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6 Image example : The_Hydra Zeus

As now The_Hydra images are in the top list of the complete, stable, famous and most used images, I feel interesting to add their installation to my guide. I remember you that you can choose to install in flash or on USB or Hard disk, using Dreamflash or Flashwizard to choose at boot time which image you want to start. You only need an image in flash based on 1.08.2 , 2.6.9 Linux kernel to ensure a good compatibility with The_Hydra Zeus.

Get the image while you read on the reference site for all images and you are allowed to click on Paypal logo for a small donation to help hosting the site...

One word on internet connection : If you want to really get benefit from the dreambox and great images like The_Hydra, you need to let your dreambox to access Internet. Cheapest solution is to bring a crossed network cable directly between your dreambox and a basic 10/100 Ethernet card in your PC.
You can also set up a wifi network with router etc..

6.1 Installation & Basics

On this guide, I will assume you just received your dreambox. Image installed is quite surely the old 1.05 image, or if your provider is nice enough, the latest official 1.08.1, or if you provider is really great the latest 1.08.2 beta.
If this is the 1.08.2 beta, you can use directly Flashwizard4.5b and put The_Hydra Zeus on USB or Hard Disk. If 1.08.1 or older, please upgrade or it won't work as it is supposed to.
I made the choice here to put The_Hydra Zeus in Flash directly, so no matter what was inside before, it will be overwritten.
I also made the choice to use a USB stick for add-ons, even if I have a hard disk for recording. I hate HD noise all the time.

If you have already an image working, I suggest you load to your PC all your favorites & channels using DreamboxEdit

So, first, go in menus of your installed image, whatever this is, and go to setup, advanced setup, network, and set the IP of the dreambox to 192.168.0.24, if your PC is 192.168.0.X. You can need to un-tick the DHCP box to choose yourself the IP address.
Check Part 2.3 on network configuration for details.

Start Flashwizard Pro 4, go to "Configuration and Utilities" and then enter 192.168.0.24 as dreambox IP (Details Here)
Move now on "Install an image in Flash Memory", and open the image hydra7000_zeus_108_2.img NOT the image for the DM500 dreambox, it won't work on your DM7000S ... If you have a DM500S, well, you can easily imagine you have to use the hydra500_angharad_108_2.img or hydra500_zeus_102_2.img when available..

Flashing in progress, rebooting, nice logo startup, and first display screen on your TV.

Let's now do some basic configuration :

Choose PAL or NTSC according your tv, then your language, then your dish installation. If you have no favorite list on your PC to be used with dreamboxEdit, I suggest you do a full scan of channels or you won't be able to enter EMU setup.

Basically, your image is running. To really take advantage of latest features and add-ons, you need to download new software pieces from internet to the dreambox .

6.2 The_Hydra Control Panel

An important special feature of THe_Hydra, is The_Hydra Control Panel.

Just press the green button to bring it to screen. Quite a lot of options isn't ? Don't be scared, it's quite simple in fact. First we need to update the Control Panel to the latest version. Doing that bring you the latest code version of this control panel, but also the latest news and the latest working link to download add-ons. Generally speaking, always do a Control panel update before downloading any add-on.

Choose, The_Hydra Setup, then Download latest control panel. If you configured well your network, you should have a "please wait" int he bottom, then a message on the successful installation . Now, go OUT the control panel by pressing three time the "lame" button (or "exit" in new versions), then come back using the green button.

You should see at the bottom, the Hydra news with a date close to today, perhaps one or two days before. You are sure you have the latest version that way.
I suggest having a look at these news as it tells you what the latest changes in the Hydra Control Panel are.

One good think to do if you intend to download Add-ons and EMUs etc.. is to move the /var folder to USB or HDD. What is the "/var folder" ? Simply the folder where all personal data are stored : Add on codes and executables but also your settings, channels list & favorites etc.. The internal Flash (memory that keep data even if you unplug the device from his power supply) is 8 Mb and can store the image as well as quite useful /var. But if you add too many add-ons, it won't feet and the dreambox will hangs (The_Hydra warn you when the available free room is small ). Also, some add-ons, like MV full (Online multi channel program guide with connection to internet databases for movies) absolutely need to be on HDD or USB. So move the /var to USB stick (128Mb recommended, or even 256Mb if you intend to add multiboot images) or to HDD. Moving /var to HDD means that your HDD will quite always spin up, and if spinned off, will have to restart because you change to another channel for example... That's why I recommend buying a USB stick even if you have a HDD, but, that's your choice. Simply go to USB Setup, in the "Hydra Setup Menu" and choose to put add-ons on USB or HDD. So simple..

