CRON Script

Axis has developed an extended CRON service to facilitate periodic command execution within the camera server. In practice, this service enables you to program event and/or time triggered functions within the camera server.

CRON scripts for use with the camera server can contain one or more entries that can be created using any common text editor.

Each entry contains the following elements:

• Comment(s)
• A trigger condition
• Command(s)
• An entry termination character %

Comments

It is good programming practice to start each new entry with a comment to describe its function. Comments are optional but must be proceeded by a # character, as detailed below:

#<comment>

Example:

Triggering condition

The commands contained within each specific entry are triggered by a defined trigger condition. The trigger condition is specified by six separate fields and must be terminated with a colon ":".

Date and Time fields
The first five fields specify the time and date events, i.e. Minute, Hour, Day, Month and Day of the week. The sixth field is an optional Input and Boot field that can define an input and/or boot event.

The syntax for each field within a trigger condition is governed by the following rules:

• Each time and date field can contain several numerical event variables that are delimited by commas and hyphens.
• Each field is delimited by an open space.
• An asterisk (*) represents the full range of event variables within the relative time and date field, i.e. * * * * * means every minute, every hour, every day, every month, every day of the week.
• Numerical event variables separated by a hyphen indicates an inclusive range, i.e. 2-6 means 2 to 6.

Example:
Trigger every month, between the fourth and eighth at 10.03, 12.03 and 14.03, using the 24hr clock

3 10,12,14 4-8 * * :

Input and Boot field
The sixth field consists of a character array. It is optional and defines the input and boot trigger functions.

You can program the camera server to trigger at startup, or on pre-determined logical states present on either the Control button or the digital input ports, using the trigger variables BOOT, B, I1 and I2 respectively.

This table outlines the available trigger variables:

Trigger variables	Description
BOOT	Activate at startup
\B	Activate after high-low logical transition of Control button
/B	Activate after low-high logical transition of Control button
1B	Activate when Control button is logically high (pressed)
0B	Activate when Control button is logically low (released)
\I1	Activate after high-low logical transition on Input Port 1
/I2	Activate after low-high logical transition on Input Port 2
1I1	Activate when Input Port 1 is logically high
0I2	Activate when Input Port 2 is logically low

Note:

• The camera server polls the input ports every 0.2 seconds. Thus, more rapid logical transitions will not be detected.

By combining these trigger variables using a logical AND function (&), you can develop complex triggering mechanisms.

Examples:

/B	(Control button transition from low to high)
\B&1I1	(Control button transition from high to low and Input 1 high)
0I2&1I1	(Input 2 low and Input 1 high)

The following table summarizes the triggering event entry fields:

Time and Date fields					Input and Boot field (optional)
Minute	Hour	Day	Month	Day of the week	Conditional tag
*	*	*	*	*	*
0-59	0-23	1-31	1-12	0-6 0 = Sunday	BOOT B I1, I2

Commands

Several commands can be used within an entry. All commands must be terminated with a semi-colon ";".

These commands are available:

• alert - Sends a message to a remote host
• buffer_init - Initiates an image buffer
• buffer_start - Stores images in the image buffer
• buffer_stop - Ends the storing of images in the image buffer
• ftp - Transfers an image to a remote host using FTP
• log - Writes a message to the camera server log file
• mail - Sends an e-mail using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
• offline - Terminates the current PPP connection
• online - Dials up a modem for PPP connection
• reset - Performs a software or hardware reset of the camera server.
• sleep - Makes a pause in the CRON script execution
• snapshot - Updates the last snapshot image

Note:
Although the downloaded entries are effectively executed in parallel, the commands included within each entry are executed sequentially, i.e the second command is not executed until the first is finished.

