Difference between revisions of "User Manual"

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Each software module has a detailed section which explains how to use, configure, and program it. The [[Software components#LinuxMCE Home Software Sections|LinuxMCE Home Software Sections]] is a menu that lists all the software modules included in LinuxMCE. You can use it to explore each of the software components that are part of LinuxMCE. <br>
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Each software module has a detailed section which explains how to use, configure, and program it. The [[Software components|LinuxMCE Home Software Sections]] is a menu that lists all the software modules included in LinuxMCE. You can use it to explore each of the software components that are part of LinuxMCE. <br>
 
Since each of the software components have their own websites and development communities, you will find yourself at home with the ones that are familiar to you. Feel free to expand on what the community has already done by [[Contributing to LMCE|adding your contributions]] to this community effort.<br>
 
Since each of the software components have their own websites and development communities, you will find yourself at home with the ones that are familiar to you. Feel free to expand on what the community has already done by [[Contributing to LMCE|adding your contributions]] to this community effort.<br>
  

Revision as of 17:57, 13 October 2012


Welcome to LinuxMCE,

home of the home of the future.



What is LinuxMCE?

Built on the solid foundation laid down by Debian and Ubuntu, LinuxMCE (Linux Media Center Edition) is a free and open source home automation centered Linux distribution designed to allow a computer to act as:

  • a home theater PC (HTPC) for the living-room TV
  • a personal video recorder
  • a home automation, lighting, and climate control system
  • a surveillance and security system
  • a VoIP phone system with support for video conferencing


LinuxMCE is loaded with all kinds of goodies for the home of the future. It is able to record digital video, automate your home, function as a telephone switching hub for your home (in lieu of a boring intercom system), and tie it all together using an advanced messaging infrastructure.
You can read more about it on the LinuxMCE site and on Wikipedia.



LinuxMCE software components

LinuxMCE brings together a number of software components in an integrated environment. It is a collection of many pieces of open source software. Each LinuxMCE installation is a custom mix made of a selection of devices, plug-ins, and other modules. LinuxMCE Home's primary documentation aims to explain how LinuxMCE works, how to install it, set it up, and use it, if you have a standard installation made with devices and plug-ins from the HCL. Please start with devices that are known to work with LinuxMCE, then move on to more advanced things.

Here is a list of the software components that make LinuxMCE run:

Functionality Platform/software used
Operating system Kubuntu
TV & video recording MythTV / VDR
Telephony . . . Asterisk
Home automation Pluto
Surveillance camera recording Motion
Video plaback Xine

Each software module has a detailed section which explains how to use, configure, and program it. The LinuxMCE Home Software Sections is a menu that lists all the software modules included in LinuxMCE. You can use it to explore each of the software components that are part of LinuxMCE.
Since each of the software components have their own websites and development communities, you will find yourself at home with the ones that are familiar to you. Feel free to expand on what the community has already done by adding your contributions to this community effort.



Open Source and licensing

More information regarding LinuxMCE's relationship to Open Source can be found on the following pages:



Composition of a LinuxMCE system

A LinuxMCE system is made of 6 components:

  • The Core
  • Media Directors
  • Orbiters
  • Network Attached Storage (NAS)
  • Security
  • Telecom

For details on these components, see LinuxMCE system components.



Hardware

Also see:

Picking The Right Components

Orbiters

Orbiters are the devices used to communicate/interface with LinuxMCE at the user level. Orbiter devices display a standardized Orbiter User Interface (UI) from which users control all human interactive aspects of LinuxMCE. Multiple Orbiter options are available, such as; using a generic PC, a tablet (ARM or PC), PDAs, mobile phones running Symbian or Microsoft Mobile, or through a web interface accessible to any computer or smart phone connected within your LinuxMCE network. Orbiters may even be configured to access the system from the Internet (the web interface requires user authentication, and additional security measures are advised). Media Directors have their own on-screen Orbiter UI.

Here are some possible Orbiter platforms.

In addition, Orbiter can be skinned in a variety of different ways. There is a default skin, Titanium, which has multiple variations for data grid color, and a dark version called Slate.

Here Are some Orbiter Skins

Network Attached Storage

An alternative to storing all or most of your video, pictures and music media files on the hard drives of the LinuxMCE Core itself is to store your files on a network attached storage (NAS) server. You can store large music and video collections this way. Your LinuxMCE system can also record TV shows (using MythTV) and video from your security cameras (using Motion), both of which consume considerable hard drive storage space. One example of an NAS is the Buffalo Terastation.

Here are some possible NAS solutions.

Additional Devices

  • Home automation devices, such as Z-wave peripherals, for controlling your lights, HVAC, appliances and some aspects of security
  • Security/surveillance cameras
  • An LCD or plasma screen TV
  • A streaming media music player such as the SlimDevices Squeezebox
  • An alarm system with a compatible interface

There are examples of devices that require a controller device called a gc100 (including some of those listed above). A gc100 device allows these and other devices that communicate using a serial port (e.g. alarm panels) or its built-in infrared transceiver/in & out ports (e.g. a TV) to connect to the network and talk with your LinuxMCE Core.

