linking image to your own server, guide?

[Sharkadder]

Hi, i know that the "my server" option has been in the plugins part of the gemini image for the past few years now and thought that i may try experimenting by accessing a different server.

Would it be ok if somebody made a guide into how this can be achieved? I remember a few years ago i attached the myserver option to red devils server to check it out on an older gemini image, but i forget how this was achieved.

According to gemini spec there's a useraddon.xml file but i've not found it on my box.

Also i was wondering, has anybody got any of the mail clients to link to a hotmail e-mail address? If so which ones? All of the ones i have seen over the years have been for the likes of yahoo etc. I would just forward hotmail to yahoo but i actually forward my yahoo account to hotmail as i use msn a lot to check my mail on.

Thanks

 

[B16MCC]

I'm gonna research this too mate. I'll let you know if I find anything. I fancy adding something to my ubuntu box to host it.

 

[Sharkadder]

yeah, i did do it ages ago and i think you add the dns and a port but i totally forget how to do it. The server i attached it to, the guides for it have disappeared.

If you find anything then let me know as i'd like to know how to do this again. The file it says to edit doesn't seem to be part of gemini latest images anymore so i think they need updating anyways.

 

[compufunk]

I did this around a year ago for some reason that I cant remember now.

From memory, it goes something like this.

You'll need a PC running a HTTP server like Apache, Microsoft IIS or similar.

For the sake of keeping things tidy, create a folder at the top level of your HTTP servers directory tree. i.e. /path/to/folder/htdocs/addons or /path/to/folder/html/addons.

You'll be uploading your plugins to that folder.

Now create a file (again at the top level) called addons.xml.

Copy the following example XML into it and modify as required.

[COLOR=Blue][/COLOR]

<list>
<Plugin>
<content>
<name>SharkaddersPlugin</name>
<url>http://YourIPorDNSname/addons/example.tar.gz</url>
<description>Description of your plugin</description>
<creator>Sharkadder</creator>
<pic>http://YourIPorDNSname/example.jpg</pic>
<size>523000</size>
<md5>b9218bc1c7b71b705d7fd7f2f0dd80c6</md5>
<option></option>
</content>
</Plugin>
</list>

The part marked in blue is a description of each of the XML tags and is commented out, so will be ignored.

The rest is pretty self explanatory. Just modify the file names and URLs accordingly.

You can just use the <name> and <url> tags. The rest is optional.

If you wanted to add more addons under the plugins list, you would just add another <content> subsection within the <Plugin> tag.

To add another category/group to the list, you just add another tag under the <list> tag. e.g.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]<list>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="SeaGreen"]<Plugin>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="DarkOrange"]<content>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<name>[/COLOR]SharkaddersPlugin[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</name>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<url>[/COLOR]http://192.168.1.2/addons/example.tar.gz[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</url>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<description>[/COLOR]Description of your plugin[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</description>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<creator>[/COLOR]Sharkadder[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</creator>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<pic>[/COLOR]http://192.168.1.2/addons/example.jpg[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</pic>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<size>[/COLOR]523000[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</size>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<md5>[/COLOR]b9218bc1c7b71b705d7fd7f2f0dd80c6[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]</md5>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="RoyalBlue"]<option></option>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="DarkOrange"]</content>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="SeaGreen"]</Plugin>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="SeaGreen"]<Cam>[/COLOR]
<content>
<name>SharkaddersPlugin2</name>
<url>http://192.168.1.2/addons/example2.tar.gz</url>
<pic>http://192.168.1.2/addons/example.jpg</pic>
</content>
<content>
<name>SharkaddersPlugin3</name>
<url>http://192.168.1.2/addons/example2.tar.gz</url>
<pic>http://192.168.1.2/addons/example.jpg</pic>			
</content>
[COLOR="SeaGreen"]</Cam>[/COLOR]
[COLOR="DarkRed"]</list>[/COLOR]

Define List of categories/groups
Define categories/groups within list. See attachment 1.
Define a plugin/addon. See attachment 2.
Define the attributes of a plugin. URL, description, picture preview...etc


If you wanted to connect to the addon server from the outside world, you just need to forward port 80 from the router to the server.

Also, I can see no reason why you couldnt link to an external site from within the <url></url> tags.

