Milestone Systems

XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Getting started guide - Single computer installation

XProtect Corporate
XProtect Expert
XProtect Professional+
XProtect Express+
Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Contents
Copyright, trademarks, and disclaimer 3

Overview 4

About this guide 4

Licensing 5

Licenses (explained) 5

License types 5

Base licenses 5

Device licenses 5

Camera licenses for Milestone Interconnect™ 6

Licenses for XProtect extensions 6

License activation 6

Requirements and considerations 8

Getting started checklist 8

Before you start installation 9

Prepare your servers and network 9

Virus scanning (explained) 9

Prepare cameras and devices 10

Register Software License Code 11

Installation 12

Install your system 12

Download the XProtect® Device Pack 15

Install clients 15

Install XProtect Smart Client 15

XProtect Smart Client interface 17

Install the Management Client 18

Management Client interface 19

Optimization 20

System scaling 20

2 | Contents
Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Copyright, trademarks, and disclaimer

Copyright © 2023 Milestone Systems A/S

Trademarks

XProtect is a registered trademark of Milestone Systems A/S.

Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. App Store is a service mark of
Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

All other trademarks mentioned in this document are trademarks of their respective owners.

Disclaimer

This text is intended for general information purposes only, and due care has been taken in its preparation.

Any risk arising from the use of this information rests with the recipient, and nothing herein should be construed
as constituting any kind of warranty.

Milestone Systems A/S reserves the right to make adjustments without prior notification.

All names of people and organizations used in the examples in this text are fictitious. Any resemblance to any
actual organization or person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and unintended.

This product may make use of third-party software for which specific terms and conditions may apply. When that
is the case, you can find more information in the file 3rd_party_software_terms_and_conditions.txt
located in your Milestone system installation folder.

3 | Copyright, trademarks, and disclaimer

Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Overview

About this guide

This single computer installation guide for XProtect VMS serves as a point of reference to getting started with
your system. The guide helps you perform the basic installation of your system and to verify connections
between clients and server.

The guide has checklists and tasks that help you get started with the software and prepare you for working with
the system.

Check the Milestone website (https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/) for updates to make sure you install
the most recent version of the software.

4 | Overview
Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Licensing

Licenses (explained)
Before you start the installation, you can learn about licenses in this topic.

If you are installing XProtect Essential+, you can run the system with eight device licenses
for free. Automatic license activation is enabled and hardware devices will be activated as
you add them to the system.

Only when you upgrade to a more advanced XProtect product, the rest of this topic is
relevant.

When you purchase your software and licenses, you get:

l An order confirmation and a software license file named after your SLC (Software License Code) and with
the .lic extension received per email

l A Milestone Care coverage

To get started, download the software from our website (https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/). When you
install the software, you are asked to provide a valid license file (.lic).

License types
There are several license types in the XProtect licensing system.

Base licenses

As a minimum, you have a base license for one of the XProtect VMS products. You may also have one or more
base licenses for XProtect extensions.

Device licenses

As a minimum, you have several device licenses. Generally, you need one device license per hardware device
with a camera that you want to add to your system. But this can differ from one hardware device to another and
depending on the hardware device being a Milestone supported hardware device or not. For more information,
see Supported hardware devices on page 6 and Unsupported hardware devices on page 6.

If you want to use the video push feature in XProtect Mobile, you also need one device license per mobile device
or tablet that should be able to push video to your system.

Device licenses are not required for speakers, microphones, or input and output devices attached to your
cameras.

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Supported hardware devices

Generally, you need one device license per hardware device with a camera that you want to add to your system.
But a few supported hardware devices require more than one device license. You can see how many device
licenses your hardware devices require, in the list of supported hardware on the Milestone website
(https://www.milestonesys.com/support/tools-and-references/supported-devices/).

For video encoders with up to 16 channels, you need only one device license per video encoder IP address. A
video encoder can have one or more IP addresses.

