RaspArch Rpi4 Build 221127 :: Run Arch Linux on your new Raspberry Pi 4 computer :: Install it using Rufus 3.20, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher in Windows!

Posted on November 27, 2022 by exton

rasparch-logoRaspArch Build 221127 especially for the new Raspberry Pi 4 released in May 2020
This version (221127) is especially made for the “new” Raspberry Pi 4, but it can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

NEWS 221202
I have uploaded a new version of RaspArch after I’ve discovered a better way to configure the system. I.e. I’ve replaced /boot/config.txt with this file. The new configuration makes the system automatically choose the best possible resolution for your monitor. Watch this screenshot when I’m using a 3440×1440 (Ultrawide) monitor.
NOTE: If you already have installed RaspArch Build 221127 you don’t have to reinstall. Just replace /boot/config.txt with the one I’ve provided – see above. Then reboot. You will probably notice a big difference.

RaspArch is a “remaster” of Arch Linux ARM. The original compressed system is of about 230 MB. After I have added the LXDE Desktop environment, PulseAudio, Firefox, Yay, Gimp and NetworkManager the system has increased a lot. RaspArch is a “ready-to-go” ARM system. It must be installed on a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or Raspberry Pi 2 Model B computer.

Most important change in version 221127: Use Rufus 3.20 to install RaspArch to the SD card
This version can be installed in Windows using Rufus 3.20, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. Previous versions could only be installed when running a Linux system. Using Rufus or Win32 Disk Imager has one disadvantage though. Only about 2GB can be used as data storage no matter which card you use. The system is of 6GB and the system partition of 8GB. If you use a card of 128GB about 122GB will be unused. A few month ago a member on this site wrote about how to get rid of the 6GB limit after Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher has been used:
– write the image with Rufus 3.21
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– screenshot during resizing
– resize the DATA (/dev/sdb2 ext4) partition – screenshot after resizing
– done!
This screenshot shows that RaspArch now has about 113GB free storage. NOTE (very important): You should do the resizing directly after you have transferred the image to your SD card. That is if you don’t think that 2GB (8GB – 6GB) is enough for new installations etc.

Writing the image using Rufus 3.21. See the screenshot below.

UPGRADE RaspArch
If you have downloaded and installed one of my previous versions of RaspArch before you can still use the Micro SD Card with RaspArch on the new Raspberry Pi 4 after a full upgrade of the system. Commands: pacman -Sy followed by pacman -Syu. Most important the old kernel will automatically be replaced by kernel 5.15.79-2-rpi-ARCH.
NOTE: After such an upgrade LightDM Display Manager will be unusable (for some unknown reason). Therefore you should uninstall LightDM and replace it with SLiM.
Commands: sudo pacman -R lightdm followed by sudo pacman -S slim.

NEWS in RaspArch Build 221127
A new kernel – 5.15.79-2-rpi-ARCH. All included packages have been updated to the latest version as of 221202. I’ve also replaced Yaourt with Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper Written in Go. I came to know that Yaourt is dead. I.e. Yaourt is not being developed anymore. I have also installed PulseAudio. I’ve replaced the LightDM Display Manager with SLiM. Finally the sound works very well in RaspArch. Nice if you like YouTube. I’ve also replaced Wicd with NetworkManager. It works better. NOTE: To be able to install Yay I had to install a lot of development tools.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

The Raspberry Pi 4 made in May 2020. It has:

– 2x USB 3.0 ports
– 2x USB 2.0 ports
– Gigabit Ethernet
– Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
– 40-pin GPIO header
– 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
– H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
– H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
– OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
– DSI display port
– CSI camera port
– Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
– Micro-SD card slot
– USB-C power
– 2GB, 4GB or 8GB RAM

Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

More about RaspArch
When you have installed RaspArch to your Micro SD Card you can use the system like any other Arch Linux system. I.e. install new programs etc. Arch motto is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). RaspArch uses kernel 5.15.79-2-rpi-ARCH and the LXDE Desktop environment.

Login and passwords
After the boot process is ready you will end up at SliM’s login page – see the screenshot below. Log in as the ordinary user archpi with password raspberry or as root with password root. While logged in as archpi you can use Sudo to become root. Example commands: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm.

Program Management in Arch Linux
Arch Linux uses a proprietary system called Pacman. It is similar to that found in CRUX Linux. Read about Pacman.
You can also read all the documentation on Arch Linux. Seven commands are basically the only ones you need to use:
1) pacman -Sy (update the packages database)
2) pacman-key –refresh-keys
3) pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring
4) pacman -Syu (upgrading the whole system)
5) pacman -S MyUsefulProgram (the package installation command)
6) pacman -R UnnecessaryProgram (uninstall a package).
7) pacman -S –overwrite MyUsefulProgram (in case you get an error about “conflicting packages”)
8) pacman -Scc (clean pacman cache)
Very simple!
Note1: You can also use Yay – see below.

Using Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper
If you want to install certain special packages you can/must install Yay. Study this tutorial about how to install and use Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper Written in Go. Note: Yay is pre-installed in RaspArch Build 220216. If you want to install new packages through Yay you’ll have to run the command su archpi before yay -S MyNeededProgram. If you’re not logged in as the ordinary user archpi. (You can’t run Yay as root). Watch a screenshot when I’m installing SMPlayer using Yay.

How do I install RaspArch?
Use Rufus 3.20, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher – see above. Unzip the downloaded file rasparch-rpi4-exton-2630mb-221127.zip. You will get the image file rasparch-rpi4-exton-8000mb-221127.img which is the file you shall install to your micro SD card.

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also SanDisk MicroSD Ultra 128GB Class 10. Write speed up to 100 MB/s. NOTE: If you can’t run RaspArch at all you should try with a new “better” card.

Wireless connections
Just use NetworkManager, add your password and connect.

Installing/using Samba
A way to reach your Windows computers in your home network is to install Samba. Command: pacman -S samba gvfs gvfs-smb sshfs
Then start Samba with the command systemctl start smb.service nmb.service
After that you can connect to your Windows computers via PCManFM – watch this screenshot. (My Raspberry Pi 4 running RaspArch is connected to one of my computers in my home network). NOTE: Samba is already installed and configured in RaspArch Build 221127. Just run the command sudo systemctl enable smb.service nmb.service. You may have to reboot your Rpi before you can use Samba.

Sound in RaspArch
In Build 221127 I’ve installed alsa-utils, PulseAudio and Pavucontrol. The sound works alright now. From Arch Linux for Raspberry Pi Wiki I learned this. If you want/need sound in RaspArch you should follow the instruction below. Run the following command: amixer cset numid=3 X
Where X corresponds to:
0 for Auto
1 for Analog out
2 for HDMIAdd the following lines to /boot/config.txt
dtparam=audio=on
and
audio_pwm_mode=2 (if you use the 3.5mm analogue output)

WHO should run Arch Linux/RaspArch?
My answer: The system fits the “advanced” Linux user/enthusiast, who would be willing to run an occasional command from time to time.

BENEFITS of Arch Linux/RaspArch
“Cutting Edge”-software and speed. A member on this site recently wrote this about RaspArch: I’ve used Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, Ubuntu & Arch. I prefer Arch. Ubuntu is easier to install, Arch is easier to keep up to date. You do not go through big, painful, changes every year instead you just update, once in a while, make changes if instructed. Arch has most of the benefits of Gentoo without the pain of recompiling _everything_. When you do need to build a package in Arch its painless especially if you use one of the tools that support AUR (I like Yay). Arch avoids the politics of Debian and Ubuntu and delivers a great Linux distribution. RaspArch now brings these advantages to the Pi 2.

