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Headless and Wireless from the Get-Go


 
Edited

HEADLESS AND WIRELESS FROM THE GET-GO


Hey all;
?
I decided to install BAP 3.0.2 this past weekend on a well-tested Pi4b-4gB *without*
needing to plug-in a monitor, keyboard, or mouse OR even a network (ethernet) cable.

Here are the steps;


1 - FLASH AN SD-CARD WITH LATEST RASPIOS/RASPBIAN:

There is an interminable number of instructions on how to do this on the internet. I
used rpi-imager, and the default selection(s) on my Manjaro-Linux-aarch64-RPi4b
-8gB
desktop. The sd-card was plugged into a sd-card-2-usb device. It showed up as
/dev/sda .


2 - ENABLE SSH LOGINS:

Add an empty file to the "first" (/boot) partition that is named ssh. This item is covered
in Jason's video;




3 - ENABLE FIRST LOGIN TO BE ¡°WIRELESS¡±:

Add a simple text file called wpa_supplicant.conf to the /boot partition. Enter the
following text into the file. (** Be sure to substitute your network name and password
between the quotes AND leave the quotes marks and the lack of any indents, blank-lines.) :

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
country=US
network={
ssid="Your-network-name/SSID"
psk="Your-network-password"
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}



4 - FIRST BOOT-UP:


Put the sd-card into your wireless RPi, apply power, and watch the blinking green led
while your new operating system boots up.

Use ssh on your regular "desktop" machine (which you probably used to create your
NEW RPi¡¯s sd-card) to log into your RPi-headless-&-wireless machine. Something like
this from a command line should "do-it":

ssh pi@your-rpi-ip-address

NOTE: You will need to replace your-rpi-ip-address with the ip number your local
network router assigned to your new RPi AND, when prompted, the default password
is raspberry.


5 - ENABLE VNC:

RUN the following command:

sudo raspi-config

You will **need** to make changes TWO changes to the default setup. You
must enable the VNC server AND set the screen resolution to something other than
the default, I find setting it to 1024x768 to be a good selection to start with.

NOTE: The arrow, tab, and enter keys are used to navigate and select items and settings
in raspi-config. You will find the VNC server enable under item number 5 and the screen
resolution under item number 7.):

(OPTIONAL STEP: You can also use raspi-config to enlarge the /root partition. This will
also be located under item number 7.)

Reboot the system using this command:

sudo reboot

LOGIN
again using ssh. Then execute the following;

sudo su
cd /root/.vnc/config.d
cp -a vncserver-x11 vncserver-x11.org
nano vncserver-x11

NEXT
add the following to the file, saving the result and exiting nano using ctrl+x
followed by a y and finally the enter keys:

Encryption=PreferOff
Authentication=VncAuth
Password=e0fd0472492935da
IdleTimeout=0

THEN reboot the system using this command:

sudo reboot



6 - USING THE ¡°HEADLESS AND WIRELESS¡± RPI:

LOGIN
by starting up using your desktop's vnc client (in my case tigervnc). The login
is the RPi¡¯s network ip-address and the password is foobar .

I am sure everything went well, so you will be greeted with a window containing a
¡°virtual-screen¡±. One or more ¡°pop-ups¡± will (almost immediately) appear AND will offer
you the option to update and eventually reboot your system, which you SHOULD do !

NEXT, after you login again, you should spend some time and play around. Among
other things you should learn how to open a terminal window.? Mouse (left) click the
icon to the **right** of the Raspberry Pi icon. These icons are located in the top left
corner. The one for the terminal looks a bit like a terminal window would. Hi Hi.


7 ¨C INSTALL AND USE BUILD-A-PI:

WHEN you are ready you can install Build-A-Pi (BAP) using this command from inside
of the terminal ¡°window¡± (which you learned how to use in the step immediately above):




**** I want to thank Jason - KM4ACK,? Mitch - N7USU, and Jerry - N5RKE for their
feedback on an earlier version of these instructions. I would NOT have made any
improvements without their input.



NOTES:

- After Build-A-Pi (BAP) is installed, you can run it from the Applications Menu. This
menu **is** the Raspberry-Pi icon in the top left corner.

- You can change the default user¡¯s (pi) password using raspi-config .