You are now ready to download and test add-ons available. You can check the part "Some useful Plug-ins" for the most useful one, according my own choices.

Once you download & try different add-ons, you will surely be interested into removing some, because you don't feel they can be useful to you. This is also an special feature of this image, and that is to be able to remove installed add-ons. Choose "Addons Manager" and you reach a screen with all the installed add-ons. Simply choose which one you want to delete and press the red button. Before getting a new version of an add-on, you should remove the previous one, as several install script ( Bullz_text, some emus etc..) do not uninstall automatically the previous version, and both are listed in the list. Of course, if you remove after the old version, it will also remove files in common with the new version, and they mostly have all the same names from one version to another.. "Manual"option with the yellow button is used to install add-ons manually downloaded. This can be useful if your dreambox do not connect to internet. download the tar package from the URL (check forums for latest URL), ftp it to /tmp, then use this manual installation.

6.3 EMUs

6.3.1 Radegast Config

You should update the EMUs to latest versions and that way have the best support for your official card. Many EMUs exists and are valuable, but I focus on Newcamd and Radegast as the two most complete and widely used. My apologies to developers of other EMUs but I can't do all and I have to choose. So, go to download Softcam and check if any new version of radegast or newcamd is available and get them. Installation is fully automatic, so just seat back and enjoy, not long as it takes 10 seconds to download and update your system. This guide is based on present versions, Newcamd 5.24 and Radegast 3.0 b14

You now have to insert your official card in one of the two integrated card readers, but please read carefully, that the chip of the smartcard has to be down when inserted, not up as usual in official set top boxes or there will be no electrical contact between the dreambox and your card, and it will never work, whatever image or configuration.. I insist as it is a real standard mistake.

Press the blue button and you get access to the EMUs setup. You can select between all EMU installed and change from one to one other. The default one is "Card interface" and is in fact the PMCIA slot, where you can put any CAM. Let's choose Radegast 3.0 b14 at the time I write this guide. You need to configure it, by simply pressing OK when "Radegast v3.0 beta 14" is highlighted in the emu choice box.

You now need to tick the corresponding reader you use for your subscription card. I suggest you add both bottom slot and top slot to the config. Phoenix interface can be used, connected to the serial port, but I feel this is only to be used if you have three different providers and then three different cards to use.

Then press the yellow button.

Just put ECM and EMM to "both" and press the green button to come back to previous screen. Stay away of all other parameters as this only serves card sharing with another dreambox on your LAN. Just press the green button to save this settings, then again the green button to confirm you understand you need to reboot the EMU, then again the green button to "Save" the EMU choice, what makes start (or re-start) the EMU. Press Exit to move out this screen, and, if you select a channel of your package, voila, it's working.

6.3.2 Newcamd Config

Newcamd is often preferred because it's faster to zap than radegast. In the case of The_Hydra images, there is a graphic interface to choose some main settings on Radegast but nothing graphical done for setting up newcamd.

We have to edit config files manually, what is not so complex.

You have first to understand how Newcamd works. There are two processes running. cardserver.dream is the program in charge to manage the card and send/receive data to the card. It also do a server job, and the client is of course newcamd.ppc which ask decoding words to the server cardserver.ppc and give results to Enigma (the base software of the dreambox).

FTP to the dreambox, and get file newcamd.conf and cardserver.cfg from /var/tuxbox/config .

Let's start with cardserver.cfg. Open it and have a look at the end :

SERIAL_PORT = 0
TCP_PORT = 10001
EMM-G = no
EMM-S = no
EMM-U = no
SPECIAL_FEATURES = no
SERIAL_PORT = 1
TCP_PORT = 10000
EMM-G = no
EMM-S = no
EMM-U = no
SPECIAL_FEATURES = no
#SERIAL_PORT = 2
#TCP_PORT = 10002
#EMM-G = no
#EMM-S = no
#EMM-U = no
#SPECIAL_FEATURES = no

This is in fact configuration for the three possible smartcard reader where you can put your card. SERIAL_PORT = 0 and 1 are the two integrates smartcard readers and SERIAL_PORT = 2 is the rear serial port on DB9 to connect a phoenix interface.
As you can see the two card slots are configured, and the third in deactivated because of the # at the beginning of the lines which make these lines as commentaries.

