4.0 KiB
FAQ & Troubleshooting
As a first step we recommend carefully reading our documentation on GitHub. Most steps to successfully set up your Pi-KVM are already described there. If you run into any issues you can check this page which will list common errors. If that still doesn't help you you're welcome to raise an issue ticket or join our Discord for further help.
Common questions
Can I connect multiple servers to a single Pi-KVM?
- Yes, but it will require additional work to set up. See this page.
Can I use Pi-KVM with non-Raspberry Pi boards (Orange, Nano, etc)?
- Yes, but you will have to prepare the operating system yourself. As for the Pi-KVM software, you will need to replace some config files (such as UDEV rules). If you are a developer or an experienced system administrator, you will not have any problems with this. In addition, we are open to patches. If you need help with this, please contact us via Discord.
First steps
What is the default password? How do I change it?
-
There are two types of accounts: OS and Pi-KVM (web interface) accounts. The system account
root
can be used for SSH/UART access and has the passwordroot
. The web interface account is calledadmin
and has the passwordadmin
. The Pi-KVM account cannot be used for SSH access and vice versa.To change passwords, use the following commands (under root):
su - # If you're in the webterm rw # Switch filesystem to read-write mode passwd root # Change OS root password kvmd-passwd set admin # Change web ui admin password ro # Back to read-only
How do I get root access in the web terminal?
- The web terminal works with the account
kvmd-webterm
. This is a regular user with no administrator privileges. In addition,sudo
is disabled for this user for security reasons. To getroot
access, you need to use thesu -
command (minus is important) and enter the root password.
Where is the Pi-KVM configuration located?
-
Almost all KVMD (the main daemon controlling Pi-KVM) configuration files located in
/etc/kvmd
. You can also find nginx configs and SSL certificates there. KVMD configs use YAML syntax. The specific platform parameters can be found in the file/etc/kvmd/main.yaml
and you should never edit it. Use/etc/kvmd/override.yaml
to redefine the system parameters.Another files that are also not recommended for editing have read-only permissions. If you edit any of these files, you will need to manually make changes to them when you upgrade your system. You can view the current configuration and all available KVMD parameters using the command
kvmd -m
.
I can't edit any file on Pi-KVM. Why is the system in read-only mode?
- The Pi-KVM file system is always mounted in read-only mode. This measure prevents it from being damaged by a sudden power outage. To change the configuration you must first switch the filesystem to write mode using the command
rw
from root. After the changes, be sure to run the commandro
to switch it back to read-only.
How do I update Pi-KVM with the latest software?
-
Pi-KVM OS is based on Arch Linux ARM and is fully updated from the repository by a regular package manager. Connect to your Pi-KVM via ssh and run:
rw pacman -Syu reboot
❗ Pacman saves all installed packages in a compressed format so that you can roll back to the old version if something goes wrong. After you've updated and made sure everything works, it makes sense to clear the package cache so that it doesn't take up space on the SD card:
rw; rm -rf /var/cache/pacman/pkg; ro
.