Study all installed packages in RaspArch

SCREENSHOTS
Screenshot 1 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as archpi
Screenshot 2 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as root
Screenshot 3 – Using Yay (while installing SMPlayer)
Screenshot 4 – Samba connection to a Windows computer
Screenshot 5 – showing that you can watch 4K videos using Firefox

DOWNLOAD (rasparch-rpi4-exton-2630mb-221202.zip) for free from SourceForge.net.

md5sum

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 11 (with GAPPS), AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in RaspArch, Raspberry Pi systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

RaspAnd 12 (Android 12) for Raspberry Pi 4 with Google Play Services, Spotify, Bluetooth, F-Droid Store, AIDA64, Firefox and Clash of Clans pre-installed :: Build 220419

Posted on April 19, 2022 by exton

ABOUT RaspAnd 12 – Build 220419
RaspAnd 12 runs very well on a Raspberry Pi 4. I.e. the system is pretty responsive if you use a micro SD card of good quality. RaspAnd 12 has the following apps pre-installed: Google Play Services (and some other Google apps), Spotify, Firefox Browser (so you can watch YouTube), F-Droid (Free and Open Source App Repository), Clash of Clans and Aida64. You’ll need Google Play Services for some games to work. Among them Clash of Clans.

ABOUT Android 12, which was released 211004…
Read also an article about The Evolution of Android  – List of Android Versions and Release Dates.

PLEASE NOTE that you must be aware of the fact that the Raspberry Pi 4 computer has its limitations and that Android 12 is a very advanced Linux system. Having said that I must also say that the apps I have included in this Build (see above) work very well.

Startup of RaspAnd 12 Build 220419
The first thing you will see on the screen is this boot animation.

If you do not see this animation you haven’t installed RaspAnd correctly on the SD card. (Please use Rufus 3.18 in Windows for the installation to the SD Card).

My sources
You can find my sources for RaspAnd 12 here. Following those instructions you can build your own “RaspAnd” system.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

About sound
You’ll have to use the 3.5mm jack and connect speakers. Press the F9 key on your keyboard to change the volume.

MORE NEWS 220419 ABOUT RaspAnd 12
RaspAnd 12 can be installed to a Micro SD card (preferable a class 10 card) in Windows 10/11 using Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. You can alternatively (of course) use the dd-command in a Linux system. Unzip the downloaded file raspand-android-12-rpi4-1260mb-220419.zip. Then open a terminal and run the command dd if=raspand-android-12-rpi4-8600mb-220419.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4MiB
(Change X to b, d or…).

Using Rufus it will look like this.



Using GParted to increase the data partition
As I said above RaspAnd 12 can be installed in Windows using Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. This method has one disadvantage. Only about about 5GB can be used as data storage no matter which card you use. Now say, for example, that you use Micro SD card (preferable a class 10 card) of 128GB about 123GB will be “wasted”. You can, however, change that with the help of GParted. See below how to do it.

How to get rid of the 5GB limit after Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher has been used:
– write the image with Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– insert your card
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– resize the DATA partition – screenshot after resizing
– done!

Or watch this screenshot – see below.

Kernel
Kernel 5.10.95-v8+ is used in RaspAnd 12 Build 220419.

WiFi support
The newer versions of RaspAnd has excellent support for WiFi (on Raspberry Pi 4, 3 Model B and Model B+). Previous problems with the WiFi connection are gone. I.e. the WiFi connection will automatically be re-established after every reboot. Just go to Settings/Network and connect.

SCREENSHOTS
1. Your first screen after boot
2. Your second screen after boot – you must choose to set up your Network connection offline
3. Your third screen after boot – choose your language (works very well)
4. The Desktop with all pre-installed apps
5. F-Droid running
6. Spotify running
7. Termux running (installing Android Debug Bridge – adb/Android Tools)
8. Clash of Clans running
9. A Chess game running
10. AIDA64 running and showing the system features

Two for one
When buying this version of RaspAnd you will also get RaspAnd 11, which has Google Play Store and Netflix pre-installed. Which RaspAnd 12 (yet) doesn’t have.

DOWNLOAD
raspand-android-12-rpi4-1260mb-220419.zip AND raspand-android-11-rpi4-GAPPS-netflix-spotify-bluetooth-1070mb-210321.zip

md5sum for RaspAnd 12 – Build 220419
md5sum for RaspAnd 11 – Build 210321

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 11; 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 11 (with GAPPS), AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!


Posted in Android, Exton Linux, RaspAnd | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

RaspEX Rpi4 based on upcoming Ubuntu 22.04 LTS “Jammy Jellyfish” with LXDE, kernel 5.15.24-exton-v7l+, Raspotify, RealVNC, PuTTy, Samba and Bluetooth :: Build 220228

Posted on February 28, 2022 by exton

NEWS 220228 about RaspEX with LXDE based on upcoming Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish.
I have upgraded the whole system and replaced the old kernel 5.10.87-exton-v7l+ with kernel 5.15.24-exton-v7l+. RaspEX Build 220228 is a Linux ARM (32bit) system for Raspberry Pi 4 with 2GB/4GB/8GB RAM and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. It is based on Debian, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Linaro (Open Source software for ARM SoCs). Both Firefox and Chromium Browser are pre-installed. I have also installed Samba and RealVNC so you can connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 4 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). Furthermore some extra Network Tools, SMTube (YouTube browser which allows to browse, search and play YouTube videos), PulseAudio for better sound in YouTube and Raspotify – Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi that just works. Study all installed packages in RaspEX Build 220228.

Most IMPORTANT News/Changes in Build 220228
1. I have installed an old version of Chromium with DRM/Widevine support, which means that you can watch Netflix (and possibly also HBO, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, etc.) using the Chromium Browser. I did that following the instructions here.
2. In this build of RaspEX you can also run Chromium/Firefox logged in as root. You will have sound, which you normally won’t have as root on Debian/Ubuntu systems.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…


The Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB RAM made in May 2020. It has:

  • 2x USB 3.0 ports
  • 2x USB 2.0 ports
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
  • 40-pin GPIO header
  • 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
  • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
  • H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
  • OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
  • DSI display port
  • CSI camera port
  • Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
  • Micro-SD card slot
  • USB-C power
  • 8GB RAM

More about RaspEX
RaspEX is a full Linux Desktop system with LXDE (an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment) with many other useful programs pre-installed. Firefox and Chromium are used as Web Browsers and Synaptic as Package Manager. You can use Samba and RealVNC to connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 4 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). You can use Synaptic to install any extra packages you may need. For example LibreOffice. RaspEX uses Ubuntu’s software repositories so you can install thousands of extra packages if you want.

Kernels
Kernel 5.15.24-exton-v7l+ (for Rpi 4) and 5.15.24-exton-v7+ (for Rpi 3/2) are used in Build 220228.

Why shall I use RaspEX?
Eight Operating Systems are recommended by Raspberrypi.org. Among them Noobs, Raspbian (Debian Bullseye) and Snappy Ubuntu Core. RaspEX is faster (“fast as lightning”), more useful and more fun to use. (In my opinion). One member at this site thought that running RaspEX (for Raspberry Pi 2 Model B) was like running Raspberry Pi on “steroids“. If you use the new Raspberry Pi 4 RaspEX will run even faster!

How do I install RaspEX in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-3070mb-220228.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-8000mb-220228.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 16GB. For that you shall use Rufus 3.17 in Windows. It will look like this.

How do I install RaspEX in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-8000mb-220228.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also SanDisk MicroSD Ultra 128GB Class 10. Write speed up to 100 MB/s. NOTE: If you can’t run RaspEX at all you should try with a new “better” card.

How do I use RaspEX?
When you start up your Raspberry Mini computer with RaspEX you will (after a few seconds) end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user raspex. The password for raspex is raspex. When logged in as raspex you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. The password for root (superuser) is root. You can log out from LXDE and log in again as root (if you want). This is how it looks at SLiM‘s login page.

You can log in as root with password root. You can of course also create a new ordinary user if you want. Command: /usr/sbin/adduser MyNewUser. If you don’t want to be automatically logged in as raspex you shall edit /etc/slim.conf.