However, if the video encoder has more than 16 channels, one device license per activated camera on the video
encoder is required - also for the first 16 activated cameras.

Unsupported hardware devices

An unsupported hardware device requires one device license per activated camera using a video channel.

Unsupported hardware devices do not appear in the list of supported hardware on the Milestone website
(https://www.milestonesys.com/support/tools-and-references/supported-devices/).

Camera licenses for Milestone Interconnect™

To run Milestone Interconnect, you need Milestone Interconnect camera licenses on your central site to view
video from hardware devices on remote sites. The number of required Milestone Interconnect camera licenses
depends on the number of hardware devices on the remote sites that you want to receive data from. Only
XProtect Corporate can act as a central site.

Licenses for XProtect extensions

Most XProtect extensions require additional license types. The software license file also includes information
about your extension licenses. Some extensions have their own separate software license files.

License activation
When you have installed XProtect VMS, it initially runs on licenses that require activation before a certain period
of time has passed. This period of time is called the grace period. Milestone recommends that you activate your
licenses before you make the final adjustments to your devices' setup.

If you do not activate your licenses before the grace period expires, all recording servers and cameras without
activated licenses stop sending data to the XProtect VMS.

You can find an overview of all your licenses for all installations with your Software License Code (SLC) in the
Management Client by going to Basics > License Information.

To activate your licenses:

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l For online activation, log in to the Software Registration page with your My Milestone account on the
Milestone website (https://online.milestonesys.com/)

l For offline activation, you must export a license request (.lrq) file in the Management Client and then log
in to the Software Registration page and upload the .lrq file

Once you have uploaded the .lrq file, Milestone emails you an activated .lic file for import

7 | Licensing
Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Requirements and considerations

Getting started checklist

Follow the checklist below to ensure that you carry out the steps of your installation in the right order.

Completed? Step Details

A new and fully updated Microsoft Windows® installation

Prepare servers and Microsoft®.NET Framework 4.8 or higher installed

network
Assign static IP addresses or make DHCP reservations to all
system components

About virus scanning Exclude specific file types and folders

Make sure camera models and firmware are supported by the

Prepare cameras and XProtect system
devices Cameras must be connected to the network and you can
access them from the computer where you install your system

Go to the Milestone website (https://online.milestonesys.com/)

Register your and register your SLC
Software License
Obtain the .lic-file
Code
This step does not apply to XProtect Essential+ systems

Go to Milestone website
Download the
(https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/) and download
installation files
the relevant installation file

Detailed description of a single computer installation, see

Install your system
Install your system on page 12

Install clients on Install XProtect Smart Client on page 15

other computers Install the Management Client on page 18

8 | Requirements and considerations

Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Before you start installation

Prepare your servers and network

Operating system

Make sure that all servers have a clean installation of a Microsoft Windows operating system, and that it is
updated with all the latest Windows updates.

For information about the system requirements for the various VMS applications and system components, go to
the Milestone website (https://www.milestonesys.com/systemrequirements/).

Microsoft® .NET Framework

Check that all servers have Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 or higher installed.

Network

Assign static IP addresses or make DHCP reservations to all system components and cameras. To make sure
that sufficient bandwidth is available on your network, you must understand how and when the system
consumes bandwidth. The main load on your network consists of three elements:

l Camera video streams

l Clients displaying video

l Archiving of recorded video

The recording server retrieves video streams from the cameras, which results in a constant load on the network.
Clients that display video consume network bandwidth. If there are no changes in the content of the client views,
the load is constant. Changes in view content, video search, or playback, make the load dynamic.

Archiving of recorded video is an optional feature that lets the system move recordings to a network storage if
there is not enough space in the internal storage system of the computer. This is a scheduled job that you have
to define. Typically, you archive to a network drive which makes it a scheduled dynamic load on the network.

Your network must have bandwidth headroom to cope with these peaks in the traffic. This enhances the system
responsiveness and general user experience.

