---
name: "scanbd"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "scanbd"
version: "1.5.1-7+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/scanbd"
---

# scanbd(8)

## NAME

scanbd- Scanner button monitoring daemon

## SYNOPSIS

*Polling mode:*

**scanbd** **\[-c** *configfile* **\] \[-f\]** **\[-d***\[debuglevel\]* **\]**

*Manager-mode*

The manager mode of  **scanbd** that can be triggered by the  **-m** option is not documented in this man-page but in  [**scanbm**(8)](/scanbm/8.md)

## DESCRIPTION

**scanbd** is a scanner button monitoring daemon that can trigger execution of scripts when a button on a scanner is pressed. scanbd (the scanner button daemon) opens and polls the scanner  and therefore locks the device. So no other application can access the device  directly (open the /dev/..., or via libusb, etc).

To enable scanning from applications, we use scanbm as a "proxy" for  saned to access the scanner from an application. scanbm  listens for requests on the saned network port for scanning requests. If a scan request arrives, scanbm  requests the scanbd daemon to release the scanner.  Then it starts the real saned which scans and sends the data back to the requesting application. When the scanning is done and saned exits, the  scanbm daemon tells scanbd to resume polling the scanner.

scanbd polls the scanner regularly (the interval can be set in  **scanbd.conf** ) and monitors for any scanner button to be pressed. If it detects a button press it triggers execution of the appropriate script as defined in  **scanbd.conf**

## OPTIONS

- **-c** *configfile* **--config***=configfile*

  Use  *configfile* instead of the default /etc/scanbd/scanbd.conf configuration file.

- **-d***\[debuglevel\]* **--debug***\[=debuglevel\]*

  turn debug mode on. If specified, set the debug level to  *debuglevel*\
   1 = error \
   2 = warn\
   3 = info\
   4 - 7 = debug)

- **-f --foreground**

  Run scanbd in the foreground

## SIGNALS

- **SIGUSR1**

  Stop polling and relase the scanner (used by  **scanbm** )

- **SIGUSR1**

  Resume polling (used by  **scanbm** )

- **SIGHUP**

  Rescan for available devices (useful when no automatic detection is available (HAL, UDEV) )

## MAIN SCANBD CONFIGURATION

scanbd and scanbm are configured trough scanbd.conf (/etc/scanbd/scanbd.conf). The distributed scanbd.conf contains a detailed explantion of the configuration options.

The  **-c** option can be used to override the default configuration file.

## SEE ALSO

[**scanbm**(8)](/scanbm/8.md), [**sane**(7)](/sane/7.md), [**saned**(8)](/saned/8.md), [**sane-dll**(5)](/sane-dll/5.md), [**sane-net**(5)](/sane-net/5.md) **/etc/scanbd/scanbd.conf**\
 *http://scanbd.sourceforge.net*

## AUTHOR

Louis Lagendijk