Estimated time to completion: 15 minutes
(excludes waiting times for downloads, updates, etc.)
- This introduction to Raspberry Pi only covers what's absolutely necessary to get you up and running
- You are here because you want to experience a realistic use case for inexpensive single board computers (SBC) while learning fundamental IT skills
- We will be using the $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W and command line interface (CLI)
- 0. Requirements
- 1. Game Plan
- 2. Installation
- 3. Connection
- 4. Updating
- 5. Craft Server
- 6. Craft Client
- 7. Next Steps
- Why Raspberry Pi?
- Other Resources
- Troubleshooting
- DEFUNCT: Registering a Craft Account
- Acknowledgments
You don't need prior Command Line Interface (CLI) experience for this tutorial
We will use a Linux a CLI available on all major operating systems
- Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a fully supported Microsoft product for Windows 10, learn how to install it here: https://github.com/atet/wsl
- You do not need to install anything, your Terminal program is Bash
- I recommend using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- This tutorial uses the $10 Raspberry Pi Zero W ("wireless") computer
- You will also need:
- Cell phone charger (5V) with micro USB cable
- MicroSD card (≥8 GB)
- NOTE: The older model Raspberry Pi Zero (without the "W") does not include WiFi capability required for this tutorial
The Raspberry Pi Zero W has specific WiFi requirements:
- 2.4 GHz b/g/n WiFi-only
- 5 GHz will not work with this model of Raspberry Pi
- This network can be hidden
- Connect to WiFi using only the network name (a.k.a. SSID) and password
- Some networks may require additional registration for new devices, like a school or public hotspot; consult your IT department about adding your Pi
- Disabled "wireless isolation" (a.k.a. AP isolation, station isolation, or client isolation)
- You will not be able to connect to your Pi through WiFi if this is not disabled on your network
Once you have everything here, you're ready to go!
- Let's do something fun and setup a Craft[1] server to host multiplayer games
- Several different skills are introduced in this short tutorial:
- Basic IT: Formatting disks and installing operating systems
- Networking: Local area networking and secure shell access
- System Administration: Command line interface, building from source code, and running a server
Messing around in Craft on single player mode
- Download the latest Raspbian Linux Lite image from: https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/
- Make sure you download the "Lite" version
- You do not need to extract the ZIP file
- Download and run Rufus Portable v3.8: https://rufus.ie/
- Select your micro SD card as the device
- Choose the Raspbian ZIP image and
STARTthe burn- Coffee Break: This will take ~10 mins and you don't need to babysit
- You must confirm the new drive is named "
boot" (red box below) once complete- If not, see: Mounting
bootDrive in Windows Disk Management
- If not, see: Mounting
- You can just
CLOSERufus when done
If you cannot read the SD card, see: Mounting boot Drive in Windows Disk Management
- File name extensions must be visible for this next part
- Click on the "View" tab, then "Show/hide" button, then enable "File name extensions"
- Make a new file called "
ssh" (without a file extension)- Windows will give a warning, just choose "Yes"
- This file will remain empty
- Make another new file called "
wpa_supplicant.conf"
- Open "
wpa_supplicant.conf" with Notepad (right-click → Open with → Choose another app → Notepad)
ctrl_interface=DIR=/var/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev
update_config=1
country=US
network={
ssid="My Apartment 2.4Ghz"
scan_ssid=1
psk="password123"
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}
wpa_supplicant.conf file
- Copy and paste the above, changing "
ssid" and "psk" to match your network's name and password and save - If your WiFi network is hidden, you must use the line "
scan_ssid=1"
After you add these two files, safely eject your prepared micro SD card
Headless means that we won't attach a monitor or keyboard to the Pi and all communication to it will be through command line interface (CLI) from another computer
- The Pi should not be powered on at this time
- Insert the prepared micro SD card into the Pi
- Plug the micro USB power into the Pi's power port ("
PWR IN") and the green LED should start blinking- Coffee Break #2: This will take ~10 mins as the Pi automatically installs the Raspbian OS and connects to your WiFi network; you don't need to babysit
- When the Pi is ready, the green LED should stop blinking and stay on
IMPORTANT: The only thing you need to know about CLI for this tutorial is that copy/paste is really odd in terminal:
- Copy from outside of terminal (e.g. webpage) to paste in terminal:
- Copy: Highlight text and right-click+Copy or CTRL+C
- Paste: Move text cursor (not mouse pointer) to where you want to paste and right-click
- Copy from within terminal to paste in terminal:
- Copy: Highlight text and right-click
