Video recording failover

1. A video recording system comprising:

a first Network Video Recorder (NVR) configured to receive a video stream and record the video stream to a first long-term storage, wherein the first NVR is assigned the role of master NVR, further wherein more than one NVR requested to be master, and each was assigned an identification number to determine which NVR would become master, wherein the first NVR periodically sends a message to a second NVR, and the absence of a message triggers the second NVR to assume responsibility for triggering; and

the second NVR configured to receive the video stream and temporarily stores an amount of the video stream in temporary storage, wherein the amount of the video stream stored in the temporary storage at any time corresponds to a duration of time sufficient to accommodate a failover of the first NVR to the second NVR;

in response to a detection of a failure of the first NVR, the second NVR configured to record the video stream to the second long-term storage and transfer at least a portion of the video stream stored in the temporary storage corresponding to the amount of time between detection of the failure and when the second NVR began recording the video stream to the second long-term storage.

2. The video recording system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a keep alive box configured to detect the failure of the first NVR and responsively indicate for the second NVR to operate as a failover NVR for the first NVR.

3. The video recording system of claim 2 , further comprising:

a third NVR that receives a message from the keep alive box indicating that the failure of the first NVR has occurred; and

wherein the third NVR triggers the second NVR to start recording the video stream.

4. The video recording system of claim 3 , wherein the second NVR receives a second video stream and stores the second video stream in the temporary storage.

5. The video recording system of claim 3 , wherein the third NVR triggered the second NVR to start recording the video based upon an assigned identification number.

6. The video recording system of claim 2 , further comprising:

a third NVR configured to receive a second video stream, record the second video stream to a third long-term storage, receive a message from the keep alive box indicating that the failure of the first NVR has occurred, and trigger the second NVR to start recording the video;

a fourth NVR configured to receive a message from the keep alive box indicating that a failure of the third NVR has occurred and trigger a fifth NVR to start recording the second video stream to a fourth long-term storage.

7. The video recording system of claim 6 , wherein the third NVR periodically sends a message to the fourth NVR and the absence of the message triggers the fourth NVR to assume responsibility for triggering the fifth NVR to start recording a third video.

8. The video recording system of claim 1 , wherein the first NVR and the second NVR receive the video stream via packets addressed to an IP multicast group address.

9. A method of recording video, comprising:

receiving, by a first Network Video Recorder (NVR), a video stream;

recording, by the first NVR, the video stream to a first long-term storage, wherein the first NVR is assigned the role of master NVR, further wherein more than one NVR requested to be master, and each was assigned an identification number to determine which NVR would become master, wherein the first NVR periodically sends a message to a second NVR, and the absence of a message triggers the second NVR to assume responsibility for triggering;

receiving, by the second NVR, the video stream;

temporarily storing, by the second NVR, an amount of the video stream in temporary storage, wherein the amount of the video stream stored in the temporary storage at any time corresponds to a duration of time sufficient to accommodate a failover of the first NVR to the second NVR;

detecting a failure of the first NVR;

in response to the failure of the first NVR, recording, by the second NVR, the video stream to a second long-term storage and transferring at least a portion of the video stream stored in the temporary storage corresponding to the amount of time between detection of the failure and when the second NVR began recording the video stream to the second long-term storage.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein a third NVR triggers the second NVR to start recording the video.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

assigning the third NVR to trigger the second NVR to start recording in the event of the failure of the first NVR;

in response to a failure of the third NVR, assigning a fourth NVR to trigger the second NVR to start recording in the event of the failure of the first NVR.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

receiving, by the second NVR, a second video stream;

temporarily storing, by the second NVR, the second video stream in temporary storage.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

choosing to trigger the second NVR to start recording the video based on an assigned identification number.

14. A method of recording video, comprising:

receiving, by a first Network Video Recorder (NVR), a video stream;

recording, by the first NVR, the video stream to a first long-term storage;

receiving, by the first NVR, a second video stream;

temporarily storing, by the first NVR, an amount of the second video stream in temporary storage, wherein the amount of the video stream stored in the temporary storage at any time corresponds to a duration of time sufficient to accommodate a failover of the first NVR to the second NVR, wherein the first NVR is assigned the role of master NVR, further wherein more than one NVR requested to be master, and each was assigned an identification number to determine which NVR would become master, wherein the first NVR periodically sends a message to the second NVR, and the absence of a message triggers the second NVR to assume responsibility for triggering;

in response to a failure of a second NVR, triggering the first NVR to start recording the second video stream to the first long-term storage and to transfer at least a portion of the second video stream stored in the temporary storage corresponding to the amount of time between detection of the failure and when the second NVR began recording the video stream to the second long-term storage.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

choosing to trigger the first NVR to start recording the second video based on an assigned identification number.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

assigning a third NVR to trigger the first NVR to start recording in the event of the failure of the second NVR;

in response to a failure of the third NVR, assigning a fourth NVR to trigger the first NVR to start recording in the event of the failure of the second NVR.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

receiving, by a fourth NVR, the second video stream;

temporarily storing, by the fourth NVR, the second video in temporary storage.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

receiving periodic messages from the third NVR to detect a failure of the third NVR;

in the event of a failure of the third NVR detected by the absence of a periodic message from the third NVR, assigning a fourth NVR to trigger the first NVR to start recording in the event of the failure of the second NVR.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

in the event of a failure of the third NVR detected by the absence of a periodic message from the third NVR, sending a message, by the fourth NVR, indicating the fourth NVR is assuming responsibility for triggering the first NVR to start recording in the event of the failure of the second NVR;

receiving periodic messages from the fourth NVR to detect a failure of the fourth NVR.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth NVRs are on the same subnet.