Diagnosing and Resolving Alarms Blocked Due to Overflow Threshold
The system automatically suppresses alarms (blocks them) when a device or site exceeds a predefined threshold for alarm reception within a short timeframe. This feature is critical because devices, particularly certain types like Axon, can send thousands of alarms, potentially overwhelming or destabilizing the platform.
There are two primary reasons why alarms might not be processed for the operator: redundancy or block. This guide focuses on diagnosing and resolving issues related to alarm blocking due to overflow.
Quick Checklist
- Check Genesis Device Dashboard: Filter alarm logs for the device to determine if alarms are flagged with a "Blocked" status.
- Identify Event Overflow Alarms: Search Genesis logs for the event overflow alarm type, which Genesis generates when the platform-wide threshold is breached.
- Verify Threshold Configuration: Check the custom properties (e.g., tile overflow threshold) at the tenant or customer level to confirm the device's configured alarm limit.
- Check Talos Blocking (Site Level): If alarms bypass Genesis but do not reach the operator, verify Talos logs for the site for the alarm code
Alarm limit exceeded.
Understanding Platform Thresholds
Alarm blocking occurs based on different criteria in Genesis and Talos:
Genesis Blocking (Device Level)
The platform-wide default is to block a device if it sends more than 25 video alarms from a single device within a 5-minute window. When blocked, Genesis will reject all subsequent alarms from that device until the threshold window resets.
Talos Blocking (Site Level)
Talos has a similar blocking logic, but the threshold applies at the site level. If the total alarm count from all devices within a site exceeds 25 alarms in a 5-minute window, Talos will block alarms for that site.
These thresholds can be customized via custom properties at the tenant, customer, or site level. Contact support to adjust these values if needed.
Troubleshooting Steps
1. Verify Alarm Blocking Status in Genesis
- Locate the Device Dashboard: Navigate to the device in question on the Genesis dashboard.
- Filter Alarm Logs: Filter the displayed alarms, ignoring technical events like
ping.primary. Focus on video alarms (analytics.something or motion.something). - Check Status: Observe the alarms to see if they are marked as "Blocked".
- Check for Event Overflow: Look for the Genesis-generated alarm type
event overflow. This alarm indicates that the threshold has been breached. Genesis continuously checks every 5 minutes and generates this alarm when the threshold is exceeded.
2. Confirm Threshold Breach and Review Custom Properties
- Determine the Incident Window: Identify the time of the first "Blocked" status or event overflow alarm (e.g., 6:04).
- Filter for the 5-Minute Window: Filter the alarm data for the 5 minutes preceding the block (e.g., 5:59 to 6:04).
- Count Alarms: Calculate the total number of video alarms received in that window (e.g., 46 alarms in the example case).
- Check Configured Threshold: Verify the configured threshold against the default of 25. Custom properties can override this default. This threshold can be found in the custom properties (e.g.,
tile overflow threshold) at the tenant or customer level. - Identify the Source of the Block: If the received count exceeds the configured threshold, the blocking mechanism is functioning as intended, and the issue lies with the device generating too many alarms.
3. Check for Talos Blocking
Alarms might bypass Genesis (especially if multiple devices are sending alarms below the 25-alarm device limit) but still get blocked by Talos.
- Check Talos Logs: Consult the Talos logs for the specific site.
- Look for the Block Code: Identify the exact alarm code indicating blocking on the Talos side:
Alarm limit exceeded(Talos is case sensitive).
4. Resolution and Customer Recommendation
The ultimate resolution usually involves reducing the alarm volume from the device.
- Communicate the Reason: Clearly communicate to the customer that the device was blocked due to exceeding the platform's high alarm volume limit (e.g., 46 alarms received in 5 minutes vs. the 25-alarm threshold).
- Avoid Motion Alarms: Advise customers not to configure motion alarms. Motion alarms often "flood the system with alarms".
- Recommend IVS Alarms: Recommend changing the device configuration to use IVS alarms (Advanced Intelligent Video processing alarms). IVS alarms apply a level of filtering on the device side, reducing the volume of alarms sent to the platform.
- Confirm Operational Risk: If the customer insists on keeping motion alarms, they must be informed that the system cannot control alarms being blocked, presenting an operational risk.
Related Phrases (Glossary)
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Event Overflow | An alarm type generated by Genesis indicating that a device has breached the platform's alarm reception threshold (e.g., 25 alarms in 5 minutes). |
| Blocked Alarm | An alarm status indicating that the alarm was received by the system but automatically suppressed or ignored because the device or site exceeded the predefined overflow threshold. |
| Redundancy (Alarms Blocked Due to) | Alarms that are ignored because they are duplicates of the exact same alarm code received from the same camera within a short period (typically 30 seconds by default). |
| Custom Property | A configuration parameter that can be set at the tenant, customer, or site level (e.g., tile overflow threshold) to customize platform defaults, such as the alarm overflow limit. |
| Motion Alarm | A basic alarm type triggered by movement, often resulting in a high volume of events that can flood the system, leading to blocking. |
| IVS Alarm | Intelligent Video Processing alarms; advanced, filtered alarms recommended over basic motion alarms to reduce event volume. |
| Alarm limit exceeded | The specific, case-sensitive alarm code found in Talos logs indicating that the site has been blocked due to exceeding the high alarm volume threshold. |
| ping.primary | A heartbeat signal sent by the device to ensure it can reach Genesis. These keep-alive signals are typically excluded from the alarm overflow calculation. |
Related Documentation
Need Help?
If you continue to experience issues with alarm blocking, contact GCXONE Support with the following information:
- Device ID and site information
- Time range of the blocking incident
- Alarm count during the 5-minute window
- Screenshots of blocked alarms from Genesis dashboard