AXIS Camera Station S2108 Appliance

AXIS Camera Station S2108 Appliance is an all-in-one recording solution with integrated PoE switch designed to deliver reliable high-definition surveillance, supporting cameras up to 4K resolution. For quick and easy installation, the appliance is preconfigured and preloaded with AXIS Camera Station video management software including licenses plus all necessary system software. AXIS Camera Station offers an intuitive user interface that allows users to take full advantage of Axis wide range of video surveillance cameras and other IP products. With the operating system stored on a solid-state drive (SSD) and 5-year hardware warranty, the appliance provides a reliable surveillance solution.

AXIS Camera Station S2108 Appliance consists of two parts:

• Switch: Built-in Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch.

• Computer: Preloaded with all necessary software you need to create a surveillance solution including the video management software AXIS Camera Station.

• The switch and computer are two separate parts.

• The switch and computer communicate through the internal uplink connectors: one is located on the switch Power Circuit Board and the other is located on the computer motherboard.

• The server uplink is an external network interface that can connect to an existing network.

• Devices connected to server uplink can not communicate with devices connected to the switch directly.

• Devices connected to server uplink can communicate with devices connected to the switch through AXIS Camera Station.

You can create an independent network by assigning static IP address to each device and the AXIS S2108 Appliance. This network will have no interconnectivity to another external network unless parameters match between the networks. The computer can still get internet connectivity through the server uplink port. As soon as the devices are plugged into the powered PoE ports, they will take the link-local address and will need a fixed IP set, matching the AXIS S2108 Appliance.

You can create an independent network by using link-local address on each device and the AXIS S2108 Appliance. This network will have no interconnectivity to another external network. The computer can still get internet connectivity through the server uplink port. As soon as the devices are plugged into the powered PoE ports, they will take the link-local address and can be found by AXIS Camera Station on the AXIS S2108 Appliance.

You can join the AXIS S2108 Appliance and connected devices by having an existing network and DHCP server plugged in the switch uplink. This will make all connected devices to have an IP address from the DHCP server’s range. If internet connectivity is available on that network, it will be available to the AXIS S2108 Appliance too. Otherwise, the computer can still get internet connectivity independently through the server uplink port. When the devices are plugged into the powered PoE ports, they will take the DHCP address if the DHCP server is active.

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

1. Install your device

2. 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.

3. 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 Initial Axis recorder setup.

4. Configure Windows. We recommend to:

5. • Update Windows to the latest version. See Update Windows®.

   • Create a standard user account. See Create a user account.

6. Update AXIS Camera Station to the latest version.

7. • 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.

8. Configure AXIS Camera Station

9. Register your AXIS Camera Station licenses.

10. • License a system online

    • License a system offline

11. Connect your system to the AXIS Camera Station mobile viewing app. See Connect to AXIS Camera Station server.

• 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.

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

1. Select Light or Dark theme and click Next (if it’s available for your product).

2. Change the computer name if you want and click Next.

3. Under Date and time, configure the following settings and click Next.

4. • 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.

5. Under Network settings, configure the following settings and click Next.

6. • 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.

7. Click Finish. If you have changed the computer name, AXIS Recorder Toolbox will prompt you to restart the device.

Using the AXIS Camera Station client, you can connect to multiple servers or a single server installed on the local computer or somewhere else on the network. You can connect to AXIS Camera Station servers in different ways:

Last used servers –

Connect to the servers used in the previous session.

This computer –

Connect to the server installed on the same computer as the client.

Remote server –

See Log in on a remote server.

AXIS Secure Remote Access –

See Sign in to AXIS Secure Remote Access.

To connect to servers from a server list, select a one from the Server list drop-down menu. Click to create or edit the server lists.

To import a server list file exported from AXIS Camera Station, click Import server list and browse to an .msl file.

To delete saved usernames and passwords all connected servers, click Delete saved passwords.

You might need to change the client proxy settings to connect to a server, click Change client proxy settings.

1. Select Remote server.

2. Select a server from the Remote server drop-down list or enter the IP or DNS address in the field. If the server is not listed, click to reload all the available remote servers. If the server is configured to accept clients on a different port than the default port number 55752, enter the IP address followed by the port number, for example, 192.168.0.5:46001

3. You can:

4. • Select Log in as current user to log in as the current Windows user.

   • Clear Log in as current user and click Log in. Select Other user and provide another username and password to log in with a different username and password.

   • Select Log in as <username> if you have your username and password remembered.