When logged in as the ordinary user raspex your Desktop will look like this.

Click to view a larger picture

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 32 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when raspi-config is running.

Create a SWAP file
Run the command sudo dphys-swapfile setup
A SWAP file of 2 GB will be created. Then run the command dphys-swapfile swapon Very useful if you want to run many programs at the same time. If you forget to run said command a SWAP file of 2 GB will be created automatically after a reboot.

Error no_pubkey when trying to upgrade the system
When you run the command sudo apt-get update it can happen that you can’t update the sources due to missing pub_keys. The solution is to run the following commands.
$ cd /var/lib/apt
$ sudo mv lists lists.old
$ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
$ sudo apt update

After that you can run apt-get update with success even though you still will get the same “no_pubkey” errors. Don’t worry. This error won’t prevent you from upgrading the system regularly with the command sudo apt upgrade.

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 4 has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN.

How to use Raspotify
Raspotify (Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi
that just works) is pre-installed and immediately ready for connections. You’ll need a
Spotify Premium account in order to connect to for example your mobile phone running Spotify.
1. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing Devices available when RaspEX is running
2. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing the possibility to connect to Raspotify
3. Screenshot of my mobile phone when Raspotify is connected and running

About SSH, PuTTY, Samba, RealVNC and VNC Viewer
SSH, PuTTy (Telnet/SSH client for X), Samba and RealVNC are pre-installed in RaspEX Build 220228. You need to install PuTTy and and VNC Viewer in your Windows system if you want to connect to RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4 from Windows. (Please read the developers information about how to configure PuTTy and VNC Viewer).

Bluetooth connections – working in Build 220228
It seems difficult (maybe impossible) to use the “built in” Bluetooth adapter running RaspEX on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. Using a Bluetooth dongle for example Asus USB-BT400 dongle on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 you should have no trouble using Bluetooth in RaspEX. Using the new Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ it should be easier to use Bluetooth. NOTE: In RaspEX LXDE Build 220228 Bluetooth works alright.
1. Showing “paring” with my Android phone
2. Showing the sending process of a file from RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4 to my Android phone
3. Showing the sending process of a file from my Android phone to RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4

View all installed packages in RaspEX – Build 220228

SCREENSHOTS
Screenshot 1 – raspex’s Desktop 220228
Screenshot 2 – root’s Desktop 220228
Screenshot 3 – running Netflix in Chromium
Screenshot 4 – showing that hardware acceleration is enabled
Screenshot 5 – showing how to configure sound using Pavucontrol
Screenshot 6 – RaspEX connected to Windows 10 via PuTTy
Screenshot 7 – RaspEX “running on” Windows 10 with VNC-viewer
Screenshot 8 – RaspEX using Pavucontrol (for sound control)
Screenshot 9 – RaspEX running Raspotify

DOWNLOAD – raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-3070mb-220228.zip from SourceForge.net

md5sum for raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-3070mb-220228.zip

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

READ also about my RaspEX Build 210109 (for Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 Model B, Model B+ and 2 Model B) with OpenCPN pre-installed
OpenCPN is a free software (GPLv2) project to create a concise chart plotter and navigation software, for use underway or as a planning tool. OpenCPN is developed by a team of active sailors using real world conditions for program testing and refinement.

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Raspberry Pi systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yet another version of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit :: Now based on Debian 11 with the LXQt Desktop and Kodi 19.3 “Matrix” :: Build 220221

Posted on February 21, 2022 by exton

NEWS 220221 about RaspEX Kodi 64-bit
I’ve made a new extra version of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit. This version is based on Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) and Debian Bullseye (Debian 11 stable). The LXDE Desktop is replaced with LXQt 0.16.0 which has a more “modern look” than LXDE. Historically, LXQt is the product of the merge between LXDE-Qt, an initial Qt flavour of LXDE, and Razor-qt, a project aiming to develop a Qt based desktop environment with similar objectives as the current LXQt. In RaspEX Kodi Build 220221 I’ve upgraded Kodi to version 19.3 Matrix since it has reached the “stable stage”. You can now much easier install extra repositories. Read about the best Kodi repos 2022.

NEW FEATURES
NOTE1: This RaspEX Kodi 64bit version has DRM support in the Chromium Browser. It means that you can use Chromium to play Netflix videos and also run Spotify Web Player! Possibly other videos too, but I haven’t tried any (yet).
NOTE2: Build 220221 (64bit) is missing the Netflix add-on in Kodi. Widevine CDM (which is necessary for Netflix to work) is not available natively on ARM64. As regards the Chromium Browser (DRM support) I solved the problem by installing a 32bit version of Chromium!
Note3: I’ve also enabled VIDEO ACCELERATION in this version of RaspEX Kodi, which means that the video playback is pretty smooth. Watch this screenshot, which shows that the 3D drivers are loaded.

Study all installed packages in Build 220221…

Log in to LXQt or Kodi
After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login screen. It will look like this – see below. Log in as pi with password raspberry. (You cannot log in as root from LightDM). You can, however, log in to the LXQt Desktop as root if you press the keys Ctrl Alt F1 (or F2) simultaneously. You will then go into console mode (text-mode). Log in as root with password root. Then run the command startx.

You can also log in to Kodi directly from LightDM if you want. While inside LXQt you can change to the Kodi Desktop environment. You can run Kodi on the LXQt Desktop like any other program or run it in full screen. Just change Kodi’s Settings from Windowed to Fullscreen. Watch this screenshot.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when raspi-config is running.
1. Screenshot showing filesystem size before resizing
2. Screenshot showing filesystem size after resizing

Your monitor/screen resolution
If you experience problems with the screen resolution you may have to make some changes in /boot/config.txt. The eight last lines in /boot/config.txt have the following content.
## exton
# Enable DRM VC4 V3D driver
# dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344
max_framebuffers=2
arm_64bit=1
enable_uart=1
## exton end
My screen resolution is 3440×1440. If you have for example 1920×1080 you should change the line dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344 to dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-192.

Used kernel
5.15.24-exton-v8+ (for Rpi 4). This RaspEX Kodi 64bit version is only for Raspberry Pi 4.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The LXQt Desktop running as user pi
2. The LXQt Desktop running as root
3. Kodi 19.3 system info
4. Netflix running in the Chromium Browser
5. Spotify running in the Chromium Browser
6. Kodi running showing some add-ons. (The Diamond Wizard repository is not included)

READ MORE…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Raspberry Pi systems, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “final” versions of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit/32-bit :: Now based on Debian 11 stable with the LXQt Desktop and Kodi 19.3 “Matrix” stable with the Netflix add on :: Build 220221/220218

Posted on February 18, 2022 by exton

NEWS 220221 about RaspEX Kodi 64-bit
I’ve made a new extra version of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit. This version is based on Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) and Debian Bullseye (Debian 11 stable). The LXDE Desktop is replaced with LXQt 0.16.0 which has a more “modern look” than LXDE. Historically, LXQt is the product of the merge between LXDE-Qt, an initial Qt flavour of LXDE, and Razor-qt, a project aiming to develop a Qt based desktop environment with similar objectives as the current LXQt. In RaspEX Kodi Build 220221 I’ve upgraded Kodi to version 19.3 Matrix since it has reached the “stable stage”. You can now much easier install extra repositories. Read about the best Kodi repos 2022.

NEW FEATURES in Build 220221
NOTE1: This RaspEX Kodi 64bit version has DRM support in the Chromium Browser. It means that you can use Chromium to play Netflix videos and also run Spotify Web Player! Possibly other videos too, but I haven’t tried any (yet).
NOTE2: Build 220221 (64bit) is missing the Netflix add-on in Kodi. Widevine CDM (which is necessary for Netflix to work) is not available natively on ARM64. As regards the Chromium Browser (DRM support) I solved the problem by installing a 32bit version of Chromium!
NOTE3: I’ve also enabled VIDEO ACCELERATION in this version of RaspEX Kodi, which means that the video playback is pretty smooth. Watch this screenshot, which shows that the 3D drivers are loaded.

