56K Woes

[~Lazarus~]

Thanks to Mr. Wilier.

After recent events, which involved the use of my webcam, I was inundated with comments from the defendant that the pictures were unclear (i.e. blurred).

In an attempt to correct the problem, I located the up to date drivers for my Webcam Express (at www.compaq.com)

I next enabled by download manager (Getright) to retrieve the aforementioned file.

I then saw the size of the FECKING thing. 144MB - on a 56k modem. FECK OFF.

So I downloaded at work - along with another 80 mb of other updates.

But I wish these places would provide files small enough to download. This file had updates for 2 types of camera over 6 different operating systems.

Cmon HP

 

[Wazzerphuk]

144mb for DRIVERS!?!?!!?

Er...

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Speakinbg of webcams on low bandwidth...

Do you all use the standard "UPload the image via ftp every 10seconds" approach to a webcam? I've been considering a new method. I'll paste from what i wrote about it on my temporary website:

Advanced WebCam script - I have a php script, which seems to work, that will get the image as text, and output it to the browser. I'm thinking that if i get cable, i can run a SQL server, and have the image stored there, and use the script to get it from my own box. This way, my webcam could be on allways, without using bandwidth!
This(source ) is the script atm. It puts an image on this server into a string, then outputs it. Works fine, and doesn't seem to take too long(image manipulating in php loads the server heavily), so if i get broadband, i will deffinately do this. NTL doesn't allow ftp/http servers, so having people get the image from my box isn't possible, however an SQL server, uploading less than 200k a day, will probebrly not bother them one bit. You can also block anyone accessing the server, except your hosting box, using a firewall script. This means you tecnically aren't running a server, since no-one can talk to it. I will add the code to get the image from my box when i get cable(i'm optimistic - I gotta get a job sometime, right?). I'm not sure whether this is an original idea, however i've never heard of it before. It means bandwidth isn't used unless someone is using the cam, but it doesn't require you to run a web/ftp server, and doesn't require you to run any server open to the internet.

I was doing work experiance at the IT department in DHL-EMA this week, and this morning i briefly discussed this with a French Unix geek there. He reckoned that the load created by the sql server, when dealing with say a 13k peice of data, would be alot more than the load by running a webserver... He suggested creating an application, that listens for requests on a certain port, and gives the image to the server when it's connected to... An interesting possibillity. Any of you have anything to share?

 

[Embattle]

/Points and laughs

 

[Testin da Cable]

/garrottes Embattle




actually Alberto, that's a nice idea and shouldn't be too hard to execute. you'll have to be a bit careful with the server bit tho.

 

[~Lazarus~]

Originally posted by Embattle
/Points and laughs

/me snaps off EMbs dgit and rams it in his colon

 

[old.Jas]

Originally posted by ShockingAlberto
He reckoned that the load created by the sql server, when dealing with say a 13k peice of data, would be alot more than the load by running a webserver...

Yeah - this is almost certainally the case. I personally use the FTP method. But then again - I am on broadband, with a fairly meaty machine capturing the imgs

 

[ShockingAlberto]

Aye, i was thinking:
iptables -A INPUT -p XXX --source-port XX -s hosted.barrysworld.net -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p XXX --source-port XX -m state --state NEW -j DENY

IE, don't let anyone through to the port running whatever server, except for the hosted box. Of course people with hosting could then get through, however if you had your server properly configured, then it would be perfectly safe.

Oh and Jas, do you run an ftp server, or do you upload your image via ftp to a hosted box? The former is dodgy security wise, and the latter is a waste of bandwidth

 

[Testin da Cable]

aye [though I must admit that I've forgotten most of my iptables stuff. openbsd firewalls are so much more um more ]

and you can do it at the fw or in the receiving end app, your choice matey.

 

[Embattle]

/Carrys on Laughing

 

[Summo]

NYEEEEEEEEERDS!!1!12211

 

[Wilier]

Originally posted by Lazarus
Thanks to Mr. Wilier.

Cmon HP

And this is my fault how ?

 

[old.Jas]

Originally posted by ShockingAlberto
Oh and Jas, do you run an ftp server, or do you upload your image via ftp to a hosted box? The former is dodgy security wise, and the latter is a waste of bandwidth

I upload to my colo'ed box - plenty of bandwidth available, so its not really a problem

 

[ShockingAlberto]

How cna you say thst! Surely someone paying for bandwidth(and not much else) would understand why the ftp option is so wasteful above anyone else!