• Version: 0.0.5
• Last changes timestamp: 2022.02.24, 00:55
• Last changes timetag: 220224-0055

Basic api structure:

TODO: Describe api (for specific server version)

Remote server: http://cam-rpi-server.lilliputten.ru/

Images server runs on python/flask platform.

TODO: Describe basic server functionality.

TODO: Preserve capability to implement public server (with same or like functinal?)

Server command for creating venv:

virtualenv -p python3 ~/.venv-py3-flask
source ~/.venv-py3-flask/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Local script for venv creating and initialization:

sh utils/util-venv-init.sh

Local command for activate venv:

call .venv/Scripts/activate
source .venv/Scripts/activate

pip install PKGNAME
pip freeze > requirements-frozen.txt
pip install -r requirements.txt

Camera shots are taken using the raspistill program using commands like:

# Default:
raspistill -o image.jpg
# Half:
raspistill -w 1296 -h 972 -o image-half.jpg
# Quarter:
raspistill -w 648 -h 486 -o image-quarter.jpg

For commandline reference use raspistill --help.

• Camera configuration - Raspberry Pi Documentation

Use client-make-and-upload-image.sh script to make & upload image to server.

Use crontab to automate image capture.

• Every minute: * * * * * /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/client-make-and-upload-image.sh
• Every 15th minute: */15 * * * * /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/client-make-and-upload-image.sh

# Test entry...
30 */1 * * * date >> ~/test_crontab
*/5 * * * * date >> ~/test_crontab

# Make & upload shots every 5 minutes (with forced logging)...
*/5 * * * * sh /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/client-make-and-upload-image.sh >> /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/cron-log.txt 2>&1

# Make & upload shots every 20 minutes...
*/20 * * * * sh /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/client-make-and-upload-image.sh

# Reboot every 3 hours (00:55, 03:55, etc...)
55 */3 * * * sudo reboot -f

# Start server on boot
@reboot sh /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/utils/rpi-start-server.sh

Edit crontab:

crontab -e

Show crontab:

crontab -l

Automatically add server start command to crontab with:

sh utils/rpi-gunicorn-server-create-crontab-entry.sh

See also:

• Scheduling tasks with Cron - Raspberry Pi Documentation

Uncomment # cron.* line in /etc/rsyslog.conf (eg. edit with sudo vim /etc/rsyslog.conf).

Show crontab log:

tail -f /var/log/cron.log

Or use output reirect in command:

/home/pi/cam-rpi-server/client-make-and-upload-image.sh >> /home/pi/cam-rpi-server/cron.log 2>&1
python /home/pi/cam-client/client-make-image.py >>  /home/pi/projects/cam-rpi-server/cron.log 2>&1

• Beginners guide to install a Flask (Python) web server on Raspberry PI
• Running Gunicorn — Gunicorn 20.1.0 documentation

gunicorn -w 1 -b 0.0.0.0:4000 hello:app

Real command (see utils/rpi-start-server.sh, attention for port number, in -b switch):

&& "$GUNICORN" \
  --reload \
  -D \
  -w 1 \
  -b 0.0.0.0:4000 \
  --chdir "$ROOT" \
  --pid="$PIDFILE" \
  --log-file="$LOGFILE" \
  index \
&& echo "Done." \

See log-gunicorn.log and log-gunicorn.pid files in project root folder after start.

For autostart see 'crontab' section above.