Study all installed packages in Build 220221…

READ MORE about RaspEX Kodi 64-bit…

NEWS 220218 about RaspEX Kodi 32-bit
I’ve made a new version of RaspEX Kodi 32-bit. This version is based on Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) and Debian Bullseye (Debian 11 stable). The LXDE Desktop is replaced with LXQt 0.16.0 which has a more “modern look” than LXDE. Historically, LXQt is the product of the merge between LXDE-Qt, an initial Qt flavour of LXDE, and Razor-qt, a project aiming to develop a Qt based desktop environment with similar objectives as the current LXQt. In RaspEX Kodi Build 220218 I’ve upgraded Kodi to version 19.3 Matrix since it has reached the “stable stage” . It was therefore now possible to install the Netflix add-on among many other add-ons. You can now also much easier install extra repositories. Read about the best Kodi repos 2022.

REPLACEMENT and NEW FEATURES
This RaspEX Kodi Build (220218) replaces all five (5) previous versions of RaspEX Kodi. Also the 64bit-version. (I’m planning to make a new 64bit-version soon). The great thing with this RaspEX Kodi version is that it has DRM support in the Chromium Browser. It means that you can use Chromium to play Netflix videos and also run Spotify Web Player! Possibly other videos too, which I haven’t tried. Watch a screenshot when Netflix is running. Watch a screenshot when Spotify is running. I’ve also enabled VIDEO ACCELERATION in RaspEX Kodi, which means that the video playback is pretty smooth. Watch this screenshot, which shows that the 3D drivers are loaded. There is almost no need for Kodi in RaspEX anymore since the Chromium Browser works so well. (Excellent video and sound performance).

Study all installed packages in Build 220218…

History
My first version of RaspEX Kodi from 190124 was a replacement for RaspEX Kodi with OSMC, which was released 190117. Sam Nazarko (founder of OSMC) contacted me 190118 claiming that I was “violating” his rights to the trademark OSMC and the rules in GPLv2. I don’t think I did, but I’m also very tired. Therefore I made a new version (190124) of RaspEX Kodi without any traces of OSMC. I would say that version 190124, 190321, 190803, 191117, 200210, 200726 and 210211/210205/210208/210301/210829/220218 are as good as the old one from 190117. I.e. excellent video and sound performance both in Kodi and LXQt. For version 190124 I charged 9 $. My new versions (210829/2103017210211/210205/210904/220218) can be downloaded for free from SourceForge.net. People should not refrain from downloading RaspEX Kodi because of the money issue. I want all Linux and Raspberry Pi enthusiasts to enjoy the system. It runs very well on a the new Raspberry Pi 4. I.e. fast and responsive. Especially on the Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB or 8GB RAM – released May 2020 (8GB). RaspEX Kodi Build 220218 can also run on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Raspberry 3 Model B+ and Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. I’ve included an extra kernel for that. The system will automatically determine which Raspberry Pi you are using and load the correct kernel.
NOTE: All previous versions of RaspEX Kodi are replaced by version 220218.

How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file raspex-rpi4-32bit-kodi19.3-lxqt-netflix-3020mb-220218.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-rpi4-32bit-kodi19.3-lxqt-netflix-8000mb-220218.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 16GB. For that you shall use Rufus 3.17 in Windows. When running Rufus it will look like this.



How do I install RaspEX Kodi in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-rpi4-32bit-kodi19.3-lxqt-netflix-8000mb-220218.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Log in to LXQt or Kodi
After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login screen. It will look like this – see below. Log in as pi with password raspberry or as root (“other”) with password root. You can log in to Kodi directly from LightDM if you want. While inside LXQt you can change to the Kodi Desktop environment. You can run Kodi on the LXQt Desktop like any other program or run it in full screen. Just change Kodi’s Settings from Windowed to Fullscreen. Watch this screenshot.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when raspi-config is running.
1. Screenshot showing filesystem size before resizing
2. Screenshot showing filesystem size after resizing

API and Authentication keys
Google and Netflix make it more and more difficult to use the YouTube and Netflix add-ons in Kodi. They demand API and Authentication keys. As regards YouTube I’ve managed to solve the problem permanently. I think I’ve done it with Netflix too. If Netflix doesn’t work for you in Kodi you’ll have to create your Authentication key yourself. Follow this instruction.
1. Read this INFO site. Then do this:
2. Download NFAuthenticationKey_Linux.zip
3. unzip NFAuthenticationKey_Linux.zip
4. cd NFAuthenticationKey_Linux
5. Run the script with the command python3 NFAuthenticationKey.py – screenshot
6. Follow the instructions on the screen and save your Authentication key in /home/pi
7. Remember to take a note of the created four-digit PIN code
8. Open the Netflix addon in Kodi and choose to login with the the Authentication key you have created – screenshot
9. Find your Authentication key in /home/pi – screenshot
10. Give Netflix you password – done! – screenshot.
NOTE: If Netflix doesn’t work for you in Kodi you can always watch Netflix using Chromium.

Your monitor/screen resolution
If you experience problems with the screen resolution you may have to make some changes in /boot/config.txt. The ten last lines in /boot/config.txt have the following content.
## exton
[pi4]
# Enable DRM VC4 V3D driver on top of the dispmanx display stack
# dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344
# dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d-pi4
enable_uart=1
max_framebuffers=2
gpu_mem=128
## exton end
My screen resolution is 3440×1440. If you have for example 1920×1080 you should change the line dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344 to dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-192.

WiFi connections
Go to Menu >> Preferences >> Advanced Network Configuration and add your credentials. Then run the command sudo dhclient wlan0 (to get an IP-address).
Watch this screenshot.

Used kernels
5.15.24-exton-v8+ (Build 220221), 5.15.23-exton-v7l+ (for Rpi 4) and 5.15.23-v7+ (for Rpi 3 and 2). NOTE: Build 220221 can only run on Raspberry Pi 4.

The system will automatically determine which Raspberry Pi you are using and load the correct kernel.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The LXQt Desktop running as user pi showing that the 3D drivers are loaded
2. The LXQt Desktop running as root
3. RaspEX Kodi 19.3 system info
4. Kodi running showing some add-ons
5. Netflix is running in the Chromium Browser
6. Spotify Web Player is running in Chromium

DOWNLOAD raspex-rpi4-32bit-kodi19.3-lxqt-netflix-3020mb-220218.zip and raspex-rpi4-64bit-kodi19.3-lxqt-2730mb-220221.zip

md5sum for RaspEX Kodi Build 220218
md5sum for RaspEX Kodi Build 220221

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Kodi is a trademark of XBMC Foundation

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Raspberry Pi systems, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RaspArch Rpi4 Build 220216 :: Run Arch Linux on your new Raspberry Pi 4 computer :: Install it using Rufus 3.17, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher in Windows!

Posted on February 16, 2022 by exton

rasparch-logoRaspArch Build 220216 especially for the new Raspberry Pi 4 released in May 2020
This version (220216) is especially made for the new Raspberry Pi 4, but it can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

RaspArch is a “remaster” of Arch Linux ARM. The original compressed system is of about 230 MB. After I have added the LXDE Desktop environment, PulseAudio, Firefox, Yay, Gimp and NetworkManager the system has increased a lot. RaspArch is a “ready-to-go” ARM system. It must be installed on a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or Raspberry Pi 2 Model B computer.

