Installation of Zoneminder on OpenBSD

Zoneminder is an open-source video surveillance system that can be used for home security or as a monitoring solution for small businesses. In this tutorial, we will explain how to install Zoneminder on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

• You must have a running installation of OpenBSD
• You should have root or sudo access to the system
• You should have a working internet connection

Step 1 - Install Required Packages

Before installing Zoneminder, you need to install some required packages. You can easily install these packages by running the following command:

# pkg_add mariadb-server apache httpd php php-pgsql php-xml imagemagick sudo

This command will install MariaDB (MySQL), Apache HTTP server, PHP and some other necessary packages.

Step 2 - Install Zoneminder

Zoneminder can be installed via packages or built from source. In this tutorial, we will be installing Zoneminder from packages. Execute the following command to download and install Zoneminder:

# pkg_add zoneminder

This command will install Zoneminder along with its dependencies.

Step 3 - Configure MariaDB

After installing Mariadb, you need to configure a database for Zoneminder. Run the following command to configure the database:

# mysql_install_db --user=_mysql

Next, start the MariaDB server:

# rcctl start mysqld

Once started, log in to the Mariadb server:

# mysql -u root -p

Create a new database and user for Zoneminder by running the following commands:

MariaDB [(none)]> create database zm;
MariaDB [(none)]> grant select,insert,update,delete,create,drop,index,alter on zm.* to 'zmuser'@'localhost' identified by 'zmpass';
MariaDB [(none)]> flush privileges;
MariaDB [(none)]> quit

Replace zmpass in the above command with a strong password you want to use for the zmuser account.

Step 4 - Configure Apache

After installing Apache HTTP server, you need to configure it for Zoneminder. You can start by creating a new virtual host configuration file under /etc/httpd/conf.modules.d directory:

# nano /etc/httpd/conf.modules.d/01-zoneminder.conf

Add the following content to the configuration file:

LoadModule cgi_module /usr/lib/httpd/modules/mod_cgi.so
LoadModule rewrite_module /usr/lib/httpd/modules/mod_rewrite.so
LoadModule headers_module /usr/lib/httpd/modules/mod_headers.so

ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ /usr/local/zoneminder/cgi-bin/
Alias /zm/ /usr/local/zoneminder/www/
Alias /api/ /usr/local/zoneminder/api/
Alias /zm_log/ /var/log/zm/

<Directory /usr/local/zoneminder/www/>
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

<Directory /usr/local/zoneminder/cgi-bin/>
    Options ExecCGI FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

<Directory /usr/local/zoneminder/api/>
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Make sure to save the changes and exit the editor.

Next, enable the required packages and restart the Apache HTTP server:

# echo "apache24" >> /etc/rc.conf.local
# rcctl restart apache24

Step 5 - Configure Zoneminder

The Zoneminder configuration file is located at /usr/local/etc/zm.conf. Edit the file using the following command:

# nano /usr/local/etc/zm.conf

Set the following parameters in the configuration file:

ZM_DB_HOST=localhost
ZM_DB_NAME=zm
ZM_DB_USER=zmuser
ZM_DB_PASS=zmpass

Replace zmpass with the password you set up for zmuser in step 3.

Additionally, set the timezone according to your location:

DATE_TIMEZONE="America/Los_Angeles"

Save the file and exit the editor.

Step 6 - Start Zoneminder

Once everything is configured, start Zoneminder by running the following command:

# rcctl start zoneminder

Zoneminder should now be accessible at http://localhost/zm/.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to install Zoneminder on OpenBSD. Now you can use Zoneminder to monitor your home or office through webcams or IP cameras.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!