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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

AstroPi3 Scripts revised

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Astronerd,

The adding of a static IP is an optional item. It asks you when the script runs whether you want to set that up or not. Did you choose to create one? Some people might like to do that, and some might not, so I purposely made it ask you during the script.

The reason that I added that feature is because when you are in the middle of the field and there is no wifi, no router, and no internet, you can directly connect your computer to the PI with just a simple ethernet cable. Since there is no DHCP, the PI would not get an IP address unless it is self assigned. Your laptop also gets a self assigned IP address. These two addresses have to be in the same range in order to talk over the ethernet cable. For mine, they both must be 169.254.0.xxx since that is what my computer does by default. This is very important because it is my backup method of connecting to my PI if something goes wrong with wifi. I also tend to use that to connect to it at first in order to connect it to a wifi network when I bring my pi someplace. So I added this to make sure that the pi keeps that address fixed and running on ethernet for when I need to plug in my cable. In previous versions of the script, I had put it into cmdline.txt, but I found that sometimes after awhile, it would drop that connection. Also it sometimes caused the PI to delay startup because it was waiting for the network. In the new version, I put it in as a virtual network so that it shouldn't prevent ethernet from working with DHCP if you connect it to a router, but it will still keep the static IP running in the field if you need to connect to your laptop. At least this is my reasoning, have you found that this isn't true anymore?

As to your second point, for the resolution. When no HDMI device is connected to the Pi with its default settings, it will get a resolution that is crazy over VNC, something like 800 x 600, which isn't 4k, nor is it HD resolution. In the file config.txt, there are several settings that you can change that will allow you to get the resolution that you like. hdmi_group, hdmi_mode, and dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d. Please read my comments in this file github.com/rlancaste/AstroPi3/blob/maste...upAstroRaspbianPi.sh for more information. Note that whatever you set will give the PI a fixed resolution. The settings that I chose will give you a headless resolution of 1440x900 because I found that to be nice on my monitor. If you want to change that to have a higher resolution, you can chose one of the other modes like maybe hdmi_mode=80? You can find all the modes here: elinux.org/RPiconfig. Or you could enter the exact screen resolution that you want by entering framebuffer_width and framebuffer_height instead. Note that if you don't find my solution to work at all, you can also disable that part of the script entirely if you like, but from what I have seen, you won't like the resolution you get.

Thanks,

Rob
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig, Avocette
4 years 7 months ago #41904

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Avocette,

The warning messages when building software like INDI and KStars is completely normal. You don't need to worry about them. They are just messages for the developers to help them make things better (though sometimes the messages are incorrect and the changes would NOT make it better) If you are getting warning messages during the downloads, that is a different story. Were you having internet connection problems? If it does get hung up or there is an issue, you can just run the script again. It will not hurt anything to run it many times. In fact, for a number of parts of the script, once it has done that thing once it won't need to do it again so that part will take less time.

thanks,

Rob
The following user(s) said Thank You: Avocette
4 years 7 months ago #41905

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Replied by AstroNerd on topic AstroPi3 Scripts revised


Thanks for the reply..
But, firstly my point is that the rpi can connect direct to another PC with Ethernet cable without the need for a static ip, just plug the cable between and it works straight away, and had done this way since the 3b+, so just not sure why you include the option at all when not needed, if I put a static ip on and then connect with a network cable it knocks out internet on the WiFi, if I was to use it this way back home.

Secondly I have no options of 4K at all, not just headless, I have it connected to a 4k monitor...and even if I could set the 4K as you suggest, (but can’t) there is no VNC available that will work with 4K, other that XRDP, (Remote Desktop) as that creates a separate desktop rather than duplicate...which I now have loaded.

There is an actual resolution setting in the preferences tab on the PI4, but all the 4K res options have gone after running the script, with the PI4 there should be no need to edit config files anymore, as it can be done at GUI level..that was my point, just not sure why the script knocked out all the 4K options from there...

I am not being critical at all, it’s an excellent script and worked well, but you did want feedback.. :)
4 years 7 months ago #41907

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Replied by AstroNerd on topic AstroPi3 Scripts revised

The link you posted with all the screen modes, is not up to date for the rpi4, there are many more including the 4K options, and these are now missing after the script is installed, thismis my point, it’s like it’s put it back to the rpi3b+ settings as far as the resolutions go, so although I can change via the options you have, there are no 4K options there anymore to change too, I hope that explains my issue better...
4 years 7 months ago #41908

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Replied by Michael on topic AstroPi3 Scripts revised

Unfortunately, like Avocette, it doesn't seem to work for me.
Installed Raspbian since Ubuntu is not available for RP4 and tried the script. Although my internet connection should be stable I get a lot of error messages for EKOS and INDI.
Most of them are telling me that files and folders are not found or downloads are not possible. I still have a few things to try and will inform you if I get it to run.

