Video Storage
Retention-driven storage and RAID drive counts from the same camera list as video bandwidth.
Video storage calculator
Retention-driven capacity and RAID drive counts from the same camera list as video bandwidth. Inputs stay in the URL.
Starting points
Inputs
System
The same codec as the bandwidth page. Camera-row bitrates come from that estimate unless a system bitrate is entered.
File system and VMS database.
A physical drive that carries no data.
Camera groups
Lenses per camera
Scene activity
Recording mode
Recording 80.00 Mbps · 864.0 GB/day · 30 days
Results
28.51 TB usable. 28.5 TB usable required. 6 × 8 TB RAID 6 is 32 TB usable.
Required usable capacity
28.51TB
28.5 TB usable required. 6 × 8 TB RAID 6 is 32 TB usable.
Capacity
Raw need
25.92TB
Required usable
25.93TiB
Data per day
864GB
Per camera
43.20GB/day
Recording
80.00Mbps
Sized array
Drives
6 × 8 TB
Usable
32.00TB
Raw
48.00TB
Retention delivered
33.7days
The same camera list drives video bandwidth. Recording days and RAID stay on this page.
6 × 8 TB RAID 6 is 32 TB usable.
Worked example
20 cameras at 1080p, 30 fps, H.264, medium activity, continuous, 30 days is 864 GB a day and 25.92 TB raw. With 10 percent overhead that is 28.5 TB usable, which is 25.9 TiB. RAID 6 with 8 TB drives covers that with 6 data drives, 32 TB usable and 48 TB raw.
How to use
- The camera list is the same list as video bandwidth. Send it either direction. Recording days and RAID stay on this page.
- Set recording mode and retention on each group. Motion uses the percent of the day that group is writing. A schedule uses hours per day and days per week.
- Set overhead, RAID, and drive size. A hot spare is a physical drive that carries no data.
- An optional system bitrate replaces the camera-row rates for the headline. An optional existing array reports the retention those drives support at the current daily load.
Assumptions
- Bitrates are estimates. Every manufacturer’s encoder differs. The manufacturer bitrate calculator governs.
- Variable bitrate streams move with the scene. These figures are averages, not peaks.
- Motion percent is the figure entered for how much of the day that group is writing. It is not measured from a recorder.
- Daily volume uses SI units: megabits per second × 86,400 ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000. Overhead is applied after that volume times retention.
- Drive sizes are decimal TB, the way drives are sold. TiB is the same capacity in 1,024-based units, which is what the operating system reports.
- The result is an estimate. Manufacturer tools, the AHJ, and current applicable code govern material and whether a system is placed in service.
FAQ
- Why is the usable number larger than the raw recording volume?
- Raw need is daily volume times retention. Usable adds the overhead percent for the file system and the VMS database. The default overhead is 10 percent.
- Why do 28.5 TB and 25.9 TiB describe the same capacity?
- Drives are sold in decimal TB (1,000⁴). Operating systems report 1,024-based TiB. 28.5 TB is 25.9 TiB.
- What does RAID 6 do with six 8 TB drives?
- RAID 6 usable capacity is (n − 2) × drive size. Six 8 TB drives are 32 TB usable and 48 TB raw. Two drives hold parity.
- How is motion recording counted?
- Motion uses the entered percent of continuous volume. Forty percent motion is 40 percent of the continuous GB per day and the continuous raw need.
- Why can two groups with the same bitrate need different storage?
- Each group has its own retention. Ten cameras at 90 days plus ten at 30 days is not the same raw need as twenty cameras at 30 days.
Disclaimer
Field estimate only. Manufacturer data, the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ), and current applicable code govern material and whether a circuit is energized. See the disclaimer.