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Frequently asked questions about guardREC® ATC Recording Solution

General

What redundancy method is being used?

As you know, total redundancy is more or less impossible to achieve. The redundancy we incorporate in our solutions are redundant power supplies, fans and storage (RAID-configured) on each recording server. Redundant recording solutions has of course dual recording servers. Single-point-of-failure items are mainly interface units for audio and screens. These units distribute the data to the recorders over Ethernet.

Do you support IP redundant recording?

All sources recorded by the guardREC® recording solution is presented as redundant IP packages. Our source interface units distributes the data over dual LANs, and the original IP-sources (ED-137 and IP radar feeds) are distributed to the recorders over dual LANS.

How deep are your servers? I only have about 600mm front to back.

In projects where we deliver the hardware, we normally uses HP ProLiant servers due to their flexibility and reliability. For small solutions, we use the HP ProLiant DL20 which is 38,22 cm deep.

How do you price the system? Is it licence based on channels?

Our pricing policy of the recording software is based on per channel per source.

Is it possible to store the quarantine on a USB stick or as a file to transfer?

By default, the Quarantine location is c:/guardrec/quarantines, but this can of course be defined by the user.

If the purpose of storing the quarantine on a removable media or as a file to transfer is to be able to replay the Quarantine on a PC not connected to the recorder, I would suggest to export the Quarantine either as a standard export file or as an Impound file. If the export is meant used during an investigation, Impound is preferred.

The Impounded (or exported) data-set is found in the download-folder on the PC performing the Impound, and can easily be pasted in a mail or on a USB stick. The password required to replay the Impounded data-set should be sent in a separate mail. The password is also found in the Audit Trail if the user forgot to write it down during the Impound process.

Is Single Sign-On via Active Directory supported?

Yes, it is supported.

Does the server run on Linux or Windows?

Our system makes use of Microsoft .Net Core and hence run on both Linux and Windows with the same code base. No compile time options.

Recording source - Audio

When doing ED137 channel mapping do you need to map for each radio/frequency? Or does the recorder decode the data on the network to display the channels available in the RTP stream?

The channel mapping for the ED-137 is done automatically. The channel mapping is a little different depending on if we’re recording ED-137b or ED-137c. If we’re recording ED-137b, we/user define the Channel Mapping differentiators. By default, this is the IP address in combination with the Frequency. These can be altered, if the customer wants to differentiate the channels based on other criteria. ED-137c have specified that these shall be the differentiators. One of our customers always records ED-137b, and wants in addition to record each operator on a separate channel. This is solved by adding another Transformer which have the IP as a separator. This channel will then contain all communication from a certain IP address independent of frequency.

Is it easy to upgrade from analogue to ED-137 audio ?

Upgrading the guardREC ATC recording solution from recording analogue audio to recording ED-137 audio is very easy.  The customer only needs to enable and configure a new recording module. 

No re-installation or re-start of the recording solutions is necessary.

Recording source - Screen

Do guardREC support recording of the screen (from the video cable)?

This is also supported. All resolutions up to 4k x 2k, Either lossless or H.264 encoded. The replay of screens can be made in full sync with TTW replay, voice and other recorded data.

Do guardREC support recording of the screen (by software)

Yes, GuardREC has developed a software screen grabber which is installed on the CWP. 

The software screen grabber supports Linux and Windows.

Recording source - Radar

Where is the Radar video stored and in which resolution?

I’m assuming that with “Radar video” you mean the screen images of the radar screen, and not the actual radar feeds. Screen images are stored in exactly the same resolution as they presented on the operator’s monitor. 4K images are stored as 4K images. The storage location is determined by the user, based on configured storage locations. Since the recorded screendata are significant larger than audio or radar feeds, some customers choses to have a dedicated folder for the screen data with a shorter retention period in order to increase storage capacity. The replay service in the guardREC® application keeps track on where the data are stored, so the user will not notice that some data are stored in a different location than other data.

Is it possible to integrate radar functionality to an existing GuardREC solution?

Yes, it is possible to easily upgrade a current GuardREC version with support for Radar Replay and Investigation. A license upgrade linked to radar channels and the radar replay feature is required.

Do we need a special interface for the record & reply of Radar data or are GuardREC compatible with any Radar protocols?

If the radar data is sent on LAN then there is no need for any special interface. Radar feeds distributed over serial lines requires a serial interface unit. The guardREC systems is compatible with most Asterix protocols.

Vertical Separation, is that a line from one aircraft to the other, or is it the distance between the two altitudes?

The (blue) line between the targets are only for visualization. The Horizontal separation is the horizontal vector (in Nautical miles) and Vertical separation is the vertical vector (in feet).

Can the GuardREC recorder discriminate PSR,MSSR,ADS-B and system tracks so that the user can select only one or a combination of these types?