Virus scanning (explained)

The XProtect software contains a database and as with any other database you need to exclude certain files and
folders from virus scanning. Without implementing these exceptions, virus scanning uses a considerable amount
of system resources. On top of that, the scanning process can temporarily lock files, which could result in a
disruption in the recording process or even corruption of databases.

9 | Requirements and considerations

Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

When you need to perform virus scanning, do not scan recording server folders that contain recording
databases (by default C:\mediadatabase\, as well as all subfolders). Also, avoid performing virus scanning on
archive storage directories.

Create the following additional exclusions:

l File types: .blk, .idx, .pic

l Folders and subfolders:

l C:\Program Files\Milestone

l C:\Program Files (x86)\Milestone

l C:\ProgramData\Milestone

Your organization may have strict guidelines regarding virus scanning, but it is important that you exclude the
above folders and files from virus scanning.

Prepare cameras and devices

Make sure your cameras and devices are supported.

On the Milestone website, you can find a detailed list of supported devices and firmware versions
(https://www.milestonesys.com/support/tools-and-references/supported-devices/). Milestone develops unique
drivers for devices or device families, and generic drivers for devices based on standards like ONVIF, or devices
that use the RTSP/RTP protocols.

Some devices that use a generic driver and that are not specifically listed as supported may work, but Milestone
does not provide support for such devices.

Verify that you can access the camera over the network

The recording server must be able to connect to the cameras. To verify that, connect to your cameras from a
browser or the software that came with your camera, on the computer where you want to install the XProtect
system. If you cannot access a camera, the XProtect system cannot access the camera either.

For security reasons, Milestone recommends that you change camera credentials from
their manufacturer defaults.

Instead of accessing the device with the vendor supplied software, you can use the Windows ping utility.

See the camera’s documentation for information about network configuration. If your system is configured with
default port settings, you must connect the camera to HTTP port 80. You can also choose to change the default
port settings.

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Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

If you change the default credentials for a camera, remember to use these when you add
the camera to the system.

Register Software License Code

Before you install, you must have the name and location of the software license file that you received from
Milestone.

You can install a free version of XProtect Essential+. This version provides you with limited capabilities of the
XProtect VMS for a limited number of cameras. You must have internet connection to install XProtect Essential+.

The Software License Code (SLC) is printed on your order confirmation and the software license file is named
after your SLC. Milestone recommends that you register your SLC on our website
(https://online.milestonesys.com/) before installation. Your reseller may have done that for you.

11 | Requirements and considerations

Getting started guide - Single computer installation | XProtect® VMS 2023 R3

Installation

Install your system

The Single Computer option installs all server and client components on the current computer.

You can install a free version of XProtect Essential+. This version provides you with limited capabilities of the
XProtect VMS for a limited number of cameras. You must have internet connection to install XProtect Essential+.

The recording server scans your network for hardware. Discovered devices are added automatically to your
system. Cameras are preconfigured in views, and a default operator role is created. After installation, XProtect
Smart Client opens and is ready for use.

If you upgrade from a previous version of the product, the system does not scan for
cameras, or create new views and operator roles.

1. Download the software from the internet (https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/) and run the
Milestone XProtect VMS Products 2023 R3 System Installer.exe file.

2. The installation files unpack. Depending on the security settings, one or more Windows® security
warnings appear. Accept these and the unpacking continues.

3. When done, the Milestone XProtect VMS installation wizard appears.

1. Select the Language to use during the installation (this is not the language that your system uses
once installed; this is selected later). Click Continue.

2. Read the Milestone End-user License Agreement. Select the I accept the terms in the license
agreement check box and click Continue.

3. On the Privacy settings page, select whether you want to share usage data, and click Continue.

You must not enable data collection if you want the system to have an EU
GDPR-compliant installation. For more information about data protection
and the usage data collection, see the GDPR privacy guide.