1. Click the Sign in to AXIS Secure Remote Access link.

2. Enter your MyAxis account credentials.

3. Click Sign in and Grant to grant access.

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:

1. Start AXIS Camera Station

2. Add devices

3. Configure recording method

4. View live video

5. View recordings

6. Add bookmarks

7. Export recordings

8. Play and verify recordings in AXIS File Player

Double-click the AXIS Camera Station client icon to start the client. When you start the client for the first time, it 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.

The Add devices page opens the first time you start AXIS Camera Station. AXIS Camera Station searches the network for connected devices and shows a list of devices found.

1. Select the cameras you want to add from the list. If you can’t find your camera, click Manual search.

2. Click Add.

3. Select Quick configuration or Site Designer configuration. Click Next.

4. Use the default settings and ensure the recording method is None. Click Install.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera.

3. Turn on Motion detection, or Continuous, or both.

4. Click Apply.

1. Open a Live view tab.

2. Select a camera to view its live video.

See for more information.

1. Open a Recordings tab.

2. Select the camera you want to view recordings from.

See for more information.

1. Go to the Recording tab.

2. 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.

3. Click .

4. Enter the bookmark name and description. Use keywords in the description to make the bookmark easy to find and recognized.

5. Select Prevent recording deletion to lock the recording. A locked recording can't be deleted unless actively unlocked.

6. Click OK. A bookmark icon is displayed at your desired position in the timeline.

1. Open a Recordings tab.

2. Select the camera you want to export recordings from.

3. Click to display the selection markers.

4. Drag the markers to include the recordings that you want to export.

5. Click to open the Export tab.

6. Click Export....

1. Go to the folder with the exported recordings.

2. Double-click AXIS File Player.

3. Click to show the recording’s notes.

4. To verify the digital signature:

5. 1. Go to Tools > Verify digital signature.

   2. Select Validate with password and enter your password.

   3. Click Verify. The verification result page appears.

6. Note

   Digital signature is different from Signed video. Signed video allows you to trace video back to the camera it came from, making it possible to verify that the recording wasn't tampered with. See Signed video and the camera’s user manual for more information.

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.

1. Double-click the AXIS Camera Station client icon.

2. Click Change client proxy settings.

3. Change the client proxy settings.

4. Click OK.

Server proxy settings

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

1. Double-click the AXIS Service Control icon in Windows notification area.

2. Select Modify settings.

3. In the Proxy settings section, use the default System account internet option or select Use manual proxy settings.

4. 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.

AXIS Camera Station server uses ports 55752 (HTTP), 55754 (TCP), 55756 (mobile communication), and 55757 (mobile streaming) for communication between the server and the client. You can change the ports in AXIS Camera Station Service Control if required. See General in AXIS Camera Station Service Control.

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 separate from the office network. You can install the AXIS Camera Station client on a computer on another network, for example, a network with internet access.

• Make sure all users have strong passwords. Windows Active Directory provides a high level of security.

Both the AXIS Camera Station client and the server must be connected to the internet.

1. In the AXIS Camera Station client,

2. 1. Go to Configuration > Licenses > Management.

   2. Manage licenses online is turned on by default.

   3. Click Go to AXIS License Portal.

3. In the AXIS License Portal www.axis.com/licenses,

4. 1. Sign in with your MyAxis account.

   2. The license key is automatically generated and shown under License keys.

   3. If you have purchased license keys separately, enter your license key under Add license key and click Add.

5. In the AXIS Camera Station client, check that your license keys are shown under Configuration > Licenses > Keys.

1. In the AXIS Camera Station client, export the system file.

2. 1. Go to Configuration > Licenses > Management.

   2. If AXIS Camera Station is online, turn off Manage licenses online and click Export system file.

   3. If AXIS Camera Station is offline, click Export system file.

   4. Save your system file on a USB flash drive.

3. In the AXIS License Portal www.axis.com/licenses,

4. 1. Sign in with your MyAxis account.

   2. Click Upload system file to upload the system file that you exported to your USB flash drive.

   3. The license key is automatically generated and shown under License keys.

   4. If you have purchased license keys separately, enter your license key under Add license key and click Add.

   5. Under License keys, click Download license file and save the file to a USB flash drive.

5. In the AXIS Camera Station client, import the license file.

6. 1. Go to Configuration > Licenses > Management.

   2. Click Import license file and select the license file on your USB flash drive.

   3. Check that your license keys are shown under Configuration > Licenses > Keys.

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

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Other people > Add someone else to this PC.

2. Click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.

3. Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.

