This forum is intended for discussion related to ZoneMinder 1.32.x
DOCUMENTATION
There are various pieces of documentation you are expected to read before posting:
- Always refer to the official guide first for any questions. If that don't resolve your problem, go to the wiki. Not the other way around.
- Read the official installation guide for specific instructions on how to install easily. If you don't find your port there, search the wiki distribution page for general installation instructions specific to the distribution you are using
- Search the hardware compatibility list for compatibility instructions specific to the camera you are using. Note that this list is not comprehensive. ZM supports many other cameras. Another good source is this link
- Many distributions have their own supplemental instructions, often found as a README installed under the folder /usr/share/doc/zoneminder
- ZoneMinder Frequently Asked Questions
- ZoneMinder now has an API. For API usage documentation, see here. If you are not sure whether the APIs are working or not, please read this this on how to check
We strongly discourage compiling ZoneMinder from source for non-development environments. Due to its many dependencies, ZoneMinder is difficult to build, even for those experienced in doing so. If you are not a package maintainer and do not have any intent on development, then you should be installing ZoneMinder from package.
Sources for ZoneMinder packages can be found in the ZoneMinder wiki, or on the front page of our github site
HOW TO ASK FOR HELP
The number one thing to understand is that those who volunteer their time to answer questions in this forum are not magicians, nor do we have special powers. We rely on you to accurately describe your system and provide detailed information from your log files. Asking vague questions like "My camera doesn't work, can you help?" does not describe how you have configured the camera in ZoneMinder, nor does it give us any clue as to what the problem may be.
To put it another way, we need to accurately know how you configured ZoneMinder (i.e. your input), what the expected output was (e.g. viewable stream), and what the actual output was (e.g. no stream, and errors in the logfile).
DO NOT:
- Expect to receive a specific answer if asking a non-specific question
- Double post
- Bump posts for the sake of bumping. If your post lacks content, then consider adding more information.
- Expect to receive a personal answer from someone on the development team. We strive to read all posts, but there are many of you and very few of us.
- Cherry pick log file entries or only provide your interpretation of them.
- Tell us exactly what version of ZoneMinder you are using and whether or not you are using a release or a development snapshot
- Tell us how you installed ZoneMinder and what installation instructions you followed. You will be asked!
- In most cases, we need to see the contents of your ZoneMinder log. Copy & paste it. More is better. Do not edit anything or leave bits out! If the logs are large, feel free to use a service like pastebin or one of the many others and post the link in the forum
- If the error concerns a camera, we need to know the make and model of the camera. We also need to know the complete camera configuration in ZoneMinder. Screenshots are preferred.
- If your question concerns the API, make sure you have followed the documentation mentioned previously.