I’m a FreedomBox newbie and a friend uses it and recommended it to me.
I have a ZimaBoard 832 (AMD64) and I just want to check that there are no particular issues with installing FB on this SBC. I can install it on Debian but am I right in understanding that it can install directly on the SBC itself?
Sorry if this is very elementary stuff and thanks for any replies.
Tony
Hi @Tonyrambler
Welcome to using FreedomBox.
The FreedomBox operating system is compatible with Debian. However, there are also some targeted SBC’s for ease of setup and consistent experience. Have a look here to see these boards.
If your board is not listed, you can install FBX on top of Debian as described here.
Good luck and happy hacking!
Thanks Ged. I’m still not quite clear on the types of setup. Am I understanding right that on some supported SBCs FreedomBox installs instead of Debian, rather than on top of it? I read that it is a “blend of Debian”, but does that mean it is a complete Debian OS by itself?
Hi @Tonyrambler
Debian Pureblends are Debian OS’s that are “a solution for groups of people with specific needs.” See here for more specifics of what they are. In short, they are “Debian” bundled with free software from the Debian repo and are configured for “specific needs”.
Freedombox is a Debian pureblend; meaning that at it’s core it is Debian. The difference is, it’s pre-bundled and configured with the specific programs that meet with the Freedombox project goals.
On how to install FBX, you can go both ways:
a. if your SBC is listed on the FBX download page, then installation is a one-time smooth process where you download the image, put it on a drive, power up your board and follow the on-screen directives.
b. if your SBC is not listed (or you choose to manually install FBX), then installing Debian first and then FBX on top of that is another way.
In either case, if your SBC can run Debian without any issues, it will run also FBX on top of it.
Hi @Tonyrambler,
I’ve done a manual install. If you don’t have an image available for your SBC don’t worry. You’ll get FreedomBox running in two parts.
You’ll want to download and install the net-inst distribution of Debian. This is one of the smallest installers and will get your system to the point that you can install FreedomBox from the Debian online software repository.
Don’t select optional software from the installer. Just go with the most basic complete installation. Do a very simple disk partition scheme with boot, swap, and / partitions. Format your / partition with btrfs for FreedomBox to be fully functional.
Your device may need some firmware to install Debian. The installer will tell you if this is the case. I just try the installation and see if there is a problem. If there is, the way to handle this is covered in the Debian installation manuals. In general what you do is:
This will probably be the most difficult part of the installation if it comes to this.
On your newly installed Debian system you’ll be able to install FreedomBox from the command line as root. I did it like this (as root):
# DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install freedombox -y
Read through the installation section of the FreedomBox Manual while you wait - and be sure to see the “Tips and Troubleshooting” section for some details you’ll have to take care of manually.
Let us know how you get on with it!
Hi Joseph,
thank you very much for that thorough instruction. I had put it aside and done other things but I will have another look now and let you know how it works out,
Tony