CCcam Server Configuration Tutorial: Step-by-Step Guide

Getting CCcam configured correctly is harder than it looks. The software starts without error, log files look quiet, and then — nothing works. Channels don't decrypt, clients can't connect, or everything runs for 20 minutes before crashing. This guide covers the complete setup from the ccccam.cfg file structure to client-side verification, including the failure modes most tutorials never mention.

What Is CCcam and How Does the Server-Client Model Work

CCcam Protocol Overview

CCcam is a card-sharing protocol and softcam application. It communicates with a physical smart card reader to obtain control words (CW) — the decryption keys that satellite receivers need to decode scrambled TV channels. The protocol handles ECM (Entitlement Control Message) requests between the receiver and the card, passing decrypted responses back in near real-time.

The protocol was widely adopted because it integrated cleanly with Enigma2-based satellite receivers and could run as a background service on Linux. A working CCcam instance needs two things: a valid smart card with an active subscription, and a card reader the software can talk to.

Server vs. Client Roles Explained

Understanding which role you're in determines your entire configuration approach.

Server mode: You have a physical smart card and a card reader. CCcam reads the card directly, handles ECM requests locally, and can share responses with authorized client accounts you define. Your ccccam.cfg will have B-lines or R-lines pointing to your card reader hardware, and F-lines defining who can connect to you.

Client mode: You have no local card. You connect to someone else's CCcam server using a C-line they provide. Your receiver sends ECM requests up to their server, and their card processes them. You authenticate with a username and password. In this mode, your config has C-lines but no B-lines or local card configuration.

Many setups combine both — acting as a client to an upstream server while simultaneously serving local clients. This is called cascading, and hop counts control how far a card's sharing can travel.

Supported Hardware and OS Platforms

CCcam runs on several platforms, each with slightly different setup requirements:

• Enigma2 satellite receivers (DreamBox, Vu+, Zgemma, Gigablue) — the most common deployment. CCcam installs as an ipk or deb package.
• Linux VPS or dedicated server — typically Ubuntu or Debian x86/x64. Requires a USB smart card reader if running in server mode. Good for central server deployments.
• Raspberry Pi — works well with a USB reader. Requires setting up udev rules to give CCcam permission to access /dev/ttyUSB0 or similar device paths. Without the correct udev rule, the service starts but silently fails to open the reader.
• Windows — not natively supported. Requires a Linux virtual machine or WSL. Not recommended for production.

Legal Considerations for Personal Use

CCcam software itself is a tool. Using it to allow your own receiver to access a smart card you own and have a valid subscription for is a technical configuration exercise. What creates legal and terms-of-service problems is sharing a single subscription card's access across multiple unrelated users or receiving card-sharing access for a subscription you haven't paid for.

This guide covers configuration mechanics. Nothing here is intended to facilitate unauthorized distribution of subscription access. Verify the terms of your subscription provider before sharing card access in any form, even within a household.

CCcam Server Configuration: The ccccam.cfg File Explained

Locating the Configuration File Path

On Enigma2 receivers, the file lives at /etc/CCcam.cfg. On a Linux VPS running CCcam as a service, it's typically /usr/local/etc/CCcam.cfg or wherever your startup script points with the -c flag. Check your init script or systemd unit file if you're unsure.

One critical edge case: if you edited the config file on a Windows machine and transferred it via FTP, it almost certainly has Windows-style CRLF line endings. CCcam's Linux parser chokes on these silently — lines are read incorrectly and directives are ignored. Always run dos2unix /etc/CCcam.cfg after any Windows-side editing before restarting CCcam.

Essential Directives: C-Line, F-Line, N-Line, R-Line

Here's an annotated example showing the core directive types:

# Connect to upstream server (C-line)
# Format: C: hostname port username password
C: upstream.example.com 12000 myclientuser mypassword
# Define a local user who can connect to THIS server (F-line)
# Format: F: username password reshare maxhops [IDENT:SID ...]
F: localclient1 secretpass 1 1
# Newcamd client connection (N-line)
# Format: N: hostname port username password DES-key
N: newcamd.example.com 15050 nuser npassword 0102030405060708091011121314
# Local card reader (B-line for built-in, R-line for phoenix/smartreader)
B: /dev/sci0
# Phoenix/serial USB reader
R: /dev/ttyUSB0 smartreader

A malformed F-line is one of the most common silent failure modes. If the format is wrong — extra space, missing field, tab instead of space — CCcam reads it without error but the user account simply doesn't exist. Clients get authentication failures and there's nothing in the log to explain why. Always double-check F-line formatting character by character.