Other methods of serial and network communication are possible as well (Search the Hardware section of this Wiki for specific examples).

Plug 'n' Play Capabilities

Once LinuxMCE is installed, you can treat it like an appliance -- plug it in, turn it on, and leave it alone. You don't even need to install any software on the media PCs that will be used as Media Directors. If these PCs are connected to the Core by wired Ethernet, they can usually be set to boot LinuxMCE from the Core server over the network whenever you want to use them as a Media Director. The rest of the time they can be used as a regular PC, using whatever operating system is already on their hard drives.

The LinuxMCE Core must (ideally) be the only DHCP server within your LinuxMCE internal network, for it to offer both plug-and-play and network boot services. The Core server bridges your "external" home LAN (which may have a DHCP server running) and an "internal" LinuxMCE LAN (which should be the only device to serve DHCP within the internal network). For this to work, it is recommended to have dual network cards in the Core -- one to connect to the "external" network (which can be your home LAN or simply your Internet connection), and one for the "internal" LinuxMCE network (to which all your LinuxMCE devices are connected). The LinuxMCE Core server effectively acts as both the DHCP server and the firewall for the "internal" LinuxMCE network.

Note that you can easily have PCs outside of the LinuxMCE internal network, if you choose. Simply connect them to the external network, rather than the internal LinuxMCE network. Alternatively, you can choose to have all PCs in your house be part of the LinuxMCE network. In this case the Core server provides DHCP and firewall services for your entire home LAN.

Wiring Considerations

The connections between the Core server and the Media Directors require significant network bandwidth for data transmission. Furthermore, netbooting (loading the operating system of the Media Directors via network connection to the Core, versus their own hard drives) is not easy accomplished through wireless networking. Network booting of the Media Directors is best done with a wired (Ethernet) connection. For this reason, it is recommended you have sufficient (in quantity and quality) wired Ethernet connections between the Core server and each peripheral Media Director.

Other devices, which do not have high data transmission requirements, such as Orbiter remote controls, may easily connect through a wireless access point within the LinuxMCE internal network.

Additional Hardware Resources

Choosing hardware components can be difficult. There are multiple articles regarding hardware selection in the Hardware Category.

Also see:

Using your own PCs

LinuxMCE is Linux-based. Drivers for hardware devices are not always immediately available for Linux as soon as they may be for Windows or other operating systems, depending heavily on hardware manufacturer support. However, the hardware support in Linux has improved substantially in recent years. Still, if you have purchased new or exotic hardware, there may not yet be drivers available for Linux. Check out the Hardware Category first. Also, check out linuxcompatible.org for a list of Linux-compatible hardware. Third, if a device is supported by the underlying version of Ubuntu/Kubuntu on which your chosen version of LinuxMCE is based (for instance; LinuxMCE 8.10 or LinuxMCE 10.04), it is more likely to be supported in LinuxMCE. And finally, as a last resort, to find out if your hardware might work, you might consider posting a question in the LinuxMCE forums.

Additional Hardware

You can also put multiple devices in (or connected to) the Core, such as hardware expansion cards (e.g.: analog capture cards for video surveillance & Ethernet adapter cards), USB video capture devices or analog phone line interfaces (e.g. from www.digium.com). Make sure they are Linux compatible, as indicated above. There are several choices as to where you may install devices in your LinuxMCE system. For example, you could put a PVR/satellite video capture card in an individual Media Director PC, a network based digital TV tuner or telephone-to-VOIP ATA device attached to the network, or you could put a device in the LinuxMCE Core itself (where it will be more easily shared throughout the system).

Bluetooth enabled mobile phones and devices can be used as remote controls by adding a USB Bluetooth Dongle to each Media Director (anywhere from $5 to around $25 USD). Each Media Director reports the signal strengths of each Bluetooth phone or device (this is how the Core figures out what room you're in). Since all LinuxMCE controlled resources in the whole house are shared, you will be able to control any device in any room from anywhere -- as long as you're within Bluetooth range of a Media Director (usually within 10m, or 30feet).

You can also use low-cost network connected audio players, like the Squeeze Box, which can be placed anywhere in the system.

Installation of Software Components

There are currently two methods of LinuxMCE installation. The DVD installation requires a single installation disk. The CD method requires 3 disks (one of which is the Kubuntu LiveCD), but offers more flexibility in installation.

Note: This section does not cover the net installation method for LinuxMCE 10.04, which is currently in Alpha testing phase. A DVD installation method, in current development, exists for LinuxMCE 10.04, as well.

