MagicMirror-Ubuntu

There is a lot of documentation out there describing how to run MagicMirror² on a Raspberry Pi. I had a few discarded Intel-based systems, with integrated touchscreen displays. These directions build the software using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It was surprisingly easy. I want the MagicMirror² to automatically start. This being a general purpose computer, there are multiple paths to that similar end points. Here is the path I chose. I configured a normal user to automatically log in at system start and the MagicMirror² software to automatically start once that user logged in.

I have two main requirements for my MagicMirror².

Display background pictures, making it more of a MagicPictureFrame than a mirror.
- The MagicMirror² runs as a normal user, with little need for elevated privileges.
Retain the ability to run other programs, such as displaying video from security cameras.
- My hardware is more powerful than a Raspberry Pi, so it should do more.
- Part of this is to retain as plain an operating system as possible. Use only the available repositories from the vendor. Building packages from source, for anything other than the MagicMirror² and it's modules, will require manual maintenance for bugs and security fixes.
- This should make it easy to configure automatic updates targetting security bugs.
  - Automatic updates that change or add features can cause problems. My first thought is that since this really only requires vendor-supplied Node.js, additional features and bug fixes shouldn't cause problems.

Todo

I have to document the automated update configuration for Ubuntu.
Test a build where the magic user was not created as a member of the sudo group. Right now, the system is running well with the magic user removed from the sudo group.
- Going through the history of the magic sudo commands, I don't see anything that required root privileges.
Walk through installing MMM-BackgroundSlideshow. That can be used as a template for installing other modules.

Hardware

I have two systems, both have a Gigabyte N3060TN-EM motherboard, 32 GB SSD, and Intel Celeron N3060 CPU. Both have a touchscreen display. Both are in an all-in-one type configuration; the motherboard is mounted directly behind the display backlight. One system has 2 GB RAM. The other has been upgraded to 4 GB RAM and Wifi. Both displays are reflective enough that they could be used as a mirror.

Random Notes and Observations

I chose to try the two most recent LTS (Long Term Support) Ubuntu editions, 18.04 and 20.04.
I avoided using Snaps to install the MagicMirror² software. I even went so far as to remove the snapd package from my 18.04 build. In this case, Snaps is just another update mechanism that needs to be handled.
The Ubuntu 18.04.5 build frequently hangs after a few hours, even when running on the system with 4 GB RAM. I did not troubleshoot the problem. The build on Ubuntu 20.04.1 doesn't exhibit this problem. This could be due to my hardware. It could be due to earlier package versions.
I also tried installing on Elementary OS. It's based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. The MagicMirror² wouldn't run, probably because this distro only comes with version 8.10 of Node.js.
Interesting configuration option, delay automatic login. The ability to delay the automatic login of the user running MagicMirror² could be useful. During that delay window I could log in as another user to perform other tasks.
It would be nice to use some feature of the touchscreen to drop out of the MagicMirror². Then I could drop out of the MagicMirror² to perform other tasks. As I have things now, I need a physical keyboard to tap the ALT key.
Something to think about: clone MagicMirror² to different directories, each with a different configuration.

The Build

Instructions, so it can be repeated.

Operating System, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Installing Minimal Ubuntu 20.04.1 Desktop. The Desktop edition installs the window/display managers. Minimal to avoid unneeded software. When asked to create a user, I created my normal account, the one I use on all my Linux/Unix systems. We will create another user to run the MagicMirror² software and configure that user to automatically log in each time the system boots.

I am not a fan of the Gnome desktop, so I plan to try other distros that use something else. But, my opinion of Gnome3 may change with the version installed on Ubuntu 20.04. The virtual keyboard pops up when I touch the screen, making it easier to log in and perform tasks on the desktop. However, the virtual keyboard does not appear when MagicMirror² is running, so tapping the ALT key still requires a physical keyboard.

As a normal user preface the commands with sudo. If you're logged in as root, be very careful.

apt install openssh-server vim screen
- I access the MagicMirror² via SSH often, including copying pictures to it.
- You'll need an editor. I prefer vi over nano. Since I'm an old Unix guy, my muscle memory even perfers vi over vim. If you perfer nano, ignore all my vi(m) reconfigurations.
  - Modify BASH environment: EDITOR and VISUAL.
  - Carefully modify /etc/sudoers to add this line.
    Defaults editor=/usr/bin/vi
    Then verify it works.
I do not configure NOPASSWD for my sudo users.
- What little
By this point, I don't need nano anymore.
- apt --purge remove nano
apt update
apt upgrade
apt install sysstat chrony molly-guard locate
apt install git nodejs npm
Create a user to run MagicMirror².
useradd -m -G sudo magic
- This gives magic the ability to use sudo. I'm fairly certain this account does not need this. It's on my list to run through the build again, but creating magic without this capability.
- Currently, the MagicMirror² is running well and the magic user does not have sudo capabilities. I have another account to do operating system maintenance and know the root password should I need that. There's no need for one more administrator account.
passwd magic (Avoid the urge to use "mirror" as the password.)
- Optional: Give magic a descriptive Real Name, so someone else will understand why this user was created.
  chfn magic
Enable automatic login for that user. You have two options to do this.
- ...through the Settings app. This is probably the easiest method, but must be done as the magic user.
  Settings > Users > Authentication & Login
  - We need to configure several other things as this user later, so you can delay this task.
- ...if using Gnome3: from the terminal, modify /etc/gdm3/custom.conf. (This option can be done either as root or as a normal user having sudo(8) capabilities.) The AutomaticLoginEnable and AutomaticLogin lines are what we need to change. See below for the context.

