ZoneMinder Forums

Hello,
I've started using ZM yesterday and I've got 7 important questions:
1) how can I force ZM to record with desired section length? I've set 500s minimum and 600s section length, but ZM records random lengths between 2 and 3 minutes.
2) how can I encode with h264/h265 with docker version of ZM? I've set it but that produces zero size files
3) Why my cameras randomly and frequently change to red with status 'not capturing' - I monitor them with zabbix, they response for ping and tcp port rtsp
4) How can I play recordings with ZM interface (still docker installation)
5) How can I change bitrate recording for specific cam?
6) What is onvif setting for? Can I use it instead of rtsp?
7) How can I add ssl certificate for docker version of ZM?

Thanks in advance.

m3a2r1 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 18, 2023 11:57 am 1) how can I force ZM to record with desired section length? I've set 500s minimum and 600s section length, but ZM records random lengths between 2 and 3 minutes.
3) Why my cameras randomly and frequently change to red with status 'not capturing' - I monitor them with zabbix, they response for ping and tcp port rtsp
6) What is onvif setting for? Can I use it instead of rtsp?
7) How can I add ssl certificate for docker version of ZM?

I'll try to answer what I can:
1. check that cameras aren't dropping out, or the CPU/RAM isn't getting overloaded.
3. probably multiple reasons this can occur, but check the logs. i used to get disconnects with certain makes of cameras, but other brands work flawlessly. For example, hikvision and axis are usually known to be compatible with ZM.
6. Onvif is for probing for the rtsp path. If you already have the path, you don't need onvif. See: https://wiki.zoneminder.com/Finding_Camera_Stream_Paths
7. This is not something specific to ZM. Search generic apache and docker ssl certificate guides online. I have written up this: https://wiki.zoneminder.com/API#SSL_Configuration which might get you started.

1) how can I force ZM to record with desired section length? I've set 500s minimum and 600s section length, but ZM records random lengths between 2 and 3 minutes.

1) Set Options->EVENT_CLOSE_MODE to time.

2) how can I encode with h264/h265 with docker version of ZM? I've set it but that produces zero size files

2) Depends. What are you trying to do? Post screenshot of Storage page.

4) How can I play recordings with ZM interface (still docker installation)
5) How can I change bitrate recording for specific cam?

4) A couple of ways. Click on the camera image from montage or the console and choose from the list. For other times click on the Console Hour/Day/Week/Month of interest and choose from the list.

5) Bitrate is set by the camera, see the camera setup page. Not all cameras are settable. You can set the rate of analysis in the ZM General page.

Firstly, thanx for you answers, they helped me a lot.
Then few words about what I've done and what I've get.
1) I've set Options->EVENT_CLOSE_MODE to time but it didn't help. Then I've realised that there are ping loss on my cameras - so it happens that recordings ends when ping loss happens. It causes status no capturing (point no. 3), too so I have to find what is wrong.
5-7) I understood. It's clear for me.
So only 2 questions left:
2) what should I install on zm machine (docker in my case) to encode camera stream to h264/h265 - it works for me only if I set passthrough (encoding is not neeeded)?
4) as in previous question - what should I install on zm to play recorded files - I've got only message "the video could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported"

This may apply to your case:
viewtopic.php?p=129821#p129821

m3a2r1 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 18, 2023 11:57 am <CUT>
6) What is onvif setting for? Can I use it instead of rtsp?
<CUT>

Hello, to reply on your question about ONVIF, basically it is a way to do an automatic discovery of your cameras (no need to enter whole path for RTSP streams, it will find it automatically). You will need to enter login credentials for cameras and choose the stream you want to use(main stream or sub-stream)
On my particular case I found out a strange thing with this...only way to have this working was to have VIRTIO network card on virtual machine and not the standard Intel E1000 that I usually use.
I thought it was some kind of bug with ZM but seems to be an issue with network card type of the VM.
Hope this note with help someone looking for ONVIF function with ZM.