Zoneminder in the Church

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2011 UPDATE:
Zoneminder has been running in this original configuration since the installation years ago.  Sometimes I don't check it for months and I always find it running stable. I run some SQL backups and cleanup routines every 6 months but there has never been a major server failure.   The church experienced a serious flood last year which flooded the room where the server resides.  The system did not stall or fail. We did lose two cameras in the flood. We simply replaced them.
We are still catching people that violate some of the secure areas.  The pastor warns them but never wants to prosecute.
There is a fantastic update from Bluecherry.com, but the church did not want to update the system at this time.
I am going to keep this posted for a little while longer.
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Exciting new and powerful. Zoneminder is setup in my church. It was a trying installation but I enjoyed every minute of it.
The plan was to provide a church located in a low income section of Atlanta, Georgia with a surveillance system and a budget of $3000.00.
Zoneminder was chosen because of it's cost...FREE! I also chose Ubuntu as the Linux distribution of choice because I am most familiar with Ubuntu Studio, MythUbuntu, and other Debian distributions. Besides, I like the way Ubuntu and Debian update. Not to mention a strong following.

This installation requires 16 cameras to cover the most critical areas of the church. There have been numerous breakins, thefts, and accidents. The board wanted a surveillance system that would not break the bank.
Since I am the electronics/computer hack in the media department, they came to me for a solution.






I looked at several packages from Windows XP to Hardware Proprietary systems. All had excellent features but they cost in the thousands and with Windows XP, add in licenses and hardware. The price climbed to $6000 and I did not even get to the camera support hardware yet!
I studied zoneminder for 2 months, built a test system with a 4 port Brooktree knockoff card, 2 cheap analog cameras, and a USB webcam.
Although I had major issues to overcome where I had to learn about how to configure the system, It ran flawlessly. I ran it for days to test it. I wanted to see if zoneminder was worth the effort. It was!
With help from other forum members, I got it running and it runs flawlessly (if you leave it alone).
I also went through backup and restore scenarios and found that it was easier to maintain than exspected.
I challenged an upgrade to a new version and quickly learned how to set permissions, clean up the database, restore, etc. Overall, I was impressed. There were some serious glitches that I caused by playing in files but I found that I could correct them very easily.
When I installed the church, I built a brand new machine and I used hand chosen parts to build a system that would run 24/7. I tossed out stock CPU fans, case fans, and added high volume fans to keep the air flow consistent. Even the memory chips, and the 2 - SATA hard drives have cooling fins. The system run Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon and Zoneminder 1.23.2. AWESOME System!
The cabinet is a new IKEA cabinet modified and fortified. I tossed away the cheap back panel and replaced it with 1/8 inch plywood. I drilled 3 inch holes in the base and side walls to create an airflow. I installed a 4 inch, 12 volt fan to aid the airflow. It works great.
This system is designed to be a server so I took an old Dell GX110 and put it back into service as a monitor and configuration workstation. I loaded Debian 7.1 on it and it runs like a new station with just 512Mb memory. I do not run any console commands on the Server. This preserves CPU for other important things.
The cameras are 4mm N/D indoor outdoor cammeras. I put the same cameras everywhere to save money and they also work great wherever I put them. I bought a 18 port, 12 volt power supply to power them.
The entrie system is powered by a 1500 watt APC Pro UPS.
I used Cat5e cable to connected it all with passive video baluns. If you want to save money, use the baluns, they work! TIP: Run a cable for every camera and use 1 pair for the balun (up to 1200ft) and the rest of the pairs (bound together) for 12 volt power. Watch you length of cable, if you are over 200 feet from your camera. Add a central power supply (with a small UPS) to power those remote cameras. You will suffer voltage drops and the cameras will not function properly if the voltage is too low. Save your self the headache. I know about this!