For systems with many cameras whose licenses were started on different dates, it is easy for a camera license to suddenly expire and result in a temporary loss of service.

DMPro addresses these challenges with proactive, system-wide, cloud-based monitoring and management.

Once configured, authorized users will receive proactive notifications. Some managers will use the built-in collaborative workflow to create, assign, and track tasks to resolve issues. And sometimes the resolution will not be a technical fix, but a need to renew a license.

Device Manager and DMPro:

Wisenet Device Manager and DMPro are complementary products.

Device Manager focuses on the on-site initial configuration of cameras, such as assigning IP addresses, names, analytics rules etc.

Conversely, DMPro addresses the post-configuration need to remotely monitor and manage these devices including cameras, servers, and storage, as well as their firmware and licenses.

High-level flow:

1. Navigate to Cloud Portal where you can add your Locations, Devices, Users and Licenses.
   
   
2. Navigate to DMPro using the App Switcher () in the upper right corner of your screen.
   
   
   
3. Add (claim) your devices that you have previously onboarded into Cloud Portal.
   
4. Ensure the cameras have attached DMPro licenses.  This step is not applicable to devices connected via WAVE Sync.
   
   
5. You will now have a dashboard showing:
   • A summary of all locations, highlighting those in an error or warning state.
   • A summary of the status of all your servers, cameras, and storage units.
   • A summary of how many devices are eligible for a firmware update.
   • A summary of the number of licenses you have in use, how many are still available, how many have expired, and the number of licenses expiring soon.
   • A list of notifications covering a wide variety of topics, into which you can drill down for more information, or assign.
     

Cloud-enabling cameras for DMPro:

DMPro can monitor and manage the devices, firmware, and licenses remotely because it is a cloud-based solution. This requires that the devices under management be directly, or indirectly, connected to the Internet.

The first step when using DMPro is to cloud-enable your cameras so they can be monitored and managed by DMPro.

A common indirect approach is to leverage WAVE Sync, which immediately makes all brands of WAVE connected cameras visible within DMPro. Alternatively, DM Bridge is a free software application that runs on any compatible Windows server and acts as a software bridge.  It consumes negligible bandwidth because it is not conveying video.

Note: To learn more about DM Bridge, refer to this article.

Finally, the most direct approach is the CloudConnector App that runs on compatible Hanwha Vision cameras which connects the camera directly to the cloud.

The available DMPro functionality varies slightly depending on the connectivity method, as shown below.