CCcam line: setting up C-line and F-line in 2026

Received a line likeC: somehost.net 12000 mylogin mypassword and don't know what to do with it? Or the receiver connects, but the channels do not open? Let's break everything down step by step — syntax, configuration files, diagnostics, and common errors. This is not a review of services, this is a technical guide on working withcccam line.

What is a CCcam line and what does it consist of

CCcam is a card sharing protocol through which the client connects to the server with cards and receives keys for decrypting channels. The connection string iscccam line. It contains everything necessary for the connection in one line.

Syntax of the line and order of fields

The standard format of a C-line looks like this:

C: hostname port username password

Four fields separated by spaces. The letterC: followed by a colon is the type of line. Next:

• hostname — the IP address or DNS name of the server, for example192.168.1.100 orserver.example.com
• port — the TCP port on which the CCcam server listens, most often in the range of 12000–12100
• username — login, case-sensitive
• password — password, also case-sensitive

Case sensitivity is a separate issue.MyLogin andmylogin — are different logins. If you received a line with uppercase letters, copy it exactly, do not convert to lowercase "for convenience."

C-line, N-line, F-line — what is the difference

Three types of lines, and they are often confused:

• C: (C-line) — client line. It is written on your receiver/client to connect to someone else's server. You are the client.
• F: (F-line, friend line) — line for your server. You add it to your CCcam.cfg so that another client can connect to your server. You are the server.
• N: (N-line) — for the newcamd protocol, not CCcam. The syntax is different:N: host port username password deskey. If the source provided an N-line, it is already a different protocol.

The direction of the C-line and F-line is opposite. If the source gave you a line starting withF: — this is not your client line, it is a template to be added on their side. The client needs exactlyC:.

Parsing a real example of a line by fields

Let's take a specific example:

C: carding.example.net 12000 user2026 xK9#mPass

Field	Value	Note
Type	C:	Client line CCcam
Host	carding.example.net	DNS name, must resolve on the receiver
Port	12000	Standard CCcam port
Login	user2026	Exact case is required
Password	xK9#mPass	Special characters are allowed

If the host is specified by DNS name, and DNS on the receiver is not configured or does not resolve external names — the connection will not be established. In this case, ask the source for the IP address or specify the correct DNS server in/etc/resolv.conf on the receiver (for example,nameserver 8.8.8.8).

Where to write the line: CCcam.cfg and OScam

Getting the line is half the battle. You need to know which file to add it to and how to apply the changes without unnecessary hassle.

The CCcam.cfg file and the path /var/etc/CCcam.cfg

On most Enigma2 images (OpenATV, OpenPLi, OpenDreamBox) the config is located at the path/var/etc/CCcam.cfg. In some older images or during manual installation, the path may be/etc/CCcam.cfg.

Important point: if the image stores the config in a non-standard location, and you are editing the file in/var/etc/ — changes may not apply. Check which file your CCcam process is reading:

ps aux | grep CCcam

Or find all configs:

find / -name "CCcam.cfg" 2>/dev/null

Adding C-line to CCcam.cfg

Open the file with any editor. Via SSH, it's convenient throughvi ornano:

nano /var/etc/CCcam.cfg

Add a line to the end of the file. One C-line — one line. Multiple sources — multiple lines in a row:

C: server1.example.net 12000 user1 pass1

Save the file. The file permissions must allow CCcam to read it — usually644 is sufficient. If something went wrong after editing, check:

chmod 644 /var/etc/CCcam.cfg

Equivalent in oscam.server for cccam protocol

OScam does not use the CCcam.cfg format. Here, each source is a separate block[reader] in the file/etc/oscam/oscam.server.

The equivalent C-line for OScam looks like this:

[reader]

The parametercccversion — is not a formality. If the source is set to accept only clients with version 2.3.0, and you send 2.1.4 — you will getlogin failed. Clarify the required version with the source or try 2.3.0 as the most common.

The fileoscam.server supports multiple blocks[reader] — one for each source.

Restarting the service and applying changes

After editing the config, changes are not applied automatically. A restart is needed.

For CCcam via the standard init script on Enigma2:

/etc/init.d/softcam restart

Or by killing the process and starting it again:

killall CCcam&& sleep 2&& CCcam&

For OScam, the restart is similar:

/etc/init.d/softcam restart

Or through the OScam web interface — the Restart button in the Configuration section. This is more convenient because OScam can also re-read configs without a full restart through the Readers section.

Checking the line operation through the web interface and logs

You wrote the line, restarted — and what next? You need to make sure that the connection is established and the cards are visible. Just "not complaining" is not an indicator.

WebIf CCcam on port 16001

The CCcam web interface is available by default on port16001. Open in your browser:

http://<IP receiver>:16001

The login and password for WebIf are taken from theWEBINFO parameter in CCcam.cfg. If not specified — by default root/root or empty. The interface will show a list of all connected sources, their status, and the number of cards.

Server status: connected, online, ECM time

In WebIf, look for the status of your C-line. Options:

• CONNECTED — connection established, cards received
• OFFLINE / FAILED — no connection, check the logs
• WAITING — attempting to connect

Next to the status, there should be a number of cards (cards/shares). If it says "0 cards" — the connection exists, but the source does not provide the cards you need. This is already another problem, not network-related.

ECM time — response time for the decryption request in milliseconds. A normal value is up to 500–800 ms. If it consistently takes 1500–2000 ms — the source is overloaded or the link is unstable, there will be freezes.

