mirror of https://github.com/OpenIPC/wiki.git
355 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
355 lines
16 KiB
Markdown
# OpenIPC Wiki
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[Table of Content](../README.md)
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Available Installation Methods
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==============================
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Unfortunately IP camera manufacturers aren't **yet** shipping hardware with
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OpenIPC preinstalled, so to install OpenIPC onto a camera which is still using
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factory firmware images, one of the following methods must be used:
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* The [Coupler](https://github.com/openipc/coupler/) project makes available
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firmware images which can be installed using the firmware upgrade mechanisms
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which are built into the factory firmware of many cameras.
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* Flashing the OpenIPC firmware using the [*U Boot*
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bootloader](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_U-Boot) which is included in
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the vendor firmware. This method interrupts the normal boot process of the
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vendor firmware, and instead instructs U-Boot to load the OpenIPC firmware
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over the network, and write it to the flash storage (replacing the main
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portion of the vendor firmware). **This method requires the camera's case to
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be opened** to connect a [**UART adapter**][FTDI] to the camera's internal
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"console" serial/debug port.
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OpenIPC firmware installation using Coupler.
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--------------------------------------------
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Instructions for using [Coupler](https://github.com/openipc/coupler/) can be
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found in [the project's documentation](https://github.com/openipc/coupler/).
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OpenIPC firmware installation via TFTP and UART, step by step.
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--------------------------------------------------------------
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### Step 1. Determine the System on Chip.
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The SoC includes the CPU core of the camera, as well as all the necessary
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peripherals such as the camera and network interfaces. For various reasons
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(including the limited onboard storage space on most IP Cameras), the OpenIPC
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project currently builds separate firmware binaries for each SoC model. **You
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must identify the SoC which your camera uses**, so that you can use the correct
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firmware binaries. This can be done by reading the markings on the SoC IC
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package on the camera's main PCB (see example photo below), or by using
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software such as [ipctool](https://github.com/openipc/ipctool/) to identify the
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SoC model from the vendor firmware.
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_Hisilicon Hi3518EV100, Ingenic T20, T31 and T40 SoCs marking.
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Relevant symbols highlighted with yellow._
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### Step 2. Install and set up a TFTP server.
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TFTP stands for _Trivial File Transfer Protocol_. As the name implies, it is a
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very simple protocol intended for transferring files over a local computer
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network. TFTP does not support authentication. Its code is so tiny and simple
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that TFTP-clients are widely used in thin-clients and embedded systems for
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retrieving bootable images from a designated boot server on the local network.
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#### If you have Linux...
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...then it's easy. Pre-compiled and ready-to-use binary package for your distro
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most likely already exists in distro's repo, and you only need to install it and
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set it up.
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```bash
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sudo apt install tftpd-hpa
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sudo sed -i '/^TFTP_OPTIONS/s/"$/ --create"/' /etc/default/tftpd-hpa
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sudo systemctl restart tftpd-hpa.service
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```
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> **Note**: some users reported issues (connection timeouts) when using
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`tftpd-hpa` with recent versions of Ubuntu. In that case, you can try with an
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[alternative TFTP server](https://askubuntu.com/a/457105/1074320).
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### Step 3. Connect to UART port of your camera.
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In order to make a connection to UART port you will need a
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[serial port adapter][FTDI] for your PC.
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__Before you connect that adapter to you camera, make sure that it's working
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voltage is set to 3.3 volt!__
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Sometimes, you only need to flip a jumper to achieve that. But in some cases you
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might need to solder a wire, a zero Ohm resistor, or make a connection between
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two contacts with a blob of solder. Some adapters support only 5 volt. In that
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case, you will need an additional [logic level converter][TLLC] connected
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between the adapter and UART port on your camera.
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One of the contact pads you will need to connect you adapter to is GND (ground).
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It is easy to discover using a multimeter in continuity mode. Put one of the
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leads onto a well-known exposed ground pads. Usually, these are large open
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copper contact areas around mounting screw holes, USB port housing, SD card slot
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metallic walls. Use another lead to slightly touch control pads until you see or
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hear a notification from your multimeter that the circuit is closed. That means,
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you found the ground. Now, you need to find two more: `RX` and `TX`, both used
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for receiving and transmitting data, respectively. Start with `TX`. It transmits
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series of characters and quite easy to spot.
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Be aware that you are looking for a contact with 3.3v potential between it and
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the ground. Test possible connection points with a multimeter and mark those
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showing 3.3 volt. This way you won't have to test everything, and you save
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yourself from hitting say a 12 volt connector intended for infrared LED array
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or whatnot.
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Connect `GND` pin on your camera to `GND` pad of the adapter, connect USB
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connector of the adapter to a USB port on your PC, start a terminal emulator
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application and connect to your adapter. Set your terminal settings to
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115200 bps baudrate, 8 bits, no parity, 1 stopbit, no flow control.
