Reset Samsung DVR to Factory

I recently had a customer ask me to reset a Samsung DVR. Of course,  I first checked to see if there was a hardware switch to reset it. There wasn’t.

Googling the reset procedure, I discovered all of the resets for Samsung DVRs were pressing a combination of buttons on the front of the machine or remote. My machine had no buttons and none of the combination of buttons worked.

I did find a YouTube video that had a 7th combination of buttons that did work. This combination should work for SDR-3300N or the SDR-3040N and perhaps a few others.

On the remote, press:

freeze
alarm
freeze
alarm
freeze
return

in quick succession. I was able to get it on the first attempt. It will prompt you to reset to factory which you select OK.

Special thanks to 4k Vlogs for the info.

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSwb7aaPIY8

MRGB

NVR: Drive Full, not recycling

Relates to: Gigastrand and Next Level NVR Software

We have seen where the drive appears to fill up but there is no apparent reason for the drive being full. Three of the reasons we have seen so far are caused by 4 different but related issues.

  1. Apache errors – for some unknown reason, the Apache log file (located in /var/log/apache2/) sometimes grows to an incredible size. Deleting the log file resolves this issue.
  2. Virtual Ramdisk error – The Gigastrand NVR has a virtual ramdisk where it caches images. Sometimes (especially if the motion daemon is fiddled with) the ramdisk will start writing to the user folder. Deleting the files and and NVR restart will resolve that issue as well.
  3. Storage Limit – If you have a full complement of cameras, the default storage size of 20Gb will fill up very fast (less than 12 hours in some cases). This is too fast for the machine to effectively clean up. This issue manifests itself in the same way as the other 2 issues, but the system is essentially working.

To fix this issue, edit the /etc/kmotion/kmotion_rc file and change the images_dbase_limit_gb to something higher than 20Gb but less than your total available storage. Do an NVR Restart to make the changes go into effect.

Give Gigastrand OS about 64Gb in your storage calculations. Subtract that from your total drive space so that it does not interfere with your video storage.

4. Firefox – If you use live view on the NVR regularly, Firefox will save all the images it downloads in /home/user/.cache/mozilla/firefox/[profile].default/cache2/entries/. Clear this out first. Then, open Frefox and go to menu>Preferences>Privacy. Under History click Never Remember History. Close Firefox and restart the computer.

Adding a Storage Drive to NVR

Using a secondary storage drive was not originally in the design for the Gigastrand NVR software however, it is a critical feature for many users to be able to separate out the video storage from their main system drive. It also solves a host of other issues with storage and even allows for an external device or a RAID to be used for storage.

At some point we will release a script file to do this automatically. For now, this is how you can do it manually.
NOTE: This could result in data loss if not done properly. If you are not comfortable doing this on your own, Gigabytes can help you remotely.

  1. Format and setup the drive (using Parted or Gparted)
    NOTE: If you format the drive EXT3, the rest of the instructions will work fine. Otherwise, in step 4, change ext3 to the file system that you set the drive up with.
  2. edit fstab (/etc/fstab) as root (right-click on the file>Root Actions>Open As Text)
  3. Add the line
    for Gigastrand NVR Software:
    /dev/sdb1 /etc/kmotion/images_dbase ext3 relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 2
    for Ivideon:
    /dev/sdb1 /home/user/.IvideonServer/archive ext3 relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 2

    be sure to change “sdb1” to the appropriate drive or partition.
  4. Save the file
  5. Open the drive in Dolphin or Konqueror (or click on Computer on the desktop)
  6. Change ownership to active user (right-click>Root Actions>Ownership to Active User)

If you are running Gigastrand or Next Level NVR software you may have to edit an additional file.

  1. Edit /etc/apache2/envvars as root
  2. add the following 2 lines
  3. export APACHE_RUN_USER=user
  4. export APACHE_RUN_GROUP=user
  5. restart Apache
    Open a terminal and type in sudo service apache2 restart

It wouldn’t hurt to restart the computer to make sure all the settings took hold but that is optional. Be sure to stop the NVR before you start and start the NVR (icons on the desktop) once complete.

Video Security Server Software

Linux NVR Software
NVRNVR Software (current version)
Gigastrand NVRGigastrand NVR Software (deprecated)
MotionEye Installer
MotionEyeMotionEye Installer
Zoneminder Installer
ZoneminderZoneminder automated install file (BETA)
Other Linux Software
ReindexerReindexes video files to repair the video database. Includes both an automatic and manual shell script.
WARNING: EXPERIMENTAL. May result in Data loss.
WallpaperGigabytes NVR Wallpaper
Windows Unisight DVR/HVR/NVR
StandardStandard DVR Server for older DVR systems (v1.12.0725)

Professional

Professional HVR Server Software Bundle for Hybrid and Network Video Recorders (v10R21.0105)

Professional

Professional HVR Server Software for Hybrid and Network Video Recorders (v2.15.1216)

Professional

Professional HVR Server Software for Hybrid and Network Video Recorders (v2.12.0725)

Enterprise

  Enterprise HVR Server Software for Hybrid and Network Video Recorders (v3.15.1216)
EnterpriseEnterprise HVR Server Software for Hybrid and Network Video Recorders (v3.12.0725)
Other Software
Amcrest IPIP tool for Amcrest cameras for Windows (works in Crossover Linux)
Foscam IPIP and camera search tool for Foscam cameras for Windows (works in crossover for Linux)
Amcrest ProAmcrest Pro View software. Client / server for Windows
Amcrest Blue IrisAmcrest Blue Iris DVR Software
Ivideon Downloads
ServerIvideon Server Install for Linux
ScriptCustom Install Script for Gigabytes NVRs
Ivideon FixFiles to fix Ivideon to earlier version.
Ivideon Client
LinuxIvideon Client Linux
WindowsIvideon Client Windows
Mac Ivideon Client Mac
AndroidIvideon Client Android
iPhoneIvideon Client iOS
Other
WallpaperGigabytes NVR Wallpaper