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Raspberry Pi 2 Server Essentials
Raspberry Pi 2 Server Essentials

Raspberry Pi 2 Server Essentials: Transform your Raspberry Pi into a multi-purpose web server that supports your entire multimedia world with this practical and accessible tutorial!

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Profile Icon J Kula
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Paperback Apr 2016 174 pages 1st Edition
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Profile Icon J Kula
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Paperback Apr 2016 174 pages 1st Edition
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Paperback
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Raspberry Pi 2 Server Essentials

Chapter 2. Preparing a Network

It is important to learn how your network works, especially if you plan to connect your Raspberry Pi to the Internet. A home user will typically use an Internet package designed to browse websites and read e-mails. Business packages, on the other hand, need to do a lot more than you think. These two different ISP packages usually carry important technical differences that dictate how your network can be reached.

In this chapter, you will learn how to connect to the Internet and look at how to solve some common problems for home users. You will also learn how to benchmark your network and try to isolate any network-related issues.

Local Area Network (LAN)

Using the standard Raspbian package, both essential and non-essential drivers are included. All essential drivers are loaded and some non-essential ones are as well.

We will start by plugging in a network cable between the Raspberry Pi and the router provided by your ISP. By default, your router has a DHCP server that automatically assigns an IP address to your Raspberry Pi.

You may also use network switches to make a more complex network but because the Raspberry Pi has a 100 megabit network port, it may downgrade your entire network to 100 megabits. Some switches can negotiate separate connections to lower speed interfaces without downgrading the entire network, but you need to consult the specifications of the device in order to do this.

To check whether your LAN is up and running, just type ifconfig, and you will get text containing your current settings:

Local Area Network (LAN)

Let's try to understand the different keywords from the preceding output:

  • HWaddr: This is your Pi&apos...

A wireless configuration (Wi-Fi)

Wi-Fi is a convenient way to allow your Raspberry Pi to operate in a wireless environment within a wireless network. It is not an ideal solution for servers, though, as there is an increased latency in transmitting data, and many Wi-Fi networks suffer from noise generated by other networks on the same frequency.

There are many types of wireless adapter available, and not all drivers are included with Raspbian. You might have to install a specific driver, but this is usually a simple process. When talking about wireless configuration, you have to target the chip that is used on the adapter and not the end vendor who is selling it.

Recommended wireless adapters

One of the most stable and affordable chipsets is Realtek RT8191, which works with the 802.11n standard. It is also compatible with the older 802.11b/g specifications, just in case your router does not support the newer 802.11n specification. However, it does not support 5 GHz frequencies or the 40 MHz...

A static network address

Some DHCP servers on routers tend to change your private address every now and then. Setting a static private address is a quick way to prevent this from happening, and it is easier to remember what the IP address is.

However, many newer routers have the ability to assign a preferred IP address in the DHCP settings or will automatically assign a long-term IP to the device based on its MAC address. A long-term IP usually means that the router is reset to factory defaults or it will run out of IP addresses and replace the oldest entry in the DHCP list.

The downfall of using static addresses with most home routers is that the router might not know about this device. The reason for this is because it would have to scan the entire network endlessly, thus taking up valuable resources. If the DNS service does not advertise the IP address of the Raspberry Pi, you will not be able to use its hostname (which is, by default, raspberry), and instead, you will have to type in...

Testing and benchmarking your network

These are essential tests that can be carried out to troubleshoot network problems. You can also use some of these advanced techniques to benchmark your network.

Basic tests

The simplest way to check whether you are connected to the Internet is to ping a remote address.

Note

The following tests were carried out over Wi-Fi to not only test the reliability of the Wi-Fi connection but to also achieve the best stability; it is always recommended that you use an Ethernet connection. These examples demonstrate the various bottlenecks that you may encounter when using Wi-Fi.

We can ping http://www.google.com, but we can also use shorthand and an easy-to-remember IP address, such as 8.8.8.8, which is Google's public DNS server. This IP address will resolve to the nearest Google DNS server in your area, and even if it goes down, there are many backup servers, making this a reliable test:

ping -c 1 google.com
ping -c 1 8.8.8.8
Basic tests

A ping can help you determine whether...

Internet configurations

There are some obstacles to resolve before you can successfully host any kind of Internet application. The solutions are influenced by the package that your ISP provides to you, but almost every problem can be worked around.