Sample CRON script

This example shows how several entries can be programmed into one CRON script:

# This is an example of an Axis extended CRON script: # Once a day I want my mother to receive an e-mail # containing the lastshot.jpg image. 0 0 * * * * : mail -s "Hi mom! Look what my little camera has taken for you." -a lastshot.jpg -t mother@some.site; % # This, the second entry will store a fullsize image # using ftp on the ftp server an.ftp.site in # /home/snapshots when input 1 goes high. * * * * * /I1 : ftp -host an.ftp.site -user aUser -pass aPass -src fullsize.jpg -dest home/snapshots; % # This,the third entry will dial up an ISP and store # an image on the ftp server an.ftp.site every # hour. It will then disconnect. 0 * * * * : online -dial aNumber -user aUser -pass aPass; ftp -host an.ftp.site -user aUser -pass aPass -src fullsize.jpg -dest home/snapshots; offline; %

Downloading the script

These instructions describe how to download a CRON script, e.g. cron.txt, to the camera server using FTP:

1. Start an FTP session and log in as root, using the root password.
2. Set FTP to binary mode, using the command bin.
3. Download the script using the command
   

   put cron.txt cronscript

FTP will indicate "File transfer complete "or similar when the file transfer is complete. The CRON script becomes active within one minute after it has been downloaded to the camera server.

Notes:

• Only one CRON script can be resident within the camera server at a time. Active entries contained in any previously downloaded CRON script are stopped and automatically erased from memory once a new script is installed.
• An erroneous CRON file will not be accepted by the camera server and consequently will not erase a previously loaded script.

Command reference

alert

Syntax
alert [-host HOST] [-port PORTNUMBER] [-message STRING];

Options
-host
Specifies the host name or Internet address of the remote host.

-port
Specifies the TCP port number in the range [0..65534].

-message

Specifies the message that will be sent to the remote host. The message must be surrounded by quotation marks. Hexadecimal coded messages must be preceded by \0x, e.g. "\0x04" for the non-printed character EOT. To include a quotation mark, it must be preceded by a backslash, e.g. \".

Example

# This command will send the message "Alarm # "0013" from camera server" to the remote host when # input port 1 goes high. * * * * * /I1: alert -host 172.16.253.80 -port 2703 -message "Alarm \"0013\" from camera server"; %

buffer_init

Syntax
buffer_init [1,[IMAGE],[SIZE] [:1,[IMAGE],[SIZE]]];

Options
1
Refers to the camera number, which is always 1 for the AXIS 200+.

[IMAGE]
Specifies the image type 1-3, where 1 is halfsize.jpg, 2 is fullsize.jpg and 3 is hugesize.jpg.

[SIZE]
Specifies the maximum number of images that can be stored in the buffer. Valid range is 0-255.

Notes:

• To clear the image buffer, you simply do not specify any arguments.
• To initiate several buffers, you can stack multiple statements separated by colon.

Example 1

# At startup, this command will initiate one # buffer with 25 fullsize.jpg images # and 5 hugesize.jpg images. * * * * * BOOT: buffer_init 1,2,25:1,3,5; %

Example 2

# This command will clear the buffer every Sunday. 0 0 * * 0 * : buffer_init; %

buffer_start

When invoked, the buffer_start command is executed in the background. Any subsequent command in the event entry will be executed immediately.

To retrieve the stored images, specify the source using this syntax:

http://<camera>/images/buffer.jpg?imagetype=<value>,

Example:

http://mycam/images/buffer.jpg?imagetype=fullsize.jpg

You can also retrieve the images using the mail and ftp commands.

Syntax
buffer_start [-src SOURCEFILE] [-interval TIME] [-duration TIME] [-store SIZE];

Options
-src
Specifies the source file name, i.e. halfsize.jpg, fullsize.jpg or hugesize.jpg.

-interval
Specifies the time interval between consecutive snapshots. If omitted, new snapshots will be generated without any delay. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>.

-duration
Specifies the total time for the command to run. If omitted, the buffer_start command will be issued only once. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>. If you specify -duration inf the command will continue to be executed until it is interrupted by any of the commands buffer_init, buffer_start or buffer_stop.

