Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

HS3 Linux Installation Instructions

Collapse
This is a sticky topic.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    After it took 12+ hours to do an apt-get upgrade (first one in a year), I'd like to slim down to the bare minimum pi system files. I've looked around quickly but haven't found a definitive list of dependencies. Anyone know where there is such a list? From above I assume I can remove all gnome and X server packages which will take out a huge chunk?

    Comment


      Originally posted by rgerrans View Post
      After it took 12+ hours to do an apt-get upgrade (first one in a year), I'd like to slim down to the bare minimum pi system files. I've looked around quickly but haven't found a definitive list of dependencies. Anyone know where there is such a list? From above I assume I can remove all gnome and X server packages which will take out a huge chunk?
      If you have another pi it would probably be easier to do a fresh install of raspbian lite.

      Comment


        Originally posted by jeubanks View Post
        If you have another pi it would probably be easier to do a fresh install of raspbian lite.
        I don't want to deal with a migration, so if I look at the packages on Raspbian lite I should be fine to delete any extra packages on the HomeSeer image?

        Thanks

        Edit: I did find these lists of packages so pretty easy to set them up in a spreadsheet to identify the extra ones. https://n8henrie.com/2015/12/default...te-and-wheezy/
        Last edited by rgerrans; May 22, 2018, 04:47 PM.

        Comment


          Current download for the Zee2 is Jessie lite tweaked a bit with the Homeseer 3 installation in the /usr/local/HomeSeer directory. I am not sure what version of Mono is currently running on the Zee2 image. Thinking that Homeseer is working on releasing a new Zee2 image using Stretch Lite and current version of Mono (custom NOOBS version).

          The above said you can just build a new RPi Stretch Lite computer, add Mono and Homeseer and you will be ready to go.

          You do not need x windows and can totally configure Homeseer without a monitor via SSH.

          Use a new microSD card around 16Gb in size.

          Link to
          List of Default Packages on Raspbian Jessie, Jessie Lite, and Wheezy
          above
          is dated Dec 14, 2015

          Look here to install Raspbian Stretch Lite.

          Raspbian Stretch Lite

          Look here to install Mono on your Raspbian 9 Stretch Lite.

          The latest Stable Mono release is: 5.12.0 Stable (5.12.0.226)

          Add mono-vbnc

          apt update then apt install mono-vbnc

          Copy your Homeseer directory to: /usr/local/HomeSeer

          Create a sudo homeseer and sudo personal user and change the default password for pi.

          Give users homeseer and personal user read write rights to your /user/local/HomeSeer

          For auto starting homeseer you can

          1 - add the start to rc.local
          2 - create a boot cron job
          3 - create a Homeseer service with systemd
          Last edited by Pete; May 22, 2018, 05:42 PM.
          - Pete

          Auto mator
          Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
          Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
          HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

          HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
          HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

          X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

          Comment


            Thanks for the help!!

            Comment


              Hello - I am looking for an extreme newbie guide for Linux install on a Raspberry Pi (I have a Pro license and don't want to convert to rPi license). I tried following these directions and I hit several snags (no mention of the need for sudo commands for example).

              Others:
              Download the latest HS3 tar file (no idea)
              untar it (ahhhh,,,,)

              Nevermind getting the bastard to autolaunch at startup and/or "log in as Joggler via SSH"

              I feel like I am at the mechanic and I'm attempting to act like I understand what is wrong with my car.

              Are there any tutorials that provide extreme handholding?

              To provide some context - I bought a home with a Homeseer license on a rickety laptop that crapped out. I also got a ton of legacy Colorado Vnet equipment that is no longer manufactured. I'm trying to limp along until I scrape together the funds for a complete retrofit but until then I am trying my best to come up with lower cost solutions that keep my home illuminated. When the laptop went down I lost the ability to remotely control the lights. An rPi seemed like a good low cost, low power option.

              Has anyone used an RPi with a USB to serial (R232) output with Homeseer linux?