Most important change in version 220216: Use Rufus 3.17 to install RaspArch to the SD card
This version can be installed in Windows using Rufus 3.17, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. Previous versions could only be installed when running a Linux system. Using Rufus or Win32 Disk Imager has one disadvantage though. Only about 300MB can be used as data storage no matter which card you use. The system is of 5GB and the system partition of 6GB. If you use a card of 128GB about 123GB will be unused. A few month ago a member on this site wrote about how to get rid of the 6GB limit after Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher has been used:
– write the image with Rufus 3.17
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– screenshot during resizing
– resize the DATA (/dev/sdb2 ext4) partition – screenshot after resizing
– done!
This screenshot shows that RaspArch now has about 113GB free storage. NOTE (very important): You should do the resizing directly after you have transferred the image to your SD card. That is if you don’t think that 1GB (6GB – 5GB) is enough for new installations etc.

Writing the image using Rufus 3.17. See the screenshot below.



UPGRADE RaspArch
If you have downloaded and installed one of my previous versions of RaspArch before you can still use the Micro SD Card with RaspArch on the new Raspberry Pi 4 after a full upgrade of the system. Commands: pacman -Sy followed by pacman -Syu. Most important the old kernel will automatically be replaced by kernel 5.15.21-3-rpi-ARCH.

NEWS in RaspArch Build 220216
A new kernel – 5.15.21-3-rpi-ARCH. All included packages have been updated to the latest version as of 220216. I’ve also replaced Yaourt with Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper Written in Go. I came to know that Yaourt is dead. I.e. Yaourt is not being developed anymore. I have also installed PulseAudio. Finally the sound works very well in RaspArch. Nice if you like YouTube. I’ve also replaced Wicd with NetworkManager. It works better. NOTE: To be able to install Yay I had to install a lot of development tools.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

The Raspberry Pi 4 made in May 2020. It has:

        • 2x USB 3.0 ports
        • 2x USB 2.0 ports
        • Gigabit Ethernet
        • Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
        • 40-pin GPIO header
        • 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
        • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
        • H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
        • OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
        • DSI display port
        • CSI camera port
        • Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
        • Micro-SD card slot
        • USB-C power
        • 2GB, 4GB or 8GB RAM

        Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

        Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

        Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

        More about RaspArch
        When you have installed RaspArch to your Micro SD Card you can use the system like any other Arch Linux system. I.e. install new programs etc. Arch motto is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). RaspArch uses kernel 5.15.21-3-rpi-ARCH and the LXDE Desktop environment.

        Login and passwords
        After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login page – see the screenshot below. Log in as the ordinary user archpi with password raspberry or as root (“other”) with password root. While logged in as archpi you can use Sudo to become root. Example commands: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm.



        Program Management in Arch Linux
        Arch Linux uses a proprietary system called Pacman. It is similar to that found in CRUX Linux. Read about Pacman.
        You can also read all the documentation on Arch Linux. Seven commands are basically the only ones you need to use:
        1) pacman -Sy (update the packages database)
        2) pacman-key –refresh-keys
        3) pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring
        4) pacman -Syu (upgrading the whole system)
        5) pacman -S MyUsefulProgram (the package installation command)
        6) pacman -R UnnecessaryProgram (uninstall a package).
        7) pacman -S –overwrite MyUsefulProgram (in case you get an error about “conflicting packages”)
        8) pacman -Scc (clean pacman cache)
        Very simple!
        Note1: You can also use Yay – see below.

      • Using Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper
        If you want to install certain special packages you can/must install Yay. Study this tutorial about how to install and use Yay – Yet Another Yogurt – An AUR Helper Written in Go. Note: Yay is pre-installed in RaspArch Build 220216. If you want to install new packages through Yay you’ll have to run the command su archpi before yay -S MyNeededProgram. If you’re not logged in as the ordinary user archpi. (You can’t run Yay as root). Watch a screenshot when I’m installing SMPlayer using Yay.
      • How do I install RaspArch?
        Use Rufus 3.17, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher – see above. Unzip the downloaded file rasparch-rpi4-exton-1750mb-220216.zip. You will get the image file rasparch-rpi4-exton-6400mb-220216.img which is the file you shall install to your micro SD card.

        Different         Micro SD Cards
        For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also SanDisk MicroSD Ultra 128GB Class 10. Write speed up to 100 MB/s. NOTE: If you can’t run RaspArch at all you should try with a new “better” card.
        Wireless connections
        Just use NetworkManager, add your password and connect.Installing/using Samba
        Samba
        A way to reach your Windows computers in your home network is to install Samba. Command: pacman -S samba gvfs gvfs-smb sshfs
        Then start Samba with the command systemctl start smb.service nmb.service
        After that you can connect to your Windows computers via PCManFM – watch this screenshot. (My Raspberry Pi 4 running RaspArch is connected to one of my computers in my home network). NOTE: Samba is already installed and configured in RaspArch Build 220216. Just run the command sudo systemctl enable smb.service nmb.service. You may have to reboot your Rpi before you can use Samba.

        Sound in RaspArch
        In Build 220216 I’ve installed alsa-utils, PulseAudio and Pavucontrol. The sound works alright now. From Arch Linux for Raspberry Pi Wiki I learned this. If you want/need sound in RaspArch you should follow the instruction below. Run the following command: amixer cset numid=3 X
        Where X corresponds to:
        0 for Auto
        1 for Analog out
        2 for HDMIAdd the following lines to /boot/config.txt
        dtparam=audio=on
        and
        audio_pwm_mode=2 (if you use the 3.5mm analogue output)

      • WHO should run Arch Linux/RaspArch?
        My answer: The system fits the “advanced” Linux user/enthusiast, who would be willing to run an occasional command from time to time.

      • BENEFITS of Arch Linux/RaspArch
        “Cutting Edge”-software and speed. A member on this site recently wrote this about RaspArch: I’ve used Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, Ubuntu & Arch. I prefer Arch. Ubuntu is easier to install, Arch is easier to keep up to date. You do not go through big, painful, changes every year instead you just update, once in a while, make changes if instructed. Arch has most of the benefits of Gentoo without the pain of recompiling _everything_. When you do need to build a package in Arch its painless especially if you use one of the tools that support AUR (I like Yay). Arch avoids the politics of Debian and Ubuntu and delivers a great Linux distribution. RaspArch now brings these advantages to the Pi 2.
         
        Study all installed packages in RaspArch        SCREENSHOTSScreenshot 1 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as archpi
        Screenshot 2 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as root
        Screenshot 3 – Using Yay (while installing SMPlayer)
        Screenshot 4 – Samba connection to a Windows computer
        Screenshot 5 – showing that you can watch 4K videos using Firefox
Posted in Exton Linux, RaspArch, Raspberry Pi systems | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RaspEX Rpi4 based on upcoming Ubuntu 22.04 LTS “Jammy Jellyfish” with LXDE, kernel 5.10.87-exton-v7l+, Raspotify, RealVNC, PuTTy, Samba and Bluetooth :: Build 211221

Posted on December 21, 2021 by exton

NEWS 211221 about RaspEX with LXDE based on upcoming Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish.
I have upgraded the whole system and replaced the old kernel 5.4.83-exton-v7l+ with kernel 5.10.87-exton-v7l+. RaspEX Build 211221 is a Linux ARM system for Raspberry Pi 4 with 2GB/4GB/8GB RAM and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. It is based on Debian, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and Linaro (Open Source software for ARM SoCs). Both Firefox and Midori Private Browser are pre-installed. I have also installed Samba and RealVNC so you can connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 4 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). Furthermore some extra Network Tools, SMTube (YouTube browser which allows to browse, search and play YouTube videos), PulseAudio for better sound in YouTube and Raspotify – Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi that just works. Study all installed packages in RaspEX Build 211221.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…


The Raspberry Pi 4 with 8GB RAM made in May 2020. It has:

  • 2x USB 3.0 ports
  • 2x USB 2.0 ports
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
  • 40-pin GPIO header
  • 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
  • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
  • H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
  • OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
  • DSI display port
  • CSI camera port
  • Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
  • Micro-SD card slot
  • USB-C power
  • 8GB RAM

More about RaspEX
RaspEX is a full Linux Desktop system with LXDE (an extremely fast-performing and energy-saving desktop environment) with many other useful programs pre-installed. Firefox is used as Web Browser and Synaptic as Package Manager. You can use Samba and RealVNC to connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network and/or control RaspEX on your Raspberry Pi 4 from your Windows computers with VNC Viewer and/or PuTTY (Telnet and SSH client). You can use Synaptic to install any extra packages you may need. For example LibreOffice. RaspEX uses Ubuntu’s software repositories so you can install thousands of extra packages if you want.