# Enabling automatic login
  AutomaticLoginEnable = true
  AutomaticLogin = magic

# Enabling timed login
#  TimedLoginEnable = true
#  TimedLogin = user1
#  TimedLoginDelay = 10

MagicMirror²

Build MagicMirror² from source according to the maintainer's directions. The node-js packages residing in the Ubuntu repositories for both 18.04 and 20.04 are sufficient, so no need to download and compile that. If the magic user has not been configured to automatically log in when the system boots, here is the opportunity to complete that.

These steps are done as the magic user. A terminal session is necessary for nearly all the commands I use.

Login as the magic user.
- If you haven't enabled this user for automatic login, now is a good time to use the Settings app and get this done. Refer to using the Settings app step in the Operating Systems... section above.
Create and change to the directory you wish the MagicMirror² softare to reside.
- For example, mkdir Applications && cd Applications
git clone https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror
cd MagicMirror && npm install
- This will produce error messages. Fix them if you can. My experience (Experience = Two Ubuntu builds.) is that MagicMirror² runs well despite the errors.
Modify the config.js file to your taste. The following command copies the developer-distributed example file to a working copy. (In case things are horribly botched, I can go back to the beginning.)
- cd config && cp -p config.js.sample config.js
You can run to see what happens. cd up one directory first.
cd .. && npm run start
- Another page in the MagicMirror² documentation mentions using npm start I do not know the subtleties between the two commands.

You should now have a full screen, plain vanilla MagicMirror² displaying the date and time, news feeds, and compliments. These default modules are in MagicMirror/modules/default. Any new modules should be placed in the MagicMirror/modules directory, i.e., you should cd to this directory before you run git clone new-MMM-module.

Any new modules will require a stanza in MagicMirror/config/config.js. Use your favorite editor for this task. Be sure to save a working copy of config.js before you make changes.

The US holidays are configured in: MagicMirror/modules/default/calendar/calendar.js

You can modify the source to point at a personal web server, to include personal events. (I'll play around with simply pointing to a local file.)

News feeds can be added in: MagicMirror/config/config.js

While the NY Times feed is interesting, it produces a lot of headlines. I added other news sources, but they seemed to be drown out by the sheer volume of NY Times headlines.
You can add more feeds. I found a lot at Feedspot.com.

The compliments are configured in: MagicMirror/modules/default/compliments/compliments.js

You can add your own compliments or even try something different. (Perhaps some science fiction movie quotes, because you never know why that watermelon is in the lab.)

To deactivate a module, comment it from MagicMirror/config/config.js or remove the {} stanza completely. (Be aware of your commas!) I deactivated the compliments module by commenting out the stanza. I did nothing to the weather module, as I don't yet have an account on the weather feed site. (That's for another day.) The MagicMirror² silently ignores this module.

More Operating System Configuration

Modify the power settings to avoid screen savers, screen blanking. Check if there's a setting for idle shutdown.

Disable Screen Locking and Screen Blanking

You will likely contend with the operating system default settings for screen lock timeout and display power-down. As the magic user.

Set Blank Screen to Never.
Settings > Power
Set Blank Screen Delay to Never and disable Automatic Screen Lock.
Settings > Privacy > Screen Lock

MagicMirror² Start Script

You now have a system that will boot and automatically log in the user magic. From there you can open a terminal and run an npm command to start MagicMirror². Let's write a script to do that for us. We'll reuse this script later. As the magic user:

cd
- This returns us to the $HOME directory.
mkdir bin
cd bin
Use your favorite editor to create MM.start. It should contain the following. Modify the MagicHome variable if you cloned MagicMirror² into different directory.

#!/bin/bash
##
## Start the Magic Mirror
## Usage:  MM.start [0]
## Start on local display or append "0" to start MagicMirror display via SSH.
##

export MagicHome=/home/magic/Applications/MagicMirror

if [[ $1 = 0 ]] ; then
  DISPLAY=:0
else
  DISPLAY="${DISPLAY:=:0}"
fi

cd $MagicHome || exit 1
( cd $MagicHome && /usr/bin/npm run start & 2>&1 ) | /usr/bin/systemd-cat -t MagicMirror -p info

There are plenty of ways to improve this script!
This is one of the few files that requires the execution bits to be set.
chmod 755 MM.start

Since $HOME/bin is on the $PATH, typing MM.start from the command line will now start MagicMirror². Go ahead and give it a try.

Automatically Start MagicMirror²

Now we need to configure MagicMirror² to start automatically whenever magic logs in.

As the magic user, run these commands in a terminal session.

cd
- This gets you to $HOME, in case you were somewhere else.
mkdir -p .config/autostart
- Yes, that directory name begins with a dot: .config
cd .config/autostart
Create a magicmirror.desktop file. It should contain something like this. (Anyone have a good idea for an icon? aeskulap is leftover from the file I used as a template.)

[Desktop Entry]
Comment=Start the MagicMirror.
Name[en_US]=Magic Mirror Start
Name=Magic Mirror Start
Type=Application
Hidden=false
NoDisplay=false
Exec=/home/magic/bin/MM.start
Icon=aeskulap
Terminal=false
Categories=Viewer;Graphics;
StartupNotify=true

At this point, you can reboot and MagicMirror² will automatically start.

There are other things that can be done. Replace the Ubuntu splash screen with something more MagicMirror²-ish. The same thing goes for the default background of the magic user. As configured, it's the default focal fossa background. During startup, the desktop is briefly seen.

vman45 / magicmirror-ubuntu Goto Github PK