Setting up CCcam in OScam: cccam protocol in oscam and the oscam.server file

If you are already using a working OScam and have a C-line from the provider in your hands — this article is for you. The topiccccam in oscam seems simple at first glance: you take the config, write the line, restart the daemon. But in practice, half of the people run into "0 cards" or "no matching reader" and do not understand where it broke. Let's break it down step by step — from the structure of the file to diagnostics in the log.

What does cccam in OScam mean and why switch from CCcam

OScam is not just a replacementCCcam. It is a full-fledged cardserver that can work with a dozen protocols simultaneously: newcamd, camd35, radegast, gbox — and, of course, cccam. Moreover, it works in two roles: as a client (reader to someone else's server) and as a server (distributing cards to its clients).

The concept ofcccam in oscam means that you do not need a separate CCcam.exe process or CCcam binary on the receiver. Everything is described in one config, under one daemon, with a single web interface for monitoring.

The cccam protocol as a client reader in OScam

When OScam works as a client to a CCcam server, it acts as a reader withprotocol=cccam. The daemon opens a TCP connection to the remote host, authenticates with user/password, and receives a list of available cards (CAID/provid). Then comes the standard ECM request and decryption.

Load graphs show the real picture: OScam maintains a more stable connection, consumes less RAM, and importantly — writes significantly more useful debugging information to the log than the original CCcam.

Differences between native OScam and the old CCcam emulator

CCcam operated on the principle of "one daemon — one protocol". OScam was originally designed as a multi-protocol server. This means that you can simultaneously receive cards via cccam and distribute them via newcamd — all in one process.

Another fundamental difference is group management. In OScam, each reader and each user are tied to groups (group=), which gives fine control over who sees what. CCcam did not have such flexible segmentation.

When to keep CCcam and when to switch completely to OScam

If you have an old receiver (for example, Dreambox DM500) with firmware from 2005 and 32 MB of RAM — CCcam will work there, while OScam may not fit. In such cases, CCcam is justified.

In all other cases — modern receiver, VPS, router with OpenWRT — OScam wins. Especially if you need to combine several sources of cards or distribute them further.

Setting up C-line in oscam.server: step-by-step breakdown

The fileoscam.server is where all card sources are described. Usually, it is located at/etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.server or/var/keys/oscam.server depending on the image. In some distributions, the path/usr/local/etc/oscam/. Edit via SSH (nano, mcedit) or through an FTP client.

The C-line from the provider looks something like this:

C: myserver.example.com 12000 myuser mypassword

These four fields — host, port, login, password — are laid out according to the parameters of the section[reader].

The structure of the [reader] section for the cccam protocol

Here is a real working example of a block:

[reader]

Label — an arbitrary name convenient for identification in the web interface and log. Try to name it meaningfully, especially if there are multiple readers.

Parameters device, user, password, port

In the parameterdevice the host and port are written with a comma without a space. The port is taken directly from the C-line (the second field). A typical range is 12000–25000, but it depends on the specific server.

If the source uses a dynamic IP (a server without a fixed address), indevice specify the DNS name, not the IP. OScam can periodically resolve the name again — this helps when the server address changes.

inactivitytimeout in seconds — how long to wait before considering the connection dead. 30 seconds is a normal value.reconnecttimeout — the delay before reconnecting, 10 seconds is usually sufficient.

cccversion, cccmaxhops, ccckeepalive — what to set

cccversion must match the version of the server you are connecting to. A version mismatch is one of the most common reasons for authorization failure, and almost no one writes about it. If the server is running CCcam 2.3.2, and you specified 2.1.4 — the authorization will fail withlogin failed in the log. Check with the provider what version they expect.

cccmaxhops — the maximum number of hops from which OScam is ready to accept cards. The lower — the better the ECM time. A value of 5 is a reasonable compromise. Setting it to 10 or higher makes no sense: cards with a large number of hops give unstable response times.

ccckeepalive = 1 enables sending keepalive packets, which is important for connections through NAT. Without this, some routers close a "silent" TCP connection after a few minutes.

Groups (group) and binding to oscam.user

The parametergroup in the reader section defines which group this card source belongs to. In the fileoscam.user each user is also assignedgroup= — and they only see the cards that come from the readers of their group.

If you have multiple C-lines with the same CAID (for example, two lines from different servers for one package), put them in one group and setgroup inoscam.user for prioritization. OScam will choose the first responding reader.

Example of a user entry for local dvbapi:

[account]

Card sharing via cccam protocol (OScam as server)

OScam can not only receive cards via cccam but also distribute them — as if it were a full-fledged CCcam server. For this, inoscam.conf the section is described[cccam].

The [cccam] section in oscam.conf: port, reshare, version

[cccam]

port — the port on which OScam accepts incoming CCcam connections. Make sure this port is not occupied by another process and is open in the firewall. Port conflicts are a common issue when both OScam and an old CCcam are running on the machine simultaneously.

reshare = 1 allows the redistribution of cards received from external readers. If you want to distribute only locally inserted cards — set it to 0.

nodeid — a unique node identifier in HEX format. It can be generated randomly. It is important for the protocol: if two OScam servers have the same nodeid in the network — there will be conflicts.

Creating users in oscam.user

Each client connecting to your OScam via cccam must have an account inoscam.user:

[account]

cccreshare at the user level controls whether this client can further resell cards. If you set it to 0 — the client receives cards but cannot redistribute them to their clients.

