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Xangle Camera Server

Images, XNN packages & discovery

Raspberry Pi & network

Raspberry Pi nodes bring remote camera adapters and stations onto the network. There are two ways to run them: standalone Pis that each carry their own microSD card, or a boot-server setup where one Pi hosts the system and the rest boot from the network with no card.

XangleOS is the operating system image installed on the Pi. XNN (Xangle Network Node) is the host software that runs on top of XangleOS and lets Camera Server control cameras and lights. Download XangleOS images from xangleapps.com, and download XNN packages from Network Nodes when you need to install or update the node software.

Choose your image

  • Choose the XangleOS image for the Pi's boot arrangement. XangleOS is the operating system; XNN is the network-node software installed on top of it.
  • Standalone image: the complete XangleOS on a single microSD card, one card per Pi. This is required for older boards (Pi 3B / 3B+) and is recommended when capturing larger files such as video or burst sequences. Standalone Pis live on your normal routed LAN alongside your computer, router, and switches.
  • Boot server image: turns one Pi into the central operating system for all of your Pis. Only the boot-server Pi needs a card; every other Pi boots from the network (PXE/NFS). This removes batch SD flashing, avoids corrupted-card issues, and makes system-wide updates instant. The boot server needs a Pi 4 or 5 with at least 4 GB of RAM, and cardless clients must be Pi 4 or newer, since network boot is not supported on Pi 3.

Plan the network

  • Standalone setup: one computer, one router, many switches, and many standalone Pis, all sharing the same normal LAN. This is the easiest layout to manage.
  • Boot-server setup: one computer, many switches, one Pi boot server, and many cardless Pis on a dedicated, isolated Ethernet segment with no router and no other DHCP server on it. Keep internet on Wi-Fi or a second NIC, and connect the computer's Ethernet port only to the boot-server switch stack.

Flash a microSD card

  1. Download the desired XangleOS image (.img.gz or .img) from xangleapps.com. This installs the operating system, not XNN.
  2. Install Rufus (free and portable, no installation required). balenaEtcher or the Raspberry Pi Imager also work.
  3. Insert the card, then in Rufus pick it under Device, click SELECT, choose the image, leave the other settings at their defaults, and click START. This erases everything on the card.
  4. Eject the card safely, insert it into the Pi, and power it on.

After the Pi boots and appears in Network Nodes, install or update XNN separately:

  1. Open Network Nodes in Camera Server and choose Download XNN packages....
  2. Select the Raspberry Pi package that matches the Pi architecture and download it. Camera Server stores the package in its local network-node bundle directory.
  3. Choose Push XNN... in the Raspberry Pi list, select the downloaded package, and push it to the target Pi or Pis.
  4. Wait for the update to finish, then confirm the XNN Version and camera or light service status in the node list.

You only need to flash the XangleOS image again when preparing a new card or replacing the operating system. For a normal XNN update, download the package and use Push XNN....

First boot for cardless Pis

Boot-server setups only.

  • A brand-new Pi defaults to SD-card boot order, so boot it once from a flashed card to configure its EEPROM to try network boot first.
  • After that one-time boot, remove the card. The Pi will PXE-boot from the boot server automatically on every subsequent power-on.

Confirm discovery

  • The Pi and this computer must share a subnet. Each network adapter with a Broadcasting badge sends beacons to its subnet, and nodes there register automatically.
  • After connecting, allow up to about 10 seconds (the beacon interval) for a node to receive a beacon and register, then click Refresh.
  • If a node never appears, check the link lights on both switch ports and confirm the cable reaches the same switch. An adapter showing a 169.254.x.x address is connected but never got a DHCP lease.
  • Use Find my Pis to actively probe the subnet for a live XangleOS agent when UDP broadcast is blocked by a switch or router. On a boot-server setup this probes the boot subnet and finds Pis even if beacons are blocked.

Camera, Network & Devices

  • Camera Nodes carry remote capture adapters so cameras can sit far from the computer.
  • XNN (Xangle Network Node) is the host software installed on a Raspberry Pi. It registers the Pi with Camera Server and provides the control path for attached camera and light services.
  • Network Nodes is the inventory and host-operations view for every Pi the server can see.
  • Devices covers connected browser stations (sharing, replay, kiosk) rather than capture hardware.