The last thing to do is to tell the dreambox where to look for the personal addons server

Do this by addding the following to /etc/useraddon.xml

<item>
<item name="SharkadderServer" url="http://YourIPorDNSname/addons.xml"/>
</item>

 

[B16MCC]

Some excellent info there mate thanks a lot. The next question is , can it be applied to nabilo's images, where might the connection info be within the file structure of an installed image ?

 

[compufunk]

Im not sure about Nabilo images B16MCC.

I'd imagine that its done in a similar way. I've never tried it.

 

[compufunk]

I had a look at the Nabilosat Darkstar II image installed on my dads machine and I dont see any obvious way of doing it. There doesnt even seem to be an option for using an alternative server in the menus.

If you really wanted to use your own server for Nabilosat images, you could do some DNS spoofing to trick the system into thinking your server was the Nabilosat server (assuming the same XML format is being used).

I did some testing and found how the structure of the XML effects how the lists are displayed onscreen. The original post has been modified accordingly.

 

[Sharkadder]

the thing is though, on the lestest gemini image for enigma 1, 4.60, i don't have the file useraddons.xml. Can i just create that and slap the 3 lines of code you mentioned into it, or is this a file in which i would need to edit accordingly?

I am not sure where you get useraddon.xml from, i have searched on the net and cannot find the file. Maybe they did an error and left it out of the last image or it is included within something else now.

 

[compufunk]

Just create it and add the lines to it. As long as the option to use an alternative server exists in the onscreen menus, it should work.

Try searching the whole filesystem for the useraddons file. It may be in a different place on your image.

find / | grep useraddon

 

[Sharkadder]

ok i just tried linking it to my HTTP Apache linux web server and it works a treat. Very nice by you sir. One thing i need to ask. When you select a tar.gz file to install, how does the box know where to install the file, do you need a little script to say install in this directory? I know that you can create some folders mimicking the folders on the dreambox within the tar file and then do a manual install once the file has been downloaded. This will then install where you want but that involves an extra step of manual installing, currently the files downloaded just go into tmp.

Another thing i wanted to ask, is their any way you can open a text file, i would use tuxbox commander for that wouldn't i? Once i know how to automatically install a file into a certain directory once it is clicked then i am away.

Thanks for the guide

 

[compufunk]

When you select a tar.gz file to install, how does the box know where to install the file, do you need a little script to say install in this directory?

No script required. When a plugins are packaged up they are usually packaged with the full path.

This way, when extracted the files are sent to the correct directory.

Have a look at the attachment below to see what I mean. When you open it up with say winrar. You have to go down through the directory structure to find the file.

If that file were extracted on your system. The file useraddon.xml would be stored under /etc.

Another thing i wanted to ask, is their any way you can open a text file, i would use tuxbox commander for that wouldn't i?

Its easier to transfer the files to your PC, edit them, then send them back to the dreambox. Use an FTP program like Filezilla for this.

 

[Sharkadder]

ok thanks for the reply dude, i was wanting a text file to check if it worked, but it should work. I tried creating a folder called var and one called etc inside it with a txt file in that and still it chooses to put it into /tmp. It also installs the jpg image into tmp too once extracted.

Not sure how i get around it, you never uploaded an example file but mine is the same as the ones i've downloaded for the 500-s, so i don't know what went on there.

p.s. the jpg image appears to do nothing, i go to preview on the plugin and it shows nothing. Very strange.

I get this message if i right click on the tar.gz file and select view file once it has been downloaded from my apache server in dreambox control centre.

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//IETF//DTD HTML 2.0//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<TITLE>404 Not Found</TITLE>
</HEAD><BODY>
<H1>Not Found</H1>
The requested URL /addons/testing.tar.gz was not found on this server.<P>
<P>Additionally, a 404 Not Found
error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
<HR>
<ADDRESS>Apache/1.3.33 Server at www.*******.com Port 80</ADDRESS>
</BODY></HTML>

How has it managed to fail to handle the request on that port if it has managed to download it onto my dreambox into tmp?

Thanks for the help anyways, i am sure i'll figure it out. This should maybe be stickied.

 

[compufunk]

Ive now attached that example in the previous post.

