Ubuntu Server or Desktop Zoneminder 1.34.x

Security Note: Prior version of my install procedure and install script contained a "Fix Permissions: chown -R www-data:www-data /usr/share/zoneminder/" step. It has been brought to my attention that this could allow the www-data user to write inthis area which is not a good thing. To correct this on your system run: chown -R root:root /usr/share/zoneminder/

Note: the same install procedure applies for server or desktop. Ubuntu 19.04 is not included as support for this release ends January 2020.

A word of caution for upgraders. As of 22JAN20 the PPA/zoneminder-master, the development area, has versions of Zoneminder 1.34. If you were using the 1.33.x development version of Zoneminder and you apt update - apt upgrade without changing to PPA/zoneminder-1.34 you will get the next development version. Just be aware that it is possible some things may not work!

Also, these procedures are for a new Zoneminder install. Upgraders are encouraged to check the Zoneminder-1.34 Forum area for information.

Install Zoneminder 1.34.x on Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04 with shell script

This will install Zoneminder 1.34.x by using a shell script with one basic command (how easy is that!).

You will need a Ubuntu 20.40 or 18.04 install with LAMP (Apache, Mariadb and PHP) installed desktop or server.

As an alternate you may use MySQL in lieu of Mariadb but I find Mariadb easier to work with.

Google is your friend if you need instructions for setting up a LAMP server. However, a simple LAMP can be installed with these commands:

apt install apache2 php mariadb-server php-mysql libapache2-mod-php

Secure Mariadb, create root password et. al.

mysql_secure_installation

Note: As of 31MAR20 the iconnor PPA contains the install files for Focal Develpoment version, Ubuntu 20.04. I have tested this script on a server live install of Focal. Should work for you and I will keep up to date as Focal nears the release date.

Shell script file contents:

#!/bin/sh
clear
read -p "This script installs Zoneminder 1.34.x on Ubuntu 20.04 or 18.04 with LAMP (MySQL or Mariadb) installed...
Press Enter to continue or Ctrl + c to quit" nothing
clear
read -p "You must be logged in as root using sudo su If you are installing on MySQL 8 perform the additional steps before continuing!
Press Enter to continue or Ctrl + c to quit" nothing
clear
read -p "Next we will add the PPA repository, install and configure the system to run Zoneminder. 
Press enter to continue" nothing
apt install -y software-properties-common
clear
add-apt-repository ppa:iconnor/zoneminder-1.34
apt update
clear
apt install -y zoneminder
systemctl enable zoneminder
service zoneminder start
adduser www-data video
a2enconf zoneminder
a2enmod rewrite
a2enmod headers
a2enmod expires
service apache2 reload
clear
read -p "Install complete. Open Zoneminder/Options and set the timezine. Press enter to continue" nothing
clear

Copy the contents of the script, open a terminal and run:

nano zm-install

Paste the contents of the script into Nano

Then:

Ctrl + o Ctrl + x

Next run:

chmod 755 zm-install

Start the script by entering:

./zm-install

Follow the prompts. Things are pretty simple. The timezone is now set in Zoneminder/Options.

Good Luck!

MySQL 8 - Additional Steps - Ubuntu 19.10 - Retained for reference

19MAY20 it has been verified with Ubuntu 20.04 with MySQL 8 and PHP 7.4 that the addition of "default_authentication_plugin = mysql_native_password" is not required. This was tested on a system that did not have the "VALIDATE PASSWORD COMPONENT" activated. This will be retained just-in-case someone still wants to install Zoneminder on Ubuntu 19.10

MySQL 8 has added security measures that will have to be modified to run Zoneminder.

This procedure should be done before installing Zoneminder. However, I have done it before and after running the install. If done before installing Zoneminder you will see errors reported after the zm database is created. That's OK as the error is the install package not creating the "zmuser" which what this procedure does. If you run this procedure after the install you will see the same error and additional error when the script tries to start Zoneminder. Just run this procedure and when done run "systemctl start zoneminder"

Secure MySQL if you haven't already done it. Do not activate VALIDATE PASSWORD COMPONENT.

mysql_secure_installation

Edit MySQL configuration to use native password

nano /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf

Below [mysqld] add

default_authentication_plugin = mysql_native_password

CTRL + o to save CTRL +x to exit

Restart MySQL

systemctl restart mysql

Note: The Zoneminder package will not complete successfully and will show errors. This will be corrected in the next step.

Create user and set permissions (press Enter after each entry)

mysql (Enter MySQL processing)

mysql> CREATE USER 'zmuser'@localhost IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'zmpass';

mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON zm.* TO 'zmuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;

mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES ;

mysql> \q

Reload MySQL

mysqladmin -uroot -p reload

You may now install Zoneminder

Install Zoneminder 1.34.x on Ubuntu 18.04 LEMP (NGNIX, Mariadb, PHP)

Thanks to "terdinglage" for the input to get this to work!

While not tested this procedure should work on Ubuntu 19.10 using PHP 7.3 and Ubuntu 20.04 using PHP 7.4.

Start with a basic Ubuntu 18.04 install. You can use a server or desktop install. Do not install LAMP!