DVD Installation

CD Installation

Setting Up LinuxMCE

Tell LinuxMCE About Your Home


Setting up your LinuxMCE system consists of 4 steps:

  • Providing some general information, such as what kind of network you have.
  • Specifying the devices in your home (lights, TVs, surveillance cameras, etc.).
  • Creating scenarios. A "scenario" is a group of commands, or tasks, you want executed when you touch a button. Each scenario you create will appear on the Orbiter remote controls as an option button.
  • Scenarios are generally organized into 5 categories: lighting, media, climate, security and telephone. You can create, for example, a lighting scenario called "Entertaining" which turns on all the lights in the house and in the front yard. A button labeled "Entertaining" will then appear on the Orbiters in the lighting section -- touch it to activate the scenario. Any scenario can do anything. For example, just because the "Entertaining" scenario is a lighting scenario doesn't mean the scenario only affects lights. You can make the scenario also play some music, and maybe open the front gate. You can use the "Advanced, My Scenarios" menu option for low-level control over a scenario, to make it do whatever you want. However the Wizard includes pages that make it very easy to create scenarios. For example, when you add a lighting scenario with the Wizard, it lists all the lights in the house and lets you pick the ones you want to change with the scenario.
  • Creating event handlers. This is how you tell LinuxMCE you want it to do something in response to some event. For example, you may want LinuxMCE to turn on the Front Porch light when a motion detector is tripped. Or you want it to play a loud message on the TV when there is a security breach. Perhaps you would like to stop watering the lawn when it rains.

AV Wizard

The Audio/Video Wizard is designed to allow for easy setup of the components (ranging from a simple monitor to an HCTV with composite inputs and outputs) to which a Media Director outputs the multimedia content that is streamed from the Core.

House Setup Wizard

This allows you to specify the floorplan of your house and to assign scenarios to each room.

Media Player Wizard

This allows you to specify the location of file shares and other media locations within your system.

Using the LinuxMCE Admin Website

Although there are automated wizards to assist in setup, there are more options provided in the LinuxMCE Admin web page. The user can create and modify any and all devices that LinuxMCE controls through the Admin page. It is displayed by any web browser, such as the ones available both on the Core/Hybrid and on each Media Director.

Scenarios, Events & Security

In the Scenarios page, add the scenarios, or buttons, you want for each room. For example:

  • A Lighting scenario in the Bedroom called 'Go to sleep' can dim the lights.
  • A Security scenario in the Living Room can view a camera.

When you do a 'quick reload router', DCERouter will automatically add Media Scenarios for each room which will include the media devices that are located there.

Your new scenarios will then be visible on the Orbiter remote controls after you regenerate.

Add Events to specify conditional events (such as turning on a light) when something else happens (a motion detector is tripped, the sun sets, etc.). This can be used for security. For example, you want to be notified (by VOIP, a message on a TV, etc.) when certain events happen in the house (motion detector is tripped). Settings will take effect next time you reboot or 'quick reload router'.

Configuring Myth TV

Most of the setup for MythTV is done automatically. For more information take a look at the following link.

Upload Your Media

LinuxMCE is capable of accessing Microsoft Windows-compatible network shares using the built-in Samba network protocol. LinuxMCE also creates a "public" share folder on the Core (or NAS) for storing the files that the whole family can share -- movies, music, etc. A "private" share folder for each family member is also created on the Core (or NAS). These network shares can be accessed from Windows-based PCs on your home LAN by listing the LAN IP address of the Core (or hybrid) as a network share (it is usually 192.168.80.1).

Once you copy your media into the appropriate folder, go to the LinuxMCE Admin web page-->Files & Media--> Media Files Sync and be sure your media is now in the database. You can now add attributes (artist, actor, etc.) and choose cover art.

Configure Telephony

General Usage Pages

Lights

Climate Control

Security

Media

Controlling A/V Equipment

Using Media

Media Attributes

Telecom

Troubleshooting

This troubleshooting guide assumes some basic knowledge of Linux. In LinuxMCE, everything is a device. In the LinuxMCE Admin Website, you can choose Devices, to see a list of all the devices in your installation. We recommend you don't make changes here - you can break things! The top level device is usually a computer, either the core or a hybrid or an orbiter. All the logs for the devices on that computer are stored in /var/log/pluto. You can ssh in to the core using the root password you chose, and from there, you can ssh to all the media directors-shared keys were automatically setup.

All current activity is logged in the file that ends in ".log". At bootup, certain device logs are archived into /var/log/pluto/*.log.*.gz files

All DCE devices are running in separate screen sessions. Type "screen -ls" to see all active screen sessions, and "screen -r PID" where PID is the id you saw in the -ls list to attach to the screen session. There is not much for you to do or see though since all the output on stderr and stdout is going into the logs. DCERouter is running the same way on your core or hybrid.

At bootup, all the scripts listed in the LinuxMCE Admin Website under Boot Sequence are run. If any programs crash, a core dump file is put in /usr/pluto/coredump.

If you're a programmer, you can also check out our Programmer's Guide. If you want to learn about writing DCE Devices, see the DCE.

Other Items

Accessibility and Languages

Reference

Also see:

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