Nx Witness Integration
Everest is designed for Nx Witness / Network Optix storage workflows. Transparent cloud archival, playback hydration, and disaster recovery — without any VMS modifications.
Zero modifications to your VMS
Everest operates entirely below the Nx Witness application layer. The VMS writes to a standard filesystem path — Everest handles everything else.
Intercepts at the FUSE / filesystem layer — no Nx Witness plugin or SDK required
VMS continues writing, reading, and reporting storage metrics normally
Stub files report original file sizes to Nx Witness via filesystem attributes
Archived recordings restore transparently on VMS read request
S3 folder structure mirrors Nx Witness hierarchy exactly
Nx Witness Media Server
Writes and reads normally
Everest FUSE Driver
Intercepts file operations transparently
Everest Agent (.NET Worker)
Processes events, manages lifecycle
AWS S3 / Wasabi
Cloud archival and disaster recovery
Everest Admin Portal
Visibility, metrics, and configuration
Integration scenarios
Standard single-server deployment
Single Nx Witness Media Server with one or two DAS drives. Everest manages both drives with independent lifecycle policies and a single agent process.
Multi-drive deployment (up to 8 drives)
Nx Witness server with multiple DAS drives for recording load distribution. Each drive gets its own FUSE instance and can target a separate S3 bucket.
Delayed replication (L1 → L2 → L3)
Standard three-phase lifecycle. Recordings remain local during L1, replicate to cloud in L2, and are reclaimed locally in L3 after configured thresholds.
Real-time parallel replication
Local recording and cloud replication occur simultaneously on every file close. Designed for zero-RPO compliance environments.
Transparent playback hydration
Archived (stubbed) recordings are automatically downloaded from cloud on VMS read request. Playback proceeds through the normal Nx Witness timeline interface.
Per-camera billing channel counting
Camera channel count determined by scanning the Nx Witness folder hierarchy at the configured camera-MAC depth level.
Nx Witness API camera count reconciliation
Optional supplemental camera count from Nx Witness REST API, displayed alongside folder-scan count for billing reconciliation.
Windows Nx Witness deployments
Windows minifilter driver integration with Nx Witness on Windows 11 / Server 2022 is planned for an upcoming release.
Coming SoonIntegration setup steps
Follow this checklist to integrate Everest with your Nx Witness deployment on Ubuntu Linux.
Prepare the Ubuntu host
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS installed
- FUSE 3 userspace package installed (fuse3)
- Sufficient SSD capacity for Nx Witness storage path
- Network connectivity to configured S3/Wasabi endpoint
Install Everest packages
- Install Everest FUSE driver .deb package
- Install Everest Agent .deb package
- Verify systemd services registered: everest-agent, everest-fuse@<label>
- Confirm services start before Nx Witness (dependency ordering)
Configure Everest
- Set Nx Witness storage path in everest.conf
- Configure S3/Wasabi endpoint, bucket, access key, and secret key
- Set lifecycle thresholds (L1, L2, L3) and measurement unit
- Configure drive labels and optional per-drive bucket assignments
Configure Nx Witness storage
- Point Nx Witness storage path to the Everest FUSE mount point
- Verify Nx Witness can write to the mount point normally
- Confirm file writes are being detected by Everest (check agent logs)
- Verify SQLite database entries appear for recorded files
Validate cloud replication
- Trigger manual replication or wait for L1 threshold
- Verify files appear in S3/Wasabi bucket under expected key prefix
- Confirm MD5 checksum match in agent logs
- Test stub creation and transparent playback restore
Access admin dashboard
- Open Everest dashboard at http://localhost:<port>
- Log in with administrator credentials
- Verify storage statistics and file lifecycle states
- Review billing metrics and health monitor status
End-to-end validation steps
Use this sequence to validate a complete Everest + Nx Witness integration from recording to cloud archival and playback restoration.
Start Nx Witness recording on 2+ cameras
Files appear under VMS storage path
Verify FUSE intercept in agent logs
[FUSE] file_close intercepted: camera01.avi
Check SQLite database for file entries
State: L1, is_replicated: 0
Trigger manual cloud upload via admin UI
Or wait for L1 threshold
Verify S3 bucket — file present
Key mirrors Nx Witness folder hierarchy
Check agent log for MD5 checksum verification
[REPLICATE] checksum OK: camera01.avi
Trigger stub creation (L3 transition)
Local 150MB file becomes 100-byte stub
Play back archived recording in Nx Witness
Hydration logged: [RESTORE] downloading…
Confirm playback completes normally
Stub replaced with full file in-place
Nx Witness integration FAQ
Common questions about deploying Everest with Nx Witness / Network Optix VMS.
Ready to integrate with Nx Witness?
Download the Nx Witness Integration Guide PDF and the Ubuntu agent package to begin deployment.