openHABian v1.6.6

Maintenance release

to contain all bugfixes to date.
You will need to use this image if you want to install openHAB2 from start using clonebranch=stable .

openHABian v1.6.5

This release is essentially a cumulated set of patches.

These include the important replacement of the Bintray repository.
Bintray was shutdown on May 1st, 2021, and this also broke openHABian image based installations as they contained Bintray as a hardcoded source, that now was changed to point to the current active repo.

openHABian v1.6.4

• New frontail theme, with improved UI support thanks to @Interstellar0verdrive

• Many bug fixes

• Branches

  • openHAB3 is the default branch for openHAB 3 and is considered stable
  • main is the development branch for openHAB 3 and may or may not be stable
  • stable is our legacy openHAB 2 branch and is considered stable
  • master is deprecated and will be removed on our next release, if you need openHAB 2 support please switch to the stable branch

openHABian v1.6.2

Ready to give openHAB 3 a start !

Use the 1.6.2b versions of the image. 1.6.2 versions are provided as a fallback.

_{Note the 64 bit version is unsupported and untested. It's provided just as-is.}

openHABian v1.6.1

This is openHABian v1.6.1.
It's an image for Raspberry Pi single-board computers and a manually installable version for Debian based systems.

• Based on latest Raspberry Pi OS
• all Raspberry models supported (incl. RPi400)
• openHAB 3.0 migration support
• WiFi hotspot to connect the system to your wireless LAN
• Auto backup to mirror your SD card and take automated backups
• WireGuard and Tailscale VPN options to securely operate remote openHAB(ian) instances

As usual you will keep being offered upgrades if available when you start openhabian-config.

v1.6-alpha

This is a prerelease of the next openHABian image for Raspberry Pi single-board computers.
You might want to try this if you use a 8GB RPi4 or if you have problems related to the recent major change in Raspbian kernel version.
We welcome anyone to help with testing. Drop us your feedback via GitHub issue.

Noteworthy changes since 1.5 image release:

• now based on Raspberry Pi OS as of May, 2020 (* formerly known as Raspbian)
• 8GB RPi4 and CM models now supported
• enhanced documentation, now also stating supported HW and OS (yes overdue, but now here it is)
• choice of branches: stable or latest-'n-greatest (master)
• improved debugging capabilities including a debug guide
• choice of Java VM: Azul Zulu 8, 11 and AdoptOpenJDK 11
• ZRAM enabled by default on new installations
• 64bit version (for testing only, DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION)
• new features in BETA (i.e. under test):
  • Wireguard VPN
  • FIND3
  • automatic backup
• lots of invisible enhancements: code lintered, automated unit testing, a Travis based CI build pipeline
• several bug fixes

openHABian v1.4.1 now supports RPi3B+

Please find the Release Notes at: https://community.openhab.org/t/openhabian-v1-4-released/37398

Downloads:

• Raspberry Pi image: openhabianpi-raspbian-201804031720-gitdba76f6-crc9e93c3eb.img.xz
• Pine A64 image: openhabianpine64-xenial-201712171744-git30faec3-crcbe7fc062.img.xz
• All other Debian/Ubuntu based systems: Read more...

openHABian v1.4 released!

Please find the Release Notes at: https://community.openhab.org/t/openhabian-v1-4-released/37398

(Sadly GitHub does not offer hosting for *.img.xz any longer)

openHABian v1.3 released!

A few months have passed and it's time for a new official version of the openHABian scripts and images.
openHABian v1.3 packs many small changes and improvements in both the base images and the openHABian configuration tool.

Changes since v1.2

All git commits can be found here.

• The RPi ua-netinst image is discontinued
• The openHABian configuration tool openhabian-config received a complete menu overhaul, with submenus and usage specific sections, including a menu for manual setups
• Add a function to switch over to the latest openHAB 2.0 unstable snapshot
• Add the openHAB Log Viewer (based on frontail), is now a default component
• Add the Amanda backup system, preconfigured by @mstormi (#127)
• Add optional component NodeRED by @kubawolanin (#152)
• Warn about and add fix for FireMotD cron job related DDoS (#142)
• Warn about ua-netinst kernel panic (#153)
• Mount all relevant openHAB folders under /srv (bind mounts) for ease of use and for backups (incl. correct permissions, see README inside)
• The folder /srv is accessible via Samba as "openHAB-share"
• Set all relevant passwords (user, samba, openHAB console) function by @EliasGabrielsson (#141)
• Serial Port function on latest jessie fixed (#155)
• Add openhab(ian) users to group gpio
• Add bluetooth packages (RPi3, RPi0W) (#156)
• RPi: heartbeat removed (upstream error), successful build indicated by openHAB dashboard
• PineA64: Save initial random mac as permanent mac (#160)
• Add an empty file authorized_keys for SSH PKI users
• Samba veto file directive included
• The documentation is up to date and includes many hints and answers to questions asked by users in the past few months
  *many more small fixes and improvements

Please check the commit history and the documentation for more details.

Attention Existing Users

In the past couple of weeks two problems arose you SHOULD be aware of.

1. A wrongly configured cron job created DDoS like request spikes at other servers.
2. A recent kernel update breaks a ua-netinst based RPi system.

What to do:
Please update the openHABian configuration tool (on SSH console type sudo openhabian-config, then select "Update"). Afterwards waning messages will show up automatically if you are affected by one of these issues.
Follow along the instructions give.

New setups are not affected.

As always for existing setups there is no need to install openHABian anew. To be up to date you should however update openHABian and execute the "Upgrade" option. Next you can go through the menu and execute interesting options as you wish.

