Greetings,
I find myself having to reinstall Home Assistant. It started with a broken Z-Wave integration following a recent update to the core. I posted about it here: Core Update Broke my Z-Wave
I’m running the Docker/Supervised installation method. Having tried numerous methods to revive the Z-Wave functionality, I’ve resolved myself to have to reinstall.
It has been suggested that you can install Core, as a Docker Container (w/o the Add-ons) and then set up the chosen add-ons as Docker Containers to work as the Docker Supervised install method (that perhaps this is less prone to the issue I experienced). Also, since the add-ons with the Supervised install method are just Docker Containers that get spun up as you install/enable an add-on they can be installed via Docker Containers. While I’ve got a number of years working with Docker and engineering and deploying Docker Microservices, I found it took way more time than I was willing to invest to ferret out the needed docker run/compose for each add-on I wanted to add.
So, reviewing the installation methods again and considering the many comments/opinions from the fine members of this forum, I decided to try the VM approach. I also posted the question about installation methods here several months back: Install Methods - Not to Beat a Dead Horse. A VM using one of the HA OS VM’s provided is “a supported install method”.
I’m trying to downsize my power consumption, so I want to install on a smaller form factor computer/server. I do have two Dell servers, a R710 and R410 running (R710 w/ VMWare & R410 Ubuntu Server/Docker). Since I want to downsize, VirtualBox or LXC is the path I decided to try. VMWare requires too much bare metal resources. And I didn’t want to bother with Proxmox as this would be the only VM I would run. With VirtualBox installed on the smaller server, I set up a headless VM without any issues. Setting up Auto Shutdown/Startup for the VM was a PITA. So many options (posted here and from Google searches) that don’t work (w/ Ubuntu LTS 20.04.03). Finally got a systemd service set up that works. Ok, 1 down, 1 to go - the Aeotek Z-Wave Hub.
Now the the task of passing my Aeotec USB Z-Wave Hub to the VM. So far I have had inconsistent results. Sometimes it shows up, other times not. What a PITA. I’ve never had much success with VirtualBox and USB devices. In any case, I identified the device with vboxmanage list usbhost. Then set up a USB Filter like vboxmanage usbfilter add 0 --target home_assistant --name Aeotec --vendorid 0x0658 --productid 0x0200. Problem is, again, it doesn’t always show up.
Also, throughout the VM setup process, I wanted to test and ensure that in the event the server is shutdown/reboots or there is a power outage that the VM comes back up… w/ the Z-Wave Aeotec Hub. I’ve found as I stated above, it doesn’t. Poop!
Honestly, my favorite method was/is/would be Supervised/Docker. I haven’t yet come to fully understand why this method is considered “unsupported”. I get it, it can be deployed on any number of Host OS Linux flavors. But in my humble opinion, HA is or should be no different than any other OpenSource (or otherwise) software/app. The software has it’s install requirements, etc. Meet those requirements, install it, and voila. And let me also say that with hardware these days, IMHO it’s ludicrous to dedicate an entire bare metal to HA. Some may disagree. And for some, that’s all they want/need to run. But I know I’m leaving CPU, Memory, etc on the table. That I can also run a Smokeping, and/or Redundant PiHole, and/or a development environment for Python, Ruby, Rails, Rancid, an IPAM Management (NetBox, phpIPAM, GestioIP), a Unifi Controller, etc, etc, etc, w/o compromising the resources required to run HA smoothly. You get the idea.
So while I would prefer to install via the Docker Supervised method, I’m gun shy not wanting to experience the same catastrophic issue that resulted from an update and loosing Z-Wave functionality and stuck with “You’re running a Unsupported Installation Method”.
I welcome your thoughts, comments, success stories, etc.
Thanks
td