Table Of Contents

VSMS Commands

Get VSMS Version

Get SDP Information for Video Stream

Camera Control

RTSP Stream from VSMS

VSMS Commands

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Table 2-1 provides a summary of the Video Surveillance Media Server (VSMS) commands. Each command is described in detail in the section that is listed.

Table 2-1 VSMS Command Summary 

Name and Reference	Description
Get VSMS Version	Gets the VSM server version
Get SDP Information for Video Stream	Gets SDP information for the video stream
Camera Control	VSMS camera control module
RTSP Stream from VSMS	Gets the RTSP stream from VSMS

Get VSMS Version

http://host/info.bwt?type=version

Purpose

Retrieves the VSMS version.

Required Fields

host	IP address or hostname (hostname.domain) where VSMS is running. By default, VSMS runs on port 80 (HTTP), however, you can use an alternate port, such as port 8080. For example, to specify port 8080, use host:8080.
type=version	Version type. The version keyword specifies the version command type. The version keyword is a reserved value.

Return Values

A standard HTTP/1.x header followed by:

Content-Type: text/plain

Return Code: <[Server version] or -1 or output> 

[Server version] Successful completion of the URL command

-1 Error in execution of the URL command 

Examples

The following example retrieves the VSMS version (for example, 5.1):

http://vsms.cisco.com/info.bwt?type=version

Get SDP Information for Video Stream

http://host/info.bwt?type=sdp&name=proxyName

Purpose

Retrieves the Session Description Protocol (SDP) information from a video stream.

Required Fields

host	IP address or hostname (hostname.domain) where VSMS is running. By default, VSMS runs on port 80 (HTTP), however, you can use an alternate port, such as port 8080. For example, to specify port 8080, use host:8080.
type=sdp	SDP type. The sdp keyword specifies the SDP command type. The sdp keyword is a reserved value.
name=proxyName	Proxy name where proxyName specifies the name of the proxy or archive. The valid value for proxyName is an alphanumeric string containing 1 to 256 of the following characters: •Digits (0 to 9) •Upper case letters (A to Z) •Lower case letters (a to z) •Underscore (_) •Hyphen (-) The reserved proxyName value is -1. Note Each proxy must have a unique name on a given VSMS host.

Return Values

A standard HTTP/1.x header followed by:

Content-Type: application/sdp

v=0

o=- 15011761763204733780 15011761763204733810 IN IP4 10.10.40.120

s=Cisco Live Media Streaming Session

e=NONE

c=IN IP4 0.0.0.0

b=AS:15000

t=0 0

a=control:*

a=range:npt=now-

m=video 0 RTP/AVP 97

b=AS:15000

a=rtpmap:97 H264/90000

a=fmtp:97 
profile-level-id=4d4028;packetization-mode=0;sprop-parameter-sets=J01AKI2NKA8ARP9gIA==
,KO48gA==;width=1920;height=1088;4CIF=1

a=x-codec:h264.cisco_hd

a=framerate:5.00

a=range:npt=now-

a=control:rtsp://10.194.66.120/live/cisco_hd

HTTP 400 Bad Request

Examples

Retrieving SDP Information from a Proxy

The following command retrieves the SDP information for a proxy named ABC:

http://vsms.cisco.com/command.bwt?type=sdp&name=ABC 

Retrieving SDP information from an Archive

The following command retrieves the SDP information for an archive named BCD:

http://vsms.cisco.com/command.bwt?type=sdp&name=BCD 

Camera Control

http://host/camera.bwt?source=id@host&srctype=device&model=cameraModel&protocol=D
&comport=portNum&number=chainNum&priority=priorityNum
&command=cmdLetterOperand&button=macroName&speed=speedNum&ms=msTime

Purpose

Configures camera features (such as enabling or disabling backlight compensation or digital zoom) and controls camera functions (such as PTZ movement, iris control, and focus) through the network without having to know the low-level control protocols for specific cameras.

