[fedora-arm] Fedora LiveUSB station - brainstorming

[Zoltan Hoppar]

Greetings,

I am currently gathering my hardwares and tools, to create a Fedora image
creator station - that I can put out to the desk at Fedora events. The main
target would be to have a standalone machine, with blueprints, that if any
local Fedora community around the world want to follow - be able to do it.
With a standalone flasher, we can much more easier share our installers -
and we can put something attractive to the desk at events. If internet
access is rare, or weak, IMHO this device as access point, sharing point
can be a glue for the local communities.

Main functions?
---------------

I am thinking in 3 base +1 extra function on this station:
- Local standalone offline access point - local free wifi station with
downloadable content. (Sort of mod of Piratebox, Librarybox - or such).
Possibly with chat services, or IRC meeting box.
- Standalone online file sharing point, file server, shared coding platform
- same downloadable content (Fedora user guide, Fedora digital flyers,
local copy of getfedora website)
- Ambassadors digital event box: if give digital flyers, and contents that
ambassadors can share and load with useful contents - as Ambassadors
shedules, talking points, marketing stuff - and such.
+1 function: I'd like to package a separate 5 ports charger unit, so
Ambassadors can stop visitors that if they want they can charge up phones,
tablets and their units.

Good, but with what kind of devices?
---------------------------------------

Right now, I am thinking in 4 possible device - but I would like to put out
to discussion witch path would be the mostly less painful and cheap. I have
already contacted with Martin Bříza, who developing the Fedora Media
Writer, and IMHO would be a great option to have it if the screen is an
option is such build. Furthermore in marketing part, I think the earlier
LiveUSB Station concept had at that time a nice artwork - that similarly
with this device can be useful.

So, the 4 device option that I am thinking:
- Olimex Olinuxino Lime2 board with SATA. Allwinner A20 chip. Mostly
supported, but 55 EUR with 4Gb storage, kinda expensive but can be fully
equipped even with batteries. But not only worrying about the TCO in this
option, else maybe the A20 would be weak for the tasks above.
- Raspberry Pi 3 - mostly widespreaded, known, and possibly most usable -
but
- Orange PI zero with USB expansion board: Tiny, cheap (I have ordered mine
for barely 25 EUR in total, with cube case), nicely portable device, but
Allwinner H2, H2 plus - as far as I know not really supported by Fedora.
But I know it wrong, maybe. Plus in this board that has SPI flash.
- FriendlyArm Nanopi Neo AIR : This tiny board has an 8G integrated storage
that can be IMHO an option for the Fedora images, using Allwinner H3 chip,
3 usb, BT and Wifi integrated. Cost is approx 25 USD with heatsink.

My questions?
---------------

First I'd like to have feedbacks, ideas, and maybe points that I didn't saw
yet.
- Witch path, board would be the best solution in your opinion?
- In what form/shape can you imagine this Fedora device?
- What purpose you think that can be added, or would be useful?
- What would you change, add, remove in this project?

Thank you,

Zoltanh721

PS: Boards that I have: RsPi 1b, RsPi3, Orange PI Zero with expansion board
(under delivery).

[Zoltan Hoppar]

Hi,

More random brainstorming thoughts about Fedora LiveUSB station...
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think if many of us envision this device with display and touch UI - I
think the best cheap option is the Friendlyelec/Friendlyarm Nanopi S2+ 7
inch packaged LCD option witch is around 70 USD (19 USD is the LCD!) in
total, with a single DSI display cable, without the usual sandwich PCB
solution (eg. can be more prettier if you want to package it by yourself).
The only issue is that S2 board has a Samsung mobile CPU, witch is in my
knowledge - unsupported by Fedora ARM. Basically it would be cool to
showcase that we build and run this based on Fedora - that is why I thought
in the first to get well known, and Fedora ARM supported boards. Intel
solution would be also great, but yet most of them are damn expensive for
budget solutions.

Also I feel that we should think on 3 different price points, one headless
solution with commonly known and supported board with led progress bar, one
with small LCD (1 to 4 inch something) and one with big one (7 inch and
above) to keep the device mobile - or if every chance breaks - have an HDMI
monitor at hand with keyboard. More thoughts in kiosk solution: I think
would be way nice to have a camera monopod - tripod to easily stand the
device, so the booth will not be buried with people. Else - for cheaper
pricepoint - IMHO would like to keep on the desk.

Earlier we had a Photobooth....
----------------------------------

Mainly I think we can say that this headless/or kiosk box can fill a lots
of purpose. One of our Fedora guy in the HU team told me - according to
that the earlier mentioned camera mono/tripod - we had earlier also an
photobooth solution (and we can reuse that python code for sure I think),
and many of this boards usually has MIPI or somekind of camera connector...
so this is also can be a combination, opportunity.

Fedora BluePrints...
--------------------

But, IMHO the main targeted purpose would be to share Fedora images, and
showcase that you can build it with Fedora, on Fedora, by Fedora, for
Fedora and to the community. For this, I think I have an another idea, a
website, a list of blueprints, what can anybody use it - and make it with
Fedora. Maybe for 3d printer files, cad design files... Maybe it's only for
a list of recipes, in form of Fedora HUB, I don't know yet - but would be a
great thing to show that we do it - hence the name as Fedora BLUEPRINTS
would be awesome. With that not only we can show what can people begin with
Fedora, else the spins, and the other stuffs are get a new meaning in the
puzzle, and modularity, including atomic too. If we choose and ask for
digital promotion and advertising material from the design team to this
stations, I think we can share with the MKTG team as a green solution, and
promote it as paperless, "FOSS protecting the trees" thought - and have
them as slides/pictures set easily in the idle state of the screensaver.

