Getting Started

Welcome to the Meridian VMS getting started guide. This section walks you through everything you need to go from a fresh server to a fully operational video management system with live camera streams and recorded playback.

What You Will Learn

By following these guides in order, you will:

Understand the system requirements — hardware, software, and network prerequisites for running Meridian VMS in production.
Install Meridian VMS — deploy the management server, recording server, and all supporting services on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS using the automated installer.
Complete initial configuration — log in for the first time, set up your admin account, and familiarize yourself with the web interface.
Add your first cameras — build a location hierarchy, register a recording server, discover IP cameras via ONVIF, and verify live video.

Architecture Overview

Meridian VMS consists of two main components that work together:

Management Server : The central hub that hosts the web interface and API on port 8000. Handles configuration, authentication, the recording segment index, and stream proxying. Uses a database for persistent storage and real-time messaging for communication with recording servers.

Recording Server : A daemon running on each physical server that handles video. Manages stream recording and relay for RTSP streams. Multiple recording servers can be deployed to scale across hundreds of cameras.

+-----------------+               +--------------------+
|  Management     |  Messaging    |  Recording Server  |
|  Server         |<------------>|  (one or more)     |
|  (Web UI + API) |  HTTP         |                    |
|  Port 8000      |<------------>|  Recording + Relay  |
+-----------------+               +--------------------+
        |                                |
        v                                v
   Database                    /recordings (disk)

Guides in This Section

Guide	Description
System Requirements	Hardware and software prerequisites
Installation	Step-by-step deployment on Ubuntu 24.04
Quick Start	Add locations, servers, and cameras
First Login	Initial login and UI orientation

Need Help?

If you run into issues during setup, check the following:

Service logs: sudo journalctl -u meridian-management -f and sudo journalctl -u meridian-recorder -f
Database connectivity: Verify the database service is running
Network: Ensure cameras are reachable from the recording server on the RTSP port (typically 554)