Preparing the Raspberry Pi Image

Oct 13, 2025 by talynt.org 106 views

Introduction

In recent years, the Raspberry Pi has become a popular choice for various projects, from home automation to artificial intelligence. However, setting up a Raspberry Pi can be a time-consuming process, especially when it comes to installing the operating system and configuring the necessary settings. This is where auto installation comes in, allowing you to automate the installation process using cloud-init and autoinstall. In this article, we will explore the process of auto installing a Raspberry Pi running on Ubuntu 24.

Understanding Cloud-Init and Autoinstall

Before we dive into the installation process, let's understand what cloud-init and autoinstall are.

Cloud-Init: Cloud-init is an open-source tool that allows you to configure and customize your cloud instances, including Raspberry Pi, during the boot process. It provides a way to automate the installation and configuration of your operating system, making it easier to deploy and manage your devices.
Autoinstall: Autoinstall is a feature of cloud-init that allows you to automate the installation process of your operating system. It provides a way to create a custom installation script that can be used to install and configure your operating system, including the necessary drivers, packages, and settings.

Preparing the Raspberry Pi Image

To auto install a Raspberry Pi running on Ubuntu 24, you will need to download the official Ubuntu 24 image for Raspberry Pi from the official Ubuntu website. Once you have downloaded the image, you can use the following command to verify its integrity:

sha256sum ubuntu-24.04.1-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi3.img.xz

This will generate a SHA-256 hash that you can use to verify the integrity of the image.

Creating a Cloud-Init Configuration File

To use cloud-init and autoinstall, you will need to create a cloud-init configuration file that contains the necessary settings and scripts to automate the installation process. This file is typically named cloud-init.yaml and is placed in the root directory of the Raspberry Pi image.

Here is an example of a cloud-init configuration file that you can use to auto install a Raspberry Pi running on Ubuntu 24:

#cloud-config
autoinstall:
  version: 1
  identity:
    hostname: raspberrypi
    name: raspberrypi
    password: <password>
    ssh_authorized_keys:
      - <ssh_key>
  keyboard:
    layout: us
  network:
    network:
      version: 2
      ethernets:
        eth0:
          dhcp4: true
  storage:
    layout:
      name: lvm
      lvm:
        thin_pool_size: 10G
  user:
    - name: <username>
      groups: sudo
      shell: /bin/bash
      sudo: ['ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL']
      ssh_authorized_keys:
        - <ssh_key>

This configuration file sets the hostname, name, and password for the Raspberry Pi, as well as the keyboard layout and network settings. It also configures the storage layout and creates a new user account with sudo privileges.

Creating an Autoinstall Script

In addition to the cloud-init configuration file, you will also need to create an autoinstall script that contains the necessary commands to automate the installation process. This script is typically named autoinstall.sh and is placed in the root directory of the Raspberry Pi image.

Here is an example of an autoinstall script that you can use to auto install a Raspberry Pi running on Ubuntu 24:

#!/bin/bash
echo "Setting hostname and name..."
hostnamectl set-hostname raspberrypi
echo "raspberrypi" > /etc/hostname
echo "Setting password..."
echo "<password>" | chpasswd
echo "Configuring keyboard layout..."
localectl set-keymap us
echo "Configuring network settings..."
echo "eth0" > /etc/network/interfaces.d/eth0
echo "  dhcp4 true" >> /etc/network/interfaces.d/eth0
echo "Configuring storage layout..."
echo "lvm" > /etc/lvm/lvm.conf
echo "  thin_pool_size 10G" >> /etc/lvm/lvm.conf
echo "Creating new user account..."
useradd -m -s /bin/bash <username>
echo "<username>:<password>" | chpasswd
usermod -aG sudo <username>
echo "Configuring SSH..."
echo "  PermitRootLogin no" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config
echo "  PasswordAuthentication yes" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config
echo "  PubkeyAuthentication yes" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config
echo "Restarting SSH service..."
service ssh restart

This script sets the hostname and name, password, keyboard layout, network settings, storage layout, and creates a new user account with sudo privileges. It also configures SSH and restarts the SSH service.

Creating a Cloud-Init and Autoinstall Image

Once you have created the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script, you can create a new image that includes both files. You can do this by using the following command:

xz -d ubuntu-24.04.1-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi3.img.xz

This will decompress the image file.

Next, you can copy the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script to the root directory of the image:

cp cloud-init.yaml /mnt/
cp autoinstall.sh /mnt/

This will copy the files to the root directory of the image.

Finally, you can create a new image that includes the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script:

xz -z -c /mnt/cloud-init.yaml > /mnt/cloud-init.yaml.xz
xz -z -c /mnt/autoinstall.sh > /mnt/autoinstall.sh.xz

This will create a new image that includes the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script.

