* On 7.6 `bwmf0` was detected and works great, even in AP mode. However, my latest Node project core dumped when running `npm install` and nothing I tried got it working (short of recompiling Node)
* On 7.7 (today's release) `npm install` is working perfect
Not worth an entire blog post, but just goes to show improvements in OpenBSD over time on the Pi 4 :)
What's your experience with OpenBSD on RasPi4 specifically? I've found it's pretty poor at handling unexpected power loss - the FS requires interactive fsck during next boot, which means repositioning the box near your computer, pulling out a serial dongle, figuring out the correct GPIOs, etc. Big hassle for a box that's supposed to sit unattended.
Yeah, I would agree getting into the Pi 4 is a little troublesome if it's intended to be headless.
Mine hosts a LAN using the built-in wireless adapter (bwmf0) so it's easy to SSH in, but if it's stuck in single user mode, this doesn't work.
With a spare HDMI monitor and USB keyboard it's not too difficult to get back in, but it's a hassle without these laying around.
I also tested a USB-KVM style solution: I used a mini HDMI adapter connected to an inexpensive USB capture card which let me view the console in OBS Studio. I used a regular keyboard to enter commands, but I also discovered there are "RS232 USB HID emulators" which are DE-9 serial on one end and USB on the other, allowing one to type characters into a serial session (e.g. PuTTY) and have them pop out the other end as an emulated USB keyboard. I didn't end up testing this, but in theory it would give you a basic KVM or crash cart style setup to get back into the Pi. The total price would have been around $40-50, much less than a real USB KVM like the Startech Notecons01. [0]
Another idea is to use a power brick with pass-through charging. Many good Anker batteries support this and some of them are the size of the Pi - so one could easily setup a long lasting UPS for the Pi for $30-40. At around 2.5 watts idling, a 10,000 mAh battery should easily give 6-8 hours of charge which should be enough to survive brief outages and prevent an unclean shutdown. A basic USB-C charging meter will show the Pi's power draw as well.
Other than that, the next best thing is to mount as much of the system read-only as possible to help reduce the chances of needing to fsck.
FWIW, I'm using a basic Apacer 32GB microSD card and haven't had any issues with failed writes or endurance or anything like that.
Eh I thought so. Mitigating a software problem in hardware (while Linux doesn't have this problem) feels like a step backward. I absolutely adore OpenBSD, but the file system is its weakest point.
> What's your experience with OpenBSD on RasPi4 specifically
Power loss and single user mode complications aside, OpenBSD 7.7 runs fantastic on the Pi 4. It feels no different from a standard AMD64 install for most tasks. I haven't used the GPIO pins under OpenBSD but it otherwise works like any other system. :)
* On 7.5 the built-in `bwmf0` was not detected
* On 7.6 `bwmf0` was detected and works great, even in AP mode. However, my latest Node project core dumped when running `npm install` and nothing I tried got it working (short of recompiling Node)
* On 7.7 (today's release) `npm install` is working perfect
Not worth an entire blog post, but just goes to show improvements in OpenBSD over time on the Pi 4 :)