Getting Started

This version of the Getting Started guide will show you how to install arkOS from your home computer, set it up on your Raspberry Pi, and begin using Genesis.

First Steps: Installing arkOS
Download the version of the arkOS Installer that corresponds to your operating system from the download page. Once downloaded, insert a blank SD card with at least 8GB of space into your computer, and run the installer, which should have added itself into your Applications menu. If you installed arkOS via the source package on Linux, you can run it by entering the directory you extracted the package to on the command line, then running.

The installer will come up and will walk you through the steps of installing arkOS to the SD card. First, it will ask you to choose the download server that is closest to you. Then, it will ask you to choose which device corresponds to your SD card.

After you’ve chosen a download server and disk device, the installer will automatically download the image from our servers, then write it to the device you select. This may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your computer and your internet connection. Once the process is complete, the Installer will let you know and you can disconnect the SD card.

Starting Genesis
Connect the SD card to your Raspberry Pi, and plug the Raspberry Pi into an ethernet port on your home router. Start up the Pi by plugging in a power cable. Give it a minute to start up, then hop back onto your computer and connect to the following web address in your browser: http://arkOS:8000

If, for some reason, you cannot reach your arkOS server via the above address, there may be an issue with how DNS is configured on your local network. You can replace arkOS by the IP address of the device, which you can get by using the Network Browser feature of the arkOS Installer. (note that this feature requires nmap to be installed on your system. Linux users install via your package manager of choice; OSX users can find the installer here).

After successfully connecting, a login window will appear. Log in with username admin, password admin. You will then be greeted with the Genesis First Run startup wizard. It will ask you to choose a username and password. After this step, you will no longer be able to use the “admin” username with the “admin” password for security reasons, but you can choose any username you want for your permanent account (except "root").



Next, choose a password for the root user. Make this something complex and hard to guess, but something still memorable.



After this, you will see a list of options for setting up your new arkOS server, like the name, timezone, etc.

You will then be taken to a screen to choose the plugins you’d like to install. Choose the plugins based on what you would like to be able to do with your arkOS node, and what you want to be able to manage. They will be automatically downloaded from the central repository, and the required server software that runs behind them will also be installed. This process should take a minute or two depending on your connection speed and how many plugins you choose.

If you want more information about the different plugins available for Genesis, visit the Plugins page.

Genesis Panes
Here’s a list of Genesis’ different panes, and what you can do with them:


 * The System Monitor pane is a drag-and-drop widget interface that allows you to get an overview of your arkOS node’s stats. This can be as simple as showing what network you’re connected to, to showing the running status of all of your servers or how much memory is presently in use. Click the “Add Widget” button and choose from the different elements that you’d like to monitor. Once you’ve chosen them, you can drag them around on the page and save them in the spots you want them.
 * The Alerts pane works closely with the System Monitor pane, in that you can set up alerts if your system meets certain criteria. For example, if your memory gets to be 75% full (meaning that performance may soon be negatively affected), you can set up an Alert and an icon will display in Genesis to get your attention. Click the “Configure” button to see the different elements you can monitor, then the pencil icon next to each one to set the criteria.
 * Under the Settings menu (the switches icon): The Applications pane shows you what is installed on your arkOS node. You can also see if there are new plugins available to download, or updates for your existing plugins. Click the “Download” icon to the right of a plugin to update or install it. See Genesis Plugins for documentation.
 * Under the Settings menu (the switches icon): The Recovery pane allows you to back up or restore different parts of your system. This allows you to make configuration changes without worrying if it will break something, as you can always restore the configuration later. To make a backup, choose the name of the server or app you wish to backup, then click Backup. You will then see a list of items in the right-hand side that you can restore whenever you wish.
 * Under the Settings menu (the switches icon): The Settings pane should be self-explanatory: it allows you to change specific settings concerning Genesis, and also to modify advanced settings for certain plugins. It also allows you to restart Genesis after a confgiuration change, or to shutdown/reboot your arkOS node.

Along the left-hand side of the Genesis window, you can see a list of applications that you have installed on your system. Click on each application name to use it. Once again, if you have questions on how to use a specific plugin, visit the Plugins page or the list of core frameworks.

And that’s it! If you have questions or encounter errors, visit the Community page and you can receive help there. Keep in mind that Genesis is still in heavy development, so many of its features may still be works-in-progress.