host	IP address or hostname (hostname.domain) where VSMS is running. By default, VSMS runs on port 80 (HTTP), however, you can use an alternate port, such as port 8080. For example, to specify port 8080, use host:8080.
source=id@host	Video source where id@host specifies the channel number and IP address of a video source where the id value can be one of the following: •Video input number of the IP camera or encoder. Valid values are 1 to 64. •Video input number and feed number (separated by an underscore) of the IP camera or encoder. This option applies only to video sources that support dual streaming. Valid input number values are 1 to 64. Valid feed number values are 1 and 2. •Name of the parent proxy. This option applies only to parent-child proxy configurations. The valid value is an alphanumeric string containing 1 to 256 of the following characters: –Digits (0 to 9) –Upper case letters (A to Z) –Lower case letters (a to z) –Underscore (_) –Hyphen (-) The reserved value is -1. For example: –10.10.10.1 –1@10.10.10.1 –1_1@10.10.10.1. The host value is the IP address or hostname (hostname.domain) for the video source. You can optionally specify a port number with the IP address or hostname. For example, to specify port 8080, use host:8080. If no port number is specified, port 80 is used by default. Note For child proxies, the parent proxy name becomes the source.
srctype=device	Source type where device specifies the device to use as the media source for the proxy, such as a parent proxy, an encoder, or an IP camera. If the source is a parent proxy, the device value is proxy. For all other devices (encoders and IP cameras), the valid device values are listed in the Keyword column of Table B-1 in "Supported Media Devices." The type of encoder or IP camera, which the module uses to select the appropriate device driver.
model=modelNum	The type of encoder or IP camera, which the module uses to select the appropriate device driver.
protocol=D	The particular variant of the camera control protocol for VSMS to employ. Only Pelco-D is supported. D is a reserved value.
comport=portNum	The encoder's serial port to which the camera is connected. This is required for analog cameras unless a proxy is provided. COM1 and COM2 are reserved values.
number=chainNum	The chain number for the camera. Valid values are 0 to 64.
priority=priorityNum	Assigns a priority for the current command. Each time a command is sent, the priority of the command is compared to the priority of the previous command. If the priority is lower than that of the previous command, it is rejected until a sufficient duration of time has passed since the previous command was executed. The default exclusive access is five minutes. This value can be modified in the PTZ Configuration section of the management console. The range of valid values is 1 to 100.

Required Fields

Operational Fields

command=cmdLetterOperand	Operational command. Defines a command to perform a camera control operation, such moving the camera, adjusting the camera focus, opening or closing the camera iris, and using camera position presets. An operational command is specified as a name-value pair using the following format: command=cmdLetterOperand where: •The name is command. •The value is cmdLetterOperand, which represents a single letter identifying the command to be executed and the operand for that command. For example, command=F9 specifies a command to shift the camera focus farther away by a distance of 9. Note Only one operational command or operational button should be specified in a camera control API command. That is, you should not use multiple operational commands, multiple operational buttons, or a mixture of operational commands and buttons in the same camera control API command. The operational command values are described in Table 2-2 through Table 2-6.
button=macroName	Operational Button. Specifies the name of a macro defined for a camera that performs a camera control operation, such as moving the camera, adjusting the camera focus, and opening or closing the camera iris. An operational button is specified as a name-value pair using the following format: button=macroName where: •The name is button. •The value is macroName, which represents the name of the macro that is to perform a camera control operation. For example, button=dzoom_on specifies a macro that enables digital zoom. Note Only one operational command or operational button should be specified in a camera control API command. That is, you should not use multiple operational commands, multiple operational buttons, or a mixture of operational commands and buttons in the same camera control API command. The operational button values are described in Table 2-2 through Table 2-5.
speed=speedNum	(Optional) Sets the pan and tilt speed for momentary PTZ movement commands. The range of valid values is 1 to 100, with 1 being the slowest speed and 100 being the fastest speed.
ms=msTime	(Optional) Transforms a continuous PTZ movement operational command to a momentary one. After a continuous PTZ movement operational command (command=_pSpeed,tSpeed,zSpeed) is sent, the server waits the time specified by the msTime value and then automatically issues a stop movement command to the camera. The range of valid values is 20 to 20000000 milliseconds.

