Techniques for providing access to video data using a network attached storage device

1. In a network attached storage (NAS) device, a method of providing access to video data, the method comprising:

detecting access to a video camera from the NAS device through a network;

receiving a video store command from a user workstation through the network, the video store command directing the NAS device to store video data provided by the video camera to the NAS device through the network; and

storing the video data provided by the video camera to the NAS device through the network in response to the video store command;

wherein the NAS device is a dedicated data storage server which is dedicated to file sharing;

wherein the method further comprises:

processing file-based data storage requests from a set of user workstations in accordance with a set of file sharing protocols while concurrently (i) the dedicated data storage server stores the video data provided by the video camera, and (ii) the set of user workstations carryout general-purpose computing tasks separately from the dedicated data storage server, and

performing, as a set of file-based data storage services provided by the dedicated data storage server to the set of user workstations, file backup routines and file restoration operations to backup and recover files on behalf of the set of user workstations;

wherein the dedicated data storage server runs an operating system optimized to process the file-based data storage requests, the operating system including a built-in video camera discovery module; and

wherein detecting access to the video camera from the NAS device through the network includes:

automatically detecting connection of the video camera to the network using the built-in video camera discovery module of the operating system running on the dedicated data storage server.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein the video camera and the dedicated data storage server are constructed and arranged to effectuate automatic discovery in accordance with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocols.

3. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:

providing, through the user workstation, a user interface which is constructed and arranged to provide a user of the user workstation with integrated file-based data storage control and video surveillance control.

4. A method as in claim 3 , further comprising:

in addition to receiving the video store command from the user workstation, (i) receiving a video view command from the user workstation, and (ii) configuring the user workstation to render a live video from the video camera in response to the video view command.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein configuring the user workstation to render the live video from the video camera in response to the video view command includes:

directing the user workstation to access the live video directly from the video camera through the network rather than indirectly through the dedicated data storage server.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein storing the video data provided by the video camera to the NAS device through the network in response to the video store command includes:

decrypting an encrypted wireless signal from the video camera into the video data; and

saving the video data on disk drive memory within the dedicated data storage server.

7. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting activity in the vicinity of the video camera in response to the video data provided by the video camera; and

sending notification signal to the user workstation in response to detecting the activity.

8. A network attached storage (NAS) device, comprising:

a network interface constructed and arranged to connect to a network;

a set of storage units; and

a controller coupled to the network interface and the set of storage units, the controller being constructed and arranged to:

detect access to a video camera from the NAS device through the network interface and the network,

receive a video store command from a user workstation through the network interface and the network, the video store command directing the NAS device to store video data provided by the video camera to the NAS device through the network, and

store, on the set of storage units, the video data provided by the video camera to the NAS device through the network interface and the network in response to the video store command;

wherein the NAS device is a dedicated data storage server which is dedicated to file sharing;

wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

process file-based data storage requests from a set of user workstations in accordance with a set of file sharing protocols while concurrently (i) the dedicated data storage server stores the video data provided by the video camera, and (ii) the set of user workstations carryout general-purpose computing tasks separately from the dedicated data storage server, and

perform, as a set of file-based data storage services provided by the dedicated data storage server to the set of user workstations, file backup routines and file restoration operations to backup and recover files on behalf of the set of user workstations;

wherein the controller includes a set of processors which runs an operating system optimized to process the file-based data storage requests, the operating system including a built-in video camera discovery module; and

wherein the controller, when detecting access to the video camera from the NAS device through the network includes automatically detecting connection of the video camera to the network using the built-in video camera discovery module of the operating system.

9. A NAS device as in claim 8 wherein the video camera and the dedicated data storage server are constructed and arranged to effectuate automatic discovery in accordance with Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocols.

10. A NAS device as in claim 8 wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

provide, through the user workstation, a user interface which is constructed and arranged to provide a user of the user workstation with integrated file-based data storage control and video surveillance control.

11. A NAS device as in claim 10 wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

in addition to receiving the video store command from the user workstation, (i) receive a video view command from the user workstation, and (ii) configure the user workstation to render a live video from the video camera in response to the video view command.

12. A NAS device as in claim 11 wherein the controller, when configuring the user workstation to render the live video from the video camera in response to the video view command, is constructed and arranged to:

direct the user workstation to access the live video directly from the video camera through the network rather than indirectly through the dedicated data storage server.

13. A NAS device as in claim 8 wherein the controller, when storing the video data provided by the video camera to the NAS device through the network in response to the video store command, is constructed and arranged to:

decrypt an encrypted wireless signal from the video camera into the video data; and

save the video data on disk drive memory within the dedicated data storage server.

14. A NAS device as in claim 8 wherein the controller is further constructed and arranged to:

detect activity in the vicinity of the video camera in response to the video data provided by the video camera; and

send notification signal to the user workstation in response to detecting the activity.

15. A method as in claim 1 , wherein the operating system further includes a video decoder which is constructed and arranged to perform a video decoding operation on video data; and wherein storing the video data provided by the video camera includes:

receiving the video data from the video camera; and

performing the video decoding operation on the video data to generate a video file.

16. A method as in claim 15 , wherein the dedicated data storage server further runs applications including a web server;

wherein providing the user interface through the user workstation includes:

displaying, on the user computer, a web page provided by the web server, the web page including a title bar, a help pane, a tabs area, and a main viewing area.