-store
Specifies the number of images to be stored in the buffer. This setting will override the duration. The maximum number of images is specified by the buffer_init command.

Example 1

# This command will keep loading fullsize.jpg images. * * * * * * : buffer_start -src fullsize.jpg -interval s30 -duration inf; %

Example 2

# This command will store 10 hugesize.jpg images # when someone presses the Control button. * * * * * /B : buffer_start -src hugesize.jpg -store 10; %

Example 3

# At startup, the buffer is initialized to hold 15 fullsize.jpg images. # New images are captured once every second until another # buffer_start or buffer_stop command is issued. * * * * * BOOT : buffer_init 1,2,15; buffer_start -src fullsize.jpg -interval s1 -duration inf; % # When port 1 is triggered, additional 5 images are captured # before the buffer is locked. All the images in the # buffer are then sent in an e-mail to someuser@somehost.com. # Finally the buffer is restarted. * * * * * /I1: buffer_stop -src fullsize.jpg -store 5; mail -s "Buffered images" -a images/buffer.jpg -t someuser@somehost.com -b fullsize.jpg -n 15; buffer_start -src fullsize.jpg -interval s1 -duration inf; %

buffer_stop

The command is typically used together with the the buffer_start command.

Syntax
buffer_stop [-src SOURCEFILE] [-interval TIME] [-duration TIME] [-store SIZE];

Options
-src
Specifies the source file name, i.e. halfsize.jpg, fullsize.jpg or hugesize.jpg.

-interval
Specifies the time interval between consecutive snapshots. If omitted, new snapshots will be generated without any delay. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>.

-duration
Specifies the total time for the command to run. If omitted, the buffer_start command will be issued only once. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>. If you specify
-duration inf the command will continue to be executed until it is interrupted by a buffer_init command.

-store
Specifies the number of images to be stored in the buffer. This setting will override the duration. The maximum number of images is specified by the buffer_init command.

Example

# This command initiates the buffer to hold 60 halfsize.jpg # and 5 hugesize.jpg images. New images are captured until # the buffer_start command is interrupted. * * * * * BOOT : buffer_init 1,1,60:1,3,5; buffer_start -src halfsize.jpg -interval s1 -duration inf; buffer_start -src hugesize.jpg -interval m1 -duration inf; % # When port 1 is triggered, an alert message is sent to host 1.2.3.4. # Another 10 halfsize.jpg images are captured and all the images are # sent to an ftp server with the names "Halfsize_1" to "Halfsize_60". # Then the buffer is restarted. * * * * * /I1: alert -host 1.2.3.4 -port 4000 -message "Alert! Input on port 1."; buffer_stop -src halfsize.jpg -store 10; ftp -host somehost -user USER -pass PASS -src images/buffer.jpg -dest Halfsize_$r1-60 -time h1 -buffer halfsize.jpg; alert -host 1.2.3.4 -port 4000 -message "Alert! Images sent to ftp server"; % # When port 2 is triggered, the 5 most recent hugesize.jpg images are sent to an ftp server # with the names "Picture_1" to "Picture5". Note that the buffer is not stopped. * * * * * /I2: ftp -host somehost -user USER -pass PASS -src images/buffer.jpg -dest Picture_$r1-5 -time h1 -buffer hugesize.jpg; %

ftp

Note:

• The ftp command keeps the connection open during each file transfer.

Options
-host
Specifies the name or Internet address of the remote host. If specifying the name, performance will be slightly decreased due to the DNS lookup. If no host is specified, the compiler will complain.

-user
Specifies the user name for logging on to the remote host. If no user name is specified, the compiler will complain.

-pass
Specifies the password for logging on to the remote host.

-src
Specifies the source file name. If omitted, the fullsize.jpg file will be sent. To include the image buffer, specify images/buffer.jpg.
If an erroneous file name has been specified, no action will be taken during execution.

-dest
Specifies the name and whole path of the destination file. If omitted, the destination file name will be the same as the source file name. The maximum length of a destination file name is 255 characters. You can add as many destination files as required, separated by a space.