Table 2-2 Configuration Values

Value	Type	Description
*	Command	Passes through a low-level, camera-specific command. All camera drivers support the pass through feature, but the interpretation of the operational command depends on the driver. For example, the following command passes through the low-level command that disables backlight compensation for PTZ cameras using the PelcoD protocol: command=*00310001 Using the pass through feature is a way to use camera features that are not currently supported by VSM. To display the syntax for a particular model, find the appropriate entry in the camera PTZ XML file.
backlight_off	Button	Disables backlight compensation.
backlight_on	Button	Enables backlight compensation.
dzoom_off	Button	Disables digital zoom.
dzoom_on	Button	Enables digital zoom.
focus_auto	Button	Enables auto focus.
focus_manual	Button	Enables manual focus.
init	Button	Initializes the default PTZ control settings.
iris_auto	Button	Enables auto iris.
iris_manual	Button	Enables manual iris.
night_auto	Button	Enables auto night mode.
night_off	Button	Disables night mode.
night_on	Button	Enables night mode.
reset	Button	Resets the PTZ control settings.
wb_auto	Button	Enables auto white balance.
wb_indoor	Button	Enables indoor white balance.
wb_outdoor	Button	Enables Outdoor white balance.
wb_manual	Button	Enables Manual white balance.

Table 2-3 Focus Values

Value	Type	Description
Fdist	Command	Shifts the camera focus farther away specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 0 to 9, where 0 is a short distance and 9 is a long distance.
Rdist	Command	Shifts the camera focus nearer specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 0 to 9, where 0 is a short distance and 9 is a long distance.
far	Button	Focus farther away.
near	Button	Focus nearer.

Table 2-4 Iris Values

Value	Type	Description
DcloseNum	Command	Closes (dims) the camera iris specified by the closeNum value. The range of valid closeNum values is 0 to 9, where 0 is a small amount and 9 is a large amount.
EopenNum	Command	Opens (brightens) the camera iris specified by the openNum value. The range of valid openNum values is 0 to 9, where 0 is a small amount and 9 is a large amount.
bright	Button	Opens (brightens) the camera iris.
dim	Button	Closes (dims) the camera iris.

Table 2-5 PTZ Values

Value	Type	Description
Bdist	Command	Moves the camera down and left the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Hdist	Command	Pans the camera left the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Jdist	Command	Tilts the camera down the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Kdist	Command	Tilts the camera up the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Ldist	Command	Pans the camera right the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Ndist	Command	Moves the camera down and right the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Udist	Command	Moves the camera up and right the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Wdist	Command	Zooms the camera out the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Ydist	Command	Moves the camera up and left the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
Zdist	Command	Zooms the camera in the relative distance specified by the dist value. The range of valid dist values is 1 to 360, where 1 is a short distance and 360 is a long distance.
_pSpeed,tSpeed,zSpeed	Command	Starts continuous PTZ movement. The camera will continue to move at the speeds specified by the pSpeed, tSpeed, and zSpeed values until a subsequent command is issued (unless an ms=msTime parameter is supplied with this operational command). The range of valid speed values is -100 to 100, where: •For the pSpeed value, negative values indicate pan left, and positive values indicate pan right. •For tSpeed value, negative values indicate tilt down, and positive values indicate tilt up. •For zSpeed value, negative values indicate zoom out, and positive values indicate zoom in. •For all three values, -100 and 100 indicate the fastest movement, and 0 indicates a stop (no movement). For example, command=_0,0,0 stops all camera PTZ movement.
down	Button	Tilts the camera down.
downleft	Button	Moves the camera down and left.
downright	Button	Moves the camera down and right.
left	Button	Pans the camera left.
right	Button	Pans the camera right.
stop	Button	Stops all PTZ movement.
tele	Button	Zooms the camera in.
up	Button	Tilts the camera the camera up.
upleft	Button	Moves the camera the camera up and left.
upright	Button	Moves the camera up and right.
wide	Button	Zooms the camera out.