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Here's a few command lines for various terminal programs with session logging. Pick your poison.
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#### screen
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Start a sessions with
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```bash
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screen -L -Logfile ipcam-$(date +%s).log /dev/ttyUSB0 115200
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```
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Use `Ctrl-a` followed by `\` to exit the session.
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#### `minicom`
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Start a sessions with
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```bash
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minicom -b 115200 -8 --capturefile=ipcam-$(date +%s).log --color=on -D /dev/ttyUSB0
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```
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Use `Ctrl-a` followed by `x` to exit the session.
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#### `picocom`
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Start a sessions with
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```bash
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picocom -b 115200 --databits 8 --parity n --stopbits 1 --flow n --logfile=ipcam-$(date +%s).log /dev/ttyUSB0
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```
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Use `Ctrl-a` followed by `Ctrl-x` to exit the session.
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#### PuTTY
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If you opt for a GUI terminal, namely [PuTTY](https://www.putty.org/), this is how it should look like:
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Then, connect `RX` pin on the adapter to a possible `TX` contact of UART port
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on your camera. Power the camera with its standard power adapter. If you had a
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lucky guess then you'll start seeing booting log in your terminal window. In
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some cases, if you see garbled text on you screen instead of booting kernel,
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you might need to change the connection speed to 57600 bps and try again.
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If your screen remains blank, try another UART contact, and then another, until
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you hit the proper one.
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After you found the `TX` pad, connect it to `RX` pin on your adapter. Yes, it is
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a cross-connection. Whatever transmits goes into a receiver and vice-versa. Now,
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put a heavy object -- a railroad nut, an antique tin solder, a shot of vodka
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(full) -- on any letter key of your computer keyboard and start connect
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remaining `TX` pin of your adapter to different pads on the camera until you see
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it backfeeding to the terminal. As it happens, you have successfully completed
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a UART connection to you camera. Now you may drink the vodka.
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NB! Usually, there is a fourth contact on a UART connector marked `VCC`. It is
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used for powering camera during initial programming by manufacturer. We strongly
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advise not to power your camera though that pin, but use the OEM power connector
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for this purpose.
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### Step 4. Get access to the bootloader.
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Reboot the camera and try to interrupt its boot sequence in order to access
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bootloader console by pressing a key combination on your computer keyboard,
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between the time the bootloader starts and before Linux kernel kicks in.
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Key combinations differ from vendor to vendor but, in most cases, it is
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`Ctrl-C`, less commonly -- `Enter`, `Esc`, `*` or just any key. Carefully read text
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appearing on screen while booting, you might see a hint there. Some cameras
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require more exotic combinations not revealed in booting logs. You may try to
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look them up on the internet, or ask on [our Telegram channel][telegram].
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Chances are, we have already dealt with such a camera and know the combo.
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If you succeeded and got a command prompt then congrats, you've got access to
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your camera's bootloader.
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From this point on, we strongly advise you to keep a record of everything you do.
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Enable session logging in your terminal. Even better, create a text file on your
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computer and write down all commands you run and how system responses to them.
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### Step 5. Determine the flash memory size.
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Most IP cameras nowadays are equipped with 8 or 16 MB NOR or NAND flash memory.
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You can check the type and size of the chip installed on of your camera in the
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bootloader log output. You'll see something like this:
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```console
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U-Boot 2010.06-svn (Oct 21 2016 - 11:21:29)
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Check Flash Memory Controller v100 ... Found
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SPI Nor(cs 0) ID: 0xс2 0x20 0x18
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spi_general_qe_enable(294): Error: Disable Quad failed! reg: 0x2
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Block:64KB Chip:16MB Name:"MX25L128XX"
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SPI Nor total size: 16MB
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```
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Another example:
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```console
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U-Boot 2013.07 (Feb 27 2019 - 02:05:08)
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DRAM: 64 MiB
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MMC: msc: 0
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SF: Detected EN25QH64
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```
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Which shows the flash memory model (`EN25QH64`) that you can look up online to
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find a data sheet. Also, `64` in the model number hints for a 64 Megabits memory,
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which is equivalent to 8MB. Similarly, `128` would be equivalent to 16MB.
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You should also be able to identify the model of the flash memory by looking up
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at the board, but this is usually a difficult task because the chips are very
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small and may not come with clear markings.
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### Step 6. Save the original firmware.
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After you get access to the bootloader console, run `help` to get a list of
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available commands. Check if you have `tftp` among them. If you do, then saving
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the original firmware should be a breeze. You only need to set up access to your
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TFTP server from step 2.
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NB! If your bootloader does not have `tftp`, you can still make a copy of the
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original firmware. [Read here for more](help-uboot.md).
