Washington 1.2.2 User's Guide


Introduction

This document comprises the documentation for the Washington Photo Server version 1.2.2.

Release Notes

Washington Reference Manual

Other Notes


Changes

1.2.2 (this release)

1.1

1.0 Beta 5

1.0 Beta 4

1.0 Beta 3

1.0 Beta 2

1.0 Beta 1


Known Bugs


Future Directions


Platforms

Operating Systems, Browsers and Cameras have been tested (or reported tested) to work with this release of Washington.

Operating Systems
Solaris (SPARC) 2.6
Solaris (SPARC) 2.7
Solaris (Intel) 2.6
Linux (Intel) Red Hat 5.1
FreeBSD (Intel) 3.1
Browsers
Netscape 3.01
Netscape 4.05
Netscape 4.6/4.7
HotJava
Internet Explorer
Linux (Intel) Suse 6.3
Cameras
Kodak DC200
Kodak DC210
Kodak DC210+
Kodak DC215

Operating Systems and Cameras that may work with this release but have not been tested.

Operating Systems
Solaris (SPARC) 2.5.1
Solaris (Intel) 2.5.1
Cameras
Kodak DC200+

Operating Systems and Cameras that WILL NOT WORK.

Operating Systems
Cameras
Kodak DC240
Kodak DC280


Washington License & Legals

License
Permission is hereby granted to download and use this software (version 1.2.2) for any purpose, without fee.

Permission is NOT granted for re-distribution or copying of this software and documentation in any form.

Note: there may be a charge for future versions.

Copyright
This software is copyright ©1998 Tortuga Technologies Pty Ltd. All rights reserved except as specified below.
Acknowledgements
The Washington Photo Server uses the Independent JPEG Group's jpeg library for rgb to jpg processing and is thus based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

Brad Nichols, Dick Buttlar and Jacqueline Farrell for their work on the O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. book, Pthreads programming.

DC210 Testing & Feedback

FreeBSD Testing & Feedback


Installation

After the compressed file has been downloaded, it must be unpacked with the gunzip utility.

    $ cd /tmp
    $ ls
    wdc-1.2.2-solaris-5.6-sparc.tar.gz
    $ gzcat wdc-1.2.2-solaris-5.6-sparc.tar.gz | tar xvf -
    x wdc-1.2.2, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/bin, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/bin/wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc, 229780 bytes, 449 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/about.html, 904 bytes, 2 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/documentation.html, 18393 bytes, 36 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/download.html, 2677 bytes, 6 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images, 0 bytes, 0 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/aus.gif, 627 bytes, 2 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/details.gif, 57358 bytes, 113 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/download.gif, 43428 bytes, 85 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/features.gif, 1939 bytes, 4 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/further.gif, 3264 bytes, 7 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/header.gif, 10593 bytes, 21 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/help.gif, 40431 bytes, 79 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/here.gif, 1146 bytes, 3 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/index.gif, 51802 bytes, 102 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/logfile.gif, 44042 bytes, 87 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/main.gif, 41469 bytes, 81 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/news.gif, 1551 bytes, 4 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/photo.gif, 157092 bytes, 307 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/images/progress.gif, 40927 bytes, 80 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/index.html, 7153 bytes, 14 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/man.html, 8915 bytes, 18 tape blocks
    x wdc-1.2.2/htdocs/screenshots.html, 1919 bytes, 4 tape blocks
    $ chmod 755 wdc-1.2.2/bin/wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc
Once unpacked the file needs to be given execute permissions (see above) and then the executable is ready to run.

The executable can be placed in any directory, it has no special requirements such as privilege.


Starting Washington

Washington can be started by any user.

    $ ./wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc -v
    wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc: v1.2.2 (May 31 1999 11:10:56)
    $ ./wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc
    $
After execution the program drops into the background and is now ready to use.

The next step in using Washington is to start a web browser.

    $ netscape &
    $

Once your web browser is running you simply enter the Washington URL which will take the form of http://machine_name:8210/ where machine_name is the name of the computer that you started Washington on.

Note: they do not have to be the same machine

Example: If you are starting both washington and the browser on the same machine then the url would be http://localhost:8210/

One more step, attach a Kodak DC200 or DC210 to the serial port of the computer that you started the Washington Photo Server on !


Stopping Washington

Simply select the exit option from Washington's main menu.