Providing N-line and controlling reshare/hops

N-line is a line of the formN: host port user pass, which you provide to clients for connecting to your OScam. The host and port are taken from your[cccam] settings, login/password — fromoscam.user.

Make sure thatcccmaxhops for the client does not exceed the value on your server. Otherwise, the client will try to request cards with more hops than you are willing to provide.

Binding to dvbapi and checking operation on the receiver

OScam itself is a cardserver. For the receiver to decrypt channels, it is necessary to link OScam with the dvbapi module (plugin in Enigma2 or built-in mechanism on other platforms). This is done through the fileoscam.dvbapi and the section[dvbapi] inoscam.conf.

File oscam.dvbapi and CAID priorities

Fileoscam.dvbapi (the path is the same as where the other configs are located) sets the order of CAID scanning during decryption. Example:

P: 0500:032830

The first line is the priority. If you have multiple CAIDs for one package, OScam will try them in that order. Incorrect order or missing CAID is a common reason why the card is present but the channel does not open.

OScam web interface (httpport) for monitoring

Inoscam.conf in the section[webif] write:

[webif]

After restarting, openhttp://IP_receiver:8888 — everything is visible there: list of readers, their status, current ECM requests, response time, clients. This is the main diagnostic tool.

Reading the status of the reader: CONNECTED, CARD, ECM time

In the web interface, look at the Status column for each reader. CONNECTED means the connection is established. Next to it, the number of cards will be shown (for example, "2 cards"). If 0 — the server is connected but does not provide cards.

Normal ECM time is up to 300–600 ms. If you see a stable 1000+ ms — there is a problem with hops or ping to the server. Above 1500 ms — the channel will periodically "flicker," the decoder does not receive the key in time.

Diagnosis of typical cccam connection errors

This is where most articles end. We will go further.

Reader does not transition to CONNECTED

Checklist in order:

• Check port availability:nc -zv myserver.example.com 12000 ortelnet myserver.example.com 12000. If timeout — firewall or server is not listening on this port.
• Ensure that the port indevice= matches the port in the C-line.
• Checkcccversion — it should match what the server expects.
• If behind NAT — ensure that outgoing TCP traffic to the required port is not blocked.

Enable debug directly in the web interface (section Files → Log) or run OScam with the flag-d 255. The log will have a line likelogin failed orconnection refused — this is already a specific clue.

CONNECTED, but no cards (0 cards)

The most common scenario in the topiccccam in oscam. There is a connection, authorization has passed, but0 cards.

• The server does not provide cards for your account — for example, the account is blocked or the package is not activated.
• cccmaxhops is too low — there are cards, but they come with a greater number of hops than you allow to accept.
• Incorrect group — reader in group 1, and user dvbapi in group 2.
• On the server sidereshare=0 — the server fundamentally does not provide cards as share.

Check the log: if afterlogin ok there are no linesgot card orcard added — the server simply does not send cards.

There are cards, but channels do not open (ECM errors)

Cards are displayed in the web interface, but channels are not decoded. Here are three options:

First — incorrect CAID or provid inoscam.dvbapi. The channel is encrypted with one CAID, but another is specified in dvbapi. Check the log for linesno matching reader — there will be the actual CAID that the daemon requests.

Second —group of the reader does not match withgroup inoscam.user for the dvbapi user.

Third —nodeid your OScam is blocked on the server. Rarely, but it happens. In this case, try to changenodeid in the config.

Analyzing oscam.log and debug levels

OScam writes logs to a file, the path of which is specified inoscam.conf:

[global]

With debug enabled (-d 255 at startup or through the web interface) the log becomes very detailed. Look for:

• login failed — incorrect user/pass or cccversion
• no matching reader for + CAID — no suitable reader for this CAID
• can't resolve hostname — DNS cannot be resolved, checkdevice=
• ECM error — the card is present, but the key is not returned, possibly a reshare restriction

For everyday use, level-d 4 is sufficient. Level 255 is only for active debugging; otherwise, the log gets cluttered.

How to choose a source for C-line: criteria without reference to names

An important point: the use of card sharing is legal only in relation to your own subscription. If you are legally subscribed to a package of channels and share it within one household — that’s one story. Using someone else's cards is another, and this is already a legally gray or outright illegal area in many countries.

We are only talking about the technical criteria for choosing a reliable source for your needs.

Stability of uptime and ping to the server

ECM time directly depends on the ping to the server. If the server is physically on the other side of the world — waiting 800 ms for ECM is normal. If in the same country — 80–150 ms is realistic.

A good source maintains uptime of 99% and above. Frequent reconnects (several times an hour) are a sign of an overloaded or unstable server. Look at the Reconnects counter in the OScam web interface.

Number of local cards versus reshare

A local card is a card physically inserted into the server's card reader. Its ECM time is minimal: only network delay + CAM response time. A reshare card is a card from another server, and its time adds another "hop."

The more local cards the server has and the fewer reshare cards — the better. All else being equal, a source with 5 local cards is better than a source with 50 reshare cards.

Adequate uptime, hops, and ECM time

Look atcccmaxhops in the server's response. If the server provides cards with hop=3 and above — this is a reshare pyramid, and ECM time will be unstable. Optimal is hop=1 (local) or hop=2 (one reshare).

Setcccmaxhops = 2 or even= 1 in your reader — OScam simply ignores cards with a large number of hops. This cleans the card table from "noisy" reshared cards and speeds up real ECM requests.

If you have several C-lines with the same CAID, OScam will automatically choose the reader that responded faster. But for this to work correctly, they all must be in the same group.