Table 2-6 Presets Values

Value	Type	Description
GpresetNum	Command	Moves the camera to the preset position specified by the presetNum value. Preset numbering starts at 1. Most cameras support at least 10 presets.
SpresetNum,label	Command	Assigns a preset number and text label to the current camera position, as specified by the presetNum and label values. Preset numbering starts at 1. Most cameras support at least 10 presets.

Examples

Starting Continuous PTZ Movement

The following example starts a continuous PTZ movement, with pan moving left at a speed of 75, tilt moving up at a speed of 50, and zoom moving in at a speed of 25:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=_-75,50,25

Stopping Continuous PTZ Movement

The following example stops continuous PTZ movement:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=_0,0,0

Stopping Continuous PTZ Movement After a Specific Amount of Time

The following example stops continuous PTZ movement after 1,250 milliseconds (1.25 seconds):

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=_-75,50,25 
&ms=1250

Passing Through a Low-Level Camera-Specific Command

The following example passes through the low-level command that switches to manual iris control for a PTZ camera using the PelcoD protocol:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=*002D0002

Momentary Pan

The following example uses an operational command to perform a momentary pan left for a relative distance of 100:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=H100

The following example uses an operational command to perform a momentary pan left for a relative distance of 100 at a speed of 80:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=H100&speed=80

The following example uses an operational button to perform a momentary pan right:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&button=right

Momentary Tilt

The following example uses an operational command to perform a momentary tilt up for a relative distance of 125:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=K125

The following example uses an operational command to perform a momentary tilt up for a relative distance of 125 at a speed of 75:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=K125&speed=75

The following example uses an operational button to perform a momentary tilt down:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&button=down

Momentary Zoom

The following example uses an operational command to perform a momentary zoom out for a relative distance of 35:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=W35

The following example uses an operational command to perform a momentary zoom out for a relative distance of 35 at a speed of 50:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=W35&speed=50

The following example uses an operational button to perform a momentary zoom in:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&button=tele

Assigning a Preset

The following example assigns the current PTZ position to preset 1 and labels the preset as Front_Door:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=S1,Front_Door

Going to a Preset

The following example moves the camera to PTZ position preset 5:

http://vsms.cisco.com/camera.bwt?source=1@192.168.1.109&srctype=sony_snc_rz30 
&model=sony_snc_rz30&protocol=D&comport=COM1&number=0&priority=100&command=G5

RTSP Stream from VSMS

rtsp://host/live/proxyName

rtsp://host/archive/archiveName

Purpose

Retrieves a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) stream from a proxy or archive for a third party video player.

Required Fields

host	IP address or hostname (hostname.domain) where VSMS is running. By default, VSMS runs on port 80 (HTTP), however, you can use an alternate port, such as port 8080. For example, to specify port 8080, use host:8080.
live/proxyName	The name of the proxy. The valid proxyName value is an alphanumeric string containing 1 to 256 of the following characters: –Digits (0 to 9) –Upper case letters (A to Z) –Lower case letters (a to z) –Underscore (_) –Hyphen (-) The reserved value is -1.
archive/archiveName	The name of the archive. The valid archiveName value is an alphanumeric string containing 1 to 256 of the following characters: –Digits (0 to 9) –Upper case letters (A to Z) –Lower case letters (a to z) –Underscore (_) –Hyphen (-) The reserved value is -1.

Examples

Retrieving an RTSP Stream from a Proxy

The following command retrieves an RTSP stream from proxy ABC for a 3rd party video player (such as VLC Player):

rtsp://vsms.cisco.com/live/ABC

Retrieving an RTSP Stream from an Archive

The following command retrieves an RTSP stream from archive BCD for a 3rd party video player (such as VLC Player):

rtsp://vsms.cisco.com/archive/BCD