You can add time stamps, such as time, date and file indexes, to the destination file name. This is useful for example when you are transferring a series of files.

The following table lists the available time stamp variables. Every substitution must be proceeded by a dollar sign '$'.

$s
The current second in the range 00-59.

$m
The current minute in the range 00-59.

$h
The current hour in the range 00-23.

$d
The current day of the month in the range 01-31.

$n
The current month in the range 01-12.

$y
The current year without the century in the range 00-99.

$Y
The current year including the century.

$rS-E
Inserts an index number starting from number S through all the numbers including the number E. If you leave out number E, it will be interpreted as a very large number. Note: The rS-E substitution can be used with the first destination file only.

-temp
Specifies a temporary name for the destination. This is to prevent someone else from accidentally reading the file during the download.

-loop
Specifies the time interval within which the command
should be repeated. Used together with the time attribute. If omitted, there will be no delay between repeated transfers. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>. Optional.

-time
Specifies the total time the command should loop. Used
together with the loop attribute. If omitted, the ftp command will be issued only once. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>. Optional.

-buffer
Specifies the buffer type, i.e. fullsize.jpg, halfsize.jpg or hugesize.jpg. Only valid if -src is set to images/buffer.jpg.

Note:

• In addition to the options described above, the following optional settings are also available:

  -ctrlport
  Specifies the TCP port number in the range [0..65534] to be used as the control port for the FTP server.

  -dataport
  Specifies the TCP port number in the range [0..65534] to be used as data port for the FTP server.

  -to
  Specifies the time out, i.e. the FTP session will terminate when the specified time limit has expired. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>.

  However, these options can only be used via a text editor.

Example 1

# This command will log in as "elvis" with the # password "presley" on the host with the Internet # address 123.123.123.123, download a hugesize # image with the name "king.jpg" and put # it in the directory "/home/elvis" on the remote # host. During download, the file name "tmp.jpg" # will be used. * * * * * : ftp -host 123.123.123.123 -user elvis -pass presley -src hugesize.jpg -dest /home/elvis/king.jpg -temp tmp.jpg; %

Example 2

# This command will every hour, every five seconds # for twenty minutes, download a fullsize image # and save the images with a time # stamp in the filename. 0 * * * * : ftp -src fullsize.jpg -host an.interesting.site -dest tmp/full$h$m$s.jpg -user billy -pass startrek -loop s5 -time m20; %

Example 3

# This command will send 1001 consecutive fullsize # images to "funny.host.name". The first and last # images will be named "fullsize1000.jpg" and # "fullsize2000.jpg", respectively. * * * * * : ftp -host funny.host.name -user camera -pass secret -src fullsize.jpg -dest /home/camera/tmp/fullsize$r1000-2000.jpg -time m30; %

log

Note:
To display the log file, you type the following in the address/location field of your Web browser:

http://<camera server>/log/messages

Syntax
log [MESSAGE];

Options
[MESSAGE]
The message string must be surrounded by quotation marks.

Example

# This command will write a message to the log file when # someone presses the Control button on the camera server front panel. * * * * * /B : log "The Control button was pressed." ; %

mail

Note:

• To use the mail command, you must specify the Internet address of the mail server and a valid return address on the TCP/IP page.

Options
-s
Specifies the subject text for the e-mail. A simple one-word subject does not require quotation marks. A subject with multiple words must be surrounded by quotation marks.

-a
Specifies attachments such as images or files. To include the image buffer, specify images/buffer.jpg.

-t
Specifies the e-mail address of the recipient(s).

-b
Specifies the buffer type, i.e. fullsize.jpg, halfsize.jpg or hugesize.jpg. Only valid if -a is set to images/buffer.jpg.

-n
Specifies the number of buffered images to be included in the e-mail. Only valid if -src is set to images/buffer.jpg.