Setting Up Listening Port and Hostname

Set the port CCcam listens on with:

SERVERPORT 12000

The default is 12000. If your ISP blocks this port (some do, particularly on residential connections), switch to something like 8080 or even 443. Any change here requires updating every client C-line pointing to this server AND opening the new port in your firewall. Don't leave this at default on a public VPS without IP-based access control — port 12000 is scanned constantly.

Defining User Accounts (F-Lines) with Hops and Resharing

The F-line reshare value controls what a connected client can do with the cards they receive:

• Reshare 0 — client cannot reshare. They can decrypt channels for themselves only. Use this for end-user clients.
• Reshare 1 — client can reshare to one additional level. Use for trusted sub-server operators.
• Reshare 2+ — client reshares further down the chain. Increases latency. Avoid unless you specifically need multi-tier cascading.

# End user — no resharing, max 1 hop
F: viewer1 pass123 0 1
# Sub-server operator — can reshare one level
F: subserver1 pass456 1 2

Adding Local Smart Cards (B-Lines and R-Lines)

B-lines reference built-in card readers on Enigma2 hardware. R-lines handle external readers. For a Raspberry Pi with a USB smart card reader:

R: /dev/ttyUSB0 smartreader

The device path must be readable by the user running CCcam. On a Pi, add a udev rule to grant access:

# /etc/udev/rules.d/99-smartcard.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0403", MODE="0666", GROUP="users"

Replace the idVendor value with the actual vendor ID from lsusb. Reload with udevadm control --reload-rules. Without this step, CCcam starts cleanly but the card reader is never opened — you'll see no card in the CCcam Info panel.

Important: CCcam cannot interface with a Conditional Access Module (CAM) inserted in your receiver's CI slot. It requires a direct smart card reader connection. If you're using a CAM, CCcam is not the right tool for local card access.

Cascading and Hop Count: What Values to Use

MAXHOPS limits how many network hops an ECM request can travel. For a simple home setup — one server, two or three local receivers — set:

MAXHOPS 1

Each additional hop adds latency. At 3+ hops, you'll notice slow channel switching — sometimes 3–5 seconds per channel change instead of under 1 second. Only increase MAXHOPS when deliberately running a multi-tier network where sub-servers need to cascade further.

Saving and Applying Configuration Changes

CCcam does not hot-reload its configuration. After editing ccccam.cfg, you must fully restart the service:

systemctl restart cccam
# or on Enigma2:
/etc/init.d/softcam restart

Always back up the working config before making changes. A single syntax error can bring the whole service down.

Client-Side Setup: Connecting to Your CCcam Server

Configuring the C-Line on an Enigma2 Receiver

On an Enigma2 receiver acting purely as a client, your CCcam.cfg needs only the C-line pointing to your server:

C: 192.168.1.100 12000 viewer1 pass123

Use the server's LAN IP address where possible rather than a hostname. DNS resolution adds a failure point — if DNS is slow or temporarily unavailable, the C-line drops and channels stop decrypting intermittently. This is a common cause of "works fine then drops for 30 seconds" complaints. Static IP or a reliable local DNS entry is preferable.

Setting Up CCcam on OpenPLi, OpenATV, and DreamOS Images

The process is consistent across popular Enigma2 images but the package manager differs slightly:

• OpenPLi / OpenATV: Install CCcam via the Software Manager or by copying the ipk to the receiver and running opkg install CCcam*.ipk. The config file goes to /etc/CCcam.cfg.
• DreamOS (DreamBox native): Use the DreamBox App Market or sideload the deb package with apt install.

After installation, the config file is usually empty or contains comments only. Add your C-line and restart the softcam.

Using CCcam with a Softcam Manager Plugin

Most Enigma2 images include a Softcam Manager accessible from the main menu. This lets you start/stop/switch softcams without SSH access. CCcam should appear in the list after installation. Select it and start — the manager handles the init script. If CCcam doesn't appear, the package didn't install correctly or the binary isn't executable.

Testing the Connection with CCcam Info Panel

The CCcam Info plugin (available as a separate package called enigma2-plugin-extensions-cccaminfo) shows real-time server status. After installing and opening it:

• Connected cards from your C-line should appear under "Connected Servers"
• Active ECM requests show channel decryption is working
• The "Shares" section shows which cards your server can see

No connected servers listed means the C-line is wrong or the server is unreachable. Cards listed but no ECM activity means the card doesn't cover the channels you're watching. This distinction matters for troubleshooting.

