Perhaps ubuntu with hsssio over the top?
Mostly ok. I can see the Hassio login in my browser but trying to install portainer fails
tom@hass_bak:~$ sudo docker run -d -p 9000:9000 --name portainer --restart always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock –v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer
docker: invalid reference format.
See 'docker run --help'.I had a similar problem running portainer. Something to do with the copy and pasted line from @kanga_who’s howto. Try typing it by hand (tedious though that is).
Ah. Too late. I used this (from here):
sudo docker pull portainer/portainer
sudo docker run -d -p 9000:9000 -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock portainer/portainer
Which worked. But now I’m worried it does not have the options in kanga’s version.
@nickrout thanks for letting me know. Must be a copy/paste problem, I’ll take a look at it.
@tom_l should be fine, I took it straight from the Portainer site, it’s not a custom version or anything.
Other than that, did you find the guide was easy to follow and worked for you? I’m always interested to get feedback on it.
Yeah easy to follow.
Portainer isn’t starting automatically after a reboot. I might try nick’s suggestion and type out your install instructions. But I guess I have to work out how to uninstall it first, which is not proving easy to find.
I have a bigger problem though. The PC refuses to start without a monitor connected. It’s a gaming motherboard with integrated graphics. It throws a GPU BIOS error and does not start without a monitor connected. No way to disable the GPU in BIOS. Same as this issue: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2331323
So I have to look for a BIOS update. Which means opening up the machine to find the MB details (not easy - it’s a fanless heatsink case) as I can’t find the original receipt. Ugh.
I’m actually thinking of junking the whole PC and getting another Chinese mini PC that just worked with the NUC image. I’ve spent the whole weekend on this.
Try just leaving a monitor cable plugged into the mobo, with no monitor connected. That might trick it.
I got an old Dell Optiplex 990 SFF with an i5 2400 for $105 on ebay. Runs HA plus a number of other docker containera like Plex and Shinobi with ease.
Nah. I had a DVI lead connected. I’m swapping the monitor with my main PC when required. I only have one monitor.
The BIOS update fixed the start-up problem.
So… I decided to try the NUC image again to see if the update had fixed the NIC problem as well.
Nope.
Back to square 1 with Ubuntu. At least I already have the USB drive made and kind of know what I’m doing this time.
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Much quicker the second time around. @kanga_who I was not given the option to install SAMBA during the Ubuntu sever LTS configuration. Just SSH.
Normally an option, that’s odd. Manully install with this.
sudo apt-get install samba -y
This will have it auto start on boot. Should be the same as what’s in the guide…
sudo docker run -d -p 9000:9000 --name portainer --restart always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer
Cheers.
I haven’t installed portainer as the backup I will (hopefully never) be restoring from has it as an addon.
I got SAMBA installed however I think the path in your recommended settings could be better. It’s is fine for the config directory but the backup directory is above it and so can’t be accessed.
path = /usr/share/hassio/homeassistant
Should it not be just:
path = /usr/share/hassio
EDIT: with the second path I can copy a snapshot.
I was trying with winSCP but did not have the required privileges (no way to sudo). I tried editing the session shell to use sudo su - but that still did not allow me to copy snapshots to the backup directory.
Tom, I’m learning from this, so please continue but …
- I thought you ran an ‘alternate’ automation system ?
- From what you have said I assume this is some sort of backup system ?
- Why not just run a Pi ? Small cheap easy and from what I’ve experienced “man enough for the job” ???
You’re confusing me with 123. I run Home Assistant only.
Im going overseas for a year next year and will only have remote access to my home (via Anydesk to another always on PC). My house sitter is a reasonably competent “remote finger”. So the plan is this if my Hassio PC dies while I’m away:
- Make sure my main Hassio PC is off and network unplugged (via house sitter remote finger).
- Remotely set the backup Hassio PC IP address in my router’s DHCP server to my main Hassio IP.
- Switch on backup hassio PC. I can do this via a web interface on an ESPhome flashed smart plug.
- Copy my last nightly snapshot to the backup hassio instance and restart.
All will then be well again. 
I will have to switch on the backup PC (via home assistant) and upgrade the home assistant version every now and then. But it will stay a bog standard local only install until required. So there is little to no chance of a breaking change affecting it.
A pi is not sufficient to run my current setup.
Apologies for the mistake.
See I’m learning even more.
When my pi becomes overwhelmed I may go same route but wife already complains about the amount of kit I have, “why do you need ANOTHER computer ?”
But I’d like to ensure the pi4 usb ports are fixed, then try that first (I have yet another project in mind for my Pi3 (have about 7 (and 5 pi zero’s (3 of the w’s used for time lapse))) (so I suppose she does have a point with my other 4 pc’s and ‘only’ 1 laptop. 
)
That’s good feedback, thanks. I will make that change in the guide.
You can make fake monitor configs on Ubuntu, I had the same issue a while back but needed to tinker with xorg in order to get it to boot.
Good to know. The BIOS update fixed the problem though.
Good stuff, glad you got it fixed 