Example 1

# This command will send an e-mail with the # subject "Hello" and the attached file # fullsize.jpg to someone@company.com * * * * * : mail -s Hello -a fullsize.jpg -t someone@company.com; %

Example 2

# This command will send an e-mail with the # subject "This "fullsize.jpg" was sent from my # camera" to two recipients. * * * * * : mail -s "This \"fullsize.jpg\" was sent from my camera" -a fullsize.jpg -t someone@axis.com anotherone@axis.com; %

Example 3

# This command will send an e-mail with five # attachments. * * * * * : mail -a fullsize.jpg halfsize.jpg hugesize.ppm cronscript config -t me@at.home; %

offline

Syntax
offline;

online

Syntax
online [-dial NUMBERS] [-dial_attempts NUM] [-user USERNAME -pass PASSWORD]
[-timeout TIME] [-script "send expect send expect ..."];

Options
-dial
Specifies the phone numbers that will be sent to the modem as ATDT<phone number>. It is possible to have more than one phone number in case the the previous didn't work. As soon as a server answers the call to one phone number, the rest of the numbers will be ignored for this time. The numbers are separated by spaces and thus the numbers cannot include spaces.

-redial_attempts
If it is difficult to get connected to a busy server, it is possible to try many times. The argument to the redial_attempts switch must be a number between 0 and 30. The default is 0.

-user
Specifies the user name used for authentication. Note that spaces are not allowed in the user name. Optional.

It is possible to have '%' characters i the username and in the password. One have to escape the '%' character with a backslash '\' though.

-pass
Specifies the password. Required if a user name is specified.

-timeout
Resets the camera server when the specified time limit has exceeded. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>. Optional.

-script
Specifies an optional script string of expect-send pairs to be sent over the line. This must be the last option in the command.

If a send word is empty, i.e. if it contains single quotes (''), nothing will be sent until the expect word is received.

For a login sequence, you can use the words $(USER) and $(PASS). They will be replaced by the arguments specified in the -user and -pass options, respectively.

If the string does not include an escape code, a carriage return character will be appended automatically at the end of the string. Valid escape codes are: \r (carriage return), \n (line feed) and \t (tab).

At the end of the script, the camera server will enter the negotiation phase.

Example

# This command will first dial up a server with the # phone number 555-1234, and if that fails it will dial # the number 555-5678. This procedure should be repeated # one more time if none of the servers answered. # # Once we have contact with a server we should login with # user name "john" and password "xyz%hej". It will first # wait for the string "ogin:" and send the user name. It # will then wait for the string "ass:" and send the password. # * * * * * : online -dial 555-1234 555-5678 -redial_attempts 1 -user "john" -pass "xyz\%hej" -script "'' 'ogin:' '$(USER)' 'ass:' '$(PASS)'"; %

reset

Syntax
reset [-soft | -hard];

Options
-soft
Reinitiates the camera server protocols.

-hard
Performs a complete reboot of the camera server.

Example

# This command will reset the camera server hardware # once a day. 0 0 * * * : reset -hard; %

sleep

Syntax
sleep <seconds>;
Specifies the number of seconds to wait before proceeding with the next command in the event entry.

Example

# This command will result in a 30 seconds pause # in the CRON script execution. * * * * * : sleep 30; %

snapshot

Syntax
snapshot [-l LOOPTIME] [-t TOTALTIME] [FILE];

Options
-l
Specifies the time between two consecutive image updates.

-t
Specifies the duration of the command. Format: h<hours>m<minutes>s<seconds>.

[FILE]
Specifies the image type: fullsize.jpg or halfsize.jpg.

If using the command for controlling the relay switch, you specify io/relayon.txt and io/relayoff.txt, respectively.

Example 1

# This command will update the lastshot.jpg image # with a fullsize image. * * * * * : snapshot fullsize.jpg; %

Example 2

# During one minute, the lastshot image will be # updated as halfsize.jpg with two-seconds # intervals. * * * * * : snapshot -l s2 -t m1 halfsize.jpg; %