One thing is sure: I will wait out till my Orange Pi Zero with the blue-ish
plexiglas arrives, I hope that I can include led stripe for progressbar and
lighting Fedora logo on plexi - and hack it together. Something like -

where the bottom part hides the
electronics...

Please leave comments, feedback if you feel so, and let's improve this
initiate...

Thank you,

Zoltanh721

Hey Zoltan!
I think this is a great idea, and I am interested to help (with the
development side).

Post by Zoltan Hoppar
Greetings,
I am currently gathering my hardwares and tools, to create a Fedora image
creator station - that I can put out to the desk at Fedora events. The main
target would be to have a standalone machine, with blueprints, that if any
local Fedora community around the world want to follow - be able to do it.
With a standalone flasher, we can much more easier share our installers -
and we can put something attractive to the desk at events. If internet
access is rare, or weak, IMHO this device as access point, sharing point
can be a glue for the local communities.
Main functions?
---------------
- Local standalone offline access point - local free wifi station with
downloadable content. (Sort of mod of Piratebox, Librarybox - or such).
Possibly with chat services, or IRC meeting box.
- Standalone online file sharing point, file server, shared coding
platform - same downloadable content (Fedora user guide, Fedora digital
flyers, local copy of getfedora website)
- Ambassadors digital event box: if give digital flyers, and contents
that ambassadors can share and load with useful contents - as Ambassadors
shedules, talking points, marketing stuff - and such.
+1 function: I'd like to package a separate 5 ports charger unit, so
Ambassadors can stop visitors that if they want they can charge up phones,
tablets and their units.

The main function, just to be clear is for event attendees to be able to
make live Fedora media, correct? The rest seems really cool. Another really
cool thing I can think of is to have a "live feed" possibly from fedmsg, so
that users can see how active the Fedora community is. So maybe a web
application which would subscribe to some channels of fedmsg and display
this information with some fancy animations. So ideally when someone is
walking by they can see new packages, tests, posts etc. :)

Post by Zoltan Hoppar
Good, but with what kind of devices?
---------------------------------------
Right now, I am thinking in 4 possible device - but I would like to put
out to discussion witch path would be the mostly less painful and cheap. I
have already contacted with Martin Bříza, who developing the Fedora Media
Writer, and IMHO would be a great option to have it if the screen is an
option is such build. Furthermore in marketing part, I think the earlier
LiveUSB Station concept had at that time a nice artwork - that similarly
with this device can be useful.
- Olimex Olinuxino Lime2 board with SATA. Allwinner A20 chip. Mostly
supported, but 55 EUR with 4Gb storage, kinda expensive but can be fully
equipped even with batteries. But not only worrying about the TCO in this
option, else maybe the A20 would be weak for the tasks above.
- Raspberry Pi 3 - mostly widespreaded, known, and possibly most usable -
but
- Orange PI zero with USB expansion board: Tiny, cheap (I have ordered
mine for barely 25 EUR in total, with cube case), nicely portable device,
but Allwinner H2, H2 plus - as far as I know not really supported by
Fedora. But I know it wrong, maybe. Plus in this board that has SPI flash.
- FriendlyArm Nanopi Neo AIR : This tiny board has an 8G integrated
storage that can be IMHO an option for the Fedora images, using Allwinner
H3 chip, 3 usb, BT and Wifi integrated. Cost is approx 25 USD with heatsink.

About the devices, not sure why we need lock ourselves. Make a
cross-platform application? Python would seem a good fit. Something we can
easily distribute to any Fedora box, independent of architecture. Package
it as a RPM -or- even better but harder, make a live spin of it for every
Fedora release. This image would need to contain all the other images, so
this would have to be afterwards of Fedora release.

Post by Zoltan Hoppar
My questions?
---------------
First I'd like to have feedbacks, ideas, and maybe points that I didn't
saw yet.
- Witch path, board would be the best solution in your opinion?
- In what form/shape can you imagine this Fedora device?
- What purpose you think that can be added, or would be useful?
- What would you change, add, remove in this project?

If there is a reason why we need a specific board, I vote for the
Raspberry Pi platform as it is readily available where I live. (have rpi2b)
I think you described the device very well, I imagine it as a kiosk where
people can firstly learn about Fedora, maybe see some cool demos, and
lastly make themselves a live media USB.
Thank you for the initiative, this project seems really cool!
Cheers,
Nemanja

[Till Maas]

Hi,

this is awesome. I also started to think about something similar myself
- just a device to be able to let people write their USB device with. My
main criteria for a system that can be used by visitors was that it
supports USB3 to make flashing at as fast as possible. I found the
ODROID-XU4 which is super expensive but has two USB3 ports. However
last time I checked it required a binary blog from ODROID to operate
and I heard that the fan might be a bit loud. However other problems
with Fedora events prevented me from finishing build this and eventually
I just a bought a new notebook with USB3 that I use on events to flash
the visitors' USB devices. A cheap chromebook with USB3 might therefore
be a good alternative as well.

Kind regards
Till
_______________________________________________
arm mailing list -- ***@lists.fedoraproject.org
To unsubscribe send an email to arm-***@l