Any sensor type as presented in, or by, the Asterix protocol can be selected, but not a combination of types for the same radar feed. The system supports presentation of multiple radar feeds where target types can be presented individually for each radar feed and as such one can say that a combination of types are also possible.

Can the Guardrec recorder and playback system select playback for dedicated flights?

Playback can be selected for dedicated flights both in real time and scenario mode. This is achieved by selecting the track in question and use the Opacity function to hide those track not of interest. The track can also be easily identified by the “Search for track” function.

Other recording sources

Do you support digital recordings Nortel telephony, E1 etc.?

The guardREC® recording solution support recording of digital audio such as E1, Nortel,
CUCM, etc.

Can the Guardrec recorder and playback system perform Keyboard recording i.e. recording of all entries done via keyboard?

Keyboard and mouse recording is something which we have on our roadmap. We have designed the solution and it’s fairly straight forward to implement it. The request for this type of recording has reduced over the last years, and we have therefore not prioritized it. If requested; we’ll implement it in our solution.

Replay

Do you support multiple sites topology?

Multiple site topology is supported. Operators can sit in a central location performing investigation, monitoring and configuration. Central operation requires a LAN or WAN connection(s) to the sites.

Is it possible to playback data from remote?

Remote replay follow the same principle as Multiple site topology.

On the client, everything you need is just the web browser (Chrome or Firefox)?

Yes, you are correct. Chrome is the preferred browser (V8 engine).

Space for us is a premium. Can the replay performed on a KVM or a laptop on a drawer?

The only requirement for the replay- and configuration station is that it has Chrome installed and that it’s connected to the recorders over LAN or WAN. A KVM or laptop is sufficient. Please remember that you also need speakers, if the unit doesn’t have this in-built. You can also use an existing PC and add the recorder IP sub-net to the NIC, and connect it to the recorder.

Isn't this ATG recording? How can you interact with that?

One cannot interact with ATG recording (this is simply screen grabbing/bitmap). The presentation I made was with TTW input. We support recording of both ATG and TTW (at the same time), but I wanted to focus on TTW replay in this webinar.

Interactive investigation is often done by the local ATCO based on recording of the existing radar system. This can be done in multiple ways when audio communication is a requirement. Either two systems in parallel (ATC recording system and Voice recorder) or as a hybrid solution. With GuardREC Radar recording and replay the local investigators can more easily prepare the case to the regulator. The Radar replay can also be used as a training facility.

Do the guardREC player support filtering tracks and controlling the opacity etc.?

Yes, it does. And a few more filtering options too.

Scalability

What is the smallest solution?

License-wise the smallest solution we have is 4 channels. It’s the same application which is used in all solutions, which means that all installed solutions have the same flexibility independent of the original configuration.

How modular is the GuardREC ? What is the maximum number of radio and radar channels that can be recorded ?

The guardREC® has no real practical limitation on how many audio and radar channels we can record. The system can scale both in terms of performance and storage by adding servers and necessary hardware. The software has no limit.

What is the capacity of the system -- 2000 voice channels and 300 video are fine?

That is a large system, but yes we support it. Our system is very scalable in both performance and storage. In reality, no limitation as one has to add hardware to support the size. Screens and other types of data (radar, ed-137, IP cams…) may be added to the system at any time without the need to reconfiguration of the whole system and it does not even have to restart. Just add, configure the module, and start. Then the sources will be available for replay together with existing sources immediately.

Features in guardREC®

Can you export replays into MP3/MP4 for viewing on a basic PC?

Export of recorded data for replaying on a standard media player can be done for recorded audio, screens, CCTV or a combination of these. Audio is exported as . wav. Screens, CCTV or a combination of the sources are exported as .mp4.

What is the minimum time required to export a video in the preferred format?

There is no accurate answer to this question. Export of a longer time period will take more time than export of a shorter time period. I tried to export one minute of a video channel, and it took approx. 5,5 seconds. 3 minutes of video took approx. 13,5 seconds. In other words; not too long time.

API & Integrations

What about APIs to integrate audio data on external systems? Are they available?

Our API is a RestFUL API and is included / open in the recording application. We did the implementation towards the Thales TopSky solution last year, and it worked perfectly during the tests at Thales together with their TopSky C, X and He. We can automatically create an API manual depending on the application version of the guardREC® Recording solution. Attached you’ll find the manual for version 4.16, which is the version I used during the presentation.

Can GuardREC be integrated with any radar vendor?

Yes, the GuardREC system can be integrated to any ATC system and we already have integration with several ATC vendors.

Is it compatible with any ATM system?

In principle yes. So far Thales is the only ATM system vendor which has certified our solution. Indra will be implemented this year. Having said that, we have a very rich API which allows for easy integration.

Is there a cost to integrate the radar recording system to a ATM system?

Yes. Depends on which ATM vendor/system.

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