              As an adjunct - there were a number of .txt scripts previously installed on the laptop in the Windows environment that provided the serial port commands into the VNet system. Can these be converted to VB.Net scripts?

              Thanks in advance!

              Comment


                Welcome to the Homeseer forum Gregory.

                There are a few guides here on the forum for building a Linux HS3 box.

                Homeseer 3 will run on any Linux you decide to utilize on any CPU these days.

                1 - build your Linux box. IE: Ubuntu 18.04 64 bit server or Ubuntu Lite - install ssh server - you can install the ISO on a USB stick or an RPi Stretch computer.
                2 - create a homeseer, personal name sudo users. if you want to use root change the password to root.
                3 - add mono plus mono-vbnc
                4 - untar your HomeSeer new installation to /usr/local/HomeSeer (or any other directory like /opt/HomeSeer)
                5 - ssh to your new linux box and go to the HomeSeer directory and type sudo ./go
                6 - check out the Homeseer 3 web page to see how it looks for you. Delete or disable default user. Add a homeseer and personal user and match the passwords to your sudo users created earlier.

                7 - search the forum for the many different ways to automagically start homeseer on reboot.

                Done - above shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes.

                Just about any serial to usb adapter will work for you. Here have utilize Digi stuff since the late 1990's
                Last edited by Pete; September 14, 2018, 02:53 PM.
                - Pete

                Auto mator
                Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
                Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
                HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

                HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
                HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

                X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

                Comment


                  Hmmm, it is embarrassing to admit this but most of what you are instructing goes right over my head.

                  "create a homeseer, personal name sudo users. if you want to use root change the password to root, add mono plus mono-vbnc, untar your HomeSeer new installation to /usr/local/HomeSeer (or any other directory like /opt/HomeSeer)"

                  Could well as read "extract the flux exchange manifold, cross reference the .stig database, create user dependencies, download and index the root user interface, exe .sig....and there you go...that easy!!!"

                  "Done - above shouldn't take longer than 30 minutes."

                  Ha!

                  For someone who is unfamiliar with Linux, never mind using the command line, each one of these steps requires me to do lots of searching and cross referencing...and the forum is filled with legacy instructions that I'm not sure applies to the latest Raspian install, plugins and/or newest HS iteration.

                  That was what I meant by "extreme hand holding", akin to TYPE THE FOLLOWING - without the assumption that I will know to use commands that are not explicitly written.

                  And that is the thing - I actually do want to learn, but if I don't start at first principles, it sort of misses the point (like what does mono-vnc do?), especially if somethings not working correctly.

                  I don't mean to be snarky. I guess the answer to my original question, "I am looking for an extreme newbie guide for Linux install on a Raspberry Pi" is that it doesn't exist.

                  I will try and put something together once I figure it out on my own.

                  Thanks for your help -

                  g


                  Comment


                    Apologies G.

                    Your same / similiar questions have been posted here on the Homeseer 3 forum many many times.

                    All of the newbie guides are similiarly written with some knowledge base of using the Linux command line.

                    Easiest to build you HS3 Linux box via command line and remotely via SSH. Using a remote terminal running ssh is just an encrypted terminal.

                    Linux command line is like using DOS in the 1990's before Windows.

                    Many newbie RPi Linux Homeseer 3 users here just download the Homeseer 3 image for the Raspberry Pi (Zee2), write the image to an SD card using Windows and just copy their version of Homeseer 3 for Linux to the Raspberry Pi.

                    There are a few guides here on the forum but you still need to have some understanding of the linux command line stuff in order to use the guides.

                    Best maybe to start over here relating to creating a base Raspberry Pi Stretch Lite configuration.

                    Raspbian is the Foundation’s official supported operating system.

                    You can install it with NOOBS or download the image below and follow our installation guide.

                    There are many newbie RPi guides on the internet.

                    or

                    Purchase an already configured hardware box offered here in the Homeseer 3 store. They are plug n play Raspberry Pi's or small footprint computers.

