How I Use My Raspberry Pi
Productivity Sauce
Inspired by the Things I Do With My Raspberry Pi article, I thought I'd share with you how I use my Raspberry Pi. Actually, I use at least two Raspberry Pis on a regular basis: one serves as a hacking and prototyping platform, while the other one acts as a server on the local network. The latter performs a variety of tasks.
File Server
I connected two external USB hard disks to Raspberry Pi via a powered USB hub. The usbmount utility takes care of automatically detecting and mounting the connected disks at the /media/usbX mount points. One disk is used for storing all files and documents, while the other one is reserved for rotating backup. I don't use any dedicated file server software to serve files on the network. Instead, I simply mount the first disk via SSH using the sshfs tool.
Backup Server
Nothing fancy there: Raspberry Pi uses two rsync-based scripts for local rotating backup and off-site backup. A cron job performs the off-site backup hourly and runs rotating backup action daily.
Email Backup
Storing email in the cloud is good, but having a local copy of all emails is even better. So I installed and configured the excellent OfflineImap tool on my Raspberry Pi to pull emails from my IMAP account on a regular basis.
Photo Gallery
Although I use a variety of photo sharing services, I also host a tiny photo gallery on my Raspberry Pi using the Pygmyfoto application which I cobbled together in my spare time.
RSS Aggregator
While NewBlur is my web-based RSS aggregator of choice, I installed Miniflux on Raspberry Pi as a fallback option. This lightweight RSS reader is easy to deploy and maintain, and it's perfectly suited for keeping track of a handful of favorite RSS feeds.
Bookmark and File Sharing
My Raspberry Pi also runs the excellent Shaarli application for storing and sharing bookmarks. When I occasionally need to upload and share a file, I use the file hosting PHP script running on Raspberry Pi for that.
Photo Station
Finally, my Raspberry Pi acts as a photo station. Using an Eye-Fi SD card and Eye-Fi app for Android, I push photos from my camera to Raspberry Pi. It then organizes photos using the fotobasher script and backs up the photos.
This is how I use my Raspberry Pi, and I'm eager to hear what you do with your tiny machine. Hit the comments to share your Rasberry Pi projects.
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
New Slimbook EVO with Raw AMD Ryzen Power
If you're looking for serious power in a 14" ultrabook that is powered by Linux, Slimbook has just the thing for you.
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.