The proper storage solution for your Video and Data Monitoring System (VDMS) is a critical decision that directly impacts system reliability, performance, and data security. With increasing demands for high-resolution video recording and longer retention periods, understanding the nuances of storage options is crucial for maintaining and ensuring seamless operations and data integrity.

Choosing The Right Fit

This guide outlines three primary storage types — Direct-Attached Storage (DAS), Storage Area Network (SAN), and Network-Attached Storage (NAS) — and their suitability for various Luxriot Evo VDMS deployment scenarios. Each storage type offers distinct advantages and trade-offs in terms of performance, scalability, cost, and applicability to specific use cases.

• DAS (Direct-Attached Storage) is ideal for high-performance, single-server environments where direct control over storage is crucial. It excels in handling high data throughput and provides excellent reliability when configured with hardware RAID solutions.
• SAN (Storage Area Network) is designed for enterprise-scale systems requiring centralized, high-availability block storage. While more expensive and complex, SAN provides low-latency performance and redundancy, making it ideal for mission-critical applications.
• NAS (Network-Attached Storage) offers a cost-effective solution for small to medium deployments. It simplifies file sharing and provides moderate scalability, but its reliance on network performance can introduce bottlenecks in high-demand scenarios.

Whether you're managing a small deployment with a handful of cameras or a large-scale system with hundreds of devices, make informed decisions by aligning each storage solution’s strengths with your surveillance demands.

1. DAS: The Lone Sprinter

DAS is directly attached to a single computer or server without a network in between. It is perfect for handling intense workloads within a single server with precision and speed: we typically recommend using this type of storage due to its high data throughput and reliability of data transmission.

1.1 DAS as the Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) 

What is it? It is a method of combining multiple disks into a single system to improve performance, redundancy, or both.

Key Features:

• Data redundancy: Provides fault tolerance by duplicating or distributing data across drives (e.g., RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6).
• Performance boost: Certain configurations (e.g., RAID 0, RAID 10) increase read/write speeds by splitting data across multiple drives.
• Configurable levels: Various RAID levels cater to different needs:
  • RAID 0: Maximum speed, zero redundancy.
  • RAID 1: Uses disk mirroring to provide redundancy.
  • RAID 5/6: Balances performance with data protection through parity, suitable for most surveillance applications.
  • RAID 10: Combines the speed of striping with the safety of mirroring, ideal for high-performance, high-reliability environments.
• Hardware or software RAID: The best performance is achieved with a dedicated hardware RAID controller.

Ideal Use Cases: Environments where data integrity and performance are critical, like video recording servers or enterprise systems.

• Can hold up to 350* cameras per single recording server.
• Hardware controllers for the RAID arrays are recommended.
• RAID 6 with hot spare drive(-s) is a good practice for high-performance storage (>20-30 MB/s data write speed)
• Configure your RAID controller cache for the Data write only and disable it for the Data read. This will help to avoid data write delays during intensive data read operations.
• Recommended RAID controller hardware price may begin at $700+.

*Disclaimer: While a single server may technically support a larger number of camera streams, Luxriot does not recommend or provide support for such configurations due to potential performance limitations. Proceeding with such deployments is at the user’s own discretion and risk.

Don’t forget to consult your RAID controller manufacturer’s official compatibility list to verify SSD/HDD support.

Note: We do not recommend software or pseudo-hardware RAID arrays (including the so-called “Fake RAIDs” built into the motherboard). 

1.2 DAS as Just a Bunch of Disks (JBOD)

What is it? A storage setup where disks operate independently without any RAID configuration. 

Key Features:

• Simplicity: No additional configuration; disks function as standalone storage.
• Full capacity use: Utilizes the entire capacity of each disk, unlike some RAID levels that reserve space for redundancy.
• No redundancy: If a disk fails, its data is lost, as there’s no mirroring or parity.
• Cost-effectiveness: Requires no specialized controllers or RAID-capable hardware.

Ideal Use Cases: Suitable for non-critical data storage or when the priority is maximizing available storage capacity.

If the server has no hardware RAID controller, then the JBOD storage can serve as a fallback option, as Luxriot EVO allows distributing records across multiple drives in parallel. This approach can increase data write speed, but it also leaves a relatively high risk of data loss due to HDD/SSD failure.

If this is your case, then:

• Split cameras evenly with up to 30Mb/s per HDD/SSD (depending on its performance).
• Set recommended allocation unit size: 64 kilobytes or larger for NTFS partitions.
• Use one of the JBOD drives as the Luxriot EVO Failure storage.

Note: JBOD storage is not a fully data-safe solution; video data on the particular drive may be lost if it fails.

2. SAN: The Corporate Backbone

What it is: A high-speed network that provides block-level storage to multiple servers. Built for the big leagues: robust, centralized, and always ready to scale, but demands a skilled pit crew.

Key Features:

• Designed for high-performance applications with low latency.
• Supports centralized storage, redundancy, and failover mechanisms.
• Uses specialized networking technologies like Fibre Channel or iSCSI.