Kernels
Kernel 5.10.87-exton-v7l+ (for Rpi 4) and 5.10.87-exton-v7+ (for Rpi 3/2) are used in Build 211221.

Why shall I use RaspEX?
Eight Operating Systems are recommended by Raspberrypi.org. Among them Noobs, Raspbian (Debian Bullseye) and Snappy Ubuntu Core. RaspEX is faster (“fast as lightning”), more useful and more fun to use. (In my opinion). One member at this site thought that running RaspEX (for Raspberry Pi 2 Model B) was like running Raspberry Pi on “steroids“. If you use the new Raspberry Pi 4 RaspEX will run even faster!

How do I install RaspEX in Windows?
Just like any other Raspberry Pi system. I.e.: Unpack the downloaded ZIP file (raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-2520mb-211221.zip) and transfer the IMAGE file (raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-8000mb-211221.img) to your Micro SD card of at least 16GB. For that you shall use Rufus 3.17 in Windows. It will look like this.

How do I install RaspEX in Linux?
You can of course also install RaspEX in any Linux system using the dd command. Just open up at terminal and run the following command (as root):
dd if=raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-8000mb-211221.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M
Note: Change /dev/sdX to for example /dev/sdc, /dev/sde or…
(Check it carefully before you run the above command so you won’t lose important data).

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also SanDisk MicroSD Ultra 128GB Class 10. Write speed up to 100 MB/s. NOTE: If you can’t run RaspEX at all you should try with a new “better” card.

How do I use RaspEX?
When you start up your Raspberry Mini computer with RaspEX you will (after a few seconds) end up in X and LXDE as the ordinary user raspex. The password for raspex is raspex. When logged in as raspex you can use Sudo to become root. Example: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm. The password for root (superuser) is root. You can log out from LXDE and log in again as root (if you want). This is how it looks at SLiM‘s login page.

You can log in as root with password root. You can of course also create a new ordinary user if you want. Command: /usr/sbin/adduser MyNewUser. If you don’t want to be automatically logged in as raspex you shall edit /etc/slim.conf.

When logged in as the ordinary user raspex your Desktop will look like this.

Click to view a larger picture

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 32 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when raspi-config is running.

Create a SWAP file
Run the command sudo dphys-swapfile setup
A SWAP file of 2 GB will be created. Then run the command dphys-swapfile swapon Very useful if you want to run many programs at the same time. If you forget to run said command a SWAP file of 2 GB will be created automatically after a reboot.

Error no_pubkey when trying to upgrade the system
When you run the command sudo apt-get update it can happen that you can’t update the sources due to missing pub_keys. The solution is to run the following commands.
$ cd /var/lib/apt
$ sudo mv lists lists.old
$ sudo mkdir -p lists/partial
$ sudo apt update

After that you can run apt-get update with success even though you still will get the same “no_pubkey” errors. Don’t worry. This error won’t prevent you from upgrading the system regularly with the command sudo apt upgrade.

Wireless connections
The new Raspberry Pi 4 has “built in” 802.11n Wireless LAN.

How to use Raspotify
Raspotify (Raspotify is a Spotify Connect client for Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi
that just works) is pre-installed and immediately ready for connections. You’ll need a
Spotify Premium account in order to connect to for example your mobile phone running Spotify.
1. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing Devices available when RaspEX is running
2. Screenshot of my mobile phone showing the possibility to connect to Raspotify
3. Screenshot of my mobile phone when Raspotify is connected and running

About SSH, PuTTY, Samba, RealVNC and VNC Viewer
SSH, PuTTy (Telnet/SSH client for X), Samba and RealVNC are pre-installed in RaspEX Build 211221. You need to install PuTTy and and VNC Viewer in your Windows system if you want to connect to RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4 from Windows. (Please read the developers information about how to configure PuTTy and VNC Viewer).

Bluetooth connections – working in Build 210101
It seems difficult (maybe impossible) to use the “built in” Bluetooth adapter running RaspEX on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. Using a Bluetooth dongle for example Asus USB-BT400 dongle on Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 you should have no trouble using Bluetooth in RaspEX. Using the new Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ it should be easier to use Bluetooth. NOTE: In RaspEX LXDE Build 211221 Bluetooth works alright.
1. Showing “paring” with my Android phone
2. Showing the sending process of a file from RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4 to my Android phone
3. Showing the sending process of a file from my Android phone to RaspEX/Raspberry Pi 4

View all installed packages in RaspEX – Build 211221

SCREENSHOTS
Screenshot 1 – raspex’s Desktop 211221
Screenshot 2 – root’s Desktop 211221
Screenshot 3 – running YouTube in Firefox
Screenshot 4 – RaspEX connected to Windows 10 via PuTTy
Screenshot 5 – RaspEX “running on” Windows 10 with VNC-viewer
Screenshot 6 – RaspEX using Pavucontrol (for sound control)
Screenshot 7 – RaspEX running Raspotify

DOWNLOAD – raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-2520mb-211221.zip from SourceForge.net

md5sum for raspex-ubuntu-rpi4-22.04-lxde-2520mb-211221.zip

Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

READ also about my RaspEX Build 210109 (for Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 3 Model B, Model B+ and 2 Model B) with OpenCPN pre-installed
OpenCPN is a free software (GPLv2) project to create a concise chart plotter and navigation software, for use underway or as a planning tool. OpenCPN is developed by a team of active sailors using real world conditions for program testing and refinement.

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Raspberry Pi systems, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yet another version of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit :: Now based on Debian 11 stable with the LXQt Desktop and Kodi 19.1 “Matrix” stable – Build 210904

Posted on September 4, 2021 by exton

NEWS 210904 about RaspEX Kodi 64-bit
I’ve made a new extra version of RaspEX Kodi 64-bit. This version is based on Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) and Debian Bullseye (Debian 11 stable). The LXDE Desktop is replaced with LXQt 0.16.0 which has a more “modern look” than LXDE. Historically, LXQt is the product of the merge between LXDE-Qt, an initial Qt flavour of LXDE, and Razor-qt, a project aiming to develop a Qt based desktop environment with similar objectives as the current LXQt. In RaspEX Kodi Build 210904 I’ve upgraded Kodi to version 19.1 Matrix since it has reached the “stable stage”. You can now much easier install extra repositories. Read about the best Kodi repos 2021.

NOTE: Build 210904 (64-bit) is missing the Netflix addon. Widevine CDM (which is necessary for Netflix to work) is not available natively on ARM64.

Boot problems as regards RaspEX Kodi Build 210904
If you can’t boot up the system after installing to the SD card using Rufus 3.15 in Windows it’s because the files /boot/cmdline.txt and /etc/fstab has the wrong content. I.e. the PARTUUID for the card is wrong. Then you’ll have to edit said files. Do it like this.
1. Start up a Linux system (Ubuntu or…).
2. Insert your SD card with RaspEX Kodi installed. It will be seen as /dev/sdb1 (boot partition) and /dev/sdb2 (root filesystem).
3. To find out the correct PARTUUID for /dev/sdb1 and /dev/sdb2 run the command blkid /dev/sdb1 respectively blkid /dev/sdb2
4. Now change to the correct PARTUUID in /boot/cmdline.txt and /etc/fstab on the SD card. Use Leafpad or Mousepad for that. Never LibreOffice writer!

