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reterminal-dm4/chromium-setup/emmc-provisioning/PROXMOX-LXC-DEPLOYMENT.md

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CM4 eMMC provisioning on Proxmox (LXC + host)

The auto-flash runs on the Proxmox host (where the USB device appears). The LXC holds the same scripts and shares the golden image directory with the host so you can manage the image from the container.

What is deployed

Where What
Proxmox host udev rule, trigger script, flash script, rpiboot (after you run the install script), /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/ (golden image dir), /etc/cm4-provisioning/enabled
LXC 201 (cm4-provisioning) Same scripts in /opt/cm4-provisioning/, same env; /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/ is a bind mount from the host (shared storage for the golden image)

When you plug the reTerminal in boot mode into the host, udev on the host runs the flash (rpiboot + dd). The golden image is read from /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/golden.img on the host (same path visible in the LXC).

Deployment that was done

  1. LXC 201 created on Proxmox 10.130.60.224:

    • Hostname: cm4-provisioning
    • Debian 12, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB rootfs
    • Bind mount: host /var/lib/cm4-provisioning → container /var/lib/cm4-provisioning

  2. On the host:

    • /opt/cm4-provisioning/flash-emmc-on-connect.sh – flash script
    • /usr/local/bin/cm4-flash-trigger.sh – started by udev
    • /etc/udev/rules.d/90-cm4-boot-mode.rules – run trigger when USB vendor 2b8e is added
    • /opt/cm4-provisioning/env – GOLDEN_IMAGE, RPIBOOT_DIR, EMMC_SIZE_BYTES
    • /etc/cm4-provisioning/enabled – safety switch (remove to disable auto-flash)

  3. Inside LXC 201:

    • Same scripts in /opt/cm4-provisioning/ and env (for reference/backup)
    • Golden image path: /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/golden.img (bind-mounted from host)
    • Dashboard (optional): Flask app in /opt/cm4-provisioning/dashboard/ to monitor deployment and show connection steps; see below.

  4. usbboot (rpiboot) was not built on the host (no outbound DNS during deploy). You must install it when the host has internet.

What you need to do

1. Build and install rpiboot on the Proxmox host (when it has internet)

On your machine (repo already synced to the host):

# From your repo
scp chromium-setup/emmc-provisioning/scripts/install-usbboot-on-host.sh root@10.130.60.224:/tmp/
ssh root@10.130.60.224 "bash /tmp/install-usbboot-on-host.sh"

Or on the host (if the deploy folder is still there):

ssh root@10.130.60.224
bash /tmp/emmc-provisioning-deploy/scripts/install-usbboot-on-host.sh

This installs dependencies, clones usbboot, builds it, and copies rpiboot to /opt/usbboot/.

2. Put the golden image on the host (or in the LXC)

The image must be at /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/golden.img on the host. Because that directory is bind-mounted into the LXC, you can use either:

  • From the host:

    scp your-golden.img root@10.130.60.224:/var/lib/cm4-provisioning/golden.img

  • From the LXC (e.g. after copying the image into the container elsewhere first):

    pct exec 201 -- ls -la /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/
# Copy to that path inside the container; it's the same as the host path.

3. Run the provisioning dashboard (optional)

The dashboard shows connection steps and live deployment status (idle / connecting / flashing / done / error) and a recent flash log. It reads the same status.json and flash.log that the host’s flash script writes (via the bind-mounted /var/lib/cm4-provisioning).

Inside LXC 201:

# Copy dashboard into the container (from host, if you have the repo there)
# Or from your workstation:
#   rsync -a chromium-setup/emmc-provisioning/dashboard/ root@10.130.60.224:/tmp/dashboard/
#   ssh root@10.130.60.224 "pct push 201 /tmp/dashboard/app.py /opt/cm4-provisioning/dashboard/ && pct push 201 /tmp/dashboard/cm4-dashboard.service /opt/cm4-provisioning/dashboard/ && pct exec 201 -- mkdir -p /opt/cm4-provisioning/dashboard/templates && ..."

# Inside the LXC (pct exec 201 -- bash):
apt-get update && apt-get install -y python3-flask
mkdir -p /opt/cm4-provisioning/dashboard/templates
# Copy app.py, templates/index.html, cm4-dashboard.service into the container (see dashboard/README.md)

cp /opt/cm4-provisioning/dashboard/cm4-dashboard.service /etc/systemd/system/
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable --now cm4-dashboard

Then open http://<LXC-201-IP>:5000 (get the IP with pct exec 201 -- hostname -I). If the LXC is on a private network, set up port forwarding on the Proxmox host or use a reverse proxy so you can reach the dashboard from your browser.

4. Optional: disable or enable auto-flash

  • Disable:
    ssh root@10.130.60.224 "rm /etc/cm4-provisioning/enabled"

  • Enable again:
    ssh root@10.130.60.224 "touch /etc/cm4-provisioning/enabled"

Usage

  1. Place the reTerminal in boot mode (eMMC disable jumper).
  2. Connect its USB slave port to the Proxmox host (not to the LXC).
  3. Power the reTerminal (or connect after power).
  4. On the host, udev will run the trigger and then the flash script (rpiboot, then dd). Watch logs: 
    ssh root@10.130.60.224 "journalctl -u cm4-flash-once -f"
# or
ssh root@10.130.60.224 "journalctl -t cm4-flash -f"
  5. When flashing finishes, remove the jumper and power cycle the reTerminal so it boots from eMMC.

Redeploy / update scripts

From your repo (e.g. after changing scripts):

./chromium-setup/emmc-provisioning/scripts/deploy-to-proxmox.sh root@10.130.60.224

That script syncs the repo to the host and reinstalls scripts on both the host and LXC 201. It does not overwrite /opt/cm4-provisioning/env or /etc/cm4-provisioning/enabled if you’ve changed them; adjust the script if you want that. It also does not build usbboot; run install-usbboot-on-host.sh on the host when needed.

Summary

Item Location
LXC 201, hostname cm4-provisioning, Proxmox 10.130.60.224
Golden image /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/golden.img (host and LXC see the same file)
Flash runs on Proxmox host (udev + rpiboot + dd)
Build rpiboot on host Run scripts/install-usbboot-on-host.sh on the host when it has internet
Dashboard Flask app in LXC at http://<LXC-IP>:5000; switch Flash/Backup mode, list and download backups; see dashboard/README.md and section 3 above
Backups Saved under /var/lib/cm4-provisioning/backups/. When a device is detected (USB or network), choose Backup or Deploy in the dashboard.
Network deploy/backup Network-booted devices run network-client/provisioning-client.sh and register with the dashboard; they then appear under "Device detected (Network)" and you choose Backup or Deploy. See network-client/README.md.