AXIS S9301 Camera Station Workstation User Manual

: June 9, 2024
: AXIS

AXIS S9301 Camera Station Workstation

AXIS-S9301-Camera-Station-Workstation-product-image

About your device

AXIS Camera Station S9301 Workstation is a workstation for high-definition surveillance with support for two simultaneous 4K monitors. The workstation is preloaded with an AXIS Camera Station client and is preconfigured to minimize installation time. Together with Axis rack servers, AXIS S9301 creates comprehensive, high-end surveillance solutions.

AXIS Camera Station S9301 Workstation

Get started

The standard workflow to configure an AXIS Camera Station recording server is:

Install your device
Initial Windows® setup: After installing your device, you are guided through a few steps to set up the region, language, keyboard layout, an administrator account and its password.
Initial Axis recorder setup: After the initial Windows setup, AXIS Recorder Toolbox is opened and you are guided through a few steps to set up basic and necessary settings, for example, computer name, date and time, and network. See .
Configure Windows. We recommend to:
- Update Windows to the latest version. See Update Windows® on page 15.
- Create a standard user account. See Create a user account on page 10.
Update AXIS Camera Station to the latest version.
If your system is online: open the AXIS Recorder Toolbox app and click Update AXIS Camera Station.
If your system is offline: go to axis.com and download the latest version.
Configure AXIS Camera Station
Connect your system to the AXIS Camera Station mobile viewing app. See Connect to AXIS Camera Station server.

To watch this video, go to the web version of this document.
help.axis.com/?&piaId=81454&section=about-your- device

Install your device

Before installation

Prepare additional accessories used for installation: monitor, mouse, keyboard and network cable.
Understand the usage of different user accounts.

The following table lists the user accounts that can be used for installation, configuration and operation of your Axis system.

User account	Description	Note
MyAxis	Used to download the latest software, access the license system, Axis
Secure Remote Access, and System Health Monitoring.	Registered from

my.axis.com.
Windows®
Windows administrator| Administrator privileges in Windows. We recommend you do not use it as AXIS Camera Station administrator.| Created during initial Windows setup.
Windows user with AXIS Camera Station administrator privileges| A Windows user granted with administrator privileges in AXIS Camera Station to be used by system integrator or system administrator for configuration or troubleshooting.| Created in Windows settings.
Windows user with AXIS Camera Station operator or viewer privileges| A Windows user granted with operator or viewer privileges in AXIS Camera Station.| Created in Windows settings.
Device
Device administrator| Used by the administrator to access the camera from the video management system or device webpage.| Created from the device webpage or when you add the device to AXIS Camera Station.

Installation

For instructions on how to install the product, see the installation guide included in the box or on the product’s support page on axis.com.

Conﬁgure your device

Initial Axis recorder setup
After you have configured Windows®, AXIS Recorder Toolbox is opened automatically and you are guided through the first-time configuration wizard. In this wizard, you can configure several basic and necessary settings before you manage your device in AXIS Recorder Toolbox.

Select Light or Dark theme and click Next.
Change the computer name if you want and click Next.
Under Power settings,
- Never put the computer to sleep and Never turn off the display are selected by default.
- We recommend that you keep both options selected to make the live view and recordings available all the time. You can always go to Start > Settings > System > Power & sleep to change the settings.
Under Date and time, configure the following settings and click Next.
- Select a time zone.
- To set up an NTP server, select NTP server and enter the NTP server address.
- To set manually, select Manual and select a date and time.
Under Network settings, configure the following settings and click Next.
- Use automatic IP settings (DHCP) and Use automatic DNS settings are turned on by default.
- If your device is connected to a network with a DHCP server, the assigned IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and preferred DNS are automatically displayed.
- If your device is not connected to a network or there is no DHCP server available, enter the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and preferred DNS manually depending on the network requirements.
Click Finish. If you have changed the computer name, AXIS Recorder Toolbox will prompt you to restart the device.