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Check the system environment using `printenv` command. Look for `ipaddr`,
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`netmask`, `gatewayip` and `serverip` parameters. The first three set IP address,
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netmask of your camera, and the IP address of the network gateway for accessing
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local network. The fourth parameter is an IP address of your TFTP server. Assign
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the values by `setenv` command (use IP addresses and netmask corresponding to
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your local network), then save the new values into environment with `saveenv`
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command.
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```bash
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setenv ipaddr 192.168.1.253
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setenv netmask 255.255.255.0
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setenv gatewayip 192.168.1.1
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setenv serverip 192.168.1.254
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saveenv
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```
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To dump the original firmware, you need to save the contents of camera's flash
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memory to a file. For that, you must first load the contents into RAM. Here's
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how you do that. Initialize the Flash memory. Clean a region of RAM large enough to
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fit whole content of flash memory chip. Read contents of the flash from into that
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region, then export it to a file on the TFTP server.
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Please note, that flash type, size and starting address differ for different cameras!
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For exact commands please use [automatically generated instructions](https://openipc.org/supported-hardware/)
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for your hardware, consult data sheets, or seek help on [our Telegram channel][telegram].
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### Step 7. Install OpenIPC firmware.
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#### Prelude.
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No two camera models are alike. Different camera models consist of different
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sets of components. The most important of them, the central processor and the
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image sensor, directly affect the image quality and the range of functions
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inherent in a particular camera. Unlike desktop computer CPU, camera's processor
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handles so many functions that it got a specific name -- System-on-Chip or SoC,
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for short.
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But even seemingly less significant components can set limitations on the camera
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and its firmware capabilities. For example, different cameras may have different
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flash memory chips installed. Some cameras may have 8MB of flash memory, while
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others may have 16MB or more. More flash memory can fit more software code and
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allow the camera to run additional services that are not available on cameras
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with less flash memory. So we decided to build two versions of our firmware:
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the basic version (_Lite_) for cameras with 8 MB of flash memory and the
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advanced version (_Ultimate_) with additional features for cameras with 16 MB
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flash memory.
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As said before, firmware installation routine differs for different cameras.
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There are different memory addresses and different environment parameters,
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so before proceeding, determine what kind of SoC is in your camera, what sensor,
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what flash memory chip and what amount of memory is has.
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Below we describe the procedure for installing the OpenIPC Lite firmware on a
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camera with 8 MB of flash memory, as an example. Even if your camera has larger
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flash memory, do not skip this text. Read it carefully to understand the
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principle and the sequence of operations. We will provide specific commands
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for different cameras in the second part of this section.
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#### Preparing the firmware and the TFTP server.
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Go to <https://openipc.org/supported-hardware>, find your SoC in the table of
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supported hardware. Make sure there is a downloadable binary file for that SoC.
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Hopefully there is a pre-compiled firmware file for your processor --
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download it onto your PC.
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If you followed step 2, you've got your own TFTP server serving files from
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`/srv/tftp` directory. Extract files from the bundle you just downloaded into
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that directory.
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```bash
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sudo tar -C /srv/tftp/ -xvf openipc.*.tgz
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```
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#### Preparing the camera for flashing.
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So, we have a guinea pig, a camera with hi3518ev100 SoC, equipped with a OV9712
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sensor, 64 MB of RAM and a 8MB NOR flash memory.
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Connect to the camera via the UART port and access the bootloader console.
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Set the component parameters to the appropriate environment variables. Set
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environment variables for loading the Linux kernel and the root file system
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of the new firmware. Set environment variables for the camera to access local network,
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where `ethaddr` is the original camera MAC address, `ipaddr` is camera's IP address
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on the network, `gatewayip` is the IP address of a router to access the network,
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`netmask` is the subnet mask, and `serverip` is am IP address of the TFTP server
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from step 3. Save updated values to flash memory.
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For exact commands please use [automatically generated instructions](https://openipc.org/supported-hardware/)
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for your hardware, consult data sheets, or seek help on [our Telegram channel][telegram].
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#### Installation.
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For exact commands please use [automatically generated instructions](https://openipc.org/supported-hardware/)
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for your hardware, consult data sheets, or seek help on [our Telegram channel][telegram].
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NB! Pay attention to the messages on the terminal screen! If any of the commands
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throws an error, find out what went wrong. Maybe you made a typo? In any case,
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do not continue the procedure until all previous commands succeed. Otherwise,
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you might end up with a bricked camera!
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### Step 8. First boot.
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If all previous steps are done correctly, your camera should start with the new
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firmware. Welcome to OpenIPC!
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After the first boot with the new firmware you need to clean the overlay
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partition. Run this in your terminal window:
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```bash
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firstboot
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```
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[logo]: ../images/logo_openipc.png
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[FTDI]: https://www.google.com/search?q=ftdi+usb+ttl
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[TLLC]: https://google.com/search?q=logic+level+converter+3.3v+5v
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[telegram]: https://t.me/OpenIPC
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