Home packages

The most fundamental part of home packages is that you almost always have a dynamic IP address. The increasing implementation of IPv6 is meant to eliminate this problem by assigning an IPv6 address to all your devices, accessible by anyone that knows it, from anywhere in the world. Some ISPs will allow you to upgrade to a static IP, but there can still be some limitations. The problem with having a dynamic IP is that it may change without notice. So, if you try to access your network from the Internet using an IP one day, it will certainly stop working after a while. This lease time varies from ISP to ISP because some are as short as a few hours, and others can last for years. If you don't know your current Internet IP address...

Local Area Network (LAN)


Using the standard Raspbian package, both essential and non-essential drivers are included. All essential drivers are loaded and some non-essential ones are as well.

We will start by plugging in a network cable between the Raspberry Pi and the router provided by your ISP. By default, your router has a DHCP server that automatically assigns an IP address to your Raspberry Pi.

You may also use network switches to make a more complex network but because the Raspberry Pi has a 100 megabit network port, it may downgrade your entire network to 100 megabits. Some switches can negotiate separate connections to lower speed interfaces without downgrading the entire network, but you need to consult the specifications of the device in order to do this.

To check whether your LAN is up and running, just type ifconfig, and you will get text containing your current settings:

Let's try to understand the different keywords from the preceding output:

  • HWaddr: This is your Pi's MAC address...

A wireless configuration (Wi-Fi)


Wi-Fi is a convenient way to allow your Raspberry Pi to operate in a wireless environment within a wireless network. It is not an ideal solution for servers, though, as there is an increased latency in transmitting data, and many Wi-Fi networks suffer from noise generated by other networks on the same frequency.

There are many types of wireless adapter available, and not all drivers are included with Raspbian. You might have to install a specific driver, but this is usually a simple process. When talking about wireless configuration, you have to target the chip that is used on the adapter and not the end vendor who is selling it.

Recommended wireless adapters

One of the most stable and affordable chipsets is Realtek RT8191, which works with the 802.11n standard. It is also compatible with the older 802.11b/g specifications, just in case your router does not support the newer 802.11n specification. However, it does not support 5 GHz frequencies or the 40 MHz...

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • Host websites, games, and even stream HD videos with the impressive power of Raspberry Pi 2
  • Get to grips with embedded programming by turning your Pi into the cloud server that can be used to power Internet of Things projects
  • Make the Raspberry Pi 2 the center of your latest tech experiments and discover how it can manage and host resources

Description

There’s no end to what you can do with a Raspberry Pi – it makes a huge range of tech projects possible. This book shows you how to transform it into a multipurpose web server, able to store and manage resources that lets you build some truly innovative and impressive computing creations. You’ll learn how to use your Raspberry Pi 2 to host a website using a range of different languages, host a game server, store files, and run everything from a media center to a cloud network. If you want to take control of your technological world, start building your own server and find out what’s possible with the Raspberry Pi microcomputer. Begin by getting your Pi set up – follow each step as the book shows you how to prepare a network and configure the additional features that you’ll need to build your projects. Once you’ve done this you’ll dig a little deeper and set up your pi as a file server, making sure it’s built for speed using a range of different tools, including Python, Node.js and ASP.NET. Following this the book shows you how to extend your server to allow you to host games, and stream live HD video before customizing it even further to create a fully-fledged media center. It doesn’t stop there however – the book then dives into the exciting world of the Internet of Things (IoT). You’ll learn how to install Windows IoT onto your Raspberry Pi, the operating system that’s driving embedded software projects all around the world. Once you’ve done this you’ll be ready to explore IoT further, as the book shows you how to use your device to host a cloud network that can form the basis of a wider IoT project.

Who is this book for?

Seeking inspiration for some new tech projects? Want to get more from your Raspberry Pi? This book has been created especially for you!

What you will learn

  • Host your Raspberry Pi as a web server using the minimum power resources
  • Connect your Pi to the Internet and perform network benchmarking
  • Explore the cross-platform features of the Pi as you run Python, Node.JS, ASP.NET, and PHP all in one place
  • Share files over the Internet using your Pi as a file server
  • Turn your Pi into a game server, host and engage into playing
  • Enjoy live HD video streaming and exclusive real-time text overlays

Product Details

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Publication date : Apr 28, 2016
Length: 174 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783985692
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Length: 174 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783985692
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Table of Contents

13 Chapters
1. Getting Started with the Raspberry Pi Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Preparing a Network Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. Configuring Extra Features Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Using Fast Web Servers and Databases Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Setting Up the Raspberry Pi as a File Server Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Setting Up Game Servers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Streaming Live HD Video Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Setting Up the Pi as a Media Center Server Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Running Your Pi from a Battery's Power Source Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Windows IoT Core Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. Running Your ownCloud Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
12. The Internet of Things – Sensors in the Cloud Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
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