Does anyone have an image compatible with Berry Boot?
I haven't had any luck converting one.
No special conversion is needed to use RasPlex under BerryBoot.
A compatible file is included in the distribution image.
Here's a description of how I use it, working for every RasPlex build I've tried:
(Ranging from versions older than v0.3 up to the latest release candidates.)
01: Perform a normal install of RasPlex to an SD card or USB drive (doesn't matter which)
02: After the install, use a PC to mount that SD card or USB drive for normal access
03: From the RasPlex-installed FAT32 partion, copy its "SYSTEM" file to some storage on the PC
04: Rename that "SYSTEM" file to something suitable, with extension ".img"
--- eg: I use names like "BB_currentRasPlexID_SYSTEM.img", so currently "BB_rasplex-RP-0.4.0-rc4_SYSTEM.img"
--- This name is arbitrary, except that it MUST have ".img" extension, and you need to remember the name.
That image file is now ready for installation through BerryBoot in the same way as you would use for other BerryBoot compatible image files.
My own procedure is as follows (biased by the fact that I always run BerryBoot images from a USB3 drive):
05: Place the xxx_SYSTEM.img file on a FAT32 USB drive. NOT the drive BerryBoot installs OS to.
--- All is now ready to move from PC to Raspberry Pi.
06: Connect the USB3 drive from which BerryBoot boots its OS images to one of the USB connectors of the RPi
--- That is the drive to which you will soon install the SYSTEM image, by letting BerryBoot do it.
--- But step 6 may be skipped if BerryBoot boots OS images from its own SD card.
07: Connect a USB hub to the other USB connector of the RPi (I use the lower one)
--- A hub might not be needed if you run OS images from SD card, but I definitely need it
08: Connect the USB drive with the prepared xxx_SYSTEM.img file to one of the USB ports of the hub
09: Connect your control devices (for me keyboard and mouse dongles) to other ports of the hub
10: Insert the BerryBoot SDcard into the RPi
11: Check your TV/monitor connection to the RPi and then turn the RPi power on
12: As the BerryBoot menu appears, use either mouse or keyboard to activate the command "Edit Menu"
13: In the BerryBoot menu editor, long-press the "Add OS" command and in its dropdown menu choose "Copy OS from USB stick"
--- BerryBoot then opens a file selector window for the USB stick holding the prepared SYSTEM image.
14: In that selector, choose the RasPlex image prepared earlier and use the 'Open' command
--- BerryBoot then proceeds to install the image from that USB stick to the other one (or to SD card, depending on your usage)
15: As the install is completed, optionally set the new OS as 'Default' and then use 'Exit' command
--- BerryBoot then reboots the RPi
16: As the BerryBoot menu appears again, it should contain the new RasPlex image, ready for booting
I made the description above quite detailed, so that newcomers to BerryBoot should have no difficulty.
But those who are using it for the first time need to understand that what I describe above is NOT a first run of BerryBoot. The very first run with BerryBoot is quite different, since that is when you must also tell it to prepare the drive from which you will boot your OS images in future (whether you choose SD card or USB stick).
For help with that I refer you to the instructions on the BerryBoot site.
I strongly recommend using either a good USB3 drive or a top-notch EXTREME SD card for booting your OS images, since any loss of drive speed will affect every one of the OS images you run from that drive. (More than usual, due to BerryBoot's virtual filesystems.)
NB: When I say that the SYSTEM image of RasPlex is compatible to BerryBoot, this doesn't necessarily mean that they are optimized for each other, which they're NOT. Some RasPlex operations may even run into problems due to the virtual filesystem usage of BerryBoot. eg: the very latest RasPlex release candidate 'wants' to install a swapfile in a way that doesn't seem to work with BerryBoot. And this might cause trouble if/when RAM swapping becomes necessary.
Best regards: dlanor
Wow super detailed.
Thanks a lot.
Thanks for this HowTo.
Do you notice any speed difference with a "classic" Install? I mean, whithout berryboot?
Thanks for this HowTo.
Do you notice any speed difference with a "classic" Install? I mean, whithout berryboot?
When using BerryBoot all local storage access is made through virtual filesystem partitions installed by BerryBoot, instead of directly accessing a normal ext4 partition, as would be the case for a 'classic' install. An extra filesystem level for this virtualization obviously has to cost some CPU processing time, that is inevitable. But this can be minimized by using a fast storage device.
For my own BerryBoot usage I boot BerryBoot from a fairly small (4 GB) SD card, and have it install all the virtual OS images on a fairly large USB3 stick (32 GB). I've also modified the "config.txt" file of the BerryBoot SD card, partly to add the purchased CODEC license codes (decode_MPG2 and decode_WVC1 definitions), and partly to add some overclock settings.
To get the most out of BerryBoot usage my settings specify what I consider the max safe overclocking:
arm_freq=1000 core_freq=500 sdram_freq=500 over_voltage=6I've inserted that text block close to the end of the file, just above the text row "# Berryboot settings, do not change".
With these settings the speed is still better than an unaccelerated RasPlex install, though a bit slower than a classic install using the same overclock settings.
NB: The overclock settings given above should not be used with low-class SD cards or with RPi in an unventilated/hot enclosure.
You should also be aware that overclocking can raise power consumption, so a too weak PSU might cause the RPi to crash, even if it runs fine without overclocking.
Another thing to consider is that some OS you may install have the ability to modify overclocking themselves, so the "config.txt" settings may be ignored when you choose to boot those OS. But the "config.txt" settings will remain unchanged by that, and will be used when you choose to boot RasPlex. (Unless you use the raspi-config utility of some OS, which edits the "config.txt".)
