The /webcam directory (reload with shift+reload!)

The address you have reached is not the official address for the SCCS Media Lounge webcam. It's just the place where we keep the webcam data and program files on our webserver.

The webcam features snapshots taken from the two security cameras installed in the SCCS Media Lounge. About once a minute, the image is captured and converted to a 640x480 JPEG by a Perl script running on an old Silicon Graphics Indy workstation. The file is then uuencoded and uploaded over a 38,400 BPS serial link to osprey, our webserver. There, another perl script patiently listens to the serial port and refreshes the webserver copy of the image whenever it receives new data. The script, which is automaticaly kept running by init, is available here.

This method, while slow and not a little bit obsolescent-seeming, allows the insecure Indy to perform a useful task while remaining off the network and inaccessible to crackers. The init-run listener program also reflects a security-minded strategy, as it does not require a working UUCP installation or a designated webcam user account that the Indy (and potential attackers) can log into.

Please enjoy the webcam with our complements. Or, better yet, come visit the SCCS media lounge in the basement of Tarble and make an appearance yourself!