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| comfilepi:raspbian:index [2026/07/09 07:09] – [Win32DiskImager] mfranklin | comfilepi:raspbian:index [2026/07/10 04:23] (current) – [Install an OS by Booting from a USB Drive] mfranklin |
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| The OS is intended to provide a practical starting point for developing and deploying ComfilePi-based industrial solutions, using familiar Windows, Linux, and Raspberry Pi tooling to install packages, configure services, and develop applications. | The OS is intended to provide a practical starting point for developing and deploying ComfilePi-based industrial solutions, using familiar Windows, Linux, and Raspberry Pi tooling to install packages, configure services, and develop applications. |
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| **Existing Solutions**: For solutions already deployed on an older OS release, it is recommended to no upgrade to at later OS unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Prior releases are available in the [[comfilepi:raspbian:os_archive:index|OS archive]]. | |
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| **New Solutions**: For new development, using the latest ComfilePi OS release is recommended. | |
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| The ComfilePi Trixie OS contains several improvements and changes over prior releases. Please see the [[comfilepi:trixie:index|ComfilePi Trixie OS]] for more information. | The ComfilePi Trixie OS contains several improvements and changes over prior releases. Please see the [[comfilepi:trixie:index|ComfilePi Trixie OS]] for more information. |
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| | **Existing Solutions**: For solutions already deployed on an older OS release, it is recommended to no upgrade to at later OS unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Prior releases are available in the [[comfilepi:raspbian:os_archive:index|OS archive]]. |
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| | **New Solutions**: For new development, using the latest ComfilePi OS release is recommended. |
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| ^ Download Link ^ Release Date ^ Supported Models ^ OS Word Size ^ ^ | ^ Download Link ^ Release Date ^ Supported Models ^ OS Word Size ^ ^ |
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| ==== Booting from a USB Drive to Install an OS Image ==== | ==== Install an OS by Booting from a USB Drive ==== |
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| === CPi-C/G/J/S === | === CPi-C/G/J/S === |
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| The CPi-C/G/J/S panel PCs can boot from a USB drive. Therefore, it is possible to boot from a ComfilePi OS installed on a USB drive, and from there, flash the SD Card/eMMC/NVME drive locally. This method is **//much//** faster than writing the OS image to the ComfilePi over a USB cable. | The CPi-C/G/J/S panel PCs can boot from a USB drive. Therefore, it is possible to boot from a ComfilePi Trixie OS installed on a USB drive, and from there, flash the SD Card/eMMC/NVME drive locally. This method is **//much//** faster than writing the OS image to the ComfilePi over a USB cable. |
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| <html><center><iframe width="800" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ooBcTkZjzc" title="ComfilePi emmc install" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></html> | |
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| Procedure: | Procedure: |
| - From a workstation PC, use a disk imaging utility to write the ComfilePI OS to a USB drive. Be sure to update the ///boot/firmware/config.txt// file with the model-specific one in the //bootfs// partition. | - From a workstation PC, use a disk imaging utility to write the ComfilePi OS to a USB drive. Be sure to update the ///boot/firmware/config.txt// file with the model-specific one in the //bootfs// partition. |
| - If the ComfilePi already has an existing OS installed, make it unbootable using one of the following methods: | - If the ComfilePi already has an existing OS installed, make it unbootable using one of the following methods: |
| * If the ComfilePi boots from an SD card, simply eject the SD card. | * If the ComfilePi boots from an SD card, simply eject the SD card. |
| * For the CPi-C/G/S panel PCs it is also possible [[https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi.html#edit-the-configuration|change the bootloader's configuration]] to try booting from the USB drive first, before booting from the SD Card/eMMC, but it is recommended to keep the default bootloader configuration. | * For the CPi-C/G/S panel PCs it is also possible [[https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/raspberry-pi.html#edit-the-configuration|change the bootloader's configuration]] to try booting from the USB drive first, before booting from the SD Card/eMMC, but it is recommended to keep the default bootloader configuration. |
| - Boot from the USB drive, and wait for it to fully initialize and boot to the desktop. | - Boot from the USB drive, and wait for it to fully initialize and boot to the desktop. |
| - Once booted from the USB drive, enable SSH. | |
| - Copy the OS image you wish to write to the ComfilePi's boot device to a directory on the USB drive using one of the following methods: | - Copy the OS image you wish to write to the ComfilePi's boot device to a directory on the USB drive using one of the following methods: |
| * Use ''scp'' or a utility like FileZilla to copy the OS image from a desktop computer to the ComfilePi. | * Enable SSH on the ComfilePi, and use ''scp'' or a utility like FileZilla to copy the OS image from a desktop computer to the ComfilePi. |