You can always change your privacy setting later. See also System settings
(Options dialog box).

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4. In the Enter or browse to the location of the license file, enter your license file from your
XProtect provider. Alternatively, browse to locate it or click the XProtect Essential+ link to
download a free license file. The system verifies your license file before you can continue. Click
Continue.

If you do not have a valid license file you can get one for free. Click the
XProtect Essential+ link to download a free license file. The free license file
is downloaded and appears in the Enter or browse to the location of the
license file field.

4. Select Single computer.

A list of components to install appears (you cannot edit this list). Click Continue.

5. In the Specify recording server settings window, do the following:

1. In the Recording server name field, enter the name of the recording server. The default is the
name of the computer.

2. The Management server address field shows the address and port number of the management
server: localhost:80.

3. In the Select your media database location field, select the location where you want to save your
video recording. Milestone recommends that you save your video recordings in a separate
location from where you install the software and not on the system drive. The default location is
the drive with the most space available.

4. In Retention time for video recordings, define for how long you want to save the video
recordings. You can enter from between 1 and 999 days, where 7 days is the default retention
time.

5. Click Continue.

6. In the Select file location and product language window, do the following:

1. In the File location field, select the location where you want to install the software.

2. In Product language, select the language in which to install your XProtect product.

3. Click Install.

The software now installs. If not already installed on the computer, Microsoft® SQL Server®
Express and Microsoft IIS are automatically installed during the installation.

You may be prompted to restart the computer. After restarting your computer, depending on the
security settings, one or more Windows security warnings may appear. Accept these and the
installation completes.

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7. When the installation completes, a list shows the components that are installed on the computer.

Click Continue to add hardware and users to the system.

If you click Close now, you bypass the configuration wizard and XProtect
Management Client opens. You can configure the system, for example add
hardware and users to the system, in Management Client.

8. In the Enter user names and passwords for hardware window, enter the user names and passwords
for hardware that you have changed from the manufacturer defaults.

The installer scans the network for these hardware as well as hardware with manufacturer default
credentials.

Click Continue.

9. In the Select the hardware to add to the system window, select the hardware that you want to add to
the system. Click Continue.

10. In the Configure the devices window, you can give the hardware useful names by clicking the edit icon
next to the hardware name. This name is then prefixed to the hardware devices.

Expand the hardware node to enable or disable the hardware devices, such as cameras, speakers, and
microphones.

Cameras are enabled by default, and speakers and microphones are disabled by
default.

Click Continue.

11. In the Add users window, you can add Windows users and basic users. These users can have either the
Administrators role or the Operators role.

Define the user and click Add.

When you are done adding users, click Continue.

When the installation and initial configuration are done, the Configuration is complete window appears, where
you see:

l A list of cameras and devices that are added to the system

l A list of users who are added to the system

l Addresses to XProtect Web Client and the mobile server, which you can copy and share with your users

When you click Close, XProtect Smart Client opens and is ready to use.

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Download the XProtect® Device Pack

A device pack is a set of drivers that is installed with your XProtect system to interact with your devices. A device
pack is installed on the recording server. Milestone adds support for new devices and firmware versions on an
ongoing basis, and releases device packs every two months on average. A device pack is automatically included
when you install the XProtect system. To get the latest device pack, manually check for newer versions to
download and install.

To update your device pack after installation, go to the download section of the Milestone website
(https://www.milestonesys.com/downloads/) and download the relevant installation file.

If your system uses very old cameras, you may need to download the device pack for
legacy devices. For more information, see
https://www.milestonesys.com/community/business-partner-tools/device-packs/.

Install clients
You can access your XProtect system from other computers via the clients. The following steps will help you
download and install XProtect Smart Client used for viewing video and the Management Client used for
configuring and managing the system on other computers.

Install XProtect Smart Client

The XProtect system has a built-in public installation web page. From this web page, you can download and
install XProtect Smart Client on any other computer on the network.