Reading OScam logs and the ecm field

OScam writes to/tmp/oscam.log or to the path specified inoscam.conf parameter logfile. View in real time:

 tail -f /tmp/oscam.log | grep -i "reader\|ecm\|connect"

Upon successful connection, you will see lines like:

 2026/01/15 14:23:01 r my_cccam_source     reader is connected to server.example.net:12000

ECM time in the logs is the most accurate indicator. WebIf OScam also shows the average and last ECM time in the Readers section.

What share count and hop mean

Hop is the number of jumps from the original card to your client. Hop 1 means that the source server holds the card locally. Hop 2 means it received it from another server. The higher the hop, the greater the delays and instability.

Share count is the number of cards that the source gives to your client. But this is the total number. What matters is not the quantity, but the presence of a specific caid of the required package. This will be discussed in the next section.

Typical connection errors and their solutions

Most problems fall into four categories. Let's break down each with specific diagnostic commands.

Connection failed and closed port

Symptom: in the logs connection failed, can't connect, status OFFLINE immediately after the connection attempt.

First, check the availability of the host and port from your receiver:

 ping -c 4 server.example.net

If telnet hangs or shows Connection refused — the port is unavailable. Possible reasons:

• The firewall on the source side is blocking your IP
• The firewall or NAT of your provider is blocking outgoing port 12000
• Double NAT is common with providers using CGNAT
• The source is simply offline

If ping works, but telnet to the port does not work — most likely a firewall. Try another port (often the source listens on 12001, 12002) or check from another internet channel.

Login failed — incorrect login, password, or version

Symptom: telnet connects (TCP connection exists), but in the logslogin failed orwrong password.

Most often, it's a typo when entering — you copied the login with an extra space, changed the case, or lost a special character in the password. Literally compare character by character.

The second reason is a version mismatch of CCcam. The source may require strictlycccversion = 2.3.0. Inoscam.server explicitly specify, in CCcam.cfg the version is set by the parameter:

VERSION: 2.3.0

The third reason is exceeding the connection limit. The source sees that your login is already using the maximum number of simultaneous sessions (usually 1–2), and rejects the new connection. It's symptomatic if it worked before, but stopped after adding a second receiver.

Online, but channels do not open

The most common confusion. The status CONNECTED and the presence of cards is not a guarantee that the channel you need will open.

To decrypt the channel, there needs to be a match ofcaid (encryption system identifier) andprovid (provider package identifier). If the channel uses caid0x0D05 with a specific provid, and this pair is not in the shares from the source — the channel will not open, although the connection is active.

Check in WebIf CCcam or in the OScam logs what exactly caid and provid the source provides. Compare with what the channel requires. If you don't know the channel's caid — check in the signal information of the receiver or in databases.

Another reason is that a local card in another reader overrides the share by priority. OScam may prefer a slow local reader over a fast remote one. Set the priorities through the parametergroup andpreferlocalcards = 0 inoscam.conf.

Unstable connection and picture freeze

The channel opens, but periodically freezes for 2–5 seconds. The reasons are usually in ECM time.

Watch the OScam logs in real-time and monitor the ECM time. If you see spikes — 50 ms, 50 ms, 3200 ms, 50 ms — this indicates source overload or an unstable internet channel. Check the ping to the source host:

ping -c 50 server.example.net

Pay attention to packet loss and jitter. Losses above 1–2% will already cause freezes with normal ECM time.

Another reason is multiple C-lines with the same caid. OScam or CCcam tries to balance between them, which creates conflicts and spikes in ECM time. Leave one source for each caid, or set clear priorities through the parameterpriority in OScam.

A high hop value (3 and above) also causes instability — each intermediate link adds delay and a point of failure.

How to choose a cccam line source: what to look for

Technically connectcccam linecan be used with any server. The other question is whether it will work stably. Here are the criteria that are really important.

Stability of ECM time and uptime

ECM time is the main indicator of the quality of the source. A guideline for comfortable viewing is stable 100–300 ms without spikes. Values above 800 ms during peak times indicate server overload.

Check the uptime over a period of at least 30 days. A source with 95% uptime means 36 hours of downtime per month. This is a lot for regular viewing.

A trial period is the best way to check. A normal source provides 24–48 hours of testing. During this time, open the OScam logs and check the actual ECM time during peak hours (evening, weekends). Nice numbers during working hours are not indicative.

Local cards vs. reshares

A local card (hop 1) means the source holds a physical card in a card reader. This results in minimal latency and maximum reliability. A reshare (hop 2+) means the source pays someone for the card — an intermediate link is added.

Ask directly: how many local cards, how many reshares. A good source answers specifically. If the source cannot or does not want to answer — this is a signal.

Connection limits and IP binding

Most sources limit the number of simultaneous connections per login — usually 1 or 2. If you need to connect multiple receivers, you will need either multiple accounts or your own intermediate OScam server with one upstream and several clients.

IP binding is not a restriction, but protection against the resale of your account. If the source binds the line to your IP and does not allow use from another address without notification — this is a sign that they are monitoring for abuse. Sources without binding often have a higher load due to resale.

Support for protocols and versions

A good source supports current versions of CCcam (2.3.0) and works through OScam with protocol = cccam. If the source requires a strictly specific version of the client — this is normal, they are just filtering out outdated clients.

The presence of support for newcamd (N-line) alongside CCcam is a sign of a more mature infrastructure. If you have OScam, you can connect via newcamd, which sometimes results in slightly lower overhead for authorization.