Raspberry Pi Imager with MoodleBox 4.5.0

ralfkrause

I found that the current Raspberry Pi Imager 1.7.3 shows the MoodleBox 4.5.0 image.

If you just have installed the Raspberry Pi Imager on your computer you don't need to reinstall it for the MoodleBox. I think that the imager app loads the needed informations from the internet. You can open the following link with the Firefox browser to inspect the content of the json file.
https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/os_list_imagingutility_v3.json

You can install the Raspberry Pi Imager on Raspberry Pi OS, Linux, macOS, and Windows.
https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/

Nicolas

ralfkrause I found that the current Raspberry Pi Imager 1.7.3 shows the MoodleBox 4.5.0 image.

And I'm rather proud of this 😊

ralfkrause

The Raspberry Pi Imager works fine. You start the app. You choose the image in the first menu, you choose the sd card (or an usb stick, an usb ssd or an usb hdd) in the second menu and then you click on the button "write". The app downloads the MoodleBox 4.5.0 from the internet and copies the image to the sd card. I tested this with an usb stick with 32 GB.

Starting the MoodleBox works as usual. Put in the sd card or the usb stick into the Raspberry Pi. Switch the power on and wait a moment. Connect to the MoodleBox wifi and open the page http://moodlebox.home/ . The moodleadmin is the user moodlebox as normal.

To connect via ssh you need to use a monitor and a keyboard at you Raspberry Pi. You must add the admin user. No, there is no admin user moodlebox when you use the Raspberry Pi Imager to install the MoodleBox. You can use any username you want. But remember ... the documentation on https://moodlebox.net/ shows everything for an admin user moodlebox. When you added the admin user then log in. Start the rpi-config program and activate the ssh connection.

No, I can't preset any option in a settings menu. There is no settings menu when choosing the MoodleBox image ... I tested this on Linux and on macOS. Something is different to the standard Raspberry Pi OS image. Choosing Raspberry Pi OS I get an additional settings menu where I can set the admin user and activate the ssh connection.

Nicolas

ralfkrause No, I can't preset any option in a settings menu.

I've seen this too. It is indeed annoying, since you have to press Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS) to have the settings menu displayed, which enables you to enter your username account and password and to enable SSH.

ralfkrause

I didn't know this key combination for entering additional data before. This saves you having to connect a monitor and a keyboard to the MoodeBox. I hope MoodleBox users will keep this in mind when setting up MoodleBox.

Yes, I tried Cmd+Shift+X on my iMac. I entered the admin name and the password. And I enabled ssh. Then the Raspberry Pi Imager copied the card and everything works fine. Great! :-)

Nicolas

ralfkrause I hope MoodleBox users will keep this in mind when setting up MoodleBox.

I've yet to write the documentation. Hopefully during my Christmas holidays.

ralfkrause

Yesterday I tested the installation with NOOBS and PINN again. I thought that both Installation tools are using the same https://downloads.raspberrypi.org/os_list_imagingutility_v3.json ... no, they don't. They are using their own lists.

Installing with NOOBS or PINN would have the advantage that you could install the MoodleBox by copying files to a FAT32 formatted SD card. This works with any device ... also with an iPhone or an iPad. I created a new NOOBS image for MoodleBox 4.5.0 to try it out myself. https://machmitnetz.de/course/view.php?id=182#section-4

Nicolas

I've found a way that the "Advanced options" icon is activated when selecting the MoodleBox image, so pressing Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X on macOS) is not needed anymore; just click on the cog icon.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

ralfkrause

Great!

Nicolas

Just updated the documentation. It would be great if you could proofread the german version.

ralfkrause

Hi Nicolas,
we have to set und unset some more items on the "Advanced settings" page. You will get the complete page when you resize the application window at the bottom line.

I can't say why the wifi item is activated and filled in. I think that this setting is to connect to the existing wifi at home, in the school or somewhere else. This is not the setting for the wifi that is send by the MoodleBox. So the wifi item should be deactivated.

The language setting is needed to get the correct keyboard layout if we log in directly to the MoodleBox with a monitor and a keyboard connected.

Ralf

Nicolas

ralfkrause I can't say why the wifi item is activated and filled in. I think that this setting is to connect to the existing wifi at home, in the school or somewhere else. This is not the setting for the wifi that is send by the MoodleBox. So the wifi item should be deactivated.

Just a tip: by deleting the RPi Imager cache, preferences and saved state on your computer, you can get the initial settings of the app. On macOS, these are (cannot say for other OS):

~/Library/Caches/Raspberry Pi
~/Library/Preferences/org.raspberrypi.Imager.plist
~/Library/Saved Application State/org.raspberrypi.imagingutility.savedState

Nicolas

Thanks @ralfkrause for the tests.

Other settings aren't necessary, and I don't want to make the "how-to" too long, and it is already long enough. :-)

Did you find any mistake in the German version of the pages?

ralfkrause

Nicolas I'm working hard so you will get my ideas very soon. :-)

moodlebox-installieren.pdf

265kB

ralfkrause

Nicolas
What happens if the wifi setting is active in the advised settings?
Does the MoodleBox get some errors when the MoodleBox tries to get its own wifi for an internet connection?

Nicolas

ralfkrause Many many thanks 😍 . I updated the documentation using your ideas.

I've not taken the detailed instructions for copying the image, so to leave the installation instructions breve and not too overwhelming.

Nicolas

ralfkrause What happens if the wifi setting is active in the advised settings?

Nothing, it will try to connect to the specified WiFi network without impact on MoodleBox function. Note this is not an advised setting.

ralfkrause

Here comes my next idea. :-)

I would not write about "Advanced users" but about "Alternative procedure" or "Alternative installation".

disk-image-kopieren.pdf

953kB

ralfkrause

Oh, I forgot ... in the alternative procedure we do not need to set the hostname or the admin username. Also the ssh access is activated. The moodlebox-4.5.0.img.bz2 is ready without any settings. But you must do two steps ... you must search and download the image in a browser and the copy it with separate tool on the microSD card.