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Headless Set-up for Pi

Posted: Sun 12 May 2019 3:21 pm
by SunDial
Hi all,

I would like to set up my Orange Pi Lite (Cumulus already installed) to be completely headless and with access not only via SSH (set up and working) but additionally with remote access to the console as well. I am using the Armbian_5.75_Orangepilite_Ubuntu_bionic_next_4.19.20 (Ubunto 18.04) image on my Opi Lite that has an issue with RDP access to the Pi if a console logon is present. Ideally, I'd like to leave Autologon set up as it is currently with my su pi account logged on after booting and remote connect to the console session whenever I need to do stuff, checks, etc. However, it looks like RDP console access (mstsc.exe /c) from Win10 cannot connect to the console on Linux hosts. So, I then thought of VNC but I'd prefer to use whatever is native to the Armbian/Linux OS image, if possible. If I were to try to disable Autologon through the nodm display manager config file I presume that would stop the autologon, but I've not looked into this yet.

I guess I'd like to know if anyone else uses this type of set-up and has already worked out a reliable configuration of the login config to achieve either remote console access or perhaps just an RDP session with autologon to the console disabled to enable this type of connection?

Thanks,
Adam

Re: Headless Set-up for Pi

Posted: Thu 16 May 2019 9:34 pm
by SunDial
If anyone is interested in connecting directly to their Pi's console session (rather than a non-console VNC or RDP session) you can find the set-up procedure here: https://www.megaleecher.net/Raspberry_Pi_VNC_Setup.

It's written for the Raspberry Pi but worked for my Orange Pi Lite with the latest Armbian (Debian) Ubunto Bionic 18.04 installed on it. I have chosen to install XCFE (from armbian-config), the default desktop GUI for Armbian, and x11vnc is now configured to load automatically with it. If you want VNC to load automatically on start-up outside desktop GUIs like XCFE or LXDE I believe you would need to follow something like the procedures described under the following links, which automatically restart the x11vnc service if it fails.:

https://www.lazysystemadmin.com/2009/08 ... an-be.html
https://tecadmin.net/setup-x11vnc-serve ... linuxmint/

Hope this is useful.

Re: Headless Set-up for Pi

Posted: Fri 17 May 2019 5:07 pm
by mcrossley
I'll stick with a GUI-less distro and SSH ;)

Re: Headless Set-up for Pi

Posted: Fri 17 May 2019 9:40 pm
by SunDial
I may end up there myself eventually, ;)