Sukarn
BBlueBuild
•Created by Siegfried27 on 2/22/2025 in #questions
Is it suitable to create server images?
Quadlet configuration is comparable to defining a docker compose file. I don't keep those in sync using a central repository. i.e., there's nothing like a git pull or scp on each device to regularly fetch the latest version of those files from the NAS. If I change something on a device and it works as intended, I manually copy that change over into the butane/ignition on the NAS for future deployments. It's possible to make a method to update all configs on the NAS and fetch them on each device regularly, but that would be more of a hassle than convenience for my use-case.
Containers, though, are pulled daily by each device in case an updated container image is available because of the line
AutoUpdate=registry in the quadlet's .container file. See AutoUpdate= in https://docs.podman.io/en/latest/markdown/podman-systemd.unit.5.html for more information about this.43 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Siegfried27 on 2/22/2025 in #questions
Is it suitable to create server images?
Butane/ignition give you the ability to create a file or folder on the device, define file contents inline in the butane/ignition or fetch the file from a link, and set its permissions. It also lets you enable or disable systemd services. I've used that to create a few scripts in
/var/usrlocal/bin, systemd services in /etc/systemd/system and podman quadlets (.container and .volume files) in /etc/containers/systemd.
Butane / ignition only runs at first boot. It does not run again.43 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Siegfried27 on 2/22/2025 in #questions
Is it suitable to create server images?
No, I didn't bother with a method to keep the config on each device updated through a central repository. Once everything was fully set up about 1.5 years ago, changes became rare. I might make a one line change to the config here or there based on changing needs, or add or remove a podman quadlet from a device. In that case, I manually replicate that change onto the NAS after testing directly on a server.
Each podman quadlet is set up to auto-update the respective containers using the quadlet configuration.
Each podman quadlet is also set up to call the backup service as a timer for itself, which handles backing up the container volumes.
Backups go into each device's separate directory on an NFS share on the NAS based on the hostname of each device. Old backups are deleted by the backup service automatically.
SSH keys are signed weekly automatically using scripts and timers on both ends (NAS and each device), and they are set to expire after a few months.
43 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Siegfried27 on 2/22/2025 in #questions
Is it suitable to create server images?
I'm often in another city for weeks at a time, so it helps to just be able to give someone simple instructions to replace a card and turn it back on if tailscale shows any RPi is offline for a long time.
43 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Siegfried27 on 2/22/2025 in #questions
Is it suitable to create server images?
If a microSD card dies, I can just pick up any of the pre-ready cards, power off an RPi, replace the card in it, and turn it back on. It'll get restored from last night's backups and off it goes.
43 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Siegfried27 on 2/22/2025 in #questions
Is it suitable to create server images?
Along those lines, here's how mine is set up:
- Main router set to assign static IP addresses to all RPi servers based on their MAC addresses.
- Main NAS running a docker image of nginx-unprivileged, set up to redirect from NAS_IP/fetch.ign to ServerIP/hostname_based_directory/fetch.ign based on the visitor's IP address. One redirect set up in the config per RPi.
- Multiple microSD cards, all with the same ignition configuration, set only to fetch NAS_IP/fetch.ign, which will get auto-redirected to the proper configuration for that particular device.
- The overall ignition configuration is broken up into multiple files. Things like SSH configuration, user configuration, regular backup services, restore-from-backup services for first boot, and other common stuff, is imported into the configuration for all devices. Things like specific podman quadlets for each device are imported only into the specific servers that are supposed to be running them.
43 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Heus on 8/22/2024 in #questions
my recipe-vm is not being built successfully
You're missing a dash before "type" in vm.yml
6 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Heus on 8/22/2024 in #questions
my recipe-vm is not being built successfully
Submitted a PR to your repo with a fix.
6 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
I'm using it to run
tree /tmp in the recipe so that I can figure out what files exist and their names and directory structure after using the copy function, so that I then install the right .rpm in the recipe.20 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
Well, the build is progressing. This is for test-purposes only. I exported the /usr/bin/bluebuild from the distrobox. Manual method:
1.
distrobox-enter bluebuild
2. distrobox-export --bin /usr/bin/bluebuild
Mine is doing it automatically using distrobox-assemble (using the distrobox.ini file above). I run the command distrobox-assemble create --file ~/path/to/distrobox.ini --name bluebuild and it destroys the previous one, creates the new distrobox, and then exports the bin to ~/.local/bin/bluebuild20 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
Thanks for the help, @xyny !
20 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
Fixing this now!
20 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
Depends on the way $PATH is set for the running user. Mine is set to add ~/.local/bin at the end of the pre-existing $PATH.
echo $PATH for this running user shows: /usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/var/home/sukarn/.local/bin:/var/home/sukarn/.local/bin
So /usr/local/bin was taking precedence.20 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
Seems to be progressing with
--build-driver podman now.20 replies
BBlueBuild
•Created by Sukarn on 8/8/2024 in #questions
What is the `main` image in cli module documentation?
Thanks @xyny . I did a bit of digging using
bluebuild --version inside and outside the distrobox, and they reported different versions. Using whereis bluebuild on the host showed that for some reason, I have /usr/bin/bluebuild built into the host os, even though I don't see any instructions in my build recipes, files and scripts to install bluebuild to the host image. Not sure where and how this snuck in.
As a result, /usr/bin/bluebuild has been taking precedence over ~/.local/bin/bluebuild from the distrobox. Now that I know I have to explicitly call ~/.local/bin/bluebuild I just have to figure out the next step: dealing with the docker socket error: ERROR: failed to initialize builder bluebuild (bluebuild0): Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. Is the docker daemon running?
I'm trying to figure that one out now.20 replies