4. Enter a user name, password and password hint.

5. Click Next and follow the instructions.

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Other people.

2. Go to the account you want to change and click Change account type.

3. Go to Account type and select Administrator.

4. Click OK.

5. Restart your device and sign in with the new administrator account.

1. Go to Computer Management.

2. Go to Local Users and Groups > Group.

3. Right-click Group and select New Group.

4. Enter a group name and a description.

5. Add group members:

6. 1. Click Add.

   2. Click Advanced.

   3. Find the user account(s) you want to add to the group and click OK.

   4. Click OK again.

7. Click Create.

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Other people.

2. Go to the account you want to remove and click Remove.

1. Log in with an administrator account.

2. Go to User Accounts > User Accounts > Manage another account in sequence.

   You’ll see a list with all user accounts on the device.

3. Select the user account whose password you would like to change.

4. Click Change the password.

5. Enter the new password and click Change password.

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.

1. Sign in to your device with a local user account. You can’t create a password reset disk for a connected account.

2. Plug a USB flash drive into your device.

3. If there’s any data on the USB flash drive, back it up.

4. From the Windows® search field, go to Create a password reset disk.

5. In the Forgotten Password wizard, click Next.

6. Select your USB flash drive and click Next.

7. Type your current password and click Next.

8. Follow the onscreen instructions.

9. 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.

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

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:

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.

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

1. Go to Configuration > Security > User permissions and click Add.

2. When connecting to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers, select a server from the Selected server drop-down list.

3. 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.

4. Select Users or Groups to search for only users or groups.

5. The list of users or groups is displayed. Users and groups that have already been added to AXIS Camera Station are not listed.

6. • 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.

7. 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

1. Select a user or group in the list.

2. Under Role, select Administrator, Operator, or Viewer.

3. If you have selected Operator or Viewer, you can configure the user or group privileges. See User or group privileges.

4. Click Save. The user or group in the list is not in italics and ready to be used.

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. 0 means 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.

Access control

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

• Access control configuration: Allow configuration of doors and zones, identification profiles, card formats and PIN, encrypted communication, and multi server.

• Access management: Allow access management and access to the active directory settings.

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

• Access management: Allow access management and access to the active directory settings.

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

To manually check for updates:

1. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

2. Click Check for updates.

Sometimes you might want to change how and when Windows^® updates.

1. Open the Run app.

2. • Go to Windows System > Run, or

   • press Win and R.

3. Type gpedit.msc and click OK. The Local Group Policy Editor opens.

4. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.

5. 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:

1. Open Always automatically restart at the scheduled time and select:

2. 1. Enabled

   2. The restart timer will give users this much time to save their work (minutes): 15.

   3. Click OK.

3. Open Configure Automatic Updates and select:

4. 1. Enabled

   2. Configure Automatic updates: Auto download and schedule the install

   3. Schedule Install day: Every Sunday

   4. Schedule Install time: 00:00

   5. Click OK.

5. Open Allow Automatic Updates immediate installation and select:

6. 1. Enabled

   2. Click OK.

The switch has a total power budget of 105 W. This is the maximum power output to all connected devices.

In most cases, the connected devices consume less power than requested. To optimize the power usage, the PoE controller allows connected devices to request up to 125 W and limits the actual power usage to 105 W at the same time.

For example, the switch can power 8 PoE class 3 devices.

• 1 PoE class 3 device requests 15.4 W power.

• 8 PoE class 3 devices request (8 x 15.4) = 123.2 W power. This is within the 125 W limit allowed by the PoE controller.

• 1 PoE class 3 device usually consumes 10-12 W power.

• 8 PoE class 3 devices usually consume 80-96 W power. This is within the 105 W limit of the total power budget.

Front LEDs

Rear LEDs

1. This is only valid for Switch uplink and Server uplink.

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.

1. Download the AXIS Recovery Kit and AXIS ISO to USB Tool.

2. Insert a USB drive into your computer.

3. • 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.

4. 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.

5. After the ISO to USB tool is complete, take the USB drive and plug it into your device.

6. Start your device.

7. When you see the AXIS splash screen, press F12.

8. Click UEFI: USB Drive.

9. Navigate to your USB drive and press enter. The system boots into the AXIS Recovery Kit.

10. 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.

For information about how to troubleshoot AXIS Camera Station, go to the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

• AXIS Camera Station user manual

• Configure Axis Secure Remote Access

• What to include in an Antivirus allowlist for AXIS Camera Station

Contact support at axis.com/support.