Configure AXIS Camera Station
This Get started tutorial will walk you through the basic steps to make your system up and running. Before you start, you may need to:

Configure your network depending on your installation. See Network configuration.
Configure your server ports if needed. See Server port configuration.
Consider security issues. See Security considerations.

After necessary configurations, you can start to work with AXIS Camera Station:

Start AXIS Camera Station
Add devices
Configure recording method on page 7
Live view cameras on page 7
Playback recordings on page 8
Add bookmarks on page 8
Export recordings on page 8
Play and verify recordings in AXIS File Player on page 8

Start AXIS Camera Station
AXIS Camera Station Service Control automatically starts after the installation is complete.
Double-click the AXIS Camera Station client icon to start the AXIS Camera Station client. When starting the client for the first time, it automatically attempts to log in to the AXIS Camera Station server installed on the same computer as the client.
You can connect to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers in different ways.

Add devices
The first time you start your AXIS Camera Station, you are navigated to the Add devices page. AXIS Camera Station automatically searches the network for connected devices and displays a list of devices found.

Select the cameras to add from the list.
If your camera is not listed, click Manual search.
Click Add.
Select Quick configuration or Site Designer configuration. Click Next.
Use the default settings and ensure the recording method is set to None. Click Install.

Configure recording method

Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.
If you want to enable motion detection recording:
Select a camera.
Turn on Motion detection. 2.3 Click Apply.
If you want to enable continuous recording:
Select a camera.
Turn on Continuous.
Click Apply.

Live view cameras

Click the Live view tab to navigate to the camera live view.
Click a camera to navigate to the live view of that camera.
A blue dot after the camera name shows that continuous recording is in progress. A red dot after the camera name shows that motion detection recording is in progress.
Click to navigate from Live view to Recordings.
A red line in the timeline shows that motion detection recording has been taken for that period. A blue line in the timeline shows that continuous recording is in progress.

Playback recordings

Go to the Recording tab.
In the timeline of the camera, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out and drag the timeline to make the marker pointing at your desired position.
To start playing the recording from the desired position, click .

Add bookmarks

Go to the Recording tab.
In the timeline of the camera, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out and drag the timeline to make the marker pointing at your desired position.
Click .
Enter the bookmark name and description. Use keywords in the description to make the bookmark easy to find and recognized.
Select Prevent recording deletion to lock the recording. A locked recording can’t be deleted unless actively unlocked.
Click OK. A bookmark icon is displayed at your desired position in the timeline.

Export recordings

Go to the Recording tab.
In the timeline of the camera, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
Click to display the selection markers.
Drag the markers to include the recordings that you want to export.
Click to open the Export tab.
Click Export….

Play and verify recordings in AXIS File Player

Go to the folder that you have specified for the exported recordings. In this example, the exported files include the recordings in the .asf format, the notes in the .txt format, and AXIS File Player.
Double-click AXIS File Player. The exported recordings will be automatically played.
Click to show the notes added to the recordings.
To verify the digital signature:
Go to Tools > Verify digital signature.
Select Validate with password and enter your password.
Click Verify. The verification result page is displayed.

Note
Digital signature is different from Signed video. Signed video allows video to be traced back to the camera it originated from, making it possible to verify that the recording hasn’t been tampered with after it left the camera. See Signed video and the camera’s user manual for more information.

Network configuration
When AXIS Camera Station client, AXIS Camera Station server, and the connected network devices are installed on different networks, you might need to configure proxy or firewall settings before using AXIS Camera Station.

Client proxy settings
When the client and the server are separated by a proxy server, configure the client proxy settings.

Double-click the AXIS Camera Station client icon.
Click Change client proxy settings.
Change the client proxy settings.
Click OK.

Server proxy settings
When network devices and the server are separated by a proxy server, configure the server proxy settings.

Double-click the AXIS Service Control icon in Windows notification area.
Select Modify settings.
In the Proxy settings section, use the default System account internet option or select Use manual proxy settings.
Click Save.

