[GTALUG] Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit - Ubiquiti Unifi controller software

[Stewart C. Russell]

On 2021-05-09 10:51 a.m., James Knott via talk wrote:
> I've been considering (because I have way too much time on my hands
> these days) getting a Raspberry Pi to run my Unifi access point
> controller software on.  I would be doing this with Ubuntu or Raspian
> Linux.  I currently run the controller on my desktop system (openSUSE). 
> I assume a kit like this would be suitable.
> 
> https://www.canakit.com/raspberry-pi-4-starter-kit.html

Short answer: yes, maybe. You probably want a 4 GB system, as at least
it can act as a lightweight desktop(-ish) system if the controller
project doesn't work out. Also, read the bit about Imager below, as it
makes setting up a Raspberry Pi trivial.

---------

Longer answer: It should do. Check availability, though; Elmwood seems
to be short of Raspberry Pi 4 kits, so they may be back-ordered from
Canakit too. Buyapi (in Nepean) and Canakit are Canadian official
resellers, so are supposed to get priority on stock. Practically,
they'll run out like everyone else from time to time.

Choice of OS could be critical: Raspberry Pi OS (the OS formerly known
as Raspbian) is a 32-bit Debian-derived distro. Ubuntu is 64-bit.
Raspberry Pi OS has devices and drivers tweaked to work with the
Raspberry Pi's hardware, as well as support from the Raspberry Pi
Foundation. Ubuntu may not have all the best and brightest drivers, and
Raspberry Pi-specific support may be lacking.

For installation, you'll probably want to replace whatever comes on the
supplied SD card with a known latest release. Many Raspberry Pi SD cards
still come installed with a slightly annoying (but super quick for
vendors to install) distro wrapper called NOOBS. Raspberry Pi Imager is
probably the quickest way to install an OS on the card:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/software/

You might want to install Raspberry Pi OS Lite, which doesn't run a desktop.

Imager has a 'secret' setup screen (Ctrl + Shift + X) that allows you to
pre-configure bits of your system, such as user password, ssh keys and
wifi access (if you need it). Details:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/raspberry-pi-imager-update-to-v1-6/

Regarding running the Unifi controller, it looks like it's a bit of a
hack to get it running. Both tutorials I found recommend adding
Ubiquiti's Debian repo to the system. On a Raspberry Pi, this can result
in anything from "zero problems" to "everything stops working, forever".
It all depends what the repo pulls in and assumes about the system.

Both tutorials aren't perfect, but are a start:

1) https://pimylifeup.com/rasberry-pi-unifi/

2)
https://lazyadmin.nl/home-network/installing-unifi-controller-on-a-raspberry-pi-in-5-min/

In particular, both recommend unnecessary messing with the system
entropy source. If you install rng-tools (sudo apt install rng-tools)
without messing with the config file, it will automatically pull in the
hardware entropy source. It looks like both of these followed old
advice. 'Old', in the Raspberry Pi world, is anything older than 18
months or so. So much changes with the Raspberry Pi hardware and
software that old advice can sometimes be detrimental.

cheers,
 Stewart