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

If your receiver is not receiving keys, the first thing to check is the correctness of the connection string. CCcam lines are not just a set of characters, but a structured authorization format where every space and every character matters. One extra letter in the password or an incorrect port — and the status will forever be stuck on CONNECTING. Let's break it down field by field.

What are CCcam lines and why are they needed

A line in the context of CCcam is an authorization string that describes the connection parameters between the client and the server. The CCcam protocol operates on the scheme "the client requests ECM, the server decrypts and provides CW." Without a correct authorization string, this interaction simply will not start.

There are three main types of lines: C-line, F-line, and N-line. Each serves its own purpose, and confusing them is a classic mistake during the initial setup.

C-line, F-line, and N-line: what is the difference

C-line (Client line) is the line on the client side. It is written on your receiver and tells it: "connect to this server with this username and password." This is what you receive from the sharing provider.

F-line (Friend line) is the server line. It is written on the server and describes what rights a specific user has: which cards they can see, how many hops they can pass, whether resharing is allowed. F-line and C-line are two halves of one connection.

N-line refers to the newcamd protocol — another card sharing protocol. The format is similar, but the fields are different, and these lines cannot be mixed. OScam can work with both protocols, but reads them from different sections of the config.

The role of the line in the client-server connection

Symmetry here is crucial: the client's C-line must exactly match the server's F-line. The same username, the same password. The server reads the F-line and knows who to expect. The client reads the C-line and knows where to knock. If they do not match in credentials — there will be no connection, only "login failed" in the logs.

Where CCcam stores lines: path to cccam.cfg

For pure CCcam, the main configuration file is/var/etc/CCcam.cfg on most Dreambox receivers and compatible ones. On some firmware, the path is/etc/CCcam.cfg. For OScam, client connections using the CCcam protocol are specified in/etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.server or/var/keys/oscam.server, while server users are inoscam.user in the same directory. After any changes, a service restart is needed —killall -9 CCcam orsystemctl restart oscam.

C-line syntax: breakdown of each field

The basic format looks like this:

C: hostname port username password

This is the minimally working line. However, in real configurations, additional parameters are often added, and their absence or incorrect order breaks everything.

Line format: C: host port username password

C: — mandatory prefix with a colon and a space. Without this, CCcam does not recognize the line at all.

hostname — domain name or IP address of the server. It can be either IPv4 (192.168.1.1) or a domain (my.server.net). If the server is behind DynDNS, the DDNS domain is specified.

port — TCP port on which the CCcam server listens. Most often in the range of 12000–12999, but this is an arbitrary number set by the server administrator. The port must match on both sides — in the client's C-line and in the server daemon's settings.

username andpassword — credentials for authentication. Case-sensitive. "User1" and "user1" are different logins. A password with a space does not work without quotes.

Additional parameters and flags

After the main fields, optional parameters may follow:

C: my.server.net 12000 user1 pass1 no { 0 0 0 }

no /yes — the "wantemus" flag, controls whether the client requests EMM data from the server. Usuallyno.

{ 0 0 0 } — sharing control block. The first number is uphops, the second is downhops, the third is the compression parameter. When the value is{ 0 0 0 } the client does not forward received cards further. This is standard for the end client.

Example of a working C-line with explanations

C: my.server.net 12000 user1 pass1 no { 0 0 0 }

Here: connecting tomy.server.net on port12000, authenticating asuser1 with passwordpass1, not requesting EMM, resharing of received cards is disabled. This is a typical client configuration.

A common pitfall is hidden non-printable characters when copying a line from Telegram or PDF. The "soft line break" or zero-width character is visually invisible but completely breaks parsing. If the line is copied and not entered manually, run it throughcat -A CCcam.cfg and make sure there are no extra^M or^@.

F-line on the server and correspondence to client C-lines

On the server, each client is described by its F-line. Format:

F: username password uphops maxdown

Username and password must match exactly what is specified in the client's C-line — character by character, including case. There is no hashing, the comparison is literal.

F-line format: F: username password uphops maxdown

uphops — how many levels up the client can see the maps (from the server). A value of 1 means the client only sees the local maps of the server. More means it sees maps received by the server from its upstreams.

maxdown — how many levels down the client can pass maps to its clients (if it itself is a server for someone). For the end user, it is usually 0.

Example server F-line for a standard client:

F: user1 pass1 1 0

Managing resharing through uphops/downhops

A high uphops value is not always good. The higher the hop count, the further the ECM request goes to the map, the higher the latency. On HD channels with a short decryption window, an ECM time over 800–1000 ms causes freezing. A good provider keeps local maps (uphops = 1) for key packets.

If the client itself raises a server for neighbors — maxdown is set to more than 0. But that's another story with other risks and obligations.

Binding maps and services to the user

In the extended syntax of CCcam.cfg, you can restrict the F-line to specific CAIDs and providers:

F: user1 pass1 1 0 { 0500:000000 }

This restricts the user to only maps with CAID 0500. If the user has matching credentials in the C-line, but the required CAID is not included in their F-line — channels will not open, although the connection will be established. This causes the classic situation of "connected, but no maps."

Each client must have a unique user/pass pair. This is not just a recommendation — it is the only way to control access and block a specific user without disconnecting all others.