Ideal Use Cases: Large-scale enterprise systems requiring high availability and scalability (e.g., virtualization, databases). Suitable for big projects but more expensive compared to DAS hardware. It could also be costly to maintain.

Note: SAN typically offers superior performance and redundancy compared to NAS. Misconfigurations or network issues may impact availability but data loss is unlikely with a properly maintained SAN environment. While SAN delivers top-tier performance and redundancy, it can be overkill for many deployments: its cost and complexity demand careful justification and skilled setup. 

3. Network-Attached Storage (NAS)

What is it? A dedicated file storage device accessible over a standard network (e.g., Ethernet). Affordable, ideal for small-to-mid operations — but watch out for traffic jams.

Key Features:

• File-level access with protocols like SMB/CIFS or NFS.
• Easy to deploy and manage, even in small environments.
• Scalable by adding more NAS devices or expanding disks.

Ideal Use Cases: Small to medium-sized deployments for file sharing, backups, or moderate data storage needs.

Note: While NAS devices can theoretically handle multiple tens of camera streams, the actual number of cameras per device depends significantly on hardware specifications, recording resolutions, bitrates, and network conditions. In some high-performance setups, a NAS may handle up to 100 cameras, but this requires enterprise-grade hardware, efficient disk arrays (e.g., RAID 6 or 10), and robust network infrastructure. Always validate the capacity with real-world throughput tests and manufacturer benchmarks before deployment.

Know The Limits: Real-World Constraints

Selecting the proper NAS storage for your Video and Data Management System (VDMS) is crucial to maintaining a reliable and seamless archive of your video feeds. Insufficient or incompatible hardware can lead to performance bottlenecks, resulting in missed frames or gaps (holes) in the video archives—something no business can afford when security or operational records are on the line. These interruptions often occur because the NAS storage cannot handle the data throughput required by the system, particularly during periods of high activity.

By understanding the specific needs of your setup and choosing the proper storage, you can ensure smooth performance, prevent data loss, and avoid the frustrating blame game between hardware vendors and software providers. Make informed decisions about NAS storage that meet your VDMS requirements, ensuring high availability, reliability, and performance.

NAS Deployment Tiers for Luxriot Evo VDMS

How Much Is Enough: Basic Calculation Examples

To determine the appropriate NAS storage for your VDMS setup, accurately estimating your system's data throughput and storage requirements is essential. Below, you will find a few basic calculation examples to help you understand the requirements.

Should you need a more sophisticated system calculation, please refer to our hardware calculator.

1. Data Throughput Calculation Example

• Number of streams (cameras): 20
• Bitrate per stream: 8 Mbps (megabits per second)
• Total data throughput:
  • Formula: number of streams * bitrate per Stream
  • Calculation: 20 cameras * 8 Mbps = 160 Mbps
  • Converted to MB/s (megabytes per second): 160 Mbps / 8 = 20 MB/s

Thus, for a medium deployment, the NAS must consistently handle a write speed of at least 20 MB/s, preferably higher, to accommodate peak loads or increased activity.

Note: This calculation considers pure video streaming data. Please keep in mind that overhead from protocols, filesystem, RAID parity, caching, etc., may add 10–20% extra. It is advisable to account for this to ensure performance headroom.

2. Storage Capacity Calculation

• Number of streams (cameras): 30
• Recording duration: 30 days
• Average bitrate per stream: 6 Mbps
• Storage requirement per camera (per day):
  • Formula: (Bitrate * 3600 * 24) / 8 / 1024 (to convert from bits to gigabytes)
  • Calculation: (6 Mbps * 3600 sec/hour * 24 hours) / 8 / 1024 = ~63 GB per day per camera
• Total storage requirement:
  • Formula: number of cameras * storage per camera * recording duration
  • Calculation: 30 cameras * 63 GB * 30 days = 56,700 GB (~57 TB)

Thus, a NAS for 30 cameras with a 30-day retention policy would need a minimum storage capacity of 57 TB, ideally with RAID 6 for redundancy.

Nail Your NAS Strategy: Key Takeaways

Properly assessing your NAS storage helps avoid disruptions, ensures complete video records, and contributes to a reliable security infrastructure. With proper planning, you can avoid the pitfalls of underpowered hardware and maintain a reliable system for your users.

• Match hardware to your load: Select a NAS that meets or exceeds your required write speed.
• Redundancy is essential: Configure RAID to protect against disk failure and footage loss.
• Plan ahead: Choose scalable solutions that grow with your surveillance footprint.

Wrapping It Up

For quick comparison and planning, here’s a summarized snapshot of how DAS, SAN, and NAS solutions stack up across the key decision-making criteria. Use this as your cheat sheet when matching infrastructure to your deployment needs!

Disclaimer: The recommendations presented in this article are specifically tailored to the operational characteristics of Luxriot EVO VDMS and may not apply to other VMS platforms or deployment scenarios.