The file cmdline.txt can look like this:
console=serial0,115200 console=tty1 root=PARTUUID=347a28ab-02 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline fsck.repair=yes rootwait quiet splash plymouth.ignore-serial-consoles

The file fstab can look like this:
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
PARTUUID=347a28ab-01 /boot vfat defaults 0 2
PARTUUID=347a28ab-02 / ext4 defaults,noatime 0 1
# a swapfile is not a swap partition, no line here
# use dphys-swapfile swap[on|off] for that

Study all installed packages in Build 210904…

Log in to LXQt or Kodi
After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login screen. It will look like this – see below. Log in as pi with password raspberry or as root (“other”) with password root. You can log in to Kodi directly from LightDM if you want. While inside LXQt you can change to the Kodi Desktop environment. You can run Kodi on the LXQt Desktop like any other program or run it in full screen. Just change Kodi’s Settings from Windowed to Fullscreen. Watch this screenshot.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when raspi-config is running.
1. Screenshot showing filesystem size before resizing
2. Screenshot showing filesystem size after resizing

API and Authentication keys
Google and Netflix make it more and more difficult to use the YouTube and Netflix addons in Kodi. They demand API and Authentication keys. As regards YouTube I’ve managed to solve the problem permanently. As regards Netflix you’ll have to create your Authentication key yourself. (Not as regards this version of RaspEX Kodi, since the Netflix addon can’t be used – see above). Follow this instruction.
1. Read this INFO site. Then do this:
2. Download NFAuthenticationKey_Linux.zip
3. unzip NFAuthenticationKey_Linux.zip
4. cd NFAuthenticationKey_Linux
5. Run the script with the command python3 NFAuthenticationKey.py – screenshot
6. Follow the instructions on the screen and save your Authentication key in /home/pi
7. Remember to take a note of the created four-digit PIN code
8. Open the Netflix addon in Kodi and choose to login with the the Authentication key you have created – screenshot
9. Find your Authentication key in /home/pi – screenshot
10. Give Netflix you password – done! – screenshot.

Your monitor/screen resolution
If you experience problems with the screen resolution you may have to make some changes in /boot/config.txt. The eight last lines in /boot/config.txt have the following content.
## exton
# Enable DRM VC4 V3D driver
# dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344
max_framebuffers=2
arm_64bit=1
enable_uart=1
## exton end
My screen resolution is 3440×1440. If you have for example 1920×1080 you should change the line dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344 to dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-192.

Used kernels
5.10.60-exton-v8l+ (for Rpi 4) and 5.10.60-v7+ (for Rpi 3 and 2).

Compatibility :: September 2021
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, exGENT, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, RaspAnd 10, RaspAnd 11 Build 210321, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (210321) only upgraded RaspAnd 11, RaspAnd 10, RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch, exGENT and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The LXQt Desktop running as user pi
2. The LXQt Desktop running as root
3. Kodi 19.1 system info
4. Kodi running showing some addons. (The Diamond Wizard repository is not included)

This version has been replaced by Build 220218…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Raspberry Pi systems | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yet another version of RaspEX Kodi 32-bit :: Now based on Debian 11 stable with the LXQt Desktop and Kodi 19.1 “Matrix” stable with the Netflix addon – Build 210829

Posted on August 29, 2021 by exton

NEWS 210829 about RaspEX Kodi
I’ve made a new extra version of RaspEX Kodi 32-bit. This version is based on Raspbian (Raspberry Pi OS) and Debian Bullseye (Debian 11 stable). The LXDE Desktop is replaced with LXQt 0.16.0 which has a more “modern look” than LXDE. Historically, LXQt is the product of the merge between LXDE-Qt, an initial Qt flavour of LXDE, and Razor-qt, a project aiming to develop a Qt based desktop environment with similar objectives as the current LXQt. In RaspEX Kodi Build 210829 I’ve upgraded Kodi to version 19.1 Matrix since it has reached the “stable stage” . It was therefore now possible to install the Netflix addon among many other addons. You can now also much easier install extra repositories. Read about the best Kodi repos 2021.

Boot problems as regards RaspEX Kodi Build 210829
If you can’t boot up the system after installing to the SD card using Rufus 3.15 in Windows it’s because the files /boot/cmdline.txt and /etc/fstab has the wrong content. I.e. the PARTUUID for the card is wrong. Then you’ll have to edit said files. Do it like this.
1. Start up a Linux system (Ubuntu or…).
2. Insert your SD card with RaspEX Kodi installed. It will be seen as /dev/sdb1 (boot partition) and /dev/sdb2 (root filesystem).
3. To find out the correct PARTUUID for /dev/sdb1 and /dev/sdb2 run the command blkid /dev/sdb1 respectively blkid /dev/sdb2
4. Now change to the correct PARTUUID in /boot/cmdline.txt and /etc/fstab on the SD card. Use Leafpad or Mousepad for that. Never LibreOffice writer!

The file cmdline.txt can look like this:
console=serial0,115200 console=tty1 root=PARTUUID=347a28ab-02 rootfstype=ext4 elevator=deadline fsck.repair=yes rootwait quiet splash plymouth.ignore-serial-consoles

The file fstab can look like this:
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0
PARTUUID=347a28ab-01 /boot vfat defaults 0 2
PARTUUID=347a28ab-02 / ext4 defaults,noatime 0 1
# a swapfile is not a swap partition, no line here
# use dphys-swapfile swap[on|off] for that

Study all installed packages in Build 210829…

Log in to LXQt or Kodi
After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login screen. It will look like this – see below. Log in as pi with password raspberry or as root (“other”) with password root. You can log in to Kodi directly from LightDM if you want. While inside LXQt you can change to the Kodi Desktop environment. You can run Kodi on the LXQt Desktop like any other program or run it in full screen. Just change Kodi’s Settings from Windowed to Fullscreen. Watch this screenshot.

Expand the filesystem on the SD card
If you install many new big programs and/or download large files (for example videos) you may run out of space on the SD card. That is best fixed by running the following command: sudo raspi-config. Click on “Advanced Options” and choose A1 Expand Filesystem.
NOTE: That’s all you have to do. Just wait for the script to fix everything. If you use a SD card of 64 GB all the space on it will be used afterwards. Watch a screenshot when raspi-config is running.
1. Screenshot showing filesystem size before resizing
2. Screenshot showing filesystem size after resizing

API and Authentication keys
Google and Netflix make it more and more difficult to use the YouTube and Netflix addons in Kodi. They demand API and Authentication keys. As regards YouTube I’ve managed to solve the problem permanently.  As regards Netflix you’ll have to create your Authentication key yourself. Follow this instruction.
1. Read this INFO site. Then do this:
2. Download NFAuthenticationKey_Linux.zip
3. unzip NFAuthenticationKey_Linux.zip
4. cd NFAuthenticationKey_Linux
5. Run the script with the command python3 NFAuthenticationKey.py – screenshot
6. Follow the instructions on the screen and save your Authentication key in /home/pi
7. Remember to take a note of the created four-digit PIN code
8. Open the Netflix addon in Kodi and choose to login with the the Authentication key you have created – screenshot
9. Find your Authentication key in /home/pi – screenshot
10. Give Netflix you password – done! – screenshot.

Your monitor/screen resolution
If you experience problems with the screen resolution you may have to make some changes in /boot/config.txt. The eight last lines in /boot/config.txt have the following content.
## exton
# Enable DRM VC4 V3D driver
# dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344
max_framebuffers=2
arm_64bit=1
enable_uart=1
## exton end
My screen resolution is 3440×1440. If you have for example 1920×1080 you should change the line dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-344 to  dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d,cma-192.

Used kernels
5.10.60-exton-v7l+ (for Rpi 4) and 5.10.52-v7+ (for Rpi 3 and 2).

