geutebruck/GEVISET_PARSER_README.md

GeViSet Configuration File Parser

A portable Python parser and generator for Geutebruck GeViSet .set configuration files.

Features

• Parse .set binary configuration files to JSON format
• Generate .set files from JSON configuration
• Cross-platform: Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS
• Pure Python: No external dependencies except Python 3.6+

Binary Format Specification

The GeViSet .set file format is a proprietary binary format with the following structure:

Type Markers

• 0x00 - Section/Container
• 0x01 - Boolean (1 byte: 0x00 or 0x01)
• 0x02 - 64-bit integer (8 bytes, little-endian)
• 0x04 - 32-bit integer (4 bytes, little-endian)
• 0x07 - Property name (1-byte length prefix)
• 0x08 - String value (2-byte length prefix)

File Structure

[Section]
  0x00                    - Section marker
  [1-byte length]         - Name length
  [name bytes]            - Section name (UTF-8)
  [4-byte int32]          - Metadata value
  [1-byte]                - Metadata flags
  [Properties/Subsections...]
  0x00 0x00 0x00...       - End marker

[Property]
  0x07                    - Property name marker
  [1-byte length]         - Name length
  [name bytes]            - Property name (UTF-8)
  [type marker]           - Value type (0x01, 0x02, 0x04, or 0x08)
  [value bytes]           - Value data

Installation

No installation required! Just copy geviset_parser.py to your system.

# Download or copy the file
cp geviset_parser.py /usr/local/bin/
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/geviset_parser.py

Usage

Command Line

Parse .set file to JSON

python3 geviset_parser.py config.set output.json

Generate .set file from JSON

python3 geviset_parser.py config.json output.set

Python API

Parse a configuration file

from geviset_parser import GeViSetParser

parser = GeViSetParser()
config = parser.parse_file("GeViSoft.set")

# Access configuration
print(config.keys())  # Top-level sections
print(config['Users']['SysAdmin']['Password'])

Modify and save configuration

from geviset_parser import GeViSetParser, GeViSetGenerator
from collections import OrderedDict

# Load existing configuration
parser = GeViSetParser()
config = parser.parse_file("GeViSoft.set")

# Modify user password (example - you'd need to hash it properly)
if 'Users' in config and 'aa' in config['Users']:
    config['Users']['aa']['Password'] = 'new_hashed_password'

# Save modified configuration
generator = GeViSetGenerator()
generator.generate_file(config, "GeViSoft_modified.set")

Create new configuration from scratch

from geviset_parser import GeViSetGenerator
from collections import OrderedDict

config = OrderedDict()
config['MySection'] = OrderedDict()
config['MySection']['_metadata'] = {'value': 0, 'flags': 0}
config['MySection']['Enabled'] = True
config['MySection']['Port'] = 8080
config['MySection']['ServerName'] = 'localhost'

generator = GeViSetGenerator()
generator.generate_file(config, "custom_config.set")

JSON Format

When exported to JSON, the configuration maintains an OrderedDict structure:

{
  "GeViSoft Parameters": {
    "_metadata": {
      "value": 20,
      "flags": 0
    },
    "Alarms": {
      "_metadata": {
        "value": 0,
        "flags": 0
      }
    },
    "Users": {
      "_metadata": {
        "value": 0,
        "flags": 0
      }
    }
  },
  "Users": {
    "_metadata": {
      "value": 6,
      "flags": 7
    },
    "SysAdmin": {
      "_metadata": {
        "value": 0,
        "flags": 7
      },
      "Checksum": "340e1f3d767e056d5e9502c56fc9d73b",
      "Configured": true,
      "Description": "System Administrator",
      "Password": "abe6db4c9f5484fae8d79f2e868a673c"
    }
  }
}

Metadata

Each section includes a _metadata dictionary with:

• value: 32-bit integer (purpose varies by section)
• flags: 8-bit flags byte

Common Tasks

Extract User Passwords

parser = GeViSetParser()
config = parser.parse_file("GeViSoft.set")

if 'Users' in config:
    for user_name, user_data in config['Users'].items():
        if user_name != '_metadata' and isinstance(user_data, dict):
            password_hash = user_data.get('Password', '')
            print(f"User: {user_name}, Password Hash: {password_hash}")

Change Server Settings

parser = GeViSetParser()
config = parser.parse_file("GeViSoft.set")

# Modify GETAS TCP settings
if 'GeViSoft Parameters' in config:
    getas = config['GeViSoft Parameters'].get('GETAS', {})
    getas['TCPEnabled'] = True
    getas['TCPPort'] = 7777
    getas['MaxTCPConnections'] = 10

# Save
generator = GeViSetGenerator()
generator.generate_file(config, "GeViSoft_modified.set")

Export Configuration for Backup

# Convert to JSON for version control
python3 geviset_parser.py GeViSoft.set backup.json

# Edit in text editor
vi backup.json

# Convert back to .set
python3 geviset_parser.py backup.json GeViSoft_restored.set

Security Considerations

Password Hashing

The GeViSet format stores password hashes, not plaintext passwords. The exact hashing algorithm used by GeViSet is proprietary. When modifying user passwords:

1. Do NOT store plaintext passwords
2. Use the same hashing algorithm as GeViSet (may require reverse engineering)
3. Consider using the official GeViSet tool for password changes

Checksums

Some sections include checksum fields (32-character hex strings that appear to be MD5 hashes). These may be used for integrity verification. When modifying configuration:

1. Preserve checksums if possible
2. Or recalculate them based on the section content (algorithm TBD)
3. Test modified configurations thoroughly before deployment

Limitations

• Checksum/hash algorithms are not yet fully reverse-engineered
• Some metadata field meanings are unknown
• Binary format may vary between GeViSet versions

Troubleshooting

Parse Errors

If you encounter parse errors:

1. Check file integrity: Ensure the .set file isn't corrupted
2. Verify format version: This parser was developed for GeViSet 7.x
3. Enable debug output: Check warnings during parsing

Generated Files Don't Work

If generated .set files don't load in GeViSet:

1. Preserve metadata: Ensure _metadata fields are maintained
2. Check checksums: Some checksums may need recalculation
3. Verify structure: Compare with original file structure

Stack Overflow / Recursion Errors

If you hit recursion limits with very deeply nested configurations:

import sys
sys.setrecursionlimit(5000)  # Increase from default 1000

Development

Running Tests

# Parse a sample file
python3 geviset_parser.py sample.set sample.json

# Generate it back
python3 geviset_parser.py sample.json sample_regenerated.set

# Compare
diff <(xxd sample.set) <(xxd sample_regenerated.set)

Contributing

To contribute improvements:

1. Document any new type markers or structures discovered
2. Add test cases for edge cases
3. Update this README with new findings

License

This parser was reverse-engineered for interoperability purposes. Use responsibly and in accordance with your GeViSet license agreement.

Related Projects

• geutebruck-api: RESTful API for GeViScope/GeViSoft surveillance systems
• See C:\DEV\COPILOT\CLAUDE.md for SDK documentation

Author

Created during analysis of Geutebruck GeViSet configuration format.

For questions or issues, refer to the main project documentation.