Kia ora whanau, We've got a new 3M RFID security system and self check unit being installed (which is wonderful, and a really exciting development for our library). The problem is that the 3M technician installing the system says that the RFID reader needs Windows XP middleware (called 'Pad Staff Workstation Model 895') to go between the RFID reader and the catalogue. We are an open source school and run Linux on the desktop so we don't want to have to use XP just to run our security system. This is strange given the RFID reader has a USB interface- I would have thought it would put the text string directly into the browser like our barcode reader used to do. The technician also said that we can't catalogue items directly into Koha, we need to use the 3M RFID Conversion Software. This sounds nuts to me. Does anyone have experience with 3M RFID systems and Koha? Is there a way to run Linux, Koha and 3M security whilst keeping one's sanity? -- Hei konā mai, Mark Osborne Deputy Principal, Albany Senior High School. http://wikieducator.org/Albany_Senior_High_School http://wikieducator.org/Albany_Senior_High_School/ICTs
2010/1/26 Mark Osborne <mosborne@ashs.school.nz>:
Kia ora whanau,
We've got a new 3M RFID security system and self check unit being installed (which is wonderful, and a really exciting development for our library).
I had same problem some time ago, so I decided to write driver for 3M RFID reader: http://blog.rot13.org/2008/10/3m_rfid_reader_810_can_freely_speak_now.html Later on, I even played around with Comet http://blog.rot13.org/2009/04/comet_experiment_rfid_reader_with_koha_data_in... but now-days, I'm working on third version which should use JSONP to fetch data from local reader and display data within Koha. Local web server which respond to JSONP and driver RFID reader is ready, but I haven't yet written Koha part. You can play with stand-alone RFID driver/JOSNP server using http://svn.rot13.org/index.cgi/RFID/ (3m-810.pl). I also collected various useful information about 3M's RFID implementation for libraries at http://saturn.ffzg.hr/rot13/index.cgi?hitchhikers_guide_to_rfid Hopefully, you will file something helpful in one of those links :-)
The problem is that the 3M technician installing the system says that the RFID reader needs Windows XP middleware (called 'Pad Staff Workstation Model 895') to go between the RFID reader and the catalogue. We are an open source school and run Linux on the desktop so we don't want to have to use XP just to run our security system. This is strange given the RFID reader has a USB interface- I would have thought it would put the text string directly into the browser like our barcode reader used to do.
RFID reader is USB-serial device, and not USB-hid (like keyboard) so it needs program to drive it. This somehow makes sense, because RFID tag has more information than barcode on it.
The technician also said that we can't catalogue items directly into Koha, we need to use the 3M RFID Conversion Software. This sounds nuts to me.
We have currently production deployment which uses 3M software together with Windows macro which transfers barcode (from Koha's window title, sic!) to 3M software and/or barcode from 3M software to focused form in Koha. This works, but is not something we would like to have forever, which is a reason why I started writing my own support for it.
Does anyone have experience with 3M RFID systems and Koha? Is there a way to run Linux, Koha and 3M security whilst keeping one's sanity?
We asked once 3M representative about support for developing 3rd party software for their's RFID reader and got response: "strictly not!". Fortunately, he got downsized in next 3M reorganization, so I'm not too worried about it :-) -- ...2share!2flame... http://blog.rot13.org
I have to admit I haven't worked with RFID personally at all. But is 3M the only company out there? Is there another one that is more open source friendly? By the sound of it, you've already made the final choice, but I'm just curious for my education and the education as others. Nicole 2010/1/26 Dobrica Pavlinušić <dpavlin@gmail.com>:
2010/1/26 Mark Osborne <mosborne@ashs.school.nz>:
Kia ora whanau,
We've got a new 3M RFID security system and self check unit being installed (which is wonderful, and a really exciting development for our library).
I had same problem some time ago, so I decided to write driver for 3M RFID reader:
http://blog.rot13.org/2008/10/3m_rfid_reader_810_can_freely_speak_now.html
Later on, I even played around with Comet
http://blog.rot13.org/2009/04/comet_experiment_rfid_reader_with_koha_data_in...
but now-days, I'm working on third version which should use JSONP to fetch data from local reader and display data within Koha. Local web server which respond to JSONP and driver RFID reader is ready, but I haven't yet written Koha part.
