[Koha] Help- 3M RFID and Koha

[Dobrica Pavlinušić]

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 at 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 at gmail.com>:
>> 2010/1/26 Mark Osborne <mosborne at 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_browser.html
>>
>> 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
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