New Menu, New Options

The menu of the openHABian configuration tool was growing out of its size. With it's new submenus and sections for specific topics it's now ready for new additions, platforms and further optional components.

• openHAB Log Viewer

  openHABian always claimed to make working with openHAB easier and to hide the Linux world from the end user. However looking at the log files openhab.log and events.log was something different. As important that is during items and sitemap definition and rule development, these were best viewed via SSH, e.g. via the alias command openhablog.

  The openHAB Log Viewer is a webpage to interactively view the logs. The component is automatically installed with a new setup or can be selected from the menu for existing setups. Check it out! More details can be found in documentation.

• Backups (Thanks to Amanda)

  Often asked for openHABian now finally includes a backup option. You can learn more about this new component in its dedicated README

  At this point I also want to point out the other backup options you have. Under the new Samba share "openHAB-share" you'll find all your openHAB files. You can simply create a backup from these files from another device.

---

openHABian v1.3 includes many more changes and improvements. Learn about them in the changes log above and the documentation article.

Feel free to update your system, Install the image or try a manual setup.

openHABian in international airspace

The v1.2 release changes and adds a few details in openHABian for a more intuitive experience for beginners and with new hardware, including devices connected by Wifi. The most important change with this release is the addition of a Raspbian Lite based image.

Changes since v1.1

All git commits can be found here.

• A new Raspberry Pi build based on Raspbian Lite
• All needed modifications for the new Raspberry Pi Zero W
• A way to configure Wifi before first boot (Pi0W, Pi3 and Pine64)
• An improved timezone function: Autodetect timezone, Overwrite option, Interactive mode
• Menu entries for timezone, locale and hostname, resolves #59
• Clarify "setup not finished yet" for impatient users
• raspi-config removed and replaced by a hint to use openhabian-config
• Slight improvements to all build scripts
• Contains Vagrantfile for a build environment
• Fixes bug #110 / improves #100 #101

Raspberry Pi Zero W

A few days back the Raspberry Pi Zero W (Pi0W) was released. The Pi0 is a cheaper and smaller Raspberry Pi with only a few external connectors and only one 1GHz core. The latter, especially the lack of a network port, made the Pi0 uninteresting as a "hassle-free" SBC for openHABian. The Pi0W changes that because of it's integrated Wifi/Blueooth module.

openHABian v1.2 brings full support for the Pi0W in unattended/headless mode. Read about Wifi setup below.

The Raspberry Pi Zero W is powerful enough to run openHAB and to control your small and mid-sized home / home automation system. It is also a great device as a slave system, e.g. only interacting with your heating system or the garage devices. If you can live with the limited count of connectors and the main uplink via Wifi, the cheap RPi0W might be a good choice for your openHAB(ian) installation.

Raspbian Lite base

If you payed close attention, you know that openHABian for the Raspberry Pi started as a project based on raspbian-ua-netinst, a minimal unattended network installer, perfect for what openHABian was aiming for. You will however also remember, that this rather special system had some restrictions and quirks. A "hassle-free" system should be as predictable as possible, however the differences to a standard Raspbian system confused some openHABian users. Another problem was the need for the support of a Wifi connection with the Pi0W.

With openHABian v1.2 we are introducing a Raspbian Lite based image in parallel to the raspbian-ua-netinst based image. The Raspbian image will take longer to flash but will overall be quicker to configure the system and start openHAB. Additionally it allows for a setup purely via Wifi and therefore is the only option for the RPi0W. As it is based on Raspbian as we know it, I expect this system to create less problems with GPIO or other issues known from the old base. The raspbian-ua-netinst based image is still fully supported and if you were happy with it so far, don't hesitate to stick with it.

Wifi Setup

If you own a RPi3, RPi0W or a Pine A64, you can setup and use openHABian v1.2 purely via Wifi. You'll need to make your SSID and password known to the system before the first boot in just a few steps:

• Flash the system image to your micro SD card
• Access the first partition from your file explorer
• You'll find the file openhabian.conf, open it in a text editor
• Uncomment and fill in wifi_ssid= and wifi_psk=
• Save, Unmount, Insert, Boot, Enjoy.

More clarity

The openHABian setup was always quite reliable. Still there were exceptions of cause. In these cases the current state of the installation and a possible error and its solution were not always easy to identify for a new user (at least not without further knowledge of the system).
With v1.2 we've added a tiny but useful little addition. The configuration and setup process takes between 5 and 60 minutes (based on device, connection type and bandwidth). During that time you can log in via ssh and will be presented with the configuration progress log, washing away all unclarity.

Internationalization

openHABian promotes a hassle-free system you can use instantly without further modification. There were however three topics not yet covered by openHABian as good as expected by some users: Hostname, Locale and Timezone.

Version 1.2 finally brings openhabian-config menu entries to change the system's hostname, to adjust the timezone and to change the system language, if en_US.UTF-8 is not what you are satisfied with. Besides these menu entries the local time zone will now automatically be detected based on your IP, making a manual change mostly obsolete. With these additions raspi-config is now finally abandoned from the Raspberry Pi openHABian system.

Next Steps

As always: If you are on a previous openHABian release, you just have to execute sudo openhabian-config followed by the "Update" menu entry to gain access to all the latest changes. Please report all problems you encounter.

New users and Raspbian Lite image switchers:
Follow the instructions under http://docs.openhab.org/installation/openhabian.html.
Choose the right image below, use Etcher to flash the compressed image files (.img.xz)!

RPi Download Note

Because of the above mentioned reasons we recommend the "openhabianpi-raspbian" image for your "hassle-free" openHAB experience on the Raspberry Pi.