Recent ftp files deleted by IP2M-841 using new SW version 2.420.AC00.18.R (2017-05-21)

[rogwk]

1 year, 5 months since reported.

Amcrest Support email Sept 18th 2017 (over one year ago):

"Our R&D team was ... able to replicate this issue on more than one of our camera models and they are now working on a fix for it."

[wtf911]

Still no update? I'm having the same problem! This is ridiculous a firmware update hasn't been pushed yet. And the staff don't have the good will to come on here and say anything to us? It deletes your FILESSSSS. Has anyone ever had a home breakin before?!?!?!?! This could be essential to have and it literally isn't doing what it's built to, store recordings. I have two amcrest cameras, same network, and it seems when the camera does a self maintain reboot, might delete stuff more frequently and I haven't noticed, it deletes my saved FTP files for that camera!!!

[spoolinx86]

I'm also still having this issue and speaking with Amcrest support has been useless.

[pjm1]

I have 13 amcrest cameras. I have a sneaking suspicion that my IP2M-852B camera may have this problem. I thought there used to be more files under that camera's directory but wasn't sure. I am using Filezilla as the FTP server and have all the cameras in a group. I am going to turn off delete permission for that group as a precaution.

[juzzdawg]

I have to say this is rather annoying. It's not our FTP Server Software, it's a bug in the firmware on the cameras. Watching the log stream fly by indicates the camera is attempting to allocate space - which is an RFC command, FileZilla is responding 202 no allocations necessary. The camera disconnects, then reconnects dropping the new file, and it repeats.

I am a little upset with the inability for this to be controlled - and the obvious lack of support from Amcrest. Your cameras are great products - but there are those of us who do not want to use a full time NVR or software package to monitor our cameras. FTP should fundamentally work, but it is not.

For a rather annoying work around - you have to enable full control on the user account your camera uses, enable the upload function in the camera, then disable File and Folder Delete permissions. This effectively blocks the camera from deleting your file history.

[pjm1]

What is strange is that if you dump the storage configuration parameters there is an overwrite setting for what appears to be the FTP configuration (based on the Memo field. I have been playing around with this but I am not sure it actually does anything. Sure would be nice if someone from Amcrest could tell us what if anything setting it to false is supposed to do. The implication is that it should stop sending files if the storage is full. That in my opinion would be better than deleting files to make space.

table.StorageGroup[0].Channels[0].MaxPictures=0
table.StorageGroup[0].FileHoldTime=0
table.StorageGroup[0].Memo=For Reading & Writing Files
table.StorageGroup[0].Name=ReadWrite
table.StorageGroup[0].OverWrite=false
table.StorageGroup[0].PicturePathRule=%y-%M-%d/%c/jpg/%h/%m/%s[%E][%O@%S][%R].jpg
table.StorageGroup[0].RecordPathRule=%y-%M-%d/%c/dav/%h/%h.%m.%s-%h.%m.%s[%E][%O@%S][%R].%t
table.StorageGroup[1].Channels[0].MaxPictures=0
table.StorageGroup[1].FileHoldTime=0
table.StorageGroup[1].Memo=For FTP Files
table.StorageGroup[1].Name=Remote
table.StorageGroup[1].OverWrite=false
table.StorageGroup[1].PicturePathRule=%y-%M-%d/%hhour/jpg/%h.%m.%s[%E][%O@%S][%R].jpg
table.StorageGroup[1].RecordPathRule=%y-%M-%d/%hhour/mp4/%h.%m.%s-%h.%m.%s[%E][%O@%S][%R].%t

[juzzdawg]

Hey Everyone!

I've made progress on this on my own. I've found that the cameras are not the issue - at least in my case, and likely yours too. I WAS using Filezilla's FTP Server to test this with. I was able to reproduce the issues you all are describing.

I also made a post 2-19-2019 basically voicing my same concerns over files being deleted. For Bits & Bytes I tried a different FTP Server software - CrushFTP (crushftp.com) - and low and behold - I havent had an issue with disappearing files since!

Whats the cause? Well I believe it is related to how the Camera want's to work with files on the FTP Server. After upgrading to CrushFTP I was watching the log files. I observed the camera creating the base file and then continuing to append the file as needed. Snapshots are one connection and done, the Video Feeds can be running for up to 10 minutes. Essentially it is using the FTP Server as a Storage Drive. Well... FileZilla and several other freeware servers do not provide the ability for a file to be appended or resumed the way the camera wants.

Before I replied again I wanted to make sure it wasnt a fluke. I have run my camera for 3 days on CrushFTP without data being deleted. I shutoff the camera, copied the data files to a new folder for FileZilla to use, Started the FileZilla Service and turned the camera back on... within 45 minutes - EVERYTHING from the last 3 days was deleted. Well, the copied version anyway...

I shut everything down again, turned CrushFTP back on, restarted the camera - and it's moving along as if nothing happened.

I use Crush in my professional line of work - an unlimited license is $100, given how many cameras I will eventually have running - totally worth it. There are other features such as data archiving in the software where I plan to have the service archive old camera footage to either Azure or Amazon cold storage.

If anyone would like more info PLEASE Message me directly. I will help as best I can. I really like these cameras and now that I have worked out the FTP Bug I plan to go gang busters now.

The sheer amount of traffic the cameras generate for FTP Operations leads me to believe a remote FTP Server will not be good unless you have Gig Fiber on both ends that can support the traffic load - Which is coming to my area in the next 6 months. So for now I plan to operate a Local CrushFTP Server at each Camera Site and have it upload the previous days footage to my offsite FTP.

[pjm1]

Hi juzzdawg! If you are correct then what is really crazy is that Amcrest has a youtube tutorial video where they show how to set up FTP on the camera. In the video they use (you guessed it) Filezilla as the server!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf3spBtTImA

[comsci]

I have developed an FTP Web Service for IP cameras which is currently free during testing and development.

Anyone care to create an account at https://app.comsci.co.uk/camac and I will investigate any overwrite issues.

Best regards,
Comsci

[pjm1]

If anyone is still following this thread.......
I too had problems when using FileZilla with only the IP2M-841 (the other cameras worked fine). My original solution was to simply take away write permission. That worked OK but I also did some experimentation. I switched to the "free" version of CompleteFtp and no longer have the file deletion problem. Note that I have no idea where the problem lies and am not blaming FileZilla. To the contrary, I really like FIleZilla. It is fast, clean and simple and made some admin tasks real easy. I wish I could continue to use it. I did not like CompleteFtp initially as it seemed far too complex for what I needed. I am learning to like it over time however and it is a solution to the file deletion problem.