- You can change the default vnc password by left clicking the VNC icon. (It¡¯s along the
top in the ¡°panel¡±.)



es VY 73 om de ¡°baab¡± w9ya


 

The groups.io formatting of text is "killing me" ....anyways, it displays one thing and emails another...SO, please go to the groups.io website to read these instructions, so you are NOT adding extra spaces, lines, etc.

Double sigh.....

es vy 73 om de "baab" w9ya


 

I always do a headless start.? I copy image to SD card. Put two files in the root of the SD card as follows:
1.? ssh? ? ? ? ?This is just an empty file
2.? wpa_supplicant.conf? ? This file contains my network info as follows
country=US
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
network={
? ? sid="xxxx"
? ? psk="xxx"
}

I then boot the PI with the SD card.? SSH into pi and run sudo raspi-config to turn on VNC, set up resolution, etc.Then reboot the pi and use VNC from there to run BAP./

I do no further additional VNC configuration.??

Joe AF1E


 

Great feedback. Mny tnxs om.

I use tigervnc on my Majaro desktop and the RPi image uses realvnc.?

Different VNC programs may not successfully negotiate the handshaking for encryption/authentication and/or screen resolution if left in a default configuration. (In my case they simply will not connect without changes.)

There seems to be a "common" configuration that can be used with all vnc clients and servers and that's why I included it.

i.e. Some situations will not require the these changes, but some will.

es vy 73 om de "baab" w9ya?


On Friday, August 7, 2020, Joe Spears <jgspears@...> wrote:
I always do a headless start.? I copy image to SD card. Put two files in the root of the SD card as follows:
1.? ssh? ? ? ? ?This is just an empty file
2.? wpa_supplicant.conf? ? This file contains my network info as follows
country=US
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
network={
? ? sid="xxxx"
? ? psk="xxx"
}

I then boot the PI with the SD card.? SSH into pi and run sudo raspi-config to turn on VNC, set up resolution, etc.Then reboot the pi and use VNC from there to run BAP./

I do no further additional VNC configuration.??

Joe AF1E


 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Bob,

?

Sorry about asking again.

?

This is the part I am unsure about.

?

LOGIN?again using?ssh. Then execute the following;

sudo su
cd /root/.vnc/config.d
cp -a vncserver-x11 vncserver-x11.org
nano vncserver-x11

NEXT
?add the following to the file, saving the result and exiting nano using?ctrl+x
followed by a?y?and finally the?enter?keys:

Encryption=PreferOff
Authentication=VncAuth
Password=e0fd0472492935da
IdleTimeout=0

THEN
?reboot the system using this command:

?

This highlighted password, where does it stand for? Is this a password one chooses? Is it a default password? Or the password for de wi-fi network at home?

I will play with it and see what happens. Reformatting the sd card and then starting again is not a big deal, if one has made an error or worse do not get anything on the screen. I have done that already many times.

?

Your advice please.

?

Kind regards,

Vy 73¡¯s

?

Eb W. ZL4RM/PA0JAG

?

From: <[email protected]> on behalf of Bob Finch <w9ya@...>
Reply to: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Date: Saturday, 8 August 2020 at 01:55
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [KM4ACK-Pi] Headless and Wireless from the Get-Go

?

Great feedback. Mny tnxs om.

?

I use tigervnc on my Majaro desktop and the RPi image uses realvnc.?

?

Different VNC programs may not successfully negotiate the handshaking for encryption/authentication and/or screen resolution if left in a default configuration. (In my case they simply will not connect without changes.)

?

There seems to be a "common" configuration that can be used with all vnc clients and servers and that's why I included it.

?

i.e. Some situations will not require the these changes, but some will.

?

es vy 73 om de "baab" w9ya?

On Friday, August 7, 2020, Joe Spears <jgspears@...> wrote:

I always do a headless start.? I copy image to SD card. Put two files in the root of the SD card as follows:
1.? ssh? ? ? ? ?This is just an empty file
2.? wpa_supplicant.conf? ? This file contains my network info as follows

country=US

ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev

update_config=1

network={

? ? sid="xxxx"

? ? psk="xxx"

}


I then boot the PI with the SD card.? SSH into pi and run sudo raspi-config to turn on VNC, set up resolution, etc.Then reboot the pi and use VNC from there to run BAP./

I do no further additional VNC configuration.??

Joe AF1E


 

It is the word: foobar
... and it is ONLY for the vnc login.

(You can change this, and the instructions are in the Notes: at the end of the instructions.)

Thanks for the feedback and VY 73 om de "baab" w9ya