Interpreting Connection Status Colors and Codes

In the CCcam Info panel, status indicators mean:

• Green: Connected and actively sharing — ECM responses are working
• Yellow: Connected but idle — server is reachable but no active decryption requests
• Red: Connection failed or lost — check C-line credentials, server reachability, and firewall

Yellow is normal when not watching a scrambled channel. Red that doesn't recover after a service restart points to a network or authentication problem, not a config file issue on the client.

Troubleshooting Common CCcam Server Errors

Server Not Starting: Permission and Path Errors

If CCcam exits immediately after starting, check two things first. One: the binary must be executable — chmod +x /usr/local/bin/CCcam. Two: the config file path in your startup command must match where the file actually exists. CCcam with a missing config doesn't warn you clearly; it just exits.

Run CCcam manually in the foreground to see raw output: /usr/local/bin/CCcam -c /etc/CCcam.cfg. Any startup errors print directly to the terminal.

Clients Can Connect But Channels Not Decrypting

This is the failure mode most tutorials skip entirely. The client authenticates, CCcam Info shows green, but channels stay black or show a decryption error. Possible causes:

• The card on the server doesn't have the subscription package for the channel being requested
• The hop count on the F-line is set to 0, meaning the card isn't shared at all
• The card reader connection is broken — CCcam shows the card was present at startup but has since disconnected
• SHARE LIMIT is set too low in the config, throttling ECM responses

Check /tmp/cccam.log for lines containing "can't decode" or "no provider" against the channel's CAID/provider ID. A working decode shows an ECM response time in milliseconds. No ECM response at all means the card never processed the request.

ECM Timeout and High Zapping Time Fixes

Channel switching taking 3+ seconds usually means one of: too many hops increasing round-trip time, network congestion between client and server, or the card is slow to respond (common with some conditional access systems). Start by reducing MAXHOPS to 1 and testing locally before blaming the card.

Too Many Connections / Max Users Reached

If clients are being rejected with a connection limit error, check your F-line — you can specify max connections per user:

# Format: F: user pass reshare hops maxcon
F: viewer1 pass123 0 1 1

The last parameter limits that user to 1 simultaneous connection. Remove it or increase it if legitimate connections are being blocked.

CCcam Crashing After a Few Hours

Older CCcam versions (2.1.x and below) have a well-documented memory leak. The process grows over hours until the system OOM-killer terminates it. Two fixes: upgrade to CCcam 2.3.x which has better memory management, and set up a systemd service with Restart=always so it recovers automatically. The crash itself may be unavoidable on very old versions, but the service should recover within seconds.

Port Blocked by Firewall: UFW and iptables Rules

On a VPS running UFW:

ufw allow 12000/tcp
ufw reload

With iptables directly:

iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 12000 -j ACCEPT
# Save rules:
iptables-save > /etc/iptables/rules.v4

If you're on shared hosting where the provider manages the firewall, you cannot open ports yourself — contact their support. If your ISP blocks port 12000 on residential connections, change SERVERPORT to 8080 or 443 and update all client C-lines accordingly. Users behind CGNAT (carrier-grade NAT) face a harder problem: standard port forwarding to their router doesn't work because they don't have a dedicated public IP. The solution is a VPN tunnel or a reverse proxy on a VPS — the VPS has the public port, tunnels traffic to the home CCcam server.

Config File Syntax Errors: How to Validate

CCcam doesn't have a built-in config validator, but a quick grep catches common formatting problems:

# Check for Windows line endings
cat -A /etc/CCcam.cfg | grep '\^M'
# List all F-lines to verify format
grep '^F:' /etc/CCcam.cfg
# Check for blank lines mid-config that might break parsing
grep -n '^$' /etc/CCcam.cfg

If cat -A shows ^M at line endings, run dos2unix /etc/CCcam.cfg immediately.

Optimizing CCcam Server Performance and Security

Choosing the Right CCcam Version (2.3.x vs 2.1.x)

CCcam 2.3.x is the last stable release series and represents significant improvements over 2.1.x: better memory management, improved multi-card handling, and more reliable upstream connection recovery. There is no active development beyond 2.3.x. If you're setting up fresh, use 2.3.x. If you're running 2.1.x and experiencing crashes, upgrading is your first step — not reconfiguring.