Become root

sudo su

Install Ngnix, Mariadb and PHP components

apt install nginx mariadb-server php-fpm php-mysql fcgiwrap

Secure the Mariadb server

mysql_secure_installation

Restart Mariadb

systemctl restart mysql

Edit the php.ini file (Change the PHP version for Ubuntu 20.04!

nano /etc/php/7.2/fpm/php.ini

Locate (Ctrl+w) cgi.fix_pathinfo=1 and change to

cgi.fix_pathinfo=0

Remember to remove the leading ;

Ctrl+o Enter to save

CTRL+x to exit

Restart php-fpm

systemctl restart php7.2-fpm

Add Repository

NOTE:You may need to run: "apt install software-properties-common" if you did the minimal net install of Ubuntu.

add-apt-repository ppa:iconnor/zoneminder-1.34

Install Zoneminder

apt install zoneminder

Create a new user if you plan to use local (USB or capture card) cameras.

adduser www-data video

Change the ZM_PATH_ZMS in the 01-system-paths.conf file to /cgi-bin/nph-zms by dropping the /zm/

nano /etc/zm/conf.d/01-system-paths.conf

Ctrl+o Enter to save

CTRL+x to exit

Enable and start Zoneminder

systemctl enable zoneminder

service zoneminder start

Edit the Ngnix default configuration.

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Locate the line "index index.html index.htm index.nginx-debian.html;" and add index.php

index index.php index.html index.htm index.nginx-debian.html;

In the "server" section after listen [::] :80 default_Server; add

include /etc/nginx/zoneminder.conf;

Ctrl+o Enter to save

CTRL+x to exit

Create a Zoneminder conf file

nano /etc/nginx/zoneminder.conf

Enter the following into the zoneminder.conf file (This file was improved by databoy2k) Change "php7.2-fpm.sock" to "php7.4-fpm.sock" for Ubuntu 20.04.

location /cgi-bin {
auth_basic off;
        alias /usr/lib/zoneminder/cgi-bin;     
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $request_filename;
        fastcgi_param HTTP_PROXY "";
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/fcgiwrap.socket;
}
location /zm/cache {
auth_basic off;
        alias /var/cache/zoneminder/cache;
}
location ~ /zm/api/(css|img|ico) {
auth_basic off;
        rewrite ^/zm/api(.+)$ /api/app/webroot/$1 break;
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}
location /zm {
auth_basic off;
        alias /usr/share/zoneminder/www;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args =404;    
        location /zm/api {
auth_basic off;
                rewrite ^/zm/api(.+)$ /zm/api/app/webroot/index.php?p=$1 last;
         }
                location ~ \.php$ {
                auth_basic off;
                        include fastcgi_params;
                        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $request_filename;
                        fastcgi_param HTTP_PROXY "";
                fastcgi_index index.php;
                        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.2-fpm.sock;
        }
    }

Ctrl+o Enter to save

CTRL+x to exit

Restart Ngnix

service nginx restart

Note: If Nginx gives you an error on restart go back one step and re-enter include /etc/ngnix/zoneminder.conf;

Create or edit the fcgiwrap:

nano /etc/default/fcgiwrap

and insert (with the number of children -c equal to the number of cameras) Note that you may need to have this value larger than the number if cameras. In my case I run "camera walls" from a custom web page that accesses the Zoneminder monitors. I have needed to increase the -c to include the number of cameras in the camera wall web pages.

DAEMON_OPTS=-c 10

Ctrl+o Enter to save

CTRL+x to exit

then restart the fcgiwrap service.

systemctl restart fcgiwrap

Open Zoneminder and under Options set your timezone.

Install Zoneminder 1.34.x on Ubuntu 16.04 with shell script

This will install Zoneminder by using a shell script with one basic command (how easy is that!).

You will need a Ubuntu 16.04 install with LAMP (Apache, MySQL and PHP) installed desktop or server. As an alternate you may use Mariadb in lieu of MySQL

Shell script file contents:

#!/bin/sh
clear
read -p "This script installs Zoneminder 1.34.x on Ubuntu 16.04 with LAMP (MySQL or Mariadb) installed...
Press Enter to continue or Ctrl + c to quit" nothing
clear
read -p "You must be logged in as root using sudo su ...
Press Enter to continue or Ctrl + c to quit" nothing
clear
read -p "Next we will add two PPA repositorys, install and configure the system to run Zoneminder. You will have to press enter twice to load two PPA repositories.
Press enter to continue" nothing
apt install -y software-properties-common
clear
add-apt-repository ppa:iconnor/zoneminder-1.34
apt update
clear
apt install -y zoneminder
systemctl enable zoneminder
service zoneminder start
adduser www-data video
a2enconf zoneminder
a2enmod rewrite
service apache2 reload
clear
read -p "Install complete. Open Zoneminder/Options and set timezone. Press enter to continue" nothing
clear

Copy the contents of the script, open a terminal and run:

nano zm-install

Paste the contents of the script into Nano

Then:

Ctrl + o Ctrl + x

Next run:

chmod 755 zm-install

Start the script by entering:

./zm-install

Follow the prompts. Things are pretty simple. Remember to open Zoneminder and set the timezone under options.

Good Luck!

Zoneminder 1.34.x on Ubuntu Server 14.04

Note: While this install seems to work, 14.04 is old and you will have a better system with 18.04.

Install Basic Server (if you used the mini.iso), OpenSSH Server, and LAMP Server

Log in then become root:

sudo su

Add the following two Repositories (if you get an error run: apt-get install software-properties-common)

add-apt-repository ppa:iconnor/zoneminder
add-apt-repository ppa:iconnor/zoneminder-1.34

Update Sources

apt-get update

Install Zoneminder

apt-get install zoneminder

Add delay to allow MySQL to start before Zoneminder

nano /etc/init.d/zoneminder

Add sleep 15 after the existing "start() {" as shown:

start() {
     sleep 15
     echo -n "Starting $prog: "

Ctrl+o Enter to save

CTRL+x to exit

Create a new user

adduser www-data video

Enable CGI, Zoneminder and rewrite configuration in Apache.

a2enmod cgi

a2enconf zoneminder

a2enmod rewrite

Start Zoneminder if needed (If you get an error Zoneminder is likely running already)

service zoneminder start

Restart Apache

service apache2 reload

Open Zoneminder and set timezone under Options