Running a remote plugin on linux

[travisdh]

Hi All,

If this is already documented, my apologies but I am wondering if anyone has a guide for running a HS3 remote plugin on a Linux machine to connect to a different HS3 server (e.g. not on the local machine). I would like to run one of my plugins which i have rewritten for linux on a raspberry pi as a sort of remote terminal to send data back to the HS3 server (either my linux or windows one but I will just pick one).

I would assume i need to copy everything into the one folder (e.g. the dll's, and exe files and so on) and then do I just call it as I would through windows but with mono first e.g. mono MyPlugin.exe --server=10.0.0.1 --com=ttyS4

Thanks!

[Pete]

Here I have only tried it on two plugins to date; Spuds UPB and Rob's HAI plugin. It is not documented anywhere as far as I can tell.

root@ICS-joggler2:/usr/local/upb-remote# mono HSPI_UPB.exe server=192.168.244.172
Plugin: UPB Instance: starting...
Connecting to server at 192.168.244.172...

I kept playing with what I needed in the folder. It seems to use mostly everything on the main HS3 folder. You do not have to put the com port in the command line. I have tested this to work on the Zee running HS3 and talking to HS3 Pro on another box.

[travisdh]

My plugin uses serial comms, so I had just included that for the testing, but I believe as long as the port it uses is the same selected from the Interfaces tab then it should hopefully work.

I think there are a few gremlins in my system, so I will have to look at those before I can fully get it running but thanks for the pointer

[Pete]

Yup; its get the serial comms info from the plugin. (IE: UPB is a serial to USB to rasberry pi connection).

The console chatter for the remote plugin will show it connecting on the terminal window for the remote device. The HS3 GUI will indicate a remote plugin connection.

Initially I added all of the pieces from the HS3 server to the remote directory and noticed that it really didn't need them all as it appears to be getting all of plugin files from the HS3 server.

I was taking the Zee to its limits by running HS3 on and running two remote plugins to HS3Pro box running on Ubuntu 14.04.

I can take the Zee to a crawl by doing this. (but its only a 700Mhz ARM CPU not really made for this type of stuff).

I purchased the Zee for the Linux lite version of HS3. The first tests of HS3 on Linux for me was just running HS3 lite for linux on all of my little devices (arm and intel mostly) and they all worked better than on the Raspberry Pi. (this is my opinon).

This part is where I am falling back to using something Intel CPU like for this rather than the Raspberry Pi (The Pogoplug ARM 1.2Ghz runs circles around the Raspberry Pi and the board is smaller). This is that whole embedded thing versus OS running thing on an ARM cpu thing.

I mean its OK for one or two pieces of hardware and a few events which will satisfy the basic automation newbee; but anything more will cripple it as its really not made to be used like a regular PC or server. Homeseer 1 ran on an overclocked mobile AMD (overclocked to 700Mhz) on a little Netier style terminal way back. (but it not doing that much other than scheduling the CM11A and running a few scripts).

This is my opinion though.

[stipus]

I tried with my PLCBUS plugin and it didn't work. The plugin couldn't connect to the Windows HomeSeer server.

I have tested:
Windows HS, + local Windows plugin --> OK
Windows HS + remote Windows plugin --> OK
Windows HS + remote Linux plugin --> NOK !
Linux HS + local Linux plugin --> OK
Linux HS + remote Windows plugin --> OK

I didn't test Linux HS + remote Linux plugin, as I don't have 2 Linux box.

I didn't understand why I couldn't connect the Linux remote plugin to the Windows HS. Maybe it was because the Linux and Windows Homeseer versions were different...

[Pete]

Yup here in the Windows world I using (in production) Windows 2003....and only playing with Windows server (new) and Windows 8.1 client (new).

I am though moving towards using Linux Ubuntu 14.04 (well its running HS3 now) 64bit server.

I tested the remote linux plugin with all flavors of windows HS3 and it runs fine for me.

I have though shut down all my HS3 servers running on Wintel favoring the use of Linux these days.

The remote stuff only relates to the Homeseer specific files needed (sans OS stuff) and having mono running on the Linux box.

Its not OS version centric at all these days and much more portable than it running on Wintel (but that is only my opinion).

Note that both newest versions of Wintel server and newest versions of Ubuntu server are very secure with much added these days relating to protection of the server itself which is first and foremost even before running of applications on said OS servers.

Windows HS + remote Linux plugin --> NOK !

What specifically didn't work? I mean you see everything when running console mode.

I tested this only with plugins (Spuds and HAI and BL stuff) and it worked for me before I shut down the Wintel HS3 boxes. BL never tested and didn't know that his plugins would work in Linux. I did and showed him in the threads below.

You got me going back now some few months ago as I haven't played with this anymore lately and I did sort of make it a concern to the authors when it didn't work. (remote/local HS3 plugin on whatever talking to HS3 on whatever).

Looked at the Zee directories just now....and see this....that said play away...

root@ICS-HS3-Zee:/usr/local/hai# ls
bin HAI_Images.zip install.txt
Config HomeSeerAPI.dll Logs
Data HomeSeerUtil.dll Scheduler.dll
HAI_Config.zip HSCF.dll System.Data.SQLite.dll
HAI.Controller.dll HSPI_HAI.exe Uninstall_HSPI_HAI.exe
HAI_DLLs.zip HSPI_HAI.exe.config
root@ICS-HS3-Zee:/halt (cuz I am not running it right now).

[travisdh]

I certainly don't plan on using the rPi for heavy processing tasks, just some minor database work and receiving serial port traffic.

Eventually what I would love to do, is since I have my pager decoder at home, it would be great to be able to move it to a 'safer' location, where there is more stable internet, power and everything else and just have a VPN link between that and my home internet connection in which traffic between the remote plugin and HS3 travels.

This is also in part since I run a pager site for a select few people (where the messages can be seen) so it would mean that it stays up if the power and internet at my home goes out.