Compatibility :: August 2021
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, exGENT, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, RaspAnd 10, RaspAnd 11 Build 210321, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (210321) only upgraded RaspAnd 11, RaspAnd 10, RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch, exGENT and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The LXQt Desktop running as user pi
2. The LXQt Desktop running as root
3. Kodi 19.1 system info
4. Kodi running showing some addons
5. Netflix addon running
6. The Authentication key for the Netflix addon is created

This version has been replaced by Build 220218…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Exton Linux, Linux, RaspEX | Tagged , , , , , , | 27 Comments

RaspAnd 11 (Android 11) for Raspberry Pi 4 with GAPPS (Google Play Store), Netflix, Spotify, Bluetooth, Aurora Store and Clash of Clans pre-installed :: Build 210321

Posted on March 21, 2021 by exton

ABOUT RaspAnd 11 – Build 210321 – with GAPPS
RaspAnd 11 runs very well on a Raspberry Pi 4. I.e. the system is pretty responsive if you use a micro SD card of good quality. RaspAnd 11 has the following apps pre-installed: GAPPS (Google Play Store and other Google apps), Netflix, Spotify, Midori Browser, Aurora Store, Clash of Clans and Aida64.

NEWS 220419
RaspAnd 12 is ready. When buying RaspAnd 11 you will also get RaspAnd 12. (Two for one). Read more about RaspAnd 12…

ABOUT Android 11, which was released 200908…
Read also an article about The Evolution of Android  – List of Android Versions and Release Dates.

PLEASE NOTE that you must be aware of the fact that the Raspberry Pi 4 computer has its limitations and that Android 11 is a very advanced Linux system. Having said that I must also say that the apps I have included in this Build (see above) work very well. The max screen resolution is 1680×1050. With higher resolutions Netflix won’t work.

NOTE also that you’ll have to register “your device” (i.e. your Rpi4) before you can log in to Google Play Store. Please read my instructions below about how to register so that your device will be Play Protect Certified.

About Raspberry Pi 4
This build (RaspAnd 11 210321) works very well on the new Raspberry Pi 4. I used the latest model with 8GB RAM, but you can of course use the other models too.

Startup of RaspAnd 11 Build 210321
The first thing you will see on the screen is this boot animation.

If you do not see this animation you haven’t installed RaspAnd correctly on the SD card. (Please use Rufus 3.13 in Windows for the installation to the SD Card).

Instructions about how to register so that your device will be Play Protect Certified
First things to do after booting RaspAnd 11:
1. After a few seconds you will be asked to connect to your WiFi Network – screenshot 1
2. After answering a few questions you will reach the Desktop – screenshot 2
3. Go to Settings >> Sound and turn off the Notification volume – screenshot 3
4. You will get a message saying that This device isn’t Play Protect certified. Google apps and services can’t run on this device – screenshot 4
5. Now try to log in to Google Play – screenshot 5
6. Your try will now give you a link to a site where you can fix the registration matter – screenshot 6
7. Now you shall start the app Device ID (pre-installed of course) and write down the GSF ID –  screenshot 7
8. Then click on the link shown on screenshot 6. When there click on the link Device isn’t certified – screenshot 8
9. You will see a line Custom ROM – register your device. Click on it – screenshot 9
10. Here you shall fill in the GSF ID you wrote down before and click on Registrera (Swedish for Register) – screenshot 10. Restart your Rpi4 after a successful registration. Click on the power button in the menu down to the right and hold your finger there until you see the alternatives Restart and Power off – screenshot
11. When back to the Desktop you will once again see a message about your device not being certified. Ignore the message and start Google Play Store. You will now be able to log in to your Google account – screenshot 11
12. Finally you can enjoy Google Play Store – screenshot 12. Start with installing YouTube (for example). You can install and run many “big” games. For example Asphalt 9 and Hunting Clash.

About Aurora Store
Aurora Store is a Yalp Store fork that offers basically all the same features, but from a much more elegant and functional interface. Although it’s a fork, it’s basically the same app, and allows you to download any APK offer on Google Play without a google play account. Use Aurora Store if you can’t find what you are looking for at Google Play Store.

My sources
You can find my sources for RaspAnd 11 here. and here. Following those instructions you can build your own “RaspAnd/Omnirom” system.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

About sound
HDMI sound works very well in this RaspAnd build. You can also use the 3.5mm jack and connect speakers. Change it under Advanced (Desktop icon). Watch this screenshot.

MORE NEWS 210321 ABOUT RaspAnd 11
RaspAnd 11 can be installed to a Micro SD card (preferable a class 10 card) in Windows 10 using Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. You can alternatively (of course) use the dd-command in a Linux system. Unzip the downloaded file raspand-android-11-rpi4-GAPPS-netflix-spotify-bluetooth-1070mb-210321.zip. Then open a terminal and run the command dd if=raspand-android-11-rpi4-GAPPS-netflix-spotify-bluetooth-8600mb-210321.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4MiB
(Change X to b, d or…).

Using Rufus it will look like this.

Different Micro SD Cards
For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also Samsung MicroSD EVO 16GB Class 10. Write speed up to 48 MB/s. Price 47 $ respectively 10 $ (in Sweden).

Using GParted to increase the data partition
As I said above RaspAnd 11 can be installed in Windows using Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. This method has one disadvantage. Only about about 5GB can be used as data storage no matter which card you use. Now say, for example, that you use Micro SD card (preferable a class 10 card) of 128GB about 123GB will be “wasted”. You can, however, change that with the help of GParted. See below how to do it.

How to get rid of the 5GB limit after Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher has been used:
– write the image with Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– insert your card
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– resize the DATA partition – screenshot after resizing
– done!

Kernel
Kernel 5.4.94-exton-v8+ is used in RaspAnd 11 Build 210321.

After boot – first Desktop
Your first desktop will look like this. You can download a nice picture and use it as wallpaper. Watch this screenshot.

Screen resolution
The max screen resolution is 1680×1050 according to my experience. With higher resolutions Netflix won’t work. I’ve thus set the resolution to 1680×1050 on line 64 in system/build.prop. Watch this screenshot. You can experiment with other resolutions if you want.

Spotify
The Spotify app works very well, but before starting the app you should set the screen rotation to Landscape. Watch this screenshot.

Netflix
The Netflix app works very well in this RaspAnd 11 build, which isn’t rooted. (You can’t run Netflix on rooted devices).

WiFi support
The newer versions of RaspAnd has excellent support for WiFi (on Raspberry Pi 4, 3 Model B and Model B+). Previous problems with the WiFi connection are gone. I.e. the WiFi connection will automatically be re-established after every reboot. Just go to Settings/Network and connect. Watch this screenshot.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth works very well in this RaspAnd 11 build. I.e. you can send and receive files without problems. Watch this screenshot showing the pairing process with my Android phone. I haven’t tried other Bluetooth functions.

SCREENSHOTS
1. The Desktop with GAPPS, Netflix and Spotify pre-installed
2. The Desktop using Microsoft Launcher – not pre-installed
3. The Desktop using Galaxy 21 Launcher – not pre-installed
4. Asphalt 9 running – not preinstalled
5. Google Play Store running
6. Netflix running
7. Spotify running
8. Running Hunting Clash – not pre-installed
9. The Desktop using Computer Launcher – not pre-installed

Two for one
When buying this version of RaspAnd you will also get RaspAnd 12, which hasn’t got Google Play Store and Netflix pre-installed.

DOWNLOAD
raspand-android-11-rpi4-GAPPS-netflix-spotify-bluetooth-1070mb-210321.zip AND raspand-android-12-rpi4-1260mb-220419.zip

md5sum for Build 210321
md5sum for RaspAnd 12 – Build 220419

Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Raspberry Pi is a trademark of Raspberry Pi Foundation

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow, Lollipop and KitKat at
andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Android 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 4 and 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)!
Posted in Android, Exton Linux, RaspAnd, Raspberry Pi systems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments