[GTALUG] Linux on Chromebook

[Michael Galea]

On 2022-09-01 21:00, Michael Galea via talk wrote:
> On 2022-08-26 18:40, Michael Galea via talk wrote:
>> I am hoping to tap the wisdom of the list.  I'm going traveling and I
>> don't want to lug around my 5.2 pound T420. Not on this trip.
>>
>> If I buy a cheap refurb Chromebook from Best Buy or Canada Computers:
>> - Will I have luck wiping ChromeOS and installing Debian? Can I still
>> encrypt the disk?
>> - If instead I just run Linux on Chromebook, can I run a wireguard VPN?
>> - Can anyone recommend a minimum spec level for the machine?
>>
> Thanks to Colin, Hugh and others for their advice.
> 
> I went with the Lenovo Ideapad 3 11", mainly because of the weight.
> Setup was straightforward, and performance was surprisingly good.
> 
> I installed the latest Debian on it but found that ChromeOS would not 
> use Debian's kernel.  This breaks wireguard VPN as debian builds a 
> kernel module that matches the resident kernel.
> 
> There is a voodoo approach to flashing the chromebook with debian 
> directly but this version is new enough to not be supported by the tool 
> chains that are out there, and I am cowardly.
> 
> So for now I'll use Linux to ssh and mutt while away. In retrospect, I 
> should have taken Colin's advice and blown away the Windows laptop with 
> debian.
> 

A final (I promise) update on my Linux on Chromebook odyssey.  My final
state is:

1) I'm running Debian Bullseye in the Linux container on the chromebook.
2) I can ssh home through a hole in the firewall opened by knockd.
3) I can vnc home through a hole opened by knockd.
4) I can raise a VPN home using the StrongVPN wireguard android app.
5) I have ran gimp, calibre and thunderbird on chromebook from the Linux
container.

Its #4 that is giving me pause. I have to have real trust in the 
StrongVPN app which I can't audit.  The company, which offers commercial 
access for their own VPN, seems to get rave reviews.  Does anyone on the 
list have any experience with strongVPN? I am thinking some in the 
community might use their commercial products.

-- 
Michael Galea