X-Git-Url: http://pere.pagekite.me/gitweb/homepage.git/blobdiff_plain/b8bcfa47352c6e56dc7e975fedf7baa17a3a5ebc..75f21f259da104051da9ce689b1c35f70aa8513a:/blog/index.rss diff --git a/blog/index.rss b/blog/index.rss index 2872b92f71..84d1f04b85 100644 --- a/blog/index.rss +++ b/blog/index.rss @@ -6,6 +6,81 @@ https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/ + + Managing and using ONVIF IP cameras with Linux + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Managing_and_using_ONVIF_IP_cameras_with_Linux.html + https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Managing_and_using_ONVIF_IP_cameras_with_Linux.html + Wed, 19 Oct 2022 12:30:00 +0200 + <p>Recently I have been looking at how to control and collect data +from a handful IP cameras using Linux. I both wanted to change their +settings and to make their imagery available via a free software +service under my control. Here is a summary of the tools I found.</p> + +<p>First I had to identify the cameras and their protocols. As far as +I could tell, they were using some SOAP looking protocol and their +internal web server seem to only work with Microsoft Internet Explorer +with some proprietary binary plugin, which in these days of course is +a security disaster and also made it impossible for me to use the +camera web interface. Luckily I discovered that the SOAP looking +protocol is actually following <a href="https://www.onvif.org/">the +ONVIF specification</a>, which seem to be supported by a lot of IP +cameras these days.</p> + +<p>Once the protocol was identified, I was able to find what appear to +be the most popular way to configure ONVIF cameras, the free software +Windows tool named +<a href="https://sourceforge.net/projects/onvifdm/">ONVIF Device +Manager</a>. Lacking any other options at the time, I tried +unsuccessfully to get it running using Wine, but was missing a dotnet +40 library and I found no way around it to run it on Linux.</p> + +<p>The next tool I found to configure the cameras were a non-free Linux Qt +client <a href="https://www.lingodigit.com/onvif_nvcdemo.html">ONVIF +Device Tool</a>. I did not like its terms of use, so did not spend +much time on it.</p> + +<p>To collect the video and make it available in a web interface, I +found the Zoneminder tool in Debian. A recent version was able to +automatically detect and configure ONVIF devices, so I could use it to +set up motion detection in and collection of the camera output. I had +initial problems getting the ONVIF autodetection to work, as both +Firefox and Chromium <a href="https://bugs.debian.org/1001188">refused +the inter-tab communication</a> being used by the Zoneminder web +pages, but managed to get konqueror to work. Apparently the "Enhanced +Tracking Protection" in Firefox cause the problem. I ended up +upgrading to the Bookworm edition of Zoneminder in the process to try +to fix the issue, and believe the problem might be solved now.</p> + +<p>In the process I came across the nice Linux GUI tool +<a href="https://gitlab.com/caspermeijn/onvifviewer/">ONVIF Viewer</a> +allowing me to preview the camera output and validate the login +passwords required. Sadly its author has grown tired of maintaining +the software, so it might not see any future updates. Which is sad, +as the viewer is sightly unstable and the picture tend to lock up. +Note, this lockup might be due to limitations in the cameras and not +the viewer implementation. I suspect the camera is only able to +provide pictures to one client at the time, and the Zoneminder feed +might interfere with the GUI viewer. I have +<a href="https://bugs.debian.org/1000820">asked for the tool to be +included in Debian</a>.</p> + +<p>Finally, I found what appear to be very nice Linux free software +replacement for the Windows tool, named +<a href="https://github.com/sr99622/libonvif/">libonvif</a>. It +provide a C library to talk to ONVIF devices as well as a command line +and GUI tool using the library. Using the GUI tool I was able to change +the admin passwords and update other settings of the cameras. I have +<a href="https://bugs.debian.org/1021980">asked for the package to be +included in Debian</a>.</p> + +<p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my +activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address +<b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p> + + + + + Time to translate the Bullseye edition of the Debian Administrator's Handbook https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Time_to_translate_the_Bullseye_edition_of_the_Debian_Administrator_s_Handbook.html @@ -581,40 +656,6 @@ most welcome to <a href="https://hosted.weblate.org/engage/linuxcnc/">join the effort</a> using Weblate.</p> -<p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my -activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address -<b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p> - - - - - Updated vlc bittorrent plugin in Debian (version 2.14) - https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Updated_vlc_bittorrent_plugin_in_Debian__version_2_14_.html - https://people.skolelinux.org/pere/blog/Updated_vlc_bittorrent_plugin_in_Debian__version_2_14_.html - Mon, 14 Feb 2022 08:00:00 +0100 - <p>I am very happy to report that a new version of the -<a href="https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/vlc-plugin-bittorrent">VLC -bittorrent plugin</a> was just uploaded into debian. The changes -since last time is mostly code clean in the download code. The package -is currently in Debian unstable, but should be available in Debian -testing son. To test it, simply install it like this:</p> - -<p><pre> -apt install vlc-plugin-bittorrent -</pre></p> - -<p>After it is installed, you can try to use it to play a file -downloaded live via bittorrent like this: - -<p><pre> -vlc https://archive.org/download/Glass_201703/Glass_201703_archive.torrent -</pre></p> - -<p>It can also use magnet links and local .torrent files like the ones -provided by the Internet Archive. Another example is the <a -href="https://archive.org/details/LoveNest">Love Nest</a> Buster -Keaton movie, where one can click on the 'Torrent' link to get going.</p> - <p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address <b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p>