                    Homeseer offered the first RPi Linux automation porting the Windows version to Linux using Mono.

                    Mono is...

                    Mono is a free and open-source project to create an Ecma standard-compliant, .NET Framework-compatible software framework, including a C# compiler and a Common Language Runtime. Originally by Ximian, it was later acquired by Novell, and is now being led by Xamarin, a subsidiary of Microsoft and the .NET Foundation. The stated purpose of Mono is not only to be able to run Microsoft .NET applications cross-platform, but also to bring better development tools to Linux developers. Mono can be run on many software systems including Android, most Linux distributions, BSD, macOS, Windows, Solaris, and even some game consoles such as PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360.


                    The only way I know to short cut the main stuff is to just install a standard offered Raspberry Pi HS3 ZEE2 image, write it to an SD card using Windows and then follow the step by step booting the RPi to Linux / Homeseer 3 Lite.






                    - Pete

                    Auto mator
                    Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
                    Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
                    HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

                    HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
                    HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

                    X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

                    Comment


                      I did do the Homeseer RPi install - everything was trucking until I found out I have a HS3Pro license which is not compatible with the RPi version. I would need to downgrade the license.

                      Thanks so much...

                      Comment


                        Well you are at the easy peasy way / juncture to change the Homeseer Lite Zee2 RPi device to an HS3 Pro device.

                        If using Windows download WinSCP and Putty and install it on your windows machine.

                        Guessing you are using Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows 10.

                        The lite version of Homeseer 3 (Zee2) is the same as the Standard and Pro version of Homeseer 3.

                        The Raspberry Pi has an ARM quad core CPU with 1Gb of RAM. Speedwise it is similiar to an older Intel Core Duo with 1Gb of RAM.

                        The RPi is an impressive little computer that can do a lot for $35.

                        It is only the licensing and number of plugins that is different.

                        WinSCP is an explorer like interface written for use with Linux.

                        Putty is a terminal program which allows you to SSH to Linux.

                        Utilize WinSCP to rename the /usr/local/HomeSeer directory to /usr/local/HomeSeerLite

                        The copy over the HS3 Pro Linux directory HomeSeer to the /usr/local/HomeSeer directory on your new Raspberry Pi.

                        First time you run HS3 Pro it will ask for your license. You register it and you are good to go.

                        Ideally you want to use root to do this specifically using WinSCP rather than sudo.

                        1 - SSH to your new RPi using default username of pi and password of raspberry
                        2 - type:
                        passwd root
                        3 - log out of the RPi
                        4 - log back in as root to check your access via ssh
                        If the access with root doesn't work then log back in to the RPi with a sudo user and edit this file.

                        nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

                        just need to change one section of the file:

                        # Authentication:
                        LoginGraceTime 120
                        PermitRootLogin yes
                        # StrictModes yes

                        Change PermitRootLogin here from no to yet
                        Rem out StrickModes yes with a # symbol.

                        Save the file using control X and yes when prompted.

                        5 - if it doesn't work let me know as you may need to configure or modify the ssh configuration via command line on the RPi.

                        A disclaimer: Homeseer 3 Pro comes with plugins and some other stuff. Homeseer 3 Standard is an a la carte Homeseer which you purchase each plugin. Homeseer 3 lite or Zee2 version is limited to 5 plugins and today Homeseer touch is included in the main Homeseer program such that it doesn't count as a plugin. Some time in the future you may want to consider moving Homeseer 3 Pro to a computer with more memory and a faster CPU.

                        You may want to add Webmin to your RPi. It is an html based management program and would provide you a mechanism of management to your RPi without using SSH.

                        1 - ssh to your RPi
                        2 - type
                        sudo apt-get install perl libnet-ssleay-perl openssl libauthen-pam-perl libpam-runtime libio-pty-perl apt-show-versions python
                        3 - type
                        sudo wget hxxp://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin_1.890_all.deb
                        4 - sudo dpkg --install webmin_1.890_all.deb

                        CHANGE the wget double xx to double tt.

