Which Milestone component communicates directly to devices?

The Recording Server is a crucial component of the Milestone XProtect system that communicates directly with various devices such as IP cameras, encoders, and other types of video equipment. Its primary function is to handle live video streams and manage video data storage. The Recording Server is responsible for capturing, processing, and storing video footage, ensuring that the recordings are reliable and accessible when needed.

Direct communication with devices is essential for the Recording Server to control functions like video streaming, camera configurations, and recording schedules. This interaction allows it to respond to real-time events and manage video feeds efficiently, ensuring optimal performance in surveillance scenarios.

In contrast, the Management Client serves as the user interface, providing operators with tools to configure and manage the entire system but does not directly communicate with devices. The Event Server handles event management and notifications within the system but also does not interact directly with hardware. The Video Push Agent is used for pushing video to a central database and facilitates data transfer but is not the primary component that interfaces with the devices. Thus, the Recording Server is clearly the correct answer as it plays a fundamental role in direct device communication within the Milestone architecture.