Ports, protocols, and NAT forwarding

The port is one of the most common reasons why cccam lines do not connect. And there is no "correct" single number.

Standard ports for CCcam and newcamd

The CCcam protocol is most often configured on ports in the range of 12000–12999. This is an established practice, not a standard. The newcamd protocol traditionally uses 15000+ (for example, 15050). The CCcam web interface by default listens on port16001, and OScam webif — on8888 (or 83 in some builds).

The main rule: the port in the client's C-line must match the port on which the server is actually listening for connections. If the server is raised on 12500, and the C-line states 12000 — there will be no connection.

Port forwarding on the router for your server

If you are raising a server at home, the router by default blocks incoming connections. You need to forward the TCP port: in the router settings create a Port Forwarding rule — external port → local IP of the receiver → the same port. Protocol — TCP.

You can check if the port is open from the outside with the command:

telnet your.external.ip 12000

Or vianc -zv your.external.ip 12000. If the connection hangs — the port is closed or the firewall is blocking.

DynDNS and dynamic IP

Home internet almost always provides a dynamic IP. With each reconnection, the IP changes, and a hard-coded address in the clients' C-line becomes stale. The solution is a DynDNS service: your router updates the DNS record when the IP changes, clients connect by domain, not by IP.

But there is a catch: if the DynDNS domain becomes stale (not updated, the free account has expired), clients will start resolving the old IP or not resolving at all. The symptom is endless CONNECTING without "login failed." Check:ping your.ddns.domain — see which IP it resolves to, and compare with the actual external IP.

Diagnostics: why the C-line does not connect

Let's break it down step by step. Most problems with cccam lines fall into three or four patterns, and each can be diagnosed in a minute.

Status check in the web interface and logs

The CCcam web interface is available athttp://ресивер:16001. It shows the status of each C-line:CONNECTED,CONNECTING,OFFLINE. For OScam —http://ресивер:8888, section Readers.

To read logs in real time:

tail -f /var/log/CCcam.log

Or for OScam:

tail -f /var/log/oscam/oscam.log

ECM time in the logs shows the server response delay in milliseconds. The norm for stable viewing is up to 500–600 ms, the ideal is less than 200 ms.

Typical errors: connecting, no card, login failed

Endless CONNECTING — the server is unavailable. Reasons: closed port, incorrect hostname, server down, firewall. Check:ping hostname, thentelnet hostname port. If ping works but telnet hangs — the port is closed.

login failed — the connection is established, but authorization failed. Incorrect username or password. Check for case sensitivity, spaces at the beginning/end of the line, invisible characters. Compare letter for letter with what is written in the F-line on the server.

no cards — authorization passed, but the server does not issue cards. Either the user's F-line does not include the required CAID, or the server really has no cards for the requested channel.

Status CONNECTED, but channels are freezing — high ECM time. Check the hop count and server load. Often the reason is resharing with a large number of hops.

Commands for debugging the connection

ping my.server.net

Separately about system time — this is a non-trivial reason for failures. If the time on the receiver differs from the server by more than a few minutes, ECM requests are rejected as outdated. Externally, it looks like "connected, but no cards" or constant freezing. The commanddate will show the current time on the receiver. If it is incorrect —ntpdate -u pool.ntp.org and restart CCcam/OScam.

Another non-trivial issue — duplication of one C-line on several receivers. Two devices with the same user/pass compete for the connection: the server accepts one and disconnects the other, then vice versa. The result is cyclic disconnections on both devices. Symptom: both devices periodically drop and reconnect. This can only be fixed with separate credentials.

Conflict of several C-lines with the same priority also occurs: if two lines for the same CAID are specified in CCcam.cfg, the order of reading cards is unpredictable. CCcam reads lines from top to bottom, the first working one wins — make sure the priority line is above.

How to choose a supplier line: criteria without names

There will be no advertising of specific services here. Only technical metrics by which you assess quality yourself.

Quality parameters: ECM time, uptime, local cards

ECM time — the main indicator. A good server responds consistently in 100–300 ms. Unstable ECM time (jumps from 100 to 2000 ms) causes freezes out of nowhere, especially on HD channels with a short decryption window. Look at the spread, not the average.

Local cards — these are cards with uphops = 1, physically inserted into the server. Resharing cards (uphops 2+) add latency and instability. Ask directly: are there local cards for the required provider and CAID.

Server uptime — how many percent of the time the server is available. Acceptable — above 98%. Below that — expect regular drops and a review of the subscription.

Server stability and protocol support

Check which protocols the server supports: pure CCcam, newcamd, or OScam with both. If your receiver only works on newcamd (N-line), and the server only provides CCcam — it's incompatible.

Pay attention to the support of specific CAIDs. If the required package is encoded, for example, Nagravision 3 (CAID 1810/1830), make sure the server has the corresponding cards, not resharing through five hops.

Signs of an unreliable source

Exaggerated hops (uphops 3–5) when "local cards" are claimed — a red flag. Frequent freezes on premium HD channels while SD works stably — a sign of a weak server or overload. No response to technical questions about CAID and protocols — means the support doesn't understand what they are selling.

If cccam lines connect normally, ECM time is low, but specific channels do not open — this is not a line problem. This is a CAID mismatch: the server does not have a card for this provider, or the user's F-line is limited to a different set of services.