Raspberry Pi Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mate Tips and Tricks

Which Linux distribution

As at Nov 2020 my preferred distros are:

Linux desktop distro: Ubuntu Mate 20.10 - SSD Bootable, and fast when over clocked
Linux server distro: Ubuntu 20.10 - SSD Bootable, headless, fast

Reviewing Pi 4 boot EEPROM version

Rename the Ubuntu Hostname

sudo hostnamectl set-hostname new-name

Edit the /etc/hosts file and replace any references to the old hostname with the new host name.

Ubuntu 20.10 Server Install on Raspberry Pi

How to install Ubuntu Server on your Raspberry Pi

Getting setup with Wi-Fi for initial boot (headless)

Getting setup with Wi-Fi

Enabling 5G WiFi

To use WiFi 5G you must set the wireless central regulatory domain.

Install the Linux wireless central regulatory domain agent plus some network tools on to the Raspberry Pi
```
 sudo apt install crda net-tools wireless-tools
```
End the /etc/default/crda Registration Domain file and add your twi character country code after the = sign. For Australia the country code is AU, select the right code for your country.
```
 REGDOMAIN=AU
```

Wifi set up from CLI

Edit the /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml file

 sudo nano /etc/netplan/50-cloud-init.yaml

Configure the wifi settings. The following is an example of what you will likely need to add. You will need to add the wifis section onwards. Note, the indentation is important. Use 4 spaces per level.

 # This file is generated from information provided by the datasource.  Changes
 # to it will not persist across an instance reboot.  To disable cloud-init's
 # network configuration capabilities, write a file
 # /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/99-disable-network-config.cfg with the following:
 # network: {config: disabled}
 network:
     ethernets:
         eth0:
             dhcp4: true
             dhcp6: true
             optional: true
     version: 2
     wifis:
         wlan0:
             dhcp4: true
             dhcp6: true
             optional: true
             access-points:
                 "<Your wifi access point name>":
                     password: "<Your wifi access point password>"

Then generate and apply the netplan

sudo netplan generate

sudo netplan apply

Boot Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mate from SSD

Ubuntu (including Mate) 20.10 natively supports boot from USB3. Just burn image to your SSD drive, plug in, power up, and you are good to go.

How to overclock your Raspberry Pi 4 from Ubuntu 20.04

A great reference for this process is How to overclock Raspberry Pi 4 MagPi article.

WARNING: If you overclock the Raspberry Pi 4 you will need some sort of cooling otherwise the CPU will heat up quickly and the CPU frequency will be throttled back to reduce the temperature which somewhat defeats the purpose of overclocking.

Edit the config.txt file
```
 sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
```
Add the following overclocking options to the end of the file. I found over clocking to 2000 about right, for my Pi, any higher and the system became unstable.
```
 over_voltage=6
 arm_freq=2000
 gpu_freq=700
```
Save the changes. ctrl+x, follow prompts to save and overwrite existing file.
Reboot the Raspberry Pi
```
 sudo reboot
```

Monitor CPU Frequency

sudo watch -n 1  cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/cpuinfo_cur_freq

Controlling onboard LEDs

Edit the config.txt file
```
 sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
```

Turn off Power LED

Add the following:

dtparam=pwr_led_trigger=none
dtparam=pwr_led_activelow=off

Turn off Activity LED

Add the following:

dtparam=act_led_trigger=none
dtparam=act_led_activelow=off

Move temp directories to RAM disk

Improve performance and reduce disk wear by moving /tmp and /var/tmp to tmpfs.

sudo nano /etc/fstab

add the following

tmpfs    /tmp    tmpfs    defaults,noatime,mode=1777   0  0
tmpfs    /var/tmp    tmpfs    defaults,noatime,mode=1777   0  0

Useful apps/libraries

sudo apt install neofetch git python3-pip cmake build-essential gdb

Run neofetch from termina.

netfetch

Output example.

            .-/+oossssoo+/-.               dave@dave-ubuntu-mate
        `:+ssssssssssssssssss+:`           ---------------------
      -+ssssssssssssssssssyyssss+-         OS: Ubuntu 20.10 aarch64
    .ossssssssssssssssssdMMMNysssso.       Host: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Rev 1.4
   /ssssssssssshdmmNNmmyNMMMMhssssss/      Kernel: 5.8.0-1006-raspi
  +ssssssssshmydMMMMMMMNddddyssssssss+     Uptime: 3 hours, 10 mins
 /sssssssshNMMMyhhyyyyhmNMMMNhssssssss/    Packages: 1969 (dpkg), 6 (snap)
.ssssssssdMMMNhsssssssssshNMMMdssssssss.   Shell: bash 5.0.17
+sssshhhyNMMNyssssssssssssyNMMMysssssss+   Resolution: 1920x1080
ossyNMMMNyMMhsssssssssssssshmmmhssssssso   DE: MATE 1.24.1
ossyNMMMNyMMhsssssssssssssshmmmhssssssso   WM: Metacity (Marco)
+sssshhhyNMMNyssssssssssssyNMMMysssssss+   Theme: Green-Submarine [GTK2/3]
.ssssssssdMMMNhsssssssssshNMMMdssssssss.   Icons: menta [GTK2/3]
 /sssssssshNMMMyhhyyyyhdNMMMNhssssssss/    Terminal: mate-terminal
  +sssssssssdmydMMMMMMMMddddyssssssss+     Terminal Font: Ubuntu Mono 13
   /ssssssssssshdmNNNNmyNMMMMhssssss/      CPU: BCM2835 (4) @ 2.000GHz
    .ossssssssssssssssssdMMMNysssso.       Memory: 2676MiB / 7630MiB
      -+sssssssssssssssssyyyssss+-
        `:+ssssssssssssssssss+:`
            .-/+oossssoo+/-.

Set up xRDP server for Ubuntu Mate

https://linuxize.com/post/how-to-install-xrdp-on-ubuntu-20-04/

sudo apt install xrdp
sudo systemctl status xrdp
sudo adduser xrdp ssl-cert
sudo systemctl restart xrdp
sudo ufw allow 3389

From desktop computer connect with RDP client like Windows Remote Desktop.

Install SSH Server

https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/ubuntu-linux-install-openssh-server/

Type sudo apt-get install openssh-server
Enable the ssh service by typing sudo systemctl enable ssh
Start the ssh service by typing sudo systemctl start ssh
Test it by login into the system using ssh user@server-name

Autostart services with rc.local and systemd

cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/rc.local
#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.

exit 0
EOF

sudo chmod +x /etc/rc.local

Raspberry Pi Sense Hat on Ubuntu

Edit the config.txt file
```
 sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
```
Add the following to the end of the file. The first line will enable the Raspberry Pi to boot with the HAT attached. The second line enables I2C support.
```
 hdmi_force_hotplug=1
```
Save the changes. ctrl+x, follow prompts to save and overwrite existing file.
Reboot the Raspberry Pi
```
 sudo reboot
```

Enable I2C Permissions

How can I set device rw permissions permanently on Raspbian?

cd /etc/udev/rules.d

create an i2c rules file.

sudo nano i2c.rules

add the following to the new rules file. Then save and reboot.

ACTION=="add", KERNEL=="i2c-[0-1]*", MODE="0666"

Install Docker

sudo apt -y install docker.io && sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Autostart Docker Containers

Enable the docker service to start after reboot.

sudo systemctl enable docker.service

Install Azure SQL Edge with Docker

Learn more about Azure SQL Edge

Azure SQL Edge documentation

Learn about Docker persistent storage volumes

Docker Containers Tutorial – Persistent Storage Volumes and Stateful Containers

Create Docker Data Volume

Create a new persistent storage volume in the Host Machine.

docker volume create azure-sql-edge-data

Inspect the storage volume to get more detailed information.

docker volume inspect azure-sql-edge-data

Check the data in the storage volume

sudo ls /var/lib/docker/volumes/azure-sql-edge-data/_data

Remove a docker data volume

 docker volume rm azure-sql-edge-data

Start Azure SQL Edge

docker run --cap-add SYS_PTRACE -e 'ACCEPT_EULA=1' -e 'MSSQL_SA_PASSWORD=<Your password>' --restart always -p 1433:1433 --name azuresqledge  -v azure-sql-edge-data:/var/opt/mssql -d mcr.microsoft.com/azure-sql-edge

Azure SQL Management Tools

Windows only (Full featured)

SQL Server Management Studio

Cross platform Linux, macOS, Windows (Lighter weight)

Azure Data Studio

SQL Server Samples Databases

Northwind is a great starting point

Northwind and pubs sample databases for Microsoft SQL Server

SQL Edge ONNX Tutorial

Machine learning and AI with ONNX in SQL Edge

Install PostgreSQL

Docker Containers Tutorial – Persistent Storage Volumes and Stateful Containers

Create a new persistent storage volume in the Host Machine.

docker volume create postgresql-data

Inspect the storage volume to get more detailed information.

docker volume inspect postgresql-data

Check the data in the storage volume

sudo ls /var/lib/docker/volumes/postgresql-data

docker run --name postgresql -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=YOUR_STRONG_PASSWORD -v postgresql-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data -p 5432:5432 -d postgres

PostgreSQL admin tools

Supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS on X64 and Apple Silicon ARM64.

pgAdmin 4: Generally easier to use.
DbVisulizer: Some advanced admin tools and visualizations.

Install MySql

Docker Containers Tutorial – Persistent Storage Volumes and Stateful Containers

Create a new persistent storage volume in the Host Machine.

docker volume create mysql-data

Inspect the storage volume to get more detailed information.

docker volume inspect mysql-data

Check the data in the storage volume

sudo ls /var/lib/docker/volumes/mysql-data/_data

docker run --name mysql1 -v mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql -e MYSQL_ROOT_HOST=% -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD="<Your Password>" --restart always -p 3306:3306 -d mysql/mysql-server

Boot Ubuntu 20.04 from USB3 SSD

For now boot from USB3 SSD is not directly supported by Ubuntu 20.04. But you can do a kernel pivot, which means boot from SD Card as normal and then switch the root drive to the SSD drive and continue to bring up and run the OS from the SSD. With a decent SSD you will get excellent IO performance on a Raspberry Pi.

Create your Ubuntu 20.04 SD Card as usual. The easiest way is to use the Raspberry Pi Imager.
Start the Raspberry Pi from the SD Card. Not you will either need to start with a HDMI screen, keyboard/mouse attached, or start the Raspberry Pi attached to your network by Ethernet.
If you started the Raspberry Pi connected via Ethernet then you will need to SSH into the Raspberry Pi running Ubuntu 20.04.
```
 ssh ubuntu@ubuntu
```
The default password is ubuntu.
Connect the USB3 SSD drive to the Raspberry Pi. WARNING. The following process will delete all data from the USB3 SSD Drive.

Run the following command on the Raspberry Pi.

 # Partition drive
 sudo sfdisk --delete /dev/sda
 sleep 5
 echo 'type=83' | sudo sfdisk /dev/sda
 sleep 5

 # Format drive
 sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1 -L usb3-writable

 # Copy system to alternate boot drive
 sudo mkdir /media/usbdrive
 sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/usbdrive
 sudo rsync -avx / /media/usbdrive

 # Update to cmdline.txt to boot from alternative drive
 sudo sed -i 's/writable/usb3-writable/g' /boot/firmware/cmdline.txt

 sudo reboot

The system will reboot, login again and check that you are now running from the USB3 SSD drive. The easiest way is way is to use the disk free command.

df

You will see that root is mounted from /dev/sda1

 ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ df
 Filesystem     1K-blocks    Used Available Use% Mounted on
 udev             1891920       0   1891920   0% /dev
 tmpfs             388440    4068    384372   2% /run
 /dev/sda1      122819416 4437140 112100280   4% /
 tmpfs            1942184       0   1942184   0% /dev/shm
 tmpfs               5120       0      5120   0% /run/lock
 tmpfs            1942184       0   1942184   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
 /dev/loop0         49664   49664         0 100% /snap/core18/1708
 /dev/loop1         62720   62720         0 100% /snap/lxd/14808
 /dev/loop2         26624   26624         0 100% /snap/snapd/8147
 /dev/loop4         49664   49664         0 100% /snap/core18/1883
 /dev/loop3         65152   65152         0 100% /snap/lxd/16104
 /dev/mmcblk0p1    258095   99840    158256  39% /boot/firmware
 /dev/loop6         26624   26624         0 100% /snap/snapd/8543
 tmpfs             388436       0    388436   0% /run/user/1000

Raspberry Pi Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mate Tips and Tricks

Which Linux distribution

Reviewing Pi 4 boot EEPROM version

Rename the Ubuntu Hostname

Ubuntu 20.10 Server Install on Raspberry Pi

Getting setup with Wi-Fi for initial boot (headless)

Enabling 5G WiFi

Wifi set up from CLI

Boot Ubuntu and Ubuntu Mate from SSD

How to overclock your Raspberry Pi 4 from Ubuntu 20.04

Monitor CPU Frequency

Controlling onboard LEDs

Turn off Power LED

Turn off Activity LED

Move temp directories to RAM disk

Set up xRDP server for Ubuntu Mate

Install SSH Server

Autostart services with rc.local and systemd

Raspberry Pi Sense Hat on Ubuntu

Enable I2C Permissions

Install Docker

Autostart Docker Containers

Install Azure SQL Edge with Docker

Learn more about Azure SQL Edge

Learn about Docker persistent storage volumes

Create Docker Data Volume

Start Azure SQL Edge

Azure SQL Management Tools

Windows only (Full featured)

Cross platform Linux, macOS, Windows (Lighter weight)

SQL Server Samples Databases

SQL Edge ONNX Tutorial

Install PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL admin tools

Install MySql

Archive

Boot Ubuntu 20.04 from USB3 SSD