You can play with stand-alone RFID driver/JOSNP server using http://svn.rot13.org/index.cgi/RFID/ (3m-810.pl).
I also collected various useful information about 3M's RFID implementation for libraries at
http://saturn.ffzg.hr/rot13/index.cgi?hitchhikers_guide_to_rfid
Hopefully, you will file something helpful in one of those links :-)
The problem is that the 3M technician installing the system says that the RFID reader needs Windows XP middleware (called 'Pad Staff Workstation Model 895') to go between the RFID reader and the catalogue. We are an open source school and run Linux on the desktop so we don't want to have to use XP just to run our security system. This is strange given the RFID reader has a USB interface- I would have thought it would put the text string directly into the browser like our barcode reader used to do.
RFID reader is USB-serial device, and not USB-hid (like keyboard) so it needs program to drive it. This somehow makes sense, because RFID tag has more information than barcode on it.
The technician also said that we can't catalogue items directly into Koha, we need to use the 3M RFID Conversion Software. This sounds nuts to me.
We have currently production deployment which uses 3M software together with Windows macro which transfers barcode (from Koha's window title, sic!) to 3M software and/or barcode from 3M software to focused form in Koha. This works, but is not something we would like to have forever, which is a reason why I started writing my own support for it.
Does anyone have experience with 3M RFID systems and Koha? Is there a way to run Linux, Koha and 3M security whilst keeping one's sanity?
We asked once 3M representative about support for developing 3rd party software for their's RFID reader and got response: "strictly not!". Fortunately, he got downsized in next 3M reorganization, so I'm not too worried about it :-)
-- ...2share!2flame... http://blog.rot13.org _______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
I wouldn't say that 3M is only choice, but people mostly take 3M for libraries because they offer readers, and selfcheck systems (which is Window XP machine, with Java and Tomcat, two RFID readers and touchscreen... all that to produce single line SIP2 protocol :-\) It's a bit like old saying that nobody ever got fired for buying IBM equipment. 3M is something like that in library world. RFID readers don't really have any standard communication with computers (aside from newer USB ones which support CCID, but it just defines bulk usb commands as opposed to serial-over-usb). So, even if you go with OmniKey (which has binary driver available for Linux) situation is (IMHO!) not much better. It's a mess :-) On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 13:20, Nicole Engard <nengard@gmail.com> wrote:
I have to admit I haven't worked with RFID personally at all. But is 3M the only company out there? Is there another one that is more open source friendly? By the sound of it, you've already made the final choice, but I'm just curious for my education and the education as others.
Nicole
2010/1/26 Dobrica Pavlinušić <dpavlin@gmail.com>:
2010/1/26 Mark Osborne <mosborne@ashs.school.nz>:
Kia ora whanau,
We've got a new 3M RFID security system and self check unit being installed (which is wonderful, and a really exciting development for our library).
I had same problem some time ago, so I decided to write driver for 3M RFID reader:
http://blog.rot13.org/2008/10/3m_rfid_reader_810_can_freely_speak_now.html
Later on, I even played around with Comet
http://blog.rot13.org/2009/04/comet_experiment_rfid_reader_with_koha_data_in...
but now-days, I'm working on third version which should use JSONP to fetch data from local reader and display data within Koha. Local web server which respond to JSONP and driver RFID reader is ready, but I haven't yet written Koha part.
You can play with stand-alone RFID driver/JOSNP server using http://svn.rot13.org/index.cgi/RFID/ (3m-810.pl).
I also collected various useful information about 3M's RFID implementation for libraries at
http://saturn.ffzg.hr/rot13/index.cgi?hitchhikers_guide_to_rfid
Hopefully, you will file something helpful in one of those links :-)
The problem is that the 3M technician installing the system says that the RFID reader needs Windows XP middleware (called 'Pad Staff Workstation Model 895') to go between the RFID reader and the catalogue. We are an open source school and run Linux on the desktop so we don't want to have to use XP just to run our security system. This is strange given the RFID reader has a USB interface- I would have thought it would put the text string directly into the browser like our barcode reader used to do.