After upgrading, remove the old binary entirely before placing the new one. Running two CCcam binaries simultaneously causes a port conflict where the second instance can't bind to port 12000 and exits silently, leaving you debugging a "broken" new version that was actually fine.

Running CCcam as a Systemd Service for Auto-Restart

Create /etc/systemd/system/cccam.service:

[Unit]
Description=CCcam Card Sharing Server
After=network.target
[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/CCcam -c /etc/CCcam.cfg
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
User=cccam
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable cccam
systemctl start cccam

The Restart=always directive means CCcam automatically recovers from crashes within 5 seconds. This is the single biggest reliability improvement you can make for a production server — competitors' tutorials rarely mention it.

Limiting User Bandwidth and Concurrent Connections

In ccccam.cfg, set per-user connection limits in the F-line (as shown in the troubleshooting section) and use SHARE LIMIT to control overall throughput. Don't set SHARE LIMIT below the number of concurrent channels your clients legitimately need — this causes ECM drops that look identical to card problems.

Blocking Unauthorized IP Ranges

CCcam supports ALLOW and DENY directives for IP-based access control:

# Only allow connections from your local network and one trusted IP
ALLOW 192.168.1.0/24
ALLOW 203.0.113.45
DENY 0.0.0.0/0

DENY after ALLOW rules creates an allowlist. Without this, anyone who obtains valid credentials can connect from anywhere. On a public VPS, IP-based restriction is essential — port 12000 is actively scanned.

Monitoring Server Load with CCcam Logfiles

CCcam writes to /tmp/cccam.log by default. On a busy server this file grows quickly. Add log rotation:

# /etc/logrotate.d/cccam
/tmp/cccam.log { daily rotate 7 compress missingok notifempty postrotate systemctl restart cccam endscript
}

Without rotation, a server running for weeks will fill /tmp and cause CCcam to fail when it can't write log entries.

Backup and Restore Configuration Best Practices

Before any change, copy the working config: cp /etc/CCcam.cfg /etc/CCcam.cfg.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d). Keep versioned backups for at least 7 days. If you're managing multiple receivers, store configs in a git repository — you'll be able to diff changes and identify exactly what broke something.

What Doesn't Work: Mistakes to Avoid in CCcam Setup

Wrong Line Format Causing Silent Failures

A malformed F-line produces no error. The user simply doesn't exist. Clients connecting with those credentials get rejected, and your log shows an authentication failure with no hint that the account was never created. Every F-line needs exactly these elements in order: F: prefix, space, username, space, password, space, reshare value, space, maxhops value. Extra spaces, tabs, or missing values all cause silent rejection.

Using CCcam on NAT Without Port Forwarding

If your CCcam server is behind a home router, clients outside your network cannot reach it unless you forward the server port from the router to the machine running CCcam. Go into your router admin panel, create a port forwarding rule: external port 12000, internal IP of your CCcam machine, internal port 12000. Clients then connect using your router's public WAN IP, not the LAN IP.

Users behind CGNAT get no public IP at all — port forwarding has nowhere to point. The workaround is running a cheap VPS as a relay. WireGuard between VPS and home server, then have clients connect to the VPS. This adds 20–40ms latency but solves the CGNAT problem completely.

Mixing CCcam and OSCam Config Files

OSCam uses completely different configuration files and directive syntax. CCcam uses CCcam.cfg with C:/F:/B: line prefixes. OSCam uses oscam.conf, oscam.server, oscam.user, each with INI-style section headers. Pasting OSCam configuration blocks into a CCcam config file, or vice versa, silently breaks both. If you're migrating from OSCam to CCcam, start with a clean config file — don't try to adapt the existing one.

Incorrect Hop Values That Break the Sharing Chain

Setting MAXHOPS to 0 means no sharing at all — local decryption only. A server with MAXHOPS 0 accepts client connections but sends them nothing. Setting it to 1 means cards shared one level deep. If you have a three-tier setup (upstream → your server → your clients → their clients) and want the full chain to work, you need MAXHOPS 3. Each tier where the hop count is too low silently truncates the sharing chain below it.

Running CCcam and OSCam Simultaneously on the Same Port

Some users try to run both softcams for protocol flexibility. On the same Enigma2 receiver with one card reader, both softcams compete for the physical card. Whichever grabs the reader first wins; the other fails silently or produces sporadic errors. On a box with a single card reader, run one softcam at a time. If you need both protocols, run CCcam on one port and OSCam on another, but ensure only one of them accesses the physical card reader directly. The other must operate as a client only.