Best regards: dlanor
Hi,
I've tried all tehniques for beryboot that I can find including yours and on another topic where a guy shared his img file.
I always get a "Error copying file" message, do you know why ? I'm using latest BerryBoot and all different RasPlex img's.
Hope someone can help,
Thomas
Hi,
I've tried all tehniques for beryboot that I can find including yours and on another topic where a guy shared his img file.
I always get a "Error copying file" message, do you know why ? I'm using latest BerryBoot and all different RasPlex img's.
Hope someone can help,
Thomas
I also received this error message, but tried again with the SYSTEM.img file on a different USB stick and it worked the second time.
Also, thanks dlanor for the detailed steps! I was able to get RasPlex 0.5.1 and openelec 5.0.5 dual-booting on a Raspberry Pi 2 relatively pain free this evening. Ths interfaces on both are now silky smooth. A huge step up from the stuttering UIs on the model B+!
Thanks, dlanor! I'll be doing this this evening when my Pi2 arrives.
I'm shooting for a Rasplex/Retropie dual boot, with Rasplex as the default (used 90%+ of the time). I'm slightly worried about Retropie's "expand filesystem" option, though. Everyone online states to do this. Just hoping that doesn't muck around with berryboot/rasplex.
Thanks, dlanor! I'll be doing this this evening when my Pi2 arrives.
I'm shooting for a Rasplex/Retropie dual boot, with Rasplex as the default (used 90%+ of the time). I'm slightly worried about Retropie's "expand filesystem" option, though. Everyone online states to do this. Just hoping that doesn't muck around with berryboot/rasplex.
I'm not sure how it works with Retropie, but as you may have seen elsewhere RasPlex also contains a feature which automatically expands an ext4 partition to use the full free space of the SD card, when installed for normal single-OS use. But that feature is implemented as one of the initial boot features, and when you install RasPlex under BerryBoot those parts are not included. (You only use the "SYSTEM" file, as found on an SD card with RasPlex normally installed.)
I'm not sure how this is done for Retropie, but most likely that filesystem expansion will be avoided when installed under BerryBoot, just as for RasPlex.
With BerryBoot installations the "config.txt" file of BerryBoot is used for all the installed OS, so that is where you should edit your CODEC license codes (assuming you bought any), but you should avoid messing with the original entries in that file which BerryBoot needs.
As for expandable filesystems, the virtual filesystem of BerryBoot will make it seem to the running OS as if it has all the free space of the SD card available, though in reality each such OS uses virtual filesystems housed in separate files, which the BerryBoot system libs will expand as needed when the hosted OS try to use additional space. So there is no need for any of the hosted systems to do the partition expand operations that they would need in stand-alone use.
Naturally there are limits to how compatible such a virtual filesystem can be, so images that require multiple extra partitions apart from the 'system' partition may not work with BerryBoot. (Offhand I can't think of any, though I suppose it would happen if trying to port some Android implementations, such as those for 'Banana Pi'.)
Best regards: dlanor
I'm not sure how it works with Retropie, but as you may have seen elsewhere RasPlex also contains a feature which automatically expands an ext4 partition to use the full free space of the SD card, when installed for normal single-OS use. But that feature is implemented as one of the initial boot features, and when you install RasPlex under BerryBoot those parts are not included. (You only use the "SYSTEM" file, as found on an SD card with RasPlex normally installed.)
I'm not sure how this is done for Retropie, but most likely that filesystem expansion will be avoided when installed under BerryBoot, just as for RasPlex.
With BerryBoot installations the "config.txt" file of BerryBoot is used for all the installed OS, so that is where you should edit your CODEC license codes (assuming you bought any), but you should avoid messing with the original entries in that file which BerryBoot needs.
As for expandable filesystems, the virtual filesystem of BerryBoot will make it seem to the running OS as if it has all the free space of the SD card available, though in reality each such OS uses virtual filesystems housed in separate files, which the BerryBoot system libs will expand as needed when the hosted OS try to use additional space. So there is no need for any of the hosted systems to do the partition expand operations that they would need in stand-alone use.
Naturally there are limits to how compatible such a virtual filesystem can be, so images that require multiple extra partitions apart from the 'system' partition may not work with BerryBoot. (Offhand I can't think of any, though I suppose it would happen if trying to port some Android implementations, such as those for 'Banana Pi'.)
Best regards: dlanor
dlanor,
Thank you. This explanation was very helpful! My USB SNES game controller will be arriving today, so I'll attempt the install of Retropie some time this evening. Currently I only have Berryboot-> Rasplex. Your above instructions were flawless.
Question: I have rasplex set to always transcode in the settings for rasplex as I like to keep it set to 3-4mbps. I'd assume that purchasing codec licenses would not benefit me due to that?
dlanor,
Thank you. This explanation was very helpful! My USB SNES game controller will be arriving today, so I'll attempt the install of Retropie some time this evening. Currently I only have Berryboot-> Rasplex. Your above instructions were flawless.
Question: I have rasplex set to always transcode in the settings for rasplex as I like to keep it set to 3-4mbps. I'd assume that purchasing codec licenses would not benefit me due to that?
Yes. If everything is transcoded, then it's up to the Plex Media Server to deal with the separate CODECs of the files, transcoding these into a form that RasPlex can play natively without extra CODEC licenses.
Such usage does place a greater burden on the server of course, so it needs to run on a more powerful system.
The server machine should be a 'real' PC (simple NAS servers are notoriously bad at transcoding).
Best regards: dlanor
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