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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

What is the best way to use an Rpi as just an Indi client?

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Try this:

On your Rpi4-1, type "ip a" to find out its IP address.
For now I will assume it's 10.42.0.2
Then type "/usr/local/bin/indi-web -v"

This will start the indi web server

Then on your Rpi4-8 (or a laptop, or whatever), open a web browser
In the URL bar, type 10.42.0.2:8624

The indi server web interface will come up in your browser
Configure your devices
Before you close the browser window, check the boxes at top left for "Auto Start" and "Auto Connect"

Then try rebooting Rpi4-1 without a monitor attached.

Again, try using the web server on Rpi4-1 in a browser on your laptop. Should pop right up.

Finally, go into Ekos on Rpi4-8 and configure your device profile to use the remote server
Last edit: 2 years 11 months ago by Scott Denning.
2 years 11 months ago #70496

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On my indi-pi server, I have a file
/etc/systemd/system/indiwebmanager.service

And in that file I have
[Unit]
Description=INDI Web Manager
After=multi-user.target

[Service]
Type=idle
# MUST SET YOUR USERNAME HERE.
User=denning
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/indi-web -v
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

I can't remember if I had to create that file or if it was created by the web server when I checked "Auto Start"
2 years 11 months ago #70497

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My itty-bitty-indi-pi is currently on 192.168.1.222
Its web server runs on http://192.168.1.222:8624 and it controls devices via port 7624

First screenshot below is from my MacBook running Safari.
Second screenshot below is from my MacBook running Kstars with the indi-pi server chosen correctly
 
 
The following user(s) said Thank You: Ronald Scotti
Last edit: 2 years 11 months ago by Scott Denning.
2 years 11 months ago #70498
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Scott,
Thanks for all that info. I have it all running as you laid out, but only my SX FW and the Celestron CGEM end up connecting all the way thru to the main Rpi4-8. The server rpi4-1 says those device are connected (with the same names, ZWO CCD, SX CCD) but they are not connected in the Indi Control Panel on the main Rpi4-8.

trying to puzzle this out now.
2 years 11 months ago #70500

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I am able to run full Kstars and Ekos on the server Rpi4-1 and I did a full dist-upgrade so I have Kstars 3.5.3 stable as well as upgrading the drivers for ASI CCDs and the SX CCD. But the two cameras (ZWO CCD and SX CCD) will not install on the 'server' Rpi4-1 under Kstars/Ekos. I get driver crash notices in the log file. If I re-hook them up the main Rpi4-8 everything works fine.

When I ran the web manager on the 'server' rpi4-1 it said that the cameras were connected, but when I tried to connecting thru the main Rpi4-8 it would never show the cameras connected.

If anyone else is following this thread and has any input on this, let me know. Otherwise I will start a new thread.

thanks,
Ron
2 years 11 months ago #70502

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Hi Ron,

Please post a screenshot of your Profile Editor screen in Ekos (on the client machine). In Kstars, you start Ekos, then click the tiny little "Edit Profile" button near the top (it looks like pencil).

Here's an example of what it should look like. Do you have all your devices set up properly in there?

Do you have the remote server set?  Please post a screenshot of it and let me know.

Scott
Hi Ron,

Please post a screenshot of your Profile Editor screen in Ekos (on the client machine). In Kstars, you start Ekos, then click the tiny little "Edit Profile" button near the top (it looks like pencil).

Here's an example of what it should look like. Do you have all your devices set up properly in there?

Do you have the remote server set?  Please post a screenshot of it and let me know.

Scott
  
2 years 11 months ago #70503
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The problem I am now having is not with the web manager server, it is something to do with how the camera drivers are set up in Indi. On the server it says all the devices (CGEM mount, SX filterwheel, SX lodestar and Zwo ASI 533 - all are on the USB 3.0 powered hub) are connected and I can restart the drivers successfully. I can connect from the server to the client for both the CGEM mount and the SX Filterwheel, but the client (Rpi4-8) tells me that the it cannot connect to the cameras. To research the issue I just ran Kstars/Ekos on the server Rpi4-1 (I upgraded an existing SD card for the 'server' Rpi4-1 and it had a previous version of Kstars - now 3.5.3 stable and Phd2 on it). The profile is fine, but the camera drivers crash when starting up the Indi Control Panel to connect. Here is a section of the log file:

2021-04-24T22:47:45.399 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - Welcome to KStars 3.5.3 Stable
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.400 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - Build: 2021-04-24T23:57:10Z
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.405 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - OS: "ubuntu"
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.405 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - API: "arm64-little_endian-lp64"
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.406 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - Arch: "arm64"
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.406 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - Kernel Type: "linux"
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.406 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - Kernel Version: "5.8.0-1021-raspi"
[2021-04-24T22:47:45.406 EDT INFO ][                org.kde.kstars] - Qt Version: 5.14.2
[2021-04-24T22:47:46.366 EDT DEBG ][                org.kde.kstars] - Opened the User DB. Ready.
...
1-04-24T22:48:54.091 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server Started?  true
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.092 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI: INDI Server started locally on port  7624
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.092 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - Starting INDI Driver  "indi_simulator_telescope"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.093 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - Starting INDI Driver  "indi_asi_ccd"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.093 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - Adding managed driver "Telescope Simulator"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.093 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - Adding managed driver "ZWO CCD"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.095 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDIListener: Adding a new client manager to INDI listener..
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.095 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI: Connecting to local INDI server on port  7624  ...
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.097 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI server connected.
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.097 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - Connection to INDI server is successful
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.100 EDT INFO ][           org.kde.kstars.ekos] - "INDI services started on port 7624. Please connect devices."
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.122 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: startup: /usr/bin/indiserver -v -p 7624 -m 1024 -r 0 -f /tmp/indififoadff8715 "
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.122 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: listening to port 7624 on fd 3"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.123 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "FIFO: start indi_simulator_telescope -n \"Telescope Simulator\""
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.123 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "With name: Telescope Simulator"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.123 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "FIFO: Starting driver indi_simulator_telescope"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.124 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Driver indi_simulator_telescope: pid=1924 rfd=4 wfd=11 efd=12"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.124 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "FIFO: start indi_asi_ccd"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.124 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "FIFO: Starting driver indi_asi_ccd"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.124 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Driver indi_asi_ccd: pid=1925 rfd=5 wfd=14 efd=15"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.125 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Client 6: new arrival from 127.0.0.1:52638 - welcome!"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.125 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Driver indi_asi_ccd: indi_asi_ccd: error while loading shared libraries: libASICamera2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.125 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Driver indi_asi_ccd: stderr EOF"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.125 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Driver indi_asi_ccd: Terminated after #0 restarts."
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.125 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "Child process 1925 died"
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.126 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  ""
[2021-04-24T22:48:54.127 EDT CRIT ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI driver  "indi_asi_ccd"  crashed!

If I run Phd2 on the 'server' Rpi4-1 I can connect to the cameras and they work, they also work if I connect the powered hub directly to the client Rpi4-8.  So it has something to do with this line in the log above:

[2021-04-24T22:48:54.125 EDT DEBG ][           org.kde.kstars.indi] - INDI Server:  "2021-04-25T02:48:54: Driver indi_asi_ccd: indi_asi_ccd: error while loading shared libraries: libASICamera2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory"

This is a problem that has come up before ( a couple of years ago) but I have not found a solution for it, people avoided the issue by switching from Ubuntu to the Astroberry server back then.  I am not sure where the shared libraries are supposed to be, so I need to compare the directories and setup between the 'server' Rpi4-1 and the 'client' Rpi4-8.  No time to do that right now, but will eventually, unless someone already knows a solution.

thanks for all the help.
 
2 years 11 months ago #70512

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2 years 11 months ago #70520

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I resolved the ZWO camera issue, it was a link to a non-existent file. But the SX CCD issue is not resolved. I have the SX CCD selected in my profile for the guide camera, but I don't get a 'tab' for it in the Control Panel, so I cannot 'connect' to it?

I am wondering if it is a 3.5.3 version issue and have asked about it in another thread. Right now I would like to revert back to 3.5.0 but I don't know how.
2 years 11 months ago #70563

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I have it working!  I ended up using an older SD card with the Astroberry Server on it as the 'server' Rpi4-1.  The main reason for doing this is that there are several issues with Kstars 3.5.3 the current release and I could not find a way to step back to a previous release for Ubuntu, so I went back to an SD card that had the Astroberry Server installed.

I used its WiFi Hotspot and the fact that the server is already started when it boots up.  I open up the browser to the Indi Web Manager and set up a profile with all my equipment.  Then on the client Rpi4-8 I run Kstars and Phd2 and connect with the equipment "Remote" to the Astroberry Hotspot (also need to have the client wifi connected to that network (Astroberry Hotspot - 10.42.0.1).

All my equipment connects and I can 'loop' in PHD2 using the SX Lodestar and still capture images from the main camera (ASI533).  But I am only testing this in my garage and I don't know if there are latency issues that may mess up guiding.  

After all this, it does not seem worth NOT just using the main Rpi4-8 up at the scope.  It will just cost me another case to house the Rpi and the SSd drive and an ethernet cable in addition to the power cable going up to the scope.  And I will have an Rpi4-1 still looking for something to do!

One last question, how would I go about getting the server to startup IndiWebManager with a equipment profile on startup without having to VNC in and set it up thru the browser?  I suspect it is just a command line input in one of the startup files.  Forgive me if you already said how, it has been a couple of days since I read this thread.

thanks again,
 
2 years 11 months ago #70669

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Ok, I found where you said to check "auto start" and "auto connect" and that worked also. The 'server' starts up connecting to the equipment (I don't have to access it at all). And I just run Kstars from the 'client' and all the equipment is there.

thanks,
2 years 11 months ago #70672

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