| * If the OS image is stored on a web server, use a utility like ''curl'' or ''wget'' to download the OS to a directory on the USB drive. | * If the OS image is stored on a web server, use a utility like [[https://manpages.debian.org/trixie/curl/curl.1.en.html|curl]] or [[https://manpages.debian.org/trixie/wget/wget.1.en.html|wget]] to download the OS to a directory on the USB drive. |
| * Use a second USB drive to store your source OS image(s) and connect it to the ComfilePi after it has been booted from the first USB drive. | * Use a second USB drive to store your source OS image(s) and connect it to the ComfilePi after it has been booted from the first USB drive. |
| * Prior to booting from the first USB drive, you can add a 4th partition to the USB drive to copy OS images to. | * Prior to booting from the first USB drive, add a 4th partition to the USB drive to copy the source OS images to it. |
| - Open the //Backup/Restore// application form the //ComfilePi// menu. | - Open the //Backup/Restore// application form the //ComfilePi// menu. |
| - Select the //Restore// option. | - Select the //Restore// option. |
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| ==== Flashing the eMMC via a USB Cable ==== | ==== Installing an OS Using a USB Cable ==== |
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| === CPi-A/B/C/G/S === | === CPi-A/B/C/G/S === |
| - Turn on the CPi-xxxx panel PC. Due to the USB cable being plugged into the USB Device port, it will automatically boot into a special mode allowing the eMMC to be flashed. Nothing will appear on the screen though. If it boots into the desktop, something is wrong. If that happens check to ensure the cables are properly connected. | - Turn on the CPi-xxxx panel PC. Due to the USB cable being plugged into the USB Device port, it will automatically boot into a special mode allowing the eMMC to be flashed. Nothing will appear on the screen though. If it boots into the desktop, something is wrong. If that happens check to ensure the cables are properly connected. |
| - Once the ComfilePi is powered on, [[https://github.com/raspberrypi/usbboot/raw/master/win32/rpiboot_setup.exe|download]] and install the rpi_boot program. | - Once the ComfilePi is powered on, [[https://github.com/raspberrypi/usbboot/raw/master/win32/rpiboot_setup.exe|download]] and install the rpi_boot program. |
| - Once installed, from the start menu, run "rpi-boot-CM4-CM5 - Mass Storage Gadget" for the CPi-S and CPi-C panel PCs or "rpiboot-CM-CM2-CM3" for the CPi-A/B panel PCs. It will detect the ComfilePi and mount the eMMC as if it were an SD card (e.g. as a removable drive). | - Once installed, from the start menu, run "rpi-boot-CM4-CM5 - Mass Storage Gadget" for the CPi-C/G/S panel PCs or "rpiboot-CM-CM2-CM3" for the CPi-A/B panel PCs. It will detect the ComfilePi and mount the eMMC as if it were an SD card (e.g. as a removable drive). |
| - Once the eMMC is mounted as a removable drive, follow the normal procedure for flashing or backing up an OS image. | - Once the eMMC is mounted as a removable drive, follow the normal procedure for flashing or backing up an OS image. |
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| === CPi-J === | === CPi-J === |
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| CPi-J panel PCs do not have a USB device port for programming the eMMC. Use the method to [[#booting_from_a_usb_drive_to_install_an_os_image|boot from a USB drive]] instead. | CPi-J panel PCs do not have a USB device port for programming the eMMC. Use the method to [[#install_an_os_by_booting_from_a_usb_drive]] instead. |
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| <html> | |
| <!-- | |
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| ==== Flashing the eMMC or SD Card Using the Raspberry Pi Provisioning Software ==== | |
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| Raspberry Pi Ltd. has also made available [[https://github.com/raspberrypi/cmprovision|the Raspberry Pi Compute Module Provisioning software]] that can be used to flash multiple ComfilePi panel PCs simultaneously from a web program that can run on a generic Raspberry Pi or one of our ComfilePi panel PCs operating as a server. | |
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| If using a ComfilePi as the server, use a USB WiFi dongle to provide wireless connectivity to the provisioning software from another workstation PC, or run the provisioning software locally through the ComfilePi server's web browser. | |
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| === For CPi-C Panel PCs === | |
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| For CPi-C panel PCs, use the server's Ethernet port through a switch to provision multiple CPi-C panel PCs simultaneously through a network boot. By default the bootloader will attempt the eMMC/SD card, followed by USB boot, and then network boot. Therefore, with this method, you must first make the eMMC/SD card unbootable for the network boot to download OS images from the server. | |
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| The server's Ethernet port (eth0) must be manually configured to an IP address of 172.20.0.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. | |
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| {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:cpi-c-provisioning.png?900 }} | |
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| === For CPi-A/B/F/S Panel PCs === | |
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| For CPi-A/B/F/S panel PCs, connect the server to each panel PC to be provisioned over USB. Connect the server's host USB port to the panel PC's USB device port using a USB-A-to-USB-A cable. Use a USB hub to provision multiple panel PCs simultaneously. | |
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| When a ComfilePi panel PC is connected to the server via USB, a new virtual Ethernet device (usb0) will appear on the server. It's IP6 address must be manually configured to fe80::f800:5fff:fefa:7607 with a prefix of 1. | |