                        It takes a while to install. Once installed you can go to the Webmin management interface from any computer with a browser.
                        Last edited by Pete; September 15, 2018, 04:33 PM.
                        - Pete

                        Auto mator
                        Homeseer 3 Pro - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e 64 bit Intel Haswell CPU 16Gb
                        Homeseer Zee2 (Lite) - 3.0.0.548 (Linux) - Ubuntu 18.04/W7e - CherryTrail x5-Z8350 BeeLink 4Gb BT3 Pro
                        HS4 Lite - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenovo Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram

                        HS4 Pro - V4.1.18.1 - Ubuntu 22.04 / Lenova Tiny M900 / 32Gb Ram
                        HSTouch on Intel tabletop tablets (Jogglers) - Asus AIO - Windows 11

                        X10, UPB, Zigbee, ZWave and Wifi MQTT automation-Tasmota-Espurna. OmniPro 2, Russound zoned audio, Alexa, Cheaper RFID, W800 and Home Assistant

                        Comment


                          Thank you to the many people who have worked on this in the past. Based on this thread, I got HS3 (still on the demo license) running on a Ubuntu Virtual machine.

                          In case anyone else wants to use this - this is my current config:

                          HS3 ()
                          Code:
                          user@host:~/homeseer/HomeSeer$ cat /etc/lsb-release
                          DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
                          DISTRIB_RELEASE=16.04
                          DISTRIB_CODENAME=xenial
                          DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 16.04.5 LTS"
                          Using information from the various pages of this thread, here's the list that I had to install.
                          Note that I deliberately did not install mono-complete, since I know of other conflicts that would arise if i did mono-complete
                          Code:
                           apt install mono-vbnc libmono-system-web4.0.cil libmono-system-design4.0.cil libmono-system-web-extensions4.0-cil libmono-system-runtime-caching4.0-cil libmono-system-data-datasetextensions4.0-cil libmono-system-xml-linq4.0-cil flite
                          Note: libmono-system-data-datasetextensions4.0-cil & libmono-system-xml-linq4.0-cil are required to be able to call the VB scripts from the command line.

                          I also got systemd setup to start and stop HS3, and run as non-root.I pushed the webserver to a custom >1024 port (5555 in my examples below)

                          Code:
                          [Unit]
                          Description=HomeSeer HS3 Home Automation Server
                          After=network.target
                          
                          [Service]
                          User=username
                          Group=myuserGroup
                          CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
                          WorkingDirectory=/home/username/homeseer/HomeSeer
                          ExecStart=/usr/bin/mono /home/username/homeseer/HomeSeer/HSConsole.exe --log
                          ExecStop=/home/username/homeseer/HomeSeer/stop_homeseer.sh
                          Restart=on-failure
                          TimeoutStopSec=90
                          
                          [Install]
                          WantedBy=multi-user.target
                          The stop_homeseer.sh has some code from earlier in this threadm which makes a JSON call into HS3

                          Code:
                          #!/bin/bash
                          
                          /usr/bin/curl --user username:password 'http://localhost:5555/JSON?request=runevent&group=[COLOR=#0000FF]Admin[/COLOR]&name=[COLOR=#008000]RunShutdownScript[/COLOR]'
                          sleep 15s
                          Inside HS3 is an event called RunShutdownScript under a Group named Admin like so:

                          Click image for larger version

Name:	2.png
Views:	1093
Size:	28.3 KB
ID:	1277891

                          and do_shutdown.vb contains this (also from a earlier post)

                          Code:
                          sub Main(parm as object)
                            hs.WriteLog("DoShutdown", "Starting shutdown from script....")
                            hs.Shutdown
                          End Sub
                          Thanks again folks!

