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Raspberry Pi Setup Guide

Complete setup guide for running the Multi-Screen Video Streaming Client on a fresh Raspberry Pi installation.

Prerequisites

  • Raspberry Pi 4B (recommended) or Raspberry Pi 3B+
  • MicroSD card (16GB+ recommended)
  • Power supply (5V/3A recommended for Pi 4B)
  • Network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
  • Monitor/display for initial setup

Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS

Download and Flash

  1. Download Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com
  2. Insert microSD card into your computer
  3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager
  4. Choose OS: Select "Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)" (recommended)
  5. Choose Storage: Select your microSD card
  6. Click Write and wait for completion

First Boot Configuration

  1. Insert microSD card into Raspberry Pi
  2. Connect power, monitor, and keyboard
  3. Wait for first boot (may take several minutes)
  4. Complete initial setup:
    • Set country, language, and timezone
    • Create username and password
    • Connect to WiFi (if using wireless)
    • Update system software when prompted

Step 2: System Update and Configuration

Update System

# Update package list and upgrade packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Reboot to ensure all updates are applied
sudo reboot

Enable Required Services

# Enable SSH (for remote access)
sudo raspi-config
# Navigate to: Interface Options > SSH > Enable

Step 3: Install Required Software

Install System Dependencies

# Install essential packages
sudo apt install -y \
    git \
    python3 \
    python3-pip \
    python3-dev \
    ffmpeg \
    vim \
    htop \
    curl \
    wget

# Verify installations
python3 --version
ffmpeg -version

Install Python Packages

# Upgrade pip
python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip

# Install required Python packages
pip3 install --user requests

Step 4: Clone and Setup Client

Clone Repository

# Navigate to home directory
cd ~

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Sira-K/Multiscreen
cd UB_Intern

# Make setup script executable
chmod +x client/setup_client.sh

Run Setup Script

# Navigate to client directory
cd client

# Run the automatic setup script
./setup_client.sh

# The script will:
# - Verify all dependencies are installed
# - Test the client installation
# - Provide usage instructions

Step 5: Configure Network

Static IP (Recommended for Video Streaming)

# Edit network configuration
sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf

# Add at the end (adjust for your network):
interface eth0
static ip_address=192.168.1.100/24
static routers=192.168.1.1
static domain_name_servers=8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4

# Save and exit (Ctrl+X, Y, Enter)
# Restart networking
sudo systemctl restart dhcpcd

Firewall Configuration

# Install ufw if not present
sudo apt install -y ufw

# Allow SSH and HTTP
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 443

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable

Step 6: Test Client Installation

Basic Test

# Test client import
python3 -c "import client; print('Client import successful')"

# Test ffplay
ffplay -version

# Test network connectivity
ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

Run Client (Test Mode)

# Test client with a local server (if available)
python3 client.py --server http://localhost:5000 --hostname test-pi --display-name "Test Display"

# Or test with external server
python3 client.py --server http://your-server-ip:5000 --hostname pi1 --display-name "Display 1"

Step 7: Performance Optimization

Overclock (Optional - Pi 4B only)

# Edit config file
sudo nano /boot/config.txt

# Add these lines (adjust values based on your cooling):
over_voltage=2
arm_freq=1750
gpu_freq=600

# Save and reboot
sudo reboot

Memory and GPU Configuration

# Edit config file
sudo nano /boot/config.txt

# Add these lines:
gpu_mem=128
gpu_mem_256=128
gpu_mem_512=128
gpu_mem_1024=128

# Save and reboot
sudo reboot

Disable Unnecessary Services

# Disable Bluetooth (if not needed)
sudo systemctl disable bluetooth

# Disable WiFi (if using Ethernet)
sudo systemctl disable wpa_supplicant

# Disable desktop (if running headless)
sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

Step 8: Monitoring and Maintenance

System Monitoring

# Install monitoring tools
sudo apt install -y htop iotop nethogs

# Monitor system resources
htop
iotop
nethogs

Log Management

# View client logs
tail -f ~/client_logs/client.log

# View system logs
journalctl -f

# Monitor network connections
ss -tulpn

Automatic Updates (Optional)