Note: Choosing this option will cause photo's that haven't been saved to be dropped from Washington. These photo's will have to downloaded again.


Camera Issues

Preferences
The Kodak DC200/DC210 file type preference should be set to JPEG.


Browser Issues

Cache
The browser that you use should have the caching mechanism disabled. This is so that the browser always obtains the data from the Washington server rather than display (old) cached data.
NetscapeŽ Communicator 4.05 (Solaris SPARC)
The bottom (red) progress bar on the download progress screen does not refresh correctly when using the following version Preview Release 1 (AWT 1.1.5)


FAQ

  1. How many photos will Washington hold ?
  2. The restriction on the number of photo's that can be stored has been lifted in this release.

  3. How many camera's will Washington download ?
  4. Version 1.2.2 can download upto four camera's simultaneously.

  5. I keep downloading photo's but the display never changes !
  6. Turn off your browser caching mechanism or press the reload/refresh button on your browser after each page has been loaded.

  7. I start Washington but it simply disappears without a message !
  8.     $ ./wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc
        $
    

    Don't panic, this is normal. Washington acts a daemon and drops into the background. It is still running but as a daemon. Try contacting Washington at http://machine_name:8210/ ...

    This demonic behaviour can be disabled by means of the -n command line argument. Try this.

        $ ./wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc -n
        $
    
    See, no background !

  9. The downloaded images won't display although the thumbnail looks ok !
  10. Photos taken by the Kodak DC200 and DC210 whilst the picture format preference is set to FlashPix format are treated by Washington as JPEG photos.

    The photos can be saved to a local disk by using the browsers menu but cannot be viewed in the browser.

  11. After I initiate a download the download progress page says complete !
  12. This situation occurs if the java applet loads more quickly than the Washington Photo Server finding the camera and starting the download.

    It can be rectified by simply pressing the refresh button on the download progress screen. This resets the applet which polls the server for more information. If this does not produce any results then the camera may be turned off or the wrong port specified in the download request.

    If these problems occur they are reported and can be seen in the Operations Log screen.

  13. Where's the local log file ?
  14. After starting the washington photo server with the -x option a local file is created (or appended to) in the current working directory. The file takes the name of the executable that was started with the .log suffix.

        $ ./wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc -x -l2
        $ 
        $ ls -l wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc.log
          -rw-rw-r--   1 graham   other       2157 Jun 24 20:39 wdc-solaris-5.6-sparc.log
        $
    
  15. Washington's great, I want to start it every time I boot !
  16. Here is a sample script to start the Washington Photo Server. It assumes that the executable is called wdc and lives in /opt/local/bin.

    #!/usr/bin/sh
    ##
    #### Washington start/stop script
    ##
    #
    
    PATH=/opt/local/bin:$PATH
    
    # Usage: wdc  [ -p tcp/ip port ((8210)) ]
    #             [ -n no background ]
    #             [ -l log level (0-2) ]
    #             [ -f log facility (0-7) ]
    #             [ -v version ]
    
    PORT=8210
    NO_BACKGROUND=-n
    LOG_LEVEL=0
    LOG_FACILITY=7
    
    
    case "$1" in
    
            start) if [ -f /opt/local/bin/wdc ]
                   then
                       VERSION=`wdc -v | sed 's/^wdc: //'`
                       echo "Starting Washington ($VERSION) ..."
                       wdc
                   fi
                   ;;
    
    
            stop)  syspid=`ps -e | fgrep wdc | awk '{print $1}'`
    
                   if [ -n "${syspid}" ]
                   then
                       echo "Stopping Washington..."
    
                       for i in "$syspid"
                       do
                           kill -15 $syspid >&- 2>&-
                       done
                   fi
                   ;;
    
    
            *)     echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/wdc { start | stop }"
                   ;;
    esac
    
    exit 0
    
  17. How do I save a photo ?
  18. First display the photo in the browser by selecting the thumbnail image from Washingtons Photo Index page.

    Next, select the right mouse button and select the Save Image option.

    You can then use the file selection box to save the photo to any directory on your computer. This is very similar for all browsers.

    This method can also be used to save FlashPix images to disk even they wont display in the browser.


    Operating System Specifics

    At present there are no functional differences in Washington between the different operating systems. However, there are minor operational differences due to serial port specifications.


    Copyright ©1998 Tortuga Technologies Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.

    last updated 10-Aug-2000

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