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by Pete View Post
                            Mono is a free and open-source project to create an Ecma standard-compliant, .NET Framework-compatible software framework, including a C# compiler and a Common Language Runtime. Originally by Ximian, it was later acquired by Novell, and is now being led by Xamarin, a subsidiary of Microsoft and the .NET Foundation. The stated purpose of Mono is not only to be able to run Microsoft .NET applications cross-platform, but also to bring better development tools to Linux developers. Mono can be run on many software systems including Android, most Linux distributions, BSD, macOS, Windows, Solaris, and even some game consoles such as PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360.[/I]
                            So in theory someday one should be able to develop HomeSeer plugin modules directly on Linux, or one of the other supported platforms instead of requiring Windows as one needs now. At that point HS should be able to update their other support modules, such as Z-Seer+, so they run on other platforms.

                            When that happens I'll upgrade from Standard to Pro. It can't come soon enough.

                            HomeSeer Version: HS3 Standard Edition 3.0.0.548
                            Linux version: Linux auto 4.15.0-72-generic #81-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 26 12:20:02 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
                            Number of Devices: 484 | Number of Events: 776

                            Enabled Plug-Ins: 3.0.0.13: AirplaySpeak | 2.0.61.0: BLBackup
                            3.0.0.70: EasyTrigger | 1.3.7006.42100: LiftMaster MyQ
                            4.2.3.0: mcsMQTT | 3.0.0.53: PHLocation2 | 0.0.0.47: Pushover 3P
                            3.0.0.16: RaspberryIO | 3.0.1.262: Z-Wave

                            Z-Net version: 1.0.23 for Inclusion Nodes
                            SmartStick+: 6.04 (ZDK 6.81.3) on Server

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Timon View Post
                              So in theory someday one should be able to develop HomeSeer plugin modules directly on Linux, or one of the other supported platforms instead of requiring Windows as one needs now. At that point HS should be able to update their other support modules, such as Z-Seer+, so they run on other platforms.

                              When that happens I'll upgrade from Standard to Pro. It can't come soon enough.
                              It's not in theory it can be done today. I have done some of my development purely on Linux for plugins and a lot of it on Windows. As it stands today Visual Studio is much better than MonoDevelop for an IDE to work with. It comes down mostly to convenience and ease of development for me. I prefer Linux for my servers but Windows has a better develop setup for .NET

                              What would be the holy grail of this would be for HS to move away from Mono and use .NET Core which is native for Windows and Linux and to re-architect the system to split out the components and to split out the web server and use a standard native .NET Core web server along with the rest of HS components. Modularize HS so that it could be more decentralized and have more horizontal growth capability. The ability of remote plugins is only the tip of the ice burg of capabilities.

                              Comment


                                I thought I read that someplace .NET Core was going to eventually replace Mono so developers that want to develop cross platform can do so not only Windows and Linux but the Mac, other systems and even some IoT applications.

                                I really think that HS needs more help, i.e., .NET programmers, so they can push things along. I also believe that there are several here that are more than qualified to help and might do much the way that some do Open Source. I'm not saying that HS should go Open Source but maybe some "consideration" to some volunteer programmers, under very tight NDAs, might really push things along.

                                Just a thought.
                                HomeSeer Version: HS3 Standard Edition 3.0.0.548
                                Linux version: Linux auto 4.15.0-72-generic #81-Ubuntu SMP Tue Nov 26 12:20:02 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
                                Number of Devices: 484 | Number of Events: 776

                                Enabled Plug-Ins: 3.0.0.13: AirplaySpeak | 2.0.61.0: BLBackup
                                3.0.0.70: EasyTrigger | 1.3.7006.42100: LiftMaster MyQ
                                4.2.3.0: mcsMQTT | 3.0.0.53: PHLocation2 | 0.0.0.47: Pushover 3P
                                3.0.0.16: RaspberryIO | 3.0.1.262: Z-Wave

                                Z-Net version: 1.0.23 for Inclusion Nodes
                                SmartStick+: 6.04 (ZDK 6.81.3) on Server

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X