NAT and Firewall
When the client and the server are separated by a NAT, firewall or similar, configure the NAT or firewall to ensure that the HTTP port, TCP port, and streaming port specified in AXIS Camera Station Service Control are allowed to pass through the firewall and/or NAT. For instructions how to configure the NAT or firewall, contact the network administrator.

Server port configuration
The ports 55752 (HTTP), 55754 (TCP), 55756 (mobile communication), and 55757 (mobile streaming) are used on AXIS Camera Station server for communication between the server and the client. If required, the ports can be changed from AXIS Camera Station Service Control.

Security considerations
To prevent unauthorized access to cameras and recordings, keep the following in mind:

Use strong passwords for all network devices (cameras, video encoders and auxiliary devices).
Install AXIS Camera Station server, cameras, video encoders, and auxiliary devices on a secure network separated from the office network. AXIS Camera Station client can be installed on a computer on another network, for example a network with Internet access.
Ensure all users have strong passwords. Using Windows Active Directory a high level of security can be implemented.

Manage Windows® user accounts

Create a user account
To help keep your personal data and information more secure, we recommend that you add a password for each local account.

Important
Once you create a password for a local account, don’t forget it. There’s no way to recover a lost password for local accounts.

Go to Settings > Accounts > Other people > Add someone else to this PC.
Click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.
Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Enter a user name, password and password hint.
Click Next and follow the instructions.

Create an administrator account

Go to Settings > Accounts > Other people.
Go to the account you want to change and click Change account type.
Go to Account type and select Administrator.
Click OK.
Restart your device and sign in with the new administrator account.

Create a local user group

Go to Computer Management.
Go to Local Users and Groups > Group.
Right-click Group and select New Group.
Enter a group name and a description.
Add group members:
Click Add.
Click Advanced.
Find the user account(s) you want to add to the group and click OK.
Click OK again.
Click Create.

Delete a user account

Important
When you delete an account you remove the user account from the login screen. You also remove all files, settings and program data stored on the user account.

Go to Settings > Accounts > Other people.
Go to the account you want to remove and click Remove.

Change a user account’s password

Log in with an administrator account.
Go to User Accounts > User Accounts > Manage another account in sequence. You’ll see a list with all user accounts on the device.
Select the user account whose password you would like to change.
Click Change the password.
Enter the new password and click Change password.

Create a password reset disk for a user account
We recommend to create a password reset disk using a USB flash drive.
Then, if you forget your password, you can reset the password. Without a USB reset disk, you can’t reset the password.
If you’re using Windows 10, you can add security questions to your local account in case you forget your password, so you don’t need to create a password reset disk. To do this, got to Start and click Settings > Sign-in options > Update your security questions.

Sign in to your device with a local user account. You can’t create a password reset disk for a connected account.
Plug a USB flash drive into your device.
If there’s any data on the USB flash drive, back it up.
From the Windows® search field, go to Create a password reset disk.
In the Forgotten Password wizard, click Next.
Select your USB flash drive and click Next.
Type your current password and click Next.
Follow the onscreen instructions.
Remove the USB flash drive and keep it in a safe place where you’ll remember it. You don’t have to create a new disk when you change your password even if you change it several times.

Manage AXIS Camera Station user accounts

Configure user permissions

Go to Configuration > Security > User permissions to view a list of the users and groups that have been added to AXIS Camera Station.

Note
Administrators of the computer on which the AXIS Camera Station server is installed are automatically given administrator privileges to AXIS Camera Station. You can’t change or remove the administrators group’s privileges.

Before a user or group can be added, the user or group must be registered on the local computer or have an Windows Active Directory user account. Using Windows Active Directory, a high level of security can be implemented.
When a user is part of a group, the user gets the highest role permission that is assigned to the individual and the group.
When a user is part of a group, the user gets the access granted as an individual and also receives the rights as part of a group. For example, a user is given access to camera X as an individual. The user is also a member of a group. The group is given access to cameras Y and Z. The user then has access to cameras X, Y and Z.
If there are security concerns regarding the access to the computer by a designated AXIS Camera Station user, create a standard user account that you then use for access to Axis Camera Station. You can then elevate the account to administrator in Configuration > Security > User permissions.