There seem to be a few problems here, but they all look like they are URL related. Something seems not to have been set up correctly in the XML file.

Its normal that everything is downloaded to /tmp. The preview image is loaded from there and the addon will be extracted from there.

The way the packaging with TAR works is as follows....

Lets say you want to create a self extracting archive of some file already installed on your system. /etc/useraddon.xlm for example. You would do it as follows....

tar -vcf useraddon.tar /etc/useraddon.xml

Or if you wanted to add more than one file to the archive..

tar -vcf useraddon.tar /etc/useraddon.xml /etc/CCcam.cfg /tmp/ecm.info

This would result in adding ....
/etc/useraddon.xml
/etc/CCcam.cfg
/tmp/ecm.info
to the archive file (useraddon.tar).

Then compress it with...

gzip useraddon.tar

If you downloaded the resulting file via the addons panel. Your CCcam.cfg, ecm.info and useraddon.xml files would be created/overwritten.

 

[compufunk]

@B16MCC,
Ive noticed that on the Gemini image. If the useraddon.xml file doesnt exist, no option to use a custom server appears in the onscreen menus. It may be worth creating it to see if the option appears.

@Admins/Mods,
If this thread is going to be a sticky. Can I suggest a more appropriate title? Its a little vague if anyone were ever looking for this kind of info.

Something like "Creating a custom addon server", or some such...

 

[compufunk]

Sharkadder,
Can you replace the test file you have placed in yourhost/Addons with the one attached below, then test it out.

(Extract the .tar.gz file from the zip file first. The forum software will not allow uploading of .gz files.)

It should extract a file called TestAddon.txt to /var/etc/.

Also, I noticed that the URL in your XML file reads.....

<url>http://www.YourServer.com/addons/testing.tar.gz</url>

But the correct URL is.....

<url>http://www.YourServer.com/Addons/testing.tar.gz</url>

The difference is the addons directory has a capital A.

This would explain your problems with image previews.

 

[Sharkadder]

ok the image problem is now fixed but now it says "data error, the checksum did not match" when i try to download it from the server. I am not sure what is going on, before it left both files in tmp, i changed the small a in addons for a capital every time addon was use and now it says that error message. I used your test tar.gz file as an example once extracted onto my desktop, put it onto my server into the /Addons folder and no joy as yet.

My xml file reads this for url:

<url>http://www.********.com/Addons/testing.tar.gz</url>

I have testing.tar.gz in that folder on the server, so not sure what is going on.

 

[compufunk]

Your problem is probably a result of MD5 hash not matching the file.

Delete the following lines from addons.xml on your server

<size>523000</size>
<md5>b9218bc1c7b71b705d7fd7f2f0dd80c6</md5>

PS: I would have swapped all 'A's for 'a' instead of doing it the other way around as you did. Standard practice would be to keep all urls in lower case.

 

[Sharkadder]

ok thanks dude, it now works. I know that in linux everything has to be case sensitive and if it doesn't match then it messes up, everything did match but i have made it all and the addons folder all in lower case anyways.

Just out of curiosity, i know that md5 is a hash value usually used for encrypting passwords, why is it an option here? Another thing is, what is the size all about?

I assume that to modify the date you just put <date>18.08.09</date> within the xml file under the url. I was just curious what them other options did.

If you have a list of possible options to post in your next post then that would be great, otherwise this is now solved.

 

[compufunk]

Just out of curiosity, i know that md5 is a hash value usually used for encrypting passwords, why is it an option here? Another thing is, what is the size all about?

MD5 checksums are used to verify the entegrity/security of files. Basically its used to check whether a file has been tampered with (malware inserted) or damaged.

I assume that to modify the date you just put <date>18.08.09</date> within the xml file under the url. I was just curious what them other options did.

I dont know. I didnt see any <date> example in the sample file.

If you have a list of possible options to post in your next post then that would be great, otherwise this is now solved.

I just noticed that you are charging for "Support" on your website. So I'll answer your question when you make a donation to the forum ;)

 

[Sharkadder]

haha the website isn't mine, i created it for a friend over a year ago who has since gone off the idea, i am just using the url to keep it satellites related ;-).

Anyways, i shall keep people posted on how i get on, i have some experimenting to do tomorrow it seems.