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| {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:cpi-s-provisioning.png?900 }} | |
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| --> | |
| </html> | |
| ===== Replacing the pi User ===== | ===== Replacing the pi User ===== |
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| To configure passwordless SSH authentication, configure the //ssh_authorized_keys// field as described in this [[https://docs.cloud-init.io/en/latest/reference/yaml_examples/ssh.html|cloud-init documentation]]. | To configure passwordless SSH authentication, configure the //ssh_authorized_keys// field as described in this [[https://docs.cloud-init.io/en/latest/reference/yaml_examples/ssh.html|cloud-init documentation]]. |
| ==== Bookworm and earlier ==== | |
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| The latest Raspaberry Pi Imager program removed the ability to customize custom OS images, so you will need to use v1.9.6 or earlier to configure first boot initialization. | [[:comfilepi:rpi_imager_replace_userid:index|Bookworm and Earlier]] |
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| To replace the //pi// user and/or password, use the [[https://downloads.raspberrypi.com/imager/imager-1.9.6.exe|Raspberry Pi Imager v1.9.6]], press the gear icon and set a new username and password in the //Advance Options// screen before writing the OS to the SD card or eMMC. | |
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| {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:replace_user_gear.png?500 }} | |
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| {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:replace_user_password.png?500 }} | |
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| ===== Creating an OS Image for Backup and/or Cloning ===== | ===== Creating an OS Image for Backup and/or Cloning ===== |
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| ==== Win32DiskImager ==== | === The Backup/Restore Application === |
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| After customizing an OS by changing settings, adding/remove software, etc. you may want to create a clone of the OS to provision additional panel PCs. If using a Windows PC, consider using [[https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/|Win32DiskImager]] to //Read// the SD card or eMMC disk to an image file (.img), and then use that resulting image file to provision additional ComfilePi panel PCs. | It is also possible to boot the ComfilePi OS from a USB drive and then use the included //Backup/Restore// application to backup, clone, and/or restore additional ComfilePi panel PCs. |
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| {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:custom_os_image_backup.png }} | {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:cpi-backup-restore.png }} |
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| === The Backup/Restore Application === | The backup procedure uses [[https://manpages.debian.org/trixie/gdisk/sgdisk.8.en.html|sgdisk]] and [[https://manpages.debian.org/trixie/fsarchiver/fsarchiver.8.en.html|fsarchiver]] to backup the partition table and partitions respectively, and packages them into a .tar archive. One advantage of this method is that it is possible to untar the .tar archive, and manually edit the partition table backup file to change the size or layout of the partitions. |
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| It is also possible to boot the ComfilePi OS from a USB drive and then use the included "Backup/Restore" application to backup, clone, and/or restore ComfilePi panel PCs. | Using the //Backup/Restore// application to restore the .tar archive also provides the ability change the disk UUIDs, reinitialize the machine ID (e.g. to recreate unique SSH keys), and offer a final dialog to select the appropriate config.txt file (e.g. if clone from one ComfilePi model to another). |
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| {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:cpi-backup-restore.png }} | ==== Win32DiskImager ==== |
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| The backup procedure uses [[https://manpages.debian.org/trixie/gdisk/sgdisk.8.en.html|sgdisk]] and [[https://manpages.debian.org/trixie/fsarchiver/fsarchiver.8.en.html|fsarchiver]] to backup the partition table and partitions respectively, and package them into a .tar archive. One advantage of this method is that it is possible to untar the .tar archive, and manually edit the partition table backup file to change the size or layout of the partitions. | After customizing an OS by changing settings, adding/remove software, etc. you may want to create a clone of the OS to provision additional panel PCs. If using a Windows PC, consider using [[https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/|Win32DiskImager]] to //Read// the SD card or eMMC disk to an image file (.img), and then use that resulting image file to provision additional ComfilePi panel PCs. |
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| Using the Backup/Restore application to restore the .tar archive also automatically changes the disk UUIDs, reinitializes the machine ID (e.g. to recreate unique SSH keys), and will offer a final dialog to select the appropriate config.txt file if clone from one ComfilePi model to another. | |
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| | {{ :comfilepi:raspbian:custom_os_image_backup.png }} |
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| [[comfilepi:index|ComfilePi - Industrial Raspberry Pi Panel PC]] | [[comfilepi:index|ComfilePi - Industrial Raspberry Pi Panel PC]] |