The list consists of the following information:

Item	Description
Icon	Indicates the entry is a group or a single user.
Name	Username as it appears in the local computer or Active Directory.
Domain	Domain name where the user or group is registered.
Role	The access role given to the user or group.

Possible values: Administrator, Operator, and Viewer.
Details| Detailed user information as it appears in the local computer or Active Directory.
Server| Server name where the user or group is registered. Only available when connecting to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers.

To add users or groups, see Add users or groups.
To change user access rights for a user or group, click the user or group and make changes. Click Apply.
To remove a user or group, select the user or group and click Remove. In the pop-up dialog, click OK to remove the user or group.

Add users or groups
User accounts in Microsoft Windows and Active Directory users and groups can access AXIS Camera Station. To add a user to AXIS Camera Station, you have to add users or a group to Windows.
To add a user or group in Microsoft Windows: Adding a user in Windows may vary depending on which version of Windows you are running. Follow the instructions on Microsoft’s site. If you are connected to an Active Directory domain network, consult your network administrator.

Add users or groups

Go to Configuration > Security > User permissions and click Add.
When connecting to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers, select a server from the Selected server drop-down list.
Select Server to search for users or groups on the local computer, or select Domain to search for Active Directory users or groups. When connecting to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers, you can select which server to search for.
Select Users or Groups to search for only users or groups.
The list of users or groups is displayed. Users and groups that have already been added to AXIS Camera Station are not listed.
- If there are too many users or groups, the search result is not displayed. Use the Type to search field to refine the search and find a specific user or group.
- If the domain user search fails, the Service logon account must be changed.
Select the users or groups and click Add. The users or groups are added to the list and shown in italics.

Configure a user or group

Select a user or group in the list.
Under Role, select Administrator, Operator, or Viewer.
If you have selected Operator or Viewer, you can configure the user or group privileges. See User or group privileges.
Click Save. The user or group in the list is not in italics and ready to be used.

User or group privileges
There are three roles that can be given to a user or group. For how to define access privileges for a user or group, see Add users or groups.

Administrator: Full access to the entire system, including access to live and recorded video of all cameras, access to all I/O ports and views. Therefore, you do not need to specify any camera, I/O or view privileges for a user with this role. This role is required in order to configure anything in the system.
Operator: Access to live and recorded video of selected cameras and access to selected I/O ports and views. An operator has full access to all functionality of AXIS Camera Station except system configuration.
Viewer: Access to live video of selected cameras and access to selected I/O ports and views. A viewer does not have access to recorded video or system configuration.

Cameras
The following access privileges are available for users or groups with the Operator or Viewer role.

Access: Allow access to the camera and all camera features.
Video: Allow access to live video from the camera.
Audio listen: Allow access to listen from the camera.
Audio speak: Allow access to speak to the camera.
Manual Recording: Allow to start and stop recordings manually.
Mechanical PTZ: Allow access to mechanical PTZ controls. Only available for cameras with mechanical PTZ.
PTZ priority: Set the PTZ priority. A lower number means a higher priority. 0means that no priority is assigned. An administrator has the highest priority. When a role with higher priority operates a PTZ camera, others can’t operate the same camera for 10 seconds by default. Only available for cameras with mechanical PTZ and Mechanical PTZ is selected.

Views
The following access privileges are available for users or groups with the Operator or Viewer role. You can select multiple views and set the access privileges.

Access: Allow access to the views in AXIS Camera Station.
Edit: Allow to edit the views in AXIS Camera Station.

I/O
The following access privileges are available for users or groups with the Operator or Viewer role. The I/O ports are listed by device.

Access: Allow full access to the I/O port.
Read: Allow to view the state of the I/O port. The user is not able to change the port state.
Write: Allow to change the state of the I/O port.