- Paste: Move text cursor (not mouse pointer) to where you want to paste and right-click
- Copy from within terminal to paste outside of terminal (e.g. Notepad):
- Copy: Highlight text and right-click
- Paste: Right-click+Paste or CTRL+V
Troubleshooting: If nothing or the wrong text is pasting, try to copy and paste again
- Press the Windows key and search for "command" and open Command Prompt
- In Command Prompt, execute "
ping -f raspberrypi.local"- This operation will not work in WSL Bash, only Windows Command Prompt
- This will give you the IP address that the Pi connected as (write this down):
- If this method to get the IP address fails or you are not using Windows, see: Advanced Connection Methods for Headless Raspberry Pi
- Press the Windows key and search for "ubuntu" and open Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
- In Ubuntu Bash, execute "
ssh pi@<PI'S IP ADDRESS>"- You may get a warning of "
The authenticity of host...", just answer "yes" - If you get "
WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION...", just follow the directions given
- You may get a warning of "
- Use the default password "
raspberry" and press Enter- Typing the password will be invisible for security
After you successfully log in and see "pi@raspberrypi:~ $ _", all the hard work is now done
- After logging in, we need to add a location where the Pi will look for updates
- Copy and paste the command after the "
$" and press ENTER:
$ sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list
- Remove "
#" in front of: "deb-src http://raspbian..."- Press
CTRL+OthenENTERto save file - Press
CTRL+Xto exit this text editor
- Press
- After changing the above file, run "
sudo apt update" - The command should run successfully like this:
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ sudo apt update
Get:1 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster InRelease [15.0 kB]
Get:2 http://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian buster InRelease [25.2 kB]
Get:3 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster/rpi Sources [1,132 B]
Get:4 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster/contrib Sources [78.5 kB]
Get:5 http://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian buster/main armhf Packages [260 kB]
Get:6 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster/non-free Sources [139 kB]
Get:7 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster/main Sources [11.4 MB]
Get:8 http://raspbian.raspberrypi.org/raspbian buster/main armhf Packages [13.0 MB]
Fetched 24.9 MB in 56s (441 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
64 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ _
-
IMPORTANT: You must rerun "
sudo apt update" if you see any issues like:1: Network is unreachable) [IP: 93.93.128.193 80] E: Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with --fix-missing? pi@raspberrypi:~ $ _ -
If this error keeps occuring, the update servers may be having issues; try again later
-
This command must run successfully before continuing this tutorial
- We need to install a few new programs that the Craft server program is dependent on (a.k.a. dependencies)
- Copy and paste the entire multi-line command after the "
$" and press ENTER:- Coffee break #3: This will take ~15 mins. and you don't need to babysit this
$ sudo apt install -y git python-pip cmake libglew-dev \
xorg-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev && \
sudo apt -y build-dep glfw && \
python -m pip install requests
-
IMPORTANT: If there are issues in the next few steps, you may have to re-run each line from above one-by-one and confirm they executed successfully:
$ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install -y git python-pip cmake libglew-dev \ xorg-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev $ sudo apt -y build-dep glfw $ python -m pip install requests
- Download the files for running a Craft server from GitHub:
$ cd ~ && \
git clone https://github.com/fogleman/Craft.git
- Build the Craft program to run on the Raspberry Pi Zero W
- Coffee break #4: This will take ~15 mins. and you don't need to babysit this
- There may be some warnings, but the program should build correctly if everything from step 4.2. was successful
- IMPORTANT: If you don't see the terminal going back to "pi@raspberrypi:~/Craft $ _" the screen may be "stuck", just click on the terminal and press Enter a couple times
$ cd ~/Craft && \
cmake . && \
make && \
gcc -std=c99 -O3 -fPIC -shared -o world -I src -I \
deps/noise deps/noise/noise.c src/world.c
- Modify the following file to allow clients to build in the multiplayer world:
$ cd ~/Craft && nano server.py
- Change line 25 from "
True" to "False"- Press
CTRL+OthenENTERto save file - Press
CTRL+Xto exit this text editor
- Press
- The Craft server program must be actively running to host a multiplayer world for users (clients) to log into
- The server program will start running when you execute the line below and initially look blank (no text cursor)
$ cd ~/Craft && \
python server.py
- Events will only display as they happen in the game world (players connecting, players logging out, etc.)