# Install unattended-upgrades
sudo apt install -y unattended-upgrades

# Configure automatic security updates
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

Step 9: Running Multiple Clients

Multiple Terminals

# Terminal 1 - Client for Display 1
python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi1 --display-name "Display 1" &

# Terminal 2 - Client for Display 2
python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi2 --display-name "Display 2" &

# Check running processes
ps aux | grep "python3 client.py"

Screen Sessions (Recommended for Production)

# Install screen
sudo apt install -y screen

# Create screen session for client 1
screen -S client1
python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi1 --display-name "Display 1"

# Detach from session (Ctrl+A, D)

# Create screen session for client 2
screen -S client2
python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi2 --display-name "Display 2"

# Detach from session (Ctrl+A, D)

# List sessions
screen -ls

# Reattach to session
screen -r client1

Step 10: Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Client Won't Start

# Check Python version
python3 --version

# Check dependencies
pip3 list | grep requests

# Check ffplay
which ffplay

# Check network
ping your-server-ip

Video Playback Issues

# Check display permissions
echo $DISPLAY

# Test ffplay manually
ffplay -fs test-video.mp4

# Check GPU memory
vcgencmd get_mem gpu

# Check temperature
vcgencmd measure_temp

Network Issues

# Check network configuration
ip addr show

# Check routing
ip route show

# Test DNS
nslookup your-server-domain

# Check firewall
sudo ufw status

Performance Issues

# Check CPU usage
top

# Check memory usage
free -h

# Check disk I/O
iostat

# Check network I/O
iftop

Step 11: Production Deployment

Systemd Service (Recommended)

# Create service file
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/video-client.service

# Add content:
[Unit]
Description=Video Streaming Client
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=pi
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/UB_Intern/client
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi1 --display-name "Display 1"
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable video-client
sudo systemctl start video-client

# Check status
sudo systemctl status video-client

Auto-start on Boot

# Add to rc.local
sudo nano /etc/rc.local

# Add before "exit 0":
cd /home/pi/UB_Intern/client
python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi1 --display-name "Display 1" &
python3 client.py --server http://your-server:5000 --hostname pi2 --display-name "Display 2" &

Step 12: Security Considerations

User Permissions

# Create dedicated user for video client
sudo adduser videoclient
sudo usermod -aG video videoclient

# Switch to dedicated user
su - videoclient

Network Security

# Configure firewall rules
sudo ufw default deny incoming
sudo ufw default allow outgoing
sudo ufw allow from your-server-ip to any port 22
sudo ufw allow from your-server-ip to any port 80
sudo ufw allow from your-server-ip to any port 443

Regular Updates

# Set up automatic updates
sudo apt install -y unattended-upgrades
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

# Schedule regular reboots
sudo crontab -e
# Add: 0 3 * * 0 /sbin/reboot

Support and Resources

Documentation

Community

Monitoring Tools

  • htop: Process monitoring
  • iotop: Disk I/O monitoring
  • nethogs: Network usage monitoring
  • vcgencmd: Raspberry Pi specific commands

Quick Reference Commands

# Start client
python3 client.py --server http://server:5000 --hostname pi1 --display-name "Display 1"

# Check client status
ps aux | grep "python3 client.py"

# View logs
tail -f ~/client_logs/client.log

# Monitor system
htop

# Check temperature
vcgencmd measure_temp

# Check GPU memory
vcgencmd get_mem gpu

# Restart networking
sudo systemctl restart dhcpcd

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Next Steps

After completing this setup:

  1. Test with your streaming server
  2. Configure multiple displays if needed
  3. Set up monitoring and logging
  4. Implement automatic restart on failures
  5. Consider backup strategies for configuration

Your Raspberry Pi is now ready for production video streaming!