In fact, the only thing to configure is to allow EMM to be processed, in order to have a fully updatable card by your provider, as a standard official set top box. So just put yes instead of no (as usual use a unix editor like UltraEdit ) like this :

SERIAL_PORT = 0
TCP_PORT = 10001
EMM-G = yes
EMM-S = yes
EMM-U = yes
SPECIAL_FEATURES = yes
SERIAL_PORT = 1
TCP_PORT = 10000
EMM-G = yes
EMM-S = yes
EMM-U = yes
SPECIAL_FEATURES = yes

Another small thing is to allow Auto Update of your card every month with new keys sent by your provider in the DVB Stream.

For that look in the file for the line that define which client can connect to the server :

USER = local local lan localhost 12000

Just add "au" at the end to allow auto update, like that :

USER = local local lan localhost 12000 au

Save and FTP back to the dreambox. You just have to start or restart newcamd with the remote (blue button then green button) and your dreambox is ready to handle your official card.

Just to better understand, you just set a port attached to a smartcard reader. When a client, like newcamd, connect to the port 10001, it will be connected to the serial_port 0.

You can have now open the newcamd.conf file. There are plenty of options, but just have a look at these 2 lines :

CWS = 127.0.0.1 10000 local local 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 lan cardserv
CWS = 127.0.0.1 10001 local local 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 lan cardserv

This is the line that describes the servers to connect to. In fact, 127.0.0.1, aka localhost, is the local TCP/IP host. You can also use 192.168.0.24 in our case. Then comes the port to connect, then login password, then a DES key.

A few last small things :

Ask the client to first use your card, that avoid it try to decode with the EMU and key that do not exists, and avoid around 10 seconds of dark screen when zapping before it ask the card.

PREFER_EMU = no

and also check auto update is allowed on the client :

AU = yes

6.3.3 Manual start of EMUs

It's really great to be able to start/stop EMU from the remote control, but you cannot really get a feedback of what happened. To debug or just understand, best is to telnet to the dreambox , then kill running emus and restart needed executable files to read the debug output.

ps command gives you running processes on the dreambox. Every process has a PID, a Process IDentifiant. You can kill any process by the command "kill PID_Number"

For example, here, newcamd is running :

...
242 root 9812 S N enigma
251 root 9812 S enigma
252 root 9812 S N enigma
355 root 748 S /var/bin/cardserver.dream
359 root 372 S telnetd
360 root 708 S -sh
368 root 1196 S /var/bin/newcamd.ppc
369 root 1196 S /var/bin/newcamd.ppc
505 root 920 S /var/bin/bullz_text -b
705 root 376 S telnetd
706 root 632 S -sh
...

Newcamd often start several instances, so that normal to have several lines.
Normally, if you kill one, the other kill themselves.
So "kill 368" kill newcamd.ppc and "kill 355" kill cardserver.dream
You can also use "killall newcamd" it's easier as you don't need to know the PID.

Anyway, newcamd + server is killed and you need to restart it. Just type "/var/bin/cardserver.dream &" to restart the server.
The "&" just tell to start the process in background. This does not block the shell until the process is terminated, what will not occur with emu, ever running oince started.

~ > /var/bin/cardserver.dream &
~ > [cardserver 17:00:31] compiled Oct 11 2004, 17:56:06
[cardserver 17:00:31] Card 1/0 reset
[cardserver 17:00:31] Card 1/0 init Viaccess card, please wait
[cardserver 17:00:32] Thu Nov 25 17:00:32 CET 2004
[cardserver 17:00:32] Card 1/0 caid 0500
[cardserver 17:00:32] Card 1/0 listening on port 10000

The server detected a Viacess card in the slot corresponding to port 10000 and is waiting.

Then start newcamd by "/var/bin/newcamd.ppc &"

[newcamd 17:00:33] Server: 127.0.0.1:10000
[newcamd 17:00:33] userid: 1 (EMM enabled)
[newcamd 17:00:33] caid: 0500
[newcamd 17:00:33] cardNo: 00000000XXXXXXXX
[newcamd 17:00:33] prov XXXXXX: 00000000XXXXXXXX
[newcamd 17:00:33] prov XXXXXX: 00000000XXXXXXXX

CAID : 500 means Viaccess, then Card Number, and provider(s) ID are listed.

Then you can see debug information, such as key needed, answer from the card (OK, bad key etc.)

Same thing apply to radegast, but there is only one process, rdgd.ppc and you can add an option for extensive debug :

"/var/bin/rdgd.ppc -d 4 &"

6.4 Web interface

I think the latest web interface should be mentioned.

Just use your standard browser on your PC, and http://192.168.0.24 . You got then the Web interface with Favorites channels and EPG   Just use root dreambox when you need to login

There are plenty of feature, but one interesting is a virtual remote control that can do everything like the real one. You have even access to plugins installed and you can run them, you can screen capture, send a message to the screen, etc ..

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