- Remember the IP address for the Pi from step 3.1: This IP is the address that clients will connect to
- With the Craft server program running, move on to the next section
- Download and extract the ZIP file of the Craft client for Windows or MacOS here: https://www.michaelfogleman.com/projects/craft/
- Run
craft.exe
Recall the IP address that you used to connect to your Pi server from step 3.1
- Once the game starts, bring up the in-game console by pressing "
T" - Enter "
/online <PI'S IP ADDRESS>" to connect to your Craft multiplayer server
CONGRATS! You're done with the tutorial
- Have fun and build a whole new world in your own Craft playground:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
W, A, S, D |
Movement (Up, Left, Down, Right) |
Left-Mouse |
Destroy block |
Right-Mouse |
Create block |
Mouse-Wheel |
Cycle through block types |
CTRL+Right-Mouse |
Create light source |
T |
Chat |
/ |
Command: Chat but with / added |
ESC |
Mouse control back to OS (to close or maximize/minimize Craft window) |
| More controls | https://github.com/fogleman/Craft#controls |
- The only way to have multiplayer in Craft is to connect to a server that is actively running the Craft server program
- Switch back to single-player mode from multiplayer by pressing "
T" and entering "/offline" - Other players will not be able to connect to your single-player mode world
After you are done with this tutorial:
- You can continue to have the server program run as long as you want to play on it
- You can shut down the server program by pressing
CTRL+C, then shut down the Pi by executing:
$ sudo shutdown -h now
- To start the Pi back up after shutdown: Physically remove the micro USB power cable from the Pi, wait a few seconds, then plug it back in
We touched on a bunch of different IT tasks here; you're easily on your way to becoming a self-sufficient "techie", it just takes a lot of experimenting and completing projects like this
- Try this tutorial one more time to solidify these concepts
- Have other people join in at your home local area network (LAN)
- I highly recommend continuing with another mini project: Atet's 15 Minute Introduction to Network Attached Storage
- Make cloud instances and share your Craft server to the world!
- WARNING: You must secure your server before exposing it to the public internet: https://www.upguard.com/blog/10-essential-steps-for-configuring-a-new-server
- Trust me on this one: There's a huge difference in your learning experience when the brand you're working with has sold 10+ million computers vs. lesser-known alternatives that may be a bit cheaper
- With a larger userbase, there's reliable community and official support, bugs get fixed quicker, you can expect timely updates, etc.
- The Raspberry Pi Zero is amazing for its price point, but it's not going to play Crysis; this brand has other more powerful and more expensive computers if you need the horsepower
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
| Description | Link |
|---|---|
| Official Raspberry Pi Help | https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/ |
| Official Craft Server Installation | https://github.com/fogleman/Craft#linux-ubuntu |
| Official Raspberry Pi Getting Started Guide | https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/pathways/getting-started-with-raspberry-pi |
| Official Raspberry Pi Project Ideas | https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/ |
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I don't need a password to use my WiFi | If you administer your own "open" network that does not require a password, you should secure your network ASAP: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-your-wifi-router-as-secure-as-possible-1827695547 |
Cannot access micro SD card boot drive after OS image burn |
Mount the newly created "boot" drive in Windows Disk Management, instructions here: Mounting boot Drive in Windows Disk Management |
| Reformatted micro SD card's free space is less than before | Multiple partitions may exist on card from a previous OS burn; proceed to burn image with Rufus again and Rufus will automatically erase all partitions on the SD card |
| Cannot find Pi's IP address | Did the Pi actually connect to your WiFi network successfully? Go back and verify wpa_supplicant.conf or confirm you have permission to connect new devices to your networkYou can also verify connection status and the assigned IP address by connecting to the Pi locally: Advanced Connection Methods for Headless Raspberry Pi |
Permission denied while attempting to log into Pi |
Make sure you login as the user "pi", i.e. "ssh pi@<PI'S IP ADDRESS>" |
WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION... |
This means another computer had this same IP address; if this is not an issue, follow the directions given on-screen |
| The wrong text is pasting in terminal | Copying and pasting into terminal is an art: Once you copy something, you must make sure you don't accidentally copy something else in the terminal before you right-click paste (e.g. blank space, different text, etc.) |
git will not download the Craft files |
git will not download files if there is already a directory with the name "Craft", if you previously performed the git step and needed to redo it, you must first delete the existing "Craft" directory with:$ rm -rf ~/Craft |
| Building seems to be frozen or hanging | Click on the terminal and press Enter a couple times, if that doesn't work, you may have to wait a while longer |
| Craft client crashes/closes when attempting to log into multiplayer server | Craft server program must be running on the Raspberry Pi server; confirm correct IP address typed and try again |
| Player camera slowly looks up automatically | Bug when game is maximized to fullscreen; just play windowed if this happens or rebuild from scratch: https://github.com/fogleman/Craft/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=cursor |
"Only logged in users are allowed to build": Cannot make changes to multiplayer world |
In order to make changes to your multiplayer world, you must register for a free Craft account on the author's website, see: DEFUNCT: Registering a Craft Account |
- If you don't see "
boot" as name given to your freshly burned SD card (red box below), you will not be able to access it for step 2.3. Access NewbootDrive
CLOSERufus- IMPORTANT: Physically remove your SD card from your computer, wait a few seconds, then reinsert
- Press "Cancel" when Windows prompts you to reformat the card
- Press the Windows key and search for "disk management"
- Click on "Create and format hard disk partitions" which will open the Windows Disk Management program
- In the bottom windows pane, find your micro SD card
- Right-click on the "
boot" partition and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths..." - In the popup window, click on "
Add"
- Another popup window will appear and Windows will automatically select a drive letter that is unused (yours may be a different letter)
- Press "
OK" and Windows will mount your SD card's "boot" partition (red boxes below) - You can now open this "
boot" drive in Windows File Explorer and continue with step 2.3. Access NewbootDrive
- Log into the router and determine the IP address that corresponds to the hostname
raspberrypi(default name for your Pi) - Below is an example router administration page to look up the IP addresses associated with connected devices
-
Scanning your network for connected IP addresses with Angry IP Scanner: https://stackoverflow.com/a/23432113
- You will need Java Runtime Environment for the Angry IP Scanner program: https://www.java.com/en/download/win10.jsp
-
Connecting as
pi@raspberrypi.localusing Apple Bonjour service: https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/a/45199- Download Bonjour Print Services for Windows v2.0.2: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL999?locale=en_US
- You will need the USB charging cable
- https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/raspberry-pi-headless-setup-how-to,6028.html
If you do not have access to your network's router but have USB and HDMI adapters:
- You need an HDMI compatible TV or monitor
- Adapters for micro USB (Male) to USB-A (Female) and Mini HDMI (Male) to HDMI (Female)
- Connect a USB keyboard and HDMI monitor to the Pi using the adapters
- Login as default username
piand passwordraspberry - Execute
ifconfigand determine Pi's IP address- Look under the
wlan0section - Find the IP address after
inet - If the Pi did not successfully connect to your network, there will not be an IP address shown
- Look under the
We have bypassed this requirement by modifying the server.py file in step 5.4. Modify Craft server program
- NOTICE: You cannot register a new Craft account at this time (Jan. 1, 2020)
- You can still still log onto your server as a "guest"
- Even though we made our own sever here, we still need to register an account on the creator of Craft's website: https://craft.michaelfogleman.com/
"Why register?
You can play on most game servers anonymously. However, without registering you will not be able to make changes in most areas of the world."
- After you register and verify your email address, log back into https://craft.michaelfogleman.com/ and make an Identity Token, it should look similar to:
/identity <USERNAME> 0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
- Highlight the line and
CTRL+C(pressing the copy to clipboard button didn't work for me to paste in the game) - NOTE: You can only see this key once; if you close this window, you will have to make another key if you need it again
- Once the game starts, press "
T" andCTRL+Vto paste in your Identity Token and press ENTER (slash "/" in front is used to denote system commands) - Press "
T" and enter "/online <SERVER IP>" to connect to your Raspberry Pi Zero Craft server- Once on the server, you should automatically be connected as your account (only if you have registered an account prior to January 1, 2020)
- The server may accidentally log you off your username after you connect; if it says you are a "guest", you must re-login: "
/login <USERNAME>"
- Craft, the free, open-source Minecraft clone by Michael Fogleman: https://www.michaelfogleman.com/projects/craft/
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