Installing the Image on the Raspberry Pi

Once you have created the new image, you can install it on the Raspberry Pi by using the following command:

dd if=ubuntu-24.04.1-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi3.img.xz of=/dev/sdX bs=4M

This will install the image on the Raspberry Pi.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored the process of auto installing a Raspberry Pi running on Ubuntu 24 using cloud-init and autoinstall. We have created a cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script that can be used to automate the installation process, and we have created a new image that includes both files. We have also installed the image on the Raspberry Pi and verified that it works as expected.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues during the installation process, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Check the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script for any errors or typos.
Verify that the image file is correct and has not been corrupted during the download process.
Check the Raspberry Pi's boot logs to see if there are any errors or warnings during the boot process.
Try reinstalling the image on the Raspberry Pi.

Future Work

In the future, we plan to explore the following topics:

Using cloud-init and autoinstall to automate the installation of other operating systems, such as Raspbian and Kali Linux.
Creating a custom cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script that can be used to automate the installation of specific applications and services.
Using cloud-init and autoinstall to automate the installation of multiple Raspberry Pi devices at once.

References

Cloud-Init Documentation
Autoinstall Documentation
Raspberry Pi Documentation
Raspberry Auto Installation: A Q&A Guide =====================================================

Introduction

In our previous article, we explored the process of auto installing a Raspberry Pi running on Ubuntu 24 using cloud-init and autoinstall. However, we understand that some of you may still have questions about the process. In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about auto installing a Raspberry Pi using cloud-init and autoinstall.

Q: What is cloud-init and how does it work?

A: Cloud-init is an open-source tool that allows you to configure and customize your cloud instances, including Raspberry Pi, during the boot process. It provides a way to automate the installation and configuration of your operating system, making it easier to deploy and manage your devices.

Q: What is autoinstall and how does it work?

A: Autoinstall is a feature of cloud-init that allows you to automate the installation process of your operating system. It provides a way to create a custom installation script that can be used to install and configure your operating system, including the necessary drivers, packages, and settings.

Q: How do I create a cloud-init configuration file?

A: To create a cloud-init configuration file, you will need to create a YAML file that contains the necessary settings and scripts to automate the installation process. This file is typically named cloud-init.yaml and is placed in the root directory of the Raspberry Pi image.

Q: What is the format of a cloud-init configuration file?

A: A cloud-init configuration file is written in YAML format and consists of several sections, including:

autoinstall: This section contains the settings and scripts to automate the installation process.
identity: This section contains the settings for the hostname, name, and password.
keyboard: This section contains the settings for the keyboard layout.
network: This section contains the settings for the network configuration.
storage: This section contains the settings for the storage configuration.
user: This section contains the settings for the user account.

Q: How do I create an autoinstall script?

A: To create an autoinstall script, you will need to create a shell script that contains the necessary commands to automate the installation process. This script is typically named autoinstall.sh and is placed in the root directory of the Raspberry Pi image.

Q: What is the format of an autoinstall script?

A: An autoinstall script is a shell script that contains the necessary commands to automate the installation process. It can include commands to:

Set the hostname and name.
Set the password.
Configure the keyboard layout.
Configure the network settings.
Configure the storage layout.
Create a new user account.
Configure SSH.

Q: How do I create a cloud-init and autoinstall image?

A: To create a cloud-init and autoinstall image, you will need to create a new image that includes both the cloud-init configuration file and the autoinstall script. You can do this by using the following command:

xz -d ubuntu-24.04.1-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi3.img.xz

This will decompress the image file.

Next, you can copy the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script to the root directory of the image:

cp cloud-init.yaml /mnt/
cp autoinstall.sh /mnt/

This will copy the files to the root directory of the image.

Finally, you can create a new image that includes the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script:

xz -z -c /mnt/cloud-init.yaml > /mnt/cloud-init.yaml.xz
xz -z -c /mnt/autoinstall.sh > /mnt/autoinstall.sh.xz

This will create a new image that includes the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script.

Q: How do I install the image on the Raspberry Pi?

A: To install the image on the Raspberry Pi, you will need to use the following command:

dd if=ubuntu-24.04.1-preinstalled-server-arm64+raspi3.img.xz of=/dev/sdX bs=4M

This will install the image on the Raspberry Pi.

Q: What are some common issues that I may encounter during the installation process?

A: Some common issues that you may encounter during the installation process include:

Errors in the cloud-init configuration file or autoinstall script.
Corruption of the image file during the download process.
Issues with the Raspberry Pi's boot logs.
Problems with the network configuration.

Q: How do I troubleshoot common issues during the installation process?

A: To troubleshoot common issues during the installation process, you can try the following steps:

Check the cloud-init configuration file and autoinstall script for any errors or typos.
Verify that the image file is correct and has not been corrupted during the download process.
Check the Raspberry Pi's boot logs to see if there are any errors or warnings during the boot process.
Try reinstalling the image on the Raspberry Pi.

Conclusion

In this article, we have answered some of the most frequently asked questions about auto installing a Raspberry Pi using cloud-init and autoinstall. We hope that this article has provided you with the information and guidance you need to successfully auto install a Raspberry Pi using cloud-init and autoinstall.