Complete newbie questions
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Aug 10, 2015, 05:45 AM
(This post was last modified: Aug 10, 2015, 05:49 AM by Loose Nut.)
Hey, ozcheesehead from reddit here. I'm honored to have the first post in this sub
You know my plan, I have a 2TB external USB 3.0 drive that I want to use to store all my media files so they can be streamed to Kodi on my fire tv and (occasionally) also my windows laptop running Kodi. I would also like to be able to access the drive from WIndows on my laptop in case I download something and would like to transfer it to the Pi (I will also be copying photos from windows to the PI as a backup). Most content will be 720p by the way, but I would like something that can stream 1080 to future proof it a little.
I am a 100% newbie when it comes to anything like this. I have never used Linux or any kind of mini PC. I am trying to research and learn, but the more I read, the more confused I get. I was hoping you could give me an outline of what I would need to do to get this up and running.
The first thing I am unsure of is if I need a regular Banana Pi or the pro? Once I have this sorted I need the following I believe?
Banana Pi (or Pro)
SD Card (I have an 8gig 10 speed SD card from my camera, would this be ok?)
5v 2amp micro USB charge and cable
Banana Pi Case
Cat5e cable
Other things I already have
USB HDD
HDMI cable to connect to monitor during setup
From there I get confused. I have been reading lots of guides about mounting external HDDs, enabling NTFS, installing SAMBA, turning on power down of drives, etc. However, when I look at your image you have at:
http://www.htpcguides.com/banana-pi-pro-...ler-image/
It looks like lots of those things are already included? So I am not sure if I need to do all those guides or not?
Basically, I'm confused about what happens after I mount your image to my SD card and turn on the PI?
I am sorry for all the stupid questions, I really appreciate all your effort helping me out.
PS. Your image comes with Debian Wheezy installed doesn't it?
PPS. This question isn't really important, but it is something I have been wondering. If you have a PI running headless (in my case with an externall HDD) are you able to turn it off to save power? Is there a way to quickly and safely shut it down if you aren't going to be using it for a few hours (eg. when you go to bed).
Edit: Forgot to ask, will the Banana Pi be fast enough to stream content and download a torrent/usenet at the same time?
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Aug 10, 2015, 08:35 AM
(This post was last modified: Aug 10, 2015, 08:59 AM by Mike.)
(Aug 10, 2015, 05:45 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Hey, ozcheesehead from reddit here. I'm honored to have the first post in this sub
Thank you for posting
The 8GB SD card will do just fine as long as it's compatible, I use Transcend 8GB cards
(Aug 10, 2015, 05:45 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: From there I get confused. I have been reading lots of guides about mounting external HDDs, enabling NTFS, installing SAMBA, turning on power down of drives, etc. However, when I look at your image you have at:
http://www.htpcguides.com/banana-pi-pro-...ler-image/
It looks like lots of those things are already included? So I am not sure if I need to do all those guides or not?
The way the guides are put together is usually modular, so there is an installation guide for the software and then a configuration guide for making the software or service work for you - sometimes they are combined. The HTPC Guides installer will install everything for you and then provide a link for you to configure the software.
When I set up a new Pi, I run the installer and choose the software I want installed. Then I configure each service, test it and then move on to the next piece of software, install and configure it. At the end the system will work
(Aug 10, 2015, 05:45 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: PS. Your image comes with Debian Wheezy installed doesn't it?
Yes, it is Wheezy with the 3.19 kernel (latest and greatest)
(Aug 10, 2015, 05:45 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: PPS. This question isn't really important, but it is something I have been wondering. If you have a PI running headless (in my case with an externall HDD) are you able to turn it off to save power? Is there a way to quickly and safely shut it down if you aren't going to be using it for a few hours (eg. when you go to bed).
These small devices use so little power that people usually don't shut them off. Servers are generally not shut off. You can manipulate the hard drive power to spin down when not in use though.
(Aug 10, 2015, 05:45 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Edit: Forgot to ask, will the Banana Pi be fast enough to stream content and download a torrent/usenet at the same time?
With gigabit you will have plenty of bandwidth for 1080 and 720p streaming locally, many people use it as a torrent/usenet downloader at the same time. Since you are using Kodi to playback the Banana Pi doesn't have to transcode or do anything intense, it just needs to send the data over the wire with minimal effort.
P.S. You do not need a monitor, if you run it headless then after it starts get the IP address your router assigned to it by DHCP (I log in to the router and get the IP) and use Putty to SSH into it and run all the commands to install and configure. I usually do reserved DHCP (also called static DHCP) so the Pi always has the same IP from the router.
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Aug 10, 2015, 10:12 AM
(Aug 10, 2015, 08:35 AM)Mike Wrote: The way the guides are put together is usually modular, so there is an installation guide for the software and then a configuration guide for making the software or service work for you - sometimes they are combined. The HTPC Guides installer will install everything for you and then provide a link for you to configure the software.
When I set up a new Pi, I run the installer and choose the software I want installed. Then I configure each service, test it and then move on to the next piece of software, install and configure it. At the end the system will work
Ahh I see, that makes more sense.