Edit:
After a reboot and enough time, it seems to have worked and everything is installed.
Last edit: 4 years 7 months ago by Michael.
4 years 7 months ago #41911

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"But, firstly my point is that the rpi can connect direct to another PC with Ethernet cable without the need for a static ip, just plug the cable between and it works straight away"

This only works if either a DHCP server is available somewhere on your network , you have a static address defined in the Wired Ethernet settings or you have connected via the Ethernet(wired) before and the lease time provided by DHCP that you originally connected to hasn't expired - the latter should fail but I have noticed this does work sometimes.

This is standard networking, be it Windows or Linux :-)
RPI3 Ubuntu 16.04 / AMD desktop Kstars under Ubuntu 16.04 Mounts :azeq6 ,SWAZGoTo

RPI3 Fedora testing out on AMD desktop Fedpra 28 - running kstars 2.9.4 , Indilib 1.7.4 ?????
4 years 7 months ago #41912

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Replied by Avocette on topic AstroPi3 Scripts revised

Sorry Michael - Avocette here - Rob's script does work!
He has explained that those warnings are not terminal to the applications!
My RPi4 is now driving my astronomy kit very well with kstars, ekos and Indi library after running the script 'AstroRaspbianPi'. I can use VNC on my iPad for headless control of the RPi4 out in the field and SkySafari 6 plus on the iPad to steer the mount.
4 years 7 months ago #41913

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Replied by AstroNerd on topic AstroPi3 Scripts revised


Well I am sorry but I have connected my rpi3, b+ and 4 hundreds of times direct to a PC without a static ip and never had an issue, the only thing I will say it that was with Stellarmate 90% of the time, so maybe that makes the difference... :)
4 years 7 months ago #41914

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Replied by AstroNerd on topic AstroPi3 Scripts revised

Hold on, are you saying that as long as the PC I am connecting too is in turn connected to my internet router, either with WiFi or cable then it can get an address from that...as that would be it as am always connected to the router with the PC via WiFi....if that is the case then sorry...my bad.. :)
4 years 7 months ago #41915

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Correct. Try taking the pi to the middle of an observing field at a star party (one with no wifi or ethernet routers of course), then connect an ethernet cable between your laptop and the pi. In this case, DHCP is not available to give your computers IP addresses. They *might* give themselves self assigned IP addresses in the same range, but then again they might not. I experimented with my laptop to find the IP address range that it always self assigns with when there is no DHCP. Then I made sure to give the PI an IP address in that range with the static IP address we are talking about. Then when I am in the observing field, they are guaranteed to talk to one another over the ethernet cable. I can tell you that this has been absolutely crucial for me on a number of observing trips in the last couple of years. Sometimes I have had serious issues with my wifi, such as different dongles malfunctioning etc, or accidentally disconnecting the wifi network when trying to switch to another, and having the static IP on the PI has meant that all was not lost, I could just connect the ethernet cable and fix whatever the problems are. Or sometimes, I just said the heck with the wifi and did the rest of my imaging session with the ethernet cable. The static IP is a stable backup.
4 years 7 months ago #41918

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Correct, if you haven't build big software packages a whole lot in the past, you might think there is something wrong with all the warnings that tend to print out. But the warnings are not errors because errors would stop the build. Warnings are things that the compiler thinks you might want to change in the code, but don't have to change and in fact sometimes it is flat out wrong. The things to be concerned about is if a software package prints out error messages and then doesn't install. If INDI and KStars built just fine, there should be no problem.
4 years 7 months ago #41919

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So if you had the pi setup before the script changed config.txt, and you started it up in a headless state with no monitor of any type or anything plugged into the HDMI ports at all, are you able to change the resolution of the pi to whatever you want using XRDP? It doesn't default to some ridiculously small resolution? I find that with VNC, if you start it up without being connected to HDMI and the changes are not made in config.txt, then you get something like 800 x 600 or 640 x 480 and no other options. Also I looked at XRDP after you posted it here, is it true you get a new desktop each time you connect? So how could you log into the PI using XRDP, set up an imaging session in Ekos, then disconnect from the PI to save your laptop battery, and come back later to check on it? Wouldn't you get a new desktop and lose the old one with Ekos running in it?
4 years 7 months ago #41920

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