Thread by @KYCfree

*THREAD*
Building a dedicated #Monero node using a Raspberry Pi 4 (4/8GB) & 1TB external SSD is now much easier thanks to @PiNode_XMR.
First you will want to download & install the Raspberry Pi imager software from your distros app store or link below.
raspberrypi.com/software/

First we want to flash an OS onto a SD card using the Raspberry Pi Imager.

choose os> raspberry pi os (other)> raspberry pi os lite (64-bit).

Press the cog icon & check 'enable SSH'. Below set your username as 'pi' & your password as 'raspberry'.
Now hit 'write' to flash.

Next we want to flash an OS onto the 1TB external SSD using the same software.

choose os> other general-purpose os> ubuntu> ubuntu server 22.04 LTS (rpi zero/2/3/4/400) arm64.

Press the cog & set the SSH username & password both as 'ubuntu'

Now hit 'write' to flash to the SSD.

Before installing PiNode we first need to set the Pi to boot directly from SSD. Plug the SD into the Pi but don't connect the SSD yet. Power it up. Now log into your routers admin page to locate the Pi's IP address. Bind the IP as static & open ports 18080-18081 for the Pi 4.

Open a terminal, or use Putty if on Windows, & SSH into the device using username 'pi' & the Pi's IP address.

ssh [e-mail]

Type 'yes' to the question that follows.

Then enter password 'raspberry'

The command prompt will now show that you have SSH access.

Whilst SSH'ing in, if you get 'warning: remote host has changed!" error then use the following command & delete all lines with the IP address of your Pi.

nano .ssh/known_hosts

Once removed press 'ctrl+x' to exit, then 'Y' & then hit 'enter'.

Now we will want to update the operating system we flashed to the SD.
Run the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo rpi-update
sudo reboot now

The pi will now reboot with a fully updated OS. SSH back in again after a minute or so.

Now we need to configure the Pi to boot directly from the SSD. First update the firmware with:

sudo rpi-eeprom-update -a

Then reboot again with:

sudo reboot now

After a minute SSH back in again then run:

sudo raspi-config

You will now be taken to the Pi config tool.

From this menu select:
6: advanced options> A7: bootloader version> E1: latest.
Select 'no' then 'ok'.
Next select:
6: advanced options> A6: boot order> B2: usb boot> ok.
Finally select 'finish' then 'yes' to reboot.

SSH back in & attach the SSD via the blue USB3 port & run 'lsblk'. You should see the SD (mmcblk0) & SSD (sda). Now mount the SSD partitions with these commands:

sudo mkdir /mnt/boot
sudo mkdir /mnt/writable
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot
sudo mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/writable

Run 'lsblk' again & check the sda mountpoint column is populated with 'mnt/boot' & 'mnt/writable'.
Next run the following commands:

sudo apt install git -y

sudo curl raw.githubusercontent.com/TheRemote/Ubun… | sudo bash

(can be copied here:
pastebin.com/nJ6M53hf)

sudo shutdown now

Unplug the power & remove the SD. Power again & SSH in, this time to the SSD's Ubuntu OS with the same IP.

ssh [e-mail]

Enter 'ubuntu' as your password.

You will see 'warning: remote host id has changed'. As previously explained use this:

nano .ssh/known_hosts

The first time you SSH in Ubuntu will ask you to set a new SSH password. Create a password & store it safely.
Now update Ubuntu with:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo reboot now

If you're advised to restart during update hit 'ok' then press enter with defaults.

Now we have successfully enabled SSD booting & updated Ubuntu we can finally install PiNode-XMR.

SSH back in again with:

ssh [e-mail]

Then confirm using your newly created SSH password.

Now let's get the Monero ball rolling ;)

Next run the following command:

wget -O - raw.githubusercontent.com/monero-ecosyst… | bash

(can be copied here
pastebin.com/EP0rgPBL)

You will be asked to enter your password again before arriving at the installer main screen.

Hit enter on option 1 to begin the PiNode setup.
The next menu will mention that to continue you need to be logged in as user 'pi' or 'ubuntu', hit yes to continue.
The next menu will change your SSH username to 'pinodexmr' & password to 'PiNodeXMR', hit ok to resume.

The next menu will reboot the device upon clicking ok. After 2-3 minutes SSH back in using your new username & password:

ssh [e-mail]

You will now find yourself at the PiNode installer page. Once you hit ok the install will begin. This can take 2-4 hours.

The following step will decide whether or not a swap file is required. This is not required for most devices & is only necessary for devices with less than 2GB of RAM.
Select 'yes' if your device has 2GB or more RAM available or 'no' if it has less than 2GB to create a swap file.

Next you will be asked if you wish to install PiNodeXMR in full or light mode. Again this is hardware dependent however, for most modern devices, like the 8GB Pi, full mode is the best option.
The install will begin. DO NOT close the terminal or the install will immediately fail.

Once the installation process has completed you can close your terminal. You can now access your PiNode's web interface by visiting pinodexmr.local or by visiting the device's local IP address.

From the dashboard select 'Web Terminal' and use your new credentials to enter the settings terminal. Select 'system settings' then manually edit your credentials for both option 2 'master' & option 3 'RPC' to secure permanent passwords.
Once done, the node is now secured.

Next select 'extra network tools' then 'install tor'. This will install tor & generate a unique tor onion hostname for your node. Running an anonymity node is not necessary but highly advisable.

Return to your dashboard & at the top of the page click 'node control'. Scroll down to 'anonymity networks' and select 'tor: private bridging node'.
You will see your onion address.
Click on the 'start monerod' button to connect the node to the network.

Go back to the 'node status' page. On the right under 'system monitor' you should see 'tor node: active'. This means you are successfully connected to tor.
After 10mins the 'sync status' on the left should populate, if not erase browser cache & reload again.

Your node is now synchronizing with the monero network over tor. Depending on hardware & connection speed completion times vary.
Wait until complete & next select 'block explorer' & click 'start explorer' to enable your own fully featured #XMR explorer.
Congratulations :)

You can now make RPC connections remotely from tor enabled wallets using your onion address, port 18081 & RPC username/password. Non-tor RPC connections are also possible on your local network with your PiNode IP & port 18081.
.....Enjoy :)

Thanks for reading, I hope it was easy enough to follow. My hopes are that it will at least save someone the time & headache I endured by compacting everything into a single thread & eliminate any need to factor in the trust elements of flashing images from unknown sources.

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