openBalena VPS Configuration

openbalena-start.md

Locally installing to a server

Pre-requisites

• Install Docker-CE into your server as-per the official instructions here: https://docs.docker.com/install/linux/docker-ce/ubuntu/
  • Optional: add your user account to the “docker”
  • Optional: enable a TCP socket for dockerd:

# /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/override.conf
[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/bin/dockerd -H fd:// -H tcp://127.0.0.1:2376
$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
$ sudo systemctl restart docker.service

• Install docker-compose: https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/
• Setup DNS entries:
  • A record “openbalena.{domain}” to the server IP address
  • CNAME record “*.openbalena.{domain}” to “openbalena.{domain}”
  • Setup any firewalls:
  • Allow ports 80, 443, 3128 to the server

Basic tests

• $ dig *.openbalena.{domain} to check DNS
• Workstation can ping “openbalena.{domain}”
• Workstation can ping “test.openbalena.{domain}”

Workstation has balena tools installed:

• Balena-CLI
• Etcher
• Docker

Optional:

• $ export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://127.0.0.1:2376
• $ docker ps

Installing openBalena

• Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena.git
• Setup openBalena:

./scripts/quickstart \
-U <email@address> \
-P <password> \
-d openbalena.<domain.com> \
-c

• Start openBalena: ./scripts/compose up -d

• Point balena-cli to openBalena: export BALENARC_BALENA_URL=openbalena.<domain.com>

• Create a new app: balena app create testApp

• Download the balenaOS from here and configure the image to use your app: balena os configure ~/path/to/balenaOS.img --app testApp

• Flash the SD Card: balena local flash ~/path/to/balenaOS.img

• Deploy balena project to the device: balena deploy testApp --emulated --logs --build