Apply the primary Archiver retention window to Genetec consolidation

Bottom line: Check the primary Archiver’s retention window before expecting consolidation to copy every recording still held by a standby server.

Source fact: documented behavior

The Consolidating video archives after Archiver failover topic is the primary reference for this Security Center 5.14 discussion.

Genetec’s Security Center 5.14 procedure describes consolidation as copying archives from secondary or tertiary servers back to the primary after failover. When the primary retention period is shorter, consolidation copies only archives within the primary server’s retention period. The primary checks for archives to consolidate every hour by default. If the primary changes, the documented gap-filling behavior still depends on archives being available on the secondary or tertiary servers.

What the source does not establish

The topic assumes Archiver failover is configured. It does not promise that all standby history will fit the primary’s window, that every source interval exists, or that copying finishes within an hour. This is a media eligibility question; it does not merge Directory configuration databases.

Applicability questions

• Which server is currently primary for the Archiver role?
• How do its retention settings compare with each standby server?
• Which camera intervals exist on the source servers and remain within the primary window?
• Who owns any required footage outside that eligible window?

DSE recommendation: controlled next steps

The following steps are DSE recommendations based on the cited source.

DSE recommends an interval-based reconciliation for an approved failover rehearsal. Choose test footage that spans the primary retention boundary while the standby has a longer configured history.

1. Record the actual primary and standby assignments, configured retention periods and available source intervals before requesting recovery work. Make a camera-by-camera list of the footage expected to be eligible for consolidation.
2. Keep required evidence outside the expected copy window under the organization’s authorized preservation process. Ask the evidence owner to resolve that requirement before changing retention or deleting a source. Do not treat consolidation as approval to discard the remaining standby history.
3. Observe the configured transfer process and compare the primary timeline with the eligible-interval list. Investigate missing or unexpected intervals using the source availability and transfer evidence. Record the difference between a scheduled check and the completed media result.

Verification and evidence

Retain role and server identities, retention settings, the expected copy window, source and destination timelines, transfer observations and sample playback results. Retrieve representative clips near both ends of the eligible window through the intended investigator account.

Have the recording owner accept the reconciled media result and document unresolved intervals. Repeat after a primary-server or retention change. These are proposed DSE checks; no zero-gap recovery, completion time or customer restoration outcome is asserted.

Official references

• Consolidating video archives after Archiver failover — Genetec; Security Center 5.14.

Source review completed October 28, 2026. Recheck the official documentation and deployment-specific applicability before a production change.