System
The access privileges that can’t be configured are greyed out and listed under Role privileges. The privileges with check mark means the user or group have this privilege by default.
The following access privileges are available for users or groups with the Operator role.

Take snapshots: Allow taking snapshots in the live view and recordings modes.
Export recordings: Allow exporting recordings.
Generate incident report: Allow generating incident reports.
Prevent access to recordings older than: Prevent accessing recordings older than the specified number of minutes.
When using search, the user will not find recordings older than the specified time.
Recordings and bookmarks older than the specified time can’t be played.
Access System Health Monitoring: Allow accessing System Health Monitoring.

The following access privileges are available for users or groups with the Viewer role.

Take snapshots: Allow taking snapshots in the live view and recordings modes.

Manage your device

Update Windows®
Windows® 10 periodically checks for updates.
When an update is available, your device automatically downloads the update but you’ve to install it manually.

Note
Recording will be interrupted during a scheduled system restart.

To manually check for updates:

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
Click Check for updates.

Configure Windows update settings
Sometimes you might want to change how and when Windows® updates.

Note
All ongoing recordings stop during a scheduled system restart.

Open the Run app.
Go to Windows System > Run, or
press WIN and R.
Type pewit. MSc and click OK. The Local Group Policy Editor opens.
Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
Configure the settings as required, see example.

Example
To automatically download and install updates without any user interaction and have the device restart if necessary out of office hours use the following configuration:

Open Always automatically restart at the scheduled time and select:
Enabled
The restart timer will give users this much time to save their work (minutes): 15.
Click OK.
Open Configure Automatic Updates and select:
Enabled
Configure Automatic updates: Auto download and schedule the install
Schedule Install day: Every Sunday
Schedule Install time: 00:00
Click OK.
Open Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation and select:
Enabled
Click OK.

Troubleshooting

Check the current BIOS version

To check the current BIOS:

Power on the device and repeatedly press F2 until the Axis logo appears.
The version number is shown as first entry under Overview.

Upgrade BIOS
You should upgrade the BIOS only when you are instructed by Axis technical support.

Go to the support pages on dell.com and enter your service tag. Go to Drivers & Downloads, filter on BIOS, and download the latest .exe file.
Launch the executable in Windows and follow the instructions provided on screen.

Perform a system recovery

Internal recovery
If the device has had a system failure, perform an internal recovery to restore the system.

Open Windows Settings.
Select Update & Security.
In the menu, select Recovery.
Under Reset the PC click Get Started.
Select Keep my files.
Important
It is strongly recommended that you do not select Remove everything as this will remove all Axis applications and configurations, including AXIS Camera Station.
If you are connected to internet, select Local reinstall, otherwise go direct to step 7.
Select Next without doing any changes.
Select Reset.

Note
Before selecting Reset, you can view a list of apps that will be removed by the reset. These apps will be restored after the recovery.

Important
After a successful recovery, it’s important that you log in to Windows with an Administrator account to finalize the recovery process.

External recovery
If the device has had a complete system failure, you must use a recovery image to recreate the Windows® system. To download the AXIS Recovery Kit, contact AXIS Technical Support and supply the serial number of your device.

Download the AXIS Recovery Kit and AXIS ISO to USB Tool.
Insert a USB drive into your computer.
- Use a USB drive with a minimum of 16 GB to 32 GB.
- The USB drive will be formatted, and all existing data will be erased.
Run the AXIS ISO to USB Tool and follow the onscreen instructions.
Writing data to the USB drive takes approximately 10 to 15 min. Don’t remove the USB drive until the process is complete.
After the ISO to USB tool is complete, take the USB drive and plug it into your device.
Start your device and before the AXIS splash screen appears press F12. We recommend that you tap the F12 key repeatedly as the device boots fast.
Navigate to your USB drive and press ENTER. The system boots into the AXIS Recovery Kit.
For example it should say UEFI: Sandisk.
Click Reinstall Operating System.
The recovery takes roughly 10 to 15 min to complete. You find detailed instructions in the download for the recovery kit.