1. To access the public installation webpage, enter the following URL in your browser: http://[computer
address]/installation/

[computer address] is the IP address or host name of the XProtect VMS computer.

2. Click All Languages and run the downloaded file.

3. Click Yes to all warnings. Unpacking starts.

4. Select the language for the installer and then click Continue.

5. Read and accept the license agreement. Click Continue.

6. Select the installation type. Click Typical to choose the default values and start the installation.

7. Open XProtect Smart Client. The XProtect Smart Client login dialog box appears.

8. Specify the host name or the IP address of your XProtect VMS computer in the Computer field.

9. Select authentication, enter your user name and password. Click Connect and XProtect Smart Client
opens.

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10. You can verify the default views or add new views: In Setup mode, add a group and then a view to this
group.

11. Add a camera to one of the view items by dragging and dropping it into a view item and click Setup again.

Check that you can see live video and that the round video indicator in the upper right corner of the
camera view is either green or red. Green means that the camera sends video to the system, while red
means that the system is also currently recording the video.

To read in details about the features in XProtect Smart Client and what you can accomplish with your

system, click the Help icon in the upper right corner or press F1 for context sensitive help.

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XProtect Smart Client interface

In XProtect Smart Client, you view live video in live mode, and recorded video in playback mode. When in live
mode, your XProtect Smart Client connects to the surveillance system server and displays live video from
cameras in the selected view.

Item Function

1 Task buttons

2 Application toolbar

3 View

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Item Function

4 View item

5 Tabs

6 Panes

7 Application buttons

8 Main timeline

9 The camera toolbar

Install the Management Client

The XProtect VMS has a built-in administrative installation web page. From this web page, administrators can
download and install the Management Client or other XProtect system components to any other computer on
the network.

1. To access the administrative installation web page, enter the following URL in your browser: http://
[computer address]/installation/admin/

[computer address] is the IP address or host name of the XProtect VMS computer.

2. Click All Languages for the Management Client installer. Run the downloaded file.

3. Click Yes to all warnings. Unpacking starts.

4. Select the language for the installer. Click Continue.

5. Read and accept the license agreement. Click Continue.

6. Select file location and product language. Click Install.

7. The installation is complete. A list of successfully installed components is displayed. Click Close.

8. Click the icon on the desktop to open the Management Client.

9. The Management Client login dialog appears.

10. Specify the host name or the IP address of your management server in the Computer field.

11. Select authentication, enter your user name and password. Click Connect. The Management Client
launches.

To read in details about the features in the Management Client and what you can accomplish with your system,
click Help in the tools menu.

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Management Client interface

1. Tools menu

2. Shortcut icons

3. Site navigation pane

4. Overview pane

5. Video preview

6. Properties

7. Properties tabs

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Optimization

System scaling
To enable scaling of up to thousands of cameras across multiple sites, the system consists of several
components that handle specific tasks. You have installed all components on a single server. Alternatively, you
can install the components on separate dedicated servers to scale and distribute the load.

Depending on hardware and configuration, smaller systems with up to 50-100 cameras can run on a single
server. For systems with more than 100 cameras, Milestone recommends that you use dedicated servers for all
or some of the components.

Not all components are needed in all installations. You can always add components later. Such components
could be additional recording servers, failover recording servers or mobile servers for hosting and providing
access to XProtect Mobile and XProtect Web Client.

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 helpfeedback@milestone.dk

About Milestone

Milestone Systems is a leading provider of open platform video management software; technology that helps
the world see how to ensure safety, protect assets and increase business efficiency. Milestone Systems
enables an open platform community that drives collaboration and innovation in the development and use of
network video technology, with reliable and scalable solutions that are proven in more than 150,000 sites
worldwide. Founded in 1998, Milestone Systems is a stand-alone company in the Canon Group. For more
information, visit https://www.milestonesys.com/.