RFID reader is USB-serial device, and not USB-hid (like keyboard) so it needs program to drive it. This somehow makes sense, because RFID tag has more information than barcode on it.
The technician also said that we can't catalogue items directly into Koha, we need to use the 3M RFID Conversion Software. This sounds nuts to me.
We have currently production deployment which uses 3M software together with Windows macro which transfers barcode (from Koha's window title, sic!) to 3M software and/or barcode from 3M software to focused form in Koha. This works, but is not something we would like to have forever, which is a reason why I started writing my own support for it.
Does anyone have experience with 3M RFID systems and Koha? Is there a way to run Linux, Koha and 3M security whilst keeping one's sanity?
We asked once 3M representative about support for developing 3rd party software for their's RFID reader and got response: "strictly not!". Fortunately, he got downsized in next 3M reorganization, so I'm not too worried about it :-)
-- ...2share!2flame... http://blog.rot13.org _______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
_______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
-- ...2share!2flame... http://blog.rot13.org
Mark Osborne <mosborne@ashs.school.nz>
The problem is that the 3M technician installing the system says that the RFID reader needs Windows XP middleware (called 'Pad Staff Workstation Model 895') to go between the RFID reader and the catalogue. We are an open source school and run Linux on the desktop so we don't want to have to use XP just to run our security system. This is strange given the RFID reader has a USB interface- I would have thought it would put the text string directly into the browser like our barcode reader used to do.
software.coop had something similar at one site, but the desktop machines are MacOS X not Linux, sadly. We've had some problems with MacOS X eccentricities (watch http://identi.ca/mjray for occasional outbursts of frustration about them!), but I think the RFID pads work most of the time and the solution that has evolved is pretty portable. It might even run on Windows with less than a dozen lines changed! [...]
Does anyone have experience with 3M RFID systems and Koha? Is there a way to run Linux, Koha and 3M security whilst keeping one's sanity?
Our approach is a small modification to Koha (called RFIDenabled) where the Koha server contacts the librarian's browser's machine when it needs a barcode and accesses some middleware to control the pad. The middleware is pretty stable and written in perl, but it's not fast yet (1.6sec per read) because I had to slow it down a bit to reduce tag read failures (which appear random, but seem proportional to pad activity rate). I think it works with TRF7960 (definitely) and MicroRWD (probably but less tested) pads connected to serial ports or most USBs. If someone is willing to send me a USB pad and pay for the time, I think I can probably port it. After all, I'd not hacked RFID until foolishly saying I could see how to make pads work on MacOS ;-) On the Macs, the middleware is started by launchd, but I think it's started by udev on Linux. I'm happy to post the latest version up, but it is still very much a DIY kit rather than a finished product until I'm sure about the tag format. So far, the access gates are happy, but there is some lingering incompatibility with a self-issue machine that I want to iron out before really releasing this to Koha world. We're getting little cooperation from 3M-compatible RFID system suppliers, so I'm not 100% sure whether it's us or the self-issue machine that isn't following the ISO standard for RFID tags. We're new to RFID and I think the equipment suppliers are simply packaging bought-in circuitboards into slick cases and selling them, so I wouldn't like to bet on whose work is slightly wrong! Hope that informs, -- MJ Ray (slef) Webmaster and LMS developer at | software www.software.coop http://mjr.towers.org.uk | .... co IMO only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html | .... op
Pathfinder works with the world’s leading manufacturers of data capture, data collection and networking equipment companies like Zebra and Motorola and specializes in the development of custom software solutions. The software is created in a modular format to meet your exact needs, with built in scalability for future proofing. Through our extensive knowledge of bar code solutions and bar-coding projects we can collect your data and being specialists in systems integration either interface directly into your existing system, provide the data in any flat format file you require or we can develop a back office solution specifically customized to suit your needs. http://pftec.com/BarCode/barcode-rfid-solutions.aspx -- View this message in context: http://koha.1045719.n5.nabble.com/Help-3M-RFID-and-Koha-tp3063136p4364446.ht... Sent from the Koha - Discuss mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
participants (5)
-
Dobrica Pavlinušić -
Mark Osborne -
MJ Ray -
Nicole Engard -
pftecoffers