newbe here, hope someone knows what i am talking about !!!!! here's my problem.
I have a machine running some security cctv software that is supposted to be able to be controlled over the wan via the apache web server software.this is not functioning correctly and speaking to the supplier is getting me nowhere( i will post this on the apache forum as well). so i thought of using remote desktop.I have configured it to work through my lan and through the adsl router i have as a firewall, i can connect to all the computers not a problem. i do have a problem opening the cctv software it comes up with a overlap error message. can my idea work or will i have to go down the route of using/correcting the apatche server software bugs
keithw
0
Newbie Poster
Recommended Answers
Jump to PostHello,
Use the Apache route if possible. Getting creative with functionality will quickly get you out of the support path of the product you ware working with. Also, when you do remote desktop on XP, it closes out the session of the computer user in front of the computer. …
All 4 Replies
kc0arf
68
Posting Virtuoso
Team Colleague
Hello,
Use the Apache route if possible. Getting creative with functionality will quickly get you out of the support path of the product you ware working with. Also, when you do remote desktop on XP, it closes out the session of the computer user in front of the computer. VNC will allow for shared access.
Christian
navyjax2
-1
Junior Poster in Training
There is the fact that if your computer ever gets used by someone else, you will log them out if you connect with Remote Desktop, and if they are an administrator they can log you BACK out and log themselves BACK in, but at least for me, across a LAN, it delivers video, though choppy. With VNC it won't allow video to be seen, period, at least it doesn't for me while just trying to view an .avi or .mpg using Windows Media, RealPlayer, or ATI's File Player on the remote computer, even on my LAN, let alone if I were to try to connect via internet (which I have the ability to do & have tried, as well). I just get black where the video would be in the player. I'm thinking VNC just doesn't have a video codec that can translate what it gets in the first place through the VNC channel that has all the other data going through it for controlling the computer. Remote Desktop, however, won't even start the video if I try to do it over the internet on the remote computer, regardless of if I connect with a 56K or broadband connection; I get a similar error to yours. I believe it's a bandwidth & distance issue at that point instead of an application one, as you have a farther distance to send all that video display data along with the actual "control the computer" data that streams along with it. RD will even cut out wallpaper from being displayed if it connects on 56K, so I imagine that video/active content would just be one more thing, and probably one of the first, even on broadband, that it would cut out.
I am not sure that any software short of a streaming video web server program (like Apache) will get you what you want. While I have experience with Windows' IIS, I don't know much about Apache. I would think that you could install the software and set up a web site to stream your video from with that using the instructions for setup of the Apache software.
From there, you could create a web page for displaying the camera's video by putting the following in Notepad and saving the file with a .htm extension instead of .txt (turn on file extensions by going to Tools -> Folder Options -> View -> uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types" -- just remember that you have to add extensions to make files work with their associated programs from now on, or you can just re-check this after you rename your file to have a .htm on the end and no .txt) :
<HT*ML><HEAD><TITLE>Basic Page</TITLE></HEAD><BODY>This is where you insert data.</BODY></HT*ML>
(Remove the stars - added to prevent content from being misinterpreted by browsers.) From here you can read up on what script Apache or your camera company has that allows you to stream your camera, and where to place it in your HTML code. You can edit a webpage by opening that file in something like Notepad and saving it back as an HTML file (NOT a TEXT, .txt, FILE), or in Internet Explorer you can go to View -> View Source, and just hit save and refresh when complete (but can't be viewing from the internet to update the code, i.e. file path can't begin with http://..., has to be C:\.... You should be able to put that HTML file in the right folder that Apache has as its default web directory and then be able to access it by using your internet IP (go to http://www.whatismyip.com to find this out) and the file's name, ex. ht*tp://123.123.123.123/myvidfile.htm, as long as you open port 80 in your router if you have one and in any firewalls.
Sorry I couldn't be more help, but I wanted to disspell VNC before you wasted your time with it, explain my situation with Remote Desktop so you didn't think you were the only one without it working across the internet, and hopefully get you towards a solution even if I don't know the script to give you or how to set up Apache to do this. I don't know what, if any, video streaming abilities Apache includes - I know IIS has none in and of itself.
navyjax2
-1
Junior Poster in Training
I do agree with the other guy, though, you are better off getting this to work with Apache being you have the software, and doing it the way the manufacturer's would support so as to not have them go "Well that isn't how we recommend it be done, so we can't help you".
keithw
0
Newbie Poster
thanx guys, it was a stupid question but i had to ask. i don't suppose you can give me directions to a quick setup guide for apache web server with password protection???? :rolleyes:
Be a part of the DaniWeb community
We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.