(Aug 10, 2015, 08:35 AM)Mike Wrote: These small devices use so little power that people usually don't shut them off. Servers are generally not shut off. You can manipulate the hard drive power to spin down when not in use though.
Ok, I've just been on a power saving crusade lately :p
If I'm going away for a weekend or something I can just SSH into it and turn it off that way? Is it bad to turn it off with the power button?
This is probably really dumb, but if there is a blackout or something like that, will my Pi be ok?
(Aug 10, 2015, 08:35 AM)Mike Wrote: With gigabit you will have plenty of bandwidth for 1080 and 720p streaming locally, many people use it as a torrent/usenet downloader at the same time. Since you are using Kodi to playback the Banana Pi doesn't have to transcode or do anything intense, it just needs to send the data over the wire with minimal effort.
This actually reminds me of another question. I just realised my router does not have gigabit, it is only 10/100. Will this affect my streaming? My plan is to have the Fire TV connected by ethernet and the laptop by wifi.
Should I invest in a switch? Or wait and see how it goes and get one if I am having issues?
(Aug 10, 2015, 08:35 AM)Mike Wrote: P.S. You do not need a monitor, if you run it headless then after it starts get the IP address your router assigned to it by DHCP (I log in to the router and get the IP) and use Putty to SSH into it and run all the commands to install and configure. I usually do reserved DHCP (also called static DHCP) so the Pi always has the same IP from the router.
Oh ok, I thought most people connected it to a monitor to set it up and then ran it headless? Either way is cool
I also thought of one other thing. What is the banana pi like as a Kodi player? I ask because if I can't get my network running properly and streaming (there always seems to be some issue that affects my playback), I might move the Banana Pi directly to the TV and play the content from the Pi via hdmi rather than stream it from the Pi to the Fire TV.
I have heard that the Pi isn't that great as a media player? Could it handle playing media locally and streaming media to the laptop at the same time? This probably wouldn't happen very often, but might occasionally be required.
Sorry for asking more non-related questions.
Thank you for your reply!
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Aug 10, 2015, 11:48 AM
(Aug 10, 2015, 10:12 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Ok, I've just been on a power saving crusade lately :p
If I'm going away for a weekend or something I can just SSH into it and turn it off that way? Is it bad to turn it off with the power button?
This is probably really dumb, but if there is a blackout or something like that, will my Pi be ok?
I hear you, saving power is definitely important both for the environment and your wallet. They cost max $20 / year to have on 24/7 (or something like that) and if you are going to use it for usenet, you will want it on constantly to avoid takedowns.
You can hard power off Pis and they are fine, they won't break or anything. Worst case scenario you can get some data corruption because the drive wasn't properly unmounted but my understanding is that this is rare.
(Aug 10, 2015, 10:12 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: This actually reminds me of another question. I just realised my router does not have gigabit, it is only 10/100. Will this affect my streaming? My plan is to have the Fire TV connected by ethernet and the laptop by wifi.
Should I invest in a switch? Or wait and see how it goes and get one if I am having issues?
You want to verify if the 10/100 in the router is a switch or a hub. If it's only a hub definitely upgrade and buy a switch. Your streaming should be OK but the more you are streaming and downloading the more saturated the 100 Mb connection will become.
Definitely be ready to upgrade to a switch if you encounter issues, generally you want to avoid WiFi and fast ethernet.
(Aug 10, 2015, 10:12 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Oh ok, I thought most people connected it to a monitor to set it up and then ran it headless? Either way is cool
I also thought of one other thing. What is the banana pi like as a Kodi player? I ask because if I can't get my network running properly and streaming (there always seems to be some issue that affects my playback), I might move the Banana Pi directly to the TV and play the content from the Pi via hdmi rather than stream it from the Pi to the Fire TV.
I have heard that the Pi isn't that great as a media player? Could it handle playing media locally and streaming media to the laptop at the same time? This probably wouldn't happen very often, but might occasionally be required.
The Banana Pi will do Kodi but it doesn't have hardware acceleration. Generally I recommend the Pi 2 (or Mk808b Plus) for media centers and Banana Pis as NAS/home servers.
You can definitely get your network running properly, gigabit switches are really cheap and should solve most of your potential issues.
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Aug 10, 2015, 11:58 AM
(Aug 10, 2015, 11:48 AM)Mike Wrote: You want to verify if the 10/100 in the router is a switch or a hub. If it's only a hub definitely upgrade and buy a switch. Your streaming should be OK but the more you are streaming and downloading the more saturated the 100 Mb connection will become.
Definitely be ready to upgrade to a switch if you encounter issues, generally you want to avoid WiFi and fast ethernet.
Can you explain that last sentence? Do you mean avoid wifi and use fast ethernet?
Also, another dumb question... how can I check if it's a hub or a switch? :p
(Aug 10, 2015, 11:48 AM)Mike Wrote: You can definitely get your network running properly, gigabit switches are really cheap and should solve most of your potential issues.
Man I hope so! It's really p*ssing me off. As soon as I think I have it solved something else goes wrong.
