Philip P. Ide

Author, programmer, science enthusiast, half-wit.
Life is sweet. Have you tasted it lately?

User Tools

Site Tools


blog:articles:raspberry:chromebook

Adding a Chromebook

I have a network with wiki-farm server to support my writing, a NAS and a home-made laptop. All of these things are based on Raspberry Pi's. Besides using the wiki-farm (which is used to write novels), I also use Zim-Wiki for making copious notes, character creation, world-building and plot development. Zim-Wiki is available on both Linux and Windows, and there is an ARM build that runs happily on the Raspberry Pi. And then I added a Chromebook, and that went from good idea to nightmare and back again.

Desktop/Laptop Problem

Imagine yourself attempting to do what I wanted: write on my desktop when it was convenient to do so, and my laptop (or even my phone) at other times. The solution was the Wiki-Farm, which is available to me wherever I am and on whatever device I happen to be using, just so long as I can reach inside my home network. At home that was no problem, but out in the world my trusty router blocks all attempts to enter the network from the Big Wide World. There are only three solutions to this:

  1. Disable the firewall on the router (that's not going to happen, ever!)
  2. Open a port on the router and forward it to the wiki-farm (just as bad!)
  3. Create a VPN. It's like option #2, but is secure.

I went with option #3 of course. I opted to use Wireguard as the software, because it is simple, quick to connect and fast. Installing on a Raspberry Pi that wasn't doing much else created a gateway to the rest of my network. The home-made laptop is based on the same hardware and operating system, so no problems there.

As a bonus, I also wanted to access my extensive collection of music from my phone. The music is on a drive on the NAS, and the phone is android - so installing Wireguard was simple. Wireguard on the Pi can be asked to display a QR code in the text terminal, so uploading a configuration to the phone was as simple as scanning the code. That made my music available both straight from the NAS (by browsing its folders) or through a DLNA server I setup on one of RPI-based music centres.

Using the Wiki-farm is simple enough - it's web-based so all I need is a browser, and every device with a GUI has one. The problems really begin with Zim-Wiki, the note-keeper. For any given novel, the notes are going to run into 50k words or more. I can put the notes themselves somewhere on the network that's accessible to all devices and that should solve the problem of updating on any device and yet have the notes up-to-date all the time. However I had to allow for the fact that when I'm out in the world and using my laptop, I may not be able to access my home network.

SyncThing

SyncThing is like OneDrive or GoogleDrive. Those programs sync a device with a server, and SyncThing is pretty much the same except firstly it is peer-to-peer (so there is no server), and secondly you have greater control. For example, you can set one peer to only send or only receive (the default is to do both). You can also set it up for file versioning. For my use I just needed a two-way synchronisation.

Before I left the house, I would have to turn on the RPI laptop so it could grab the latest versions of the Zim-Wiki files, but I didn't want to have the hassle of also booting up my desktop at the same time to allow that to happen. I setup SyncThing on my desktop, the RPI laptop and on a machine (another Raspberry Pi) that was permanently running and had a network share from the NAS mounted. The desktop and laptop sent and received updates with the Pi that was acting as a man-in-the-middle. It also meant that I had a backup of the files on the network and each of the end-point machines - the desktop and laptop.

At this point, I can access everything I wanted with ease whether I was at home or not. The only thing I couldn't do was access the Zim-Wiki notes on my phone, but I can live with that.

Then I added a Chromebook, and the nightmare began.

Adding A Chromebook

The problem with the Chromebook is it runs on Chrome OS, which is a version of Android adapted to work well in a laptop environment. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it can run Android apps. The latest versions of the operating system (which itself is built on a Linux kernel) is able to run a Linux sandbox, and you can allow folders of your choice to be visible within that sandbox. This made installing Zim-Wiki very easy.

I next installed SyncThing, which also has to be loaded in the Linux sandbox, and installed that as a service so it is running whenever I boot the Chromebook. There is some fiddling to be done here. Firstly you have to edit the SyncThing configuration so it listens on all interfaces and not just localhost, and you have to open the ports in the sandbox so it can post to and listen on the network. For convenience (this isn't necessary) I created a folder in the Android file system, and then shared that with the Linux sandbox. That way Zim-Wiki can read the files (remember it runs in the sandbox) and also I can easily get a listing of the folder contents using the default file browser (good for resolving issues).

Because my Chromebook is new, it supports the latest version of the Chrome OS, so luckily that means it can install and run Android apps from the Play Store. On the VPN Server I created a new account for the Chromebook, and copied the configuration file to a network share, mounted that share on the Chromebook, installed Wireguard from the Play Store and added the configuration from the network share.

As with the RPI laptop, the Chromebook has to be booted before I leave the house to ensure it has the latest sync of the Zim-Wiki files, but if I forget I can always enable the VPN, tether using my phone and it will sync for me. Actually, I have Wireguard configured on my phone too, so I don't generally need it on the Chromebook, but if I can connect to a local WiFi hotspot I can avoid burning up my phone's precious GB allowance (which is deliberately pitiful). If I do have to use the phone to access my home network (and the internet), having Wireguard on the Chromebook means it is doing all the VPN encryption/decryption and not my phone, which will preserve some of the phone's battery life.

This website uses cookies. By using the website, you agree with storing cookies on your computer. Also you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree leave the website.More information about cookies
blog/articles/raspberry/chromebook.txt · Last modified: 2022/01/24 11:22 by Phil Ide

Except where otherwise noted, content on this wiki is licensed under the following license: Copyright © Phil Ide
Donate Powered by PHP Valid HTML5 Valid CSS Driven by DokuWiki
  • ISSplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigInternational Space Station

    This page has a portal through which you can view the current location of the International Space Station, updating in real-time. The tracker itself comes from the European Space Agency (ESA).

    There is also a handy link to get email notifications direct from NASA when the ISS is visible in your night sky.
  • Mars Weatherplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigMars Weather

    Weather Reports Insight Lander Perseverance Rover Curiosity data to come [Current positions of Earth and Mars] Image courtesy of and © Dominic Ford

    This image is updated once per week. A daily update is available on the Mars Solar Conjunctions page when such events are active.

    You can check the position of Mars vs the Sun and Earth for any date here:
  • Downloadsplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigDownloads

    Orbital Calculator Current Version This is a portable application, meaning there is no installer. Just unzip into a folder and run the executable. Since it is portable, it can be run from a USB stick.

    A full description and a list of the features are available
  • Orbital Calculatorplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigOrbital Calculator

    I needed to calculate orbital characteristics for any orbit around any gravitational mass (because I write sci-fi stories), so I wrote this program because I'm a programmer and I'm too lazy to do it by hand all the time. The program has expanded over the last few years, sometimes from suggestions by other writers. I make it freely available and as simple to use as possible. It now has a list of functions as long as your arm (assuming you're not a tentacle user), and the numbe…
  • Cookie Policy & GDPRplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigCookie Policy & GDPR

    There are NO tracking cookies on this site!

    The Cookie policy is straightforward. This site only uses cookies that are required to make your experience of using this site better, and only uses session cookies (see exceptions below). Session cookies are deleted when you close your browser.
  • Book Reviewsplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigBook Reviews

    Here you can find all the book reviews, broken down by genre, and further subdivided by author. If you want me to review your novel, please read my Rules on Reviewing.

    * Science-Fiction * Fantasy * Non-Fiction
  • Contactplugin-autotooltip__default plugin-autotooltip_bigContact

    If you have a burning desire to contact me, use the discussion form below. Anything you say remains private between you and me.