I think I'm ready to take the plunge and start learning. Can you confirm that all I need is:
Banana Pi board
SD Card (need to check if it is compatible, the one I have is Sandisk)
Case
5v 2amp micro usb charger (to power the board and the HDD using the guide you have)
Ethernet cable
Thanks again
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Aug 10, 2015, 12:08 PM
(Aug 10, 2015, 11:58 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Can you explain that last sentence? Do you mean avoid wifi and use fast ethernet?
I did mean avoid wifi and fast ethernet - use gigabit. Wireless is always going to be less reliable than wired connections and although you may not always need to use the full bandwidth of a gigabit pipe, the equipment to support it is so cheap that it is a no-brainer to use it especially since it means one less point that can go wrong. Generally people who have streaming setups and have issues are using crappy wifi with awful routers from the ISP and are wondering why they have issues.
(Aug 10, 2015, 11:58 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Also, another dumb question... how can I check if it's a hub or a switch? :p
There are no dumb questions
(Aug 10, 2015, 11:58 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: Man I hope so! It's really p*ssing me off. As soon as I think I have it solved something else goes wrong.
Honestly that gigabit switch will save you a lot of hassle
(Aug 10, 2015, 11:58 AM)Loose Nut Wrote: I think I'm ready to take the plunge and start learning. Can you confirm that all I need is:
Banana Pi board
SD Card (need to check if it is compatible, the one I have is Sandisk)
Case
5v 2amp micro usb charger (to power the board and the HDD using the guide you have)
Ethernet cable
Thanks again
That should sort you, I am actually doing a Banana Pi giveaway soon and it has all of those items with the exception of a SATA cable, so yea, you'll be set with that
P.S: I believe I have fixed my mailserver issue, can you confirm you got an email notification after I made this reply?
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Aug 10, 2015, 12:58 PM
(This post was last modified: Aug 10, 2015, 01:00 PM by Loose Nut.)
Oh I see, I didn't realise there was a difference, I thought it was all just "ethernet", now I see "fast ethernet" = 100mb and "gigabit ethernet" = gigabit. I'm learning so much!
I still haven't got an email in my inbox or my junk mail.
When are you doing your giveaway? I might have to put off purchasing my parts if it's going to be soon?
Can I ask, are you in anyway affiliated with Banana or Raspberry Pi? Or do you just run this awesome site for the love of it?
Edit:
I found out my router has a 10/100 switch.
This is the router I have:
http://au.billion.com/products/wireless/...800nl.html
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Aug 10, 2015, 03:02 PM
(Aug 10, 2015, 12:58 PM)Loose Nut Wrote: Oh I see, I didn't realise there was a difference, I thought it was all just "ethernet", now I see "fast ethernet" = 100mb and "gigabit ethernet" = gigabit. I'm learning so much!
I still haven't got an email in my inbox or my junk mail.
When are you doing your giveaway? I might have to put off purchasing my parts if it's going to be soon?
Can I ask, are you in anyway affiliated with Banana or Raspberry Pi? Or do you just run this awesome site for the love of it?
Edit:
I found out my router has a 10/100 switch.
This is the router I have:
http://au.billion.com/products/wireless/...800nl.html
Hmm ok, I will have to do some more checks, it is sending to yahoo and gmail successfully. Can you check if you are subscribed to threads?
The giveaway will start this month so August 31st it will end and I will ship it out (there will be more giveaways, I have 5 units to raffle off).
I am not affiliated with Banana or Raspberry Pi. Lemaker do send me Banana Pi units to test but they do not pay me to promote their product. I only promote products I have tried and tested thorougly (this is why I never recommend ODROIDs as they do not send test units and actually stole an article from me and published it as their own in their magazine). I have also been sent Orange Pi units but I am waiting for their distros and drivers to become more developed before I start really testing those.
I stated the site to practice Linux and documentation skills and I love trying to squeeze the most out of hardware or use as little power as possible so I went on somewhat of a Pi testing rampage.
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Aug 10, 2015, 10:11 PM
(Aug 10, 2015, 03:02 PM)Mike Wrote: Hmm ok, I will have to do some more checks, it is sending to yahoo and gmail successfully. Can you check if you are subscribed to threads?
The giveaway will start this month so August 31st it will end and I will ship it out (there will be more giveaways, I have 5 units to raffle off).
I am not affiliated with Banana or Raspberry Pi. Lemaker do send me Banana Pi units to test but they do not pay me to promote their product. I only promote products I have tried and tested thorougly (this is why I never recommend ODROIDs as they do not send test units and actually stole an article from me and published it as their own in their magazine). I have also been sent Orange Pi units but I am waiting for their distros and drivers to become more developed before I start really testing those.
I stated the site to practice Linux and documentation skills and I love trying to squeeze the most out of hardware or use as little power as possible so I went on somewhat of a Pi testing rampage.
I'm subscribed to every thread I have commented in. I'm using hotmail and not receiving any emails.
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Aug 10, 2015, 10:47 PM
(Aug 10, 2015, 10:11 PM)Loose Nut Wrote: I'm subscribed to every thread I have commented in. I'm using hotmail and not receiving any emails.
Thanks for the info, I'm working on it Microsoft email systems seem to be rejecting me without telling me why...
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