Announcing PiAware 3.8.1!

The sources file is in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/piaware-stretch.list, installed as part of the piaware-repository package.

You can get the correct piaware-repository package for stretch at step 2 here: PiAware - dump1090 ADS-B integration with FlightAware - FlightAware
(make sure to follow the instructions for Stretch!)

It looks like you installed the piaware-repository package for Buster. The 3.8.1 packages are all Buster packages. The ~bpo9 packages are for Stretch.

Yes I followed the instructions in the first post of this thread, which is linked from the main website - that’s where I went wrong it appears.

Nearly back up now with new image, then have to re-install the Pi in antenna location.

Crazy question, but worth asking.
Can microSD card of a booted RPi be re-imaged over network (without physically removing microSD card from RPI)?

Something similar to this?
Cloning Booted RPi’s microSD card on Windows PC through Network

Not if it’s using a filesystem on the the sdcard.

It should be possible to build something that booted from an initrd (so it’s operating off a purely in-memory filesystem) and reimaged the sdcard. Actually obtaining the image to write in that environment might be tricky.

(This is a problem I’d like to solve for FlightFeeders, but it’s very hairy to get right)

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What trick phone manufacturers use to reimage? I have re-imaged (factory reset) my phone like this:

They’ll have a preloaded image on ROM and a bootloader that’s set up for this type of thing. The Pi has neither.

Googled and found following pages.

A quick look gives the impression this can be used in re-imaging a booted Pi. Will have to study in detail to find out.

Those are to do with booting off external storage. If you’ve booted off external storage, then you’re not running off a filesystem on the sdcard and you can do whatever you want to the sdcard. But you need that external storage in place, with a suitable image on it… you’ve just swapped “how do I reimage the sdcard?” for “how do I reimage the external storage?”

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How about using NOOB sort of thing, two partitions on a large enough microSD card?

Yes, it’d have to be something like that.

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I’m thinking virtualization if it’s possible on Pi…

Had my own question about 3.8.1 though - I ordered more Pi’s… these are 3b+'s though and not 3b

Will this give me trouble on an sd image??? (pretty sure that’s what I did with this thing… I probably should document! my feeder says PiAware SD Card.

I like just switching out the SD cards when I lose a Pi. (A problem I hope I’ve fixed. Tropical Storm tonight is going to hopefully test the waters - puns!)

You mean installing it on a 3B+ instead of a 3B?
I would not expect issues, also not if you swap your SD cards.

There are feeding sites which rely on MAC-Adress (e.g. Radarbox), these might get problems. But as far as I know PiAware doesn’t have this issue.

There’s already an active site, etc. installed with a 3B. In the (somewhat likely… ) event that the board fails and I need to replace it to get my feeder back online, but the Pi replacing it is a 3B+.

So looking back, I saw how there’s a few minor changes between the boards and there’s some requisites associated with the 3B+ improvements. That was in 2018. I don’t know if those requirements in drivers/software are still a hinderance with current builds (I’m on 3.8.1).

I see it unlikely that this swap will not work. Why not simply giving it a try if you have both devices already there?

Would be a good DRT (desaster recovery test)

Test successful. I had merely hoped that one of the admins would chime in and tell me a yes or no. System is operational with 3.8.1 on an SD card swap from 3b to 3b+ without intervention.

Good info in case someone else was to use the search feature and have concerns if there would be an issue.

Thanks for your help.

and its faster… like double faster in the web browser. Which doesn’t make any sense as it’s a marginal cpu overclock and it’s still a hardwire.

I’ve had some issue start recently with my raspberry pi piaware and version 3.8.1 skyaware:

“Problem fetching data from dump1090” shows up on my browser display almost immediately.

I decided to look at my log on the flightaware ads-b page and a lot of this:

[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] Started faup978 (pid 9779) to connect to dump978-fa
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] ADS-B data program ‘dump978-fa’ is listening on port 30978, so far so good
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] Starting faup978: /usr/lib/piaware/helpers/faup978 --connect localhost:30978
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] faup978(9779): Connecting to localhost:30978
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] faup978(9779): Connected to [::1]:30978
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] faup978 exited normally
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] lost connection to dump978-fa via faup978
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] will reconnect to dump978-fa in 30 seconds
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] no ADS-B data program seen listening on port 30978 for 30 seconds, next check in 60s
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”
[2020-08-12 00:18 MDT] failed to write status file: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device
[2020-08-12 00:19 MDT] traceback: couldn’t open “/run/piaware/status.json.new”: no space left on device\n while executing\n"open $newfile “w”“\n (procedure “write_status_file” line 6)\n invoked from within\n"write_status_file”


i’m guessing the pi being out of disk space is causing the issue? all i know is how to telnet into the pi so i need help with what to do to free disk space or what to do otherwise so my piaware gets back to normal. i’ve never had a disk space issue before.

thanks. robert

It’s actually main memory as /run in in memory.

You haven’t describe what else you have set up besides piaware, so impossible to guess what the issue is.
You can check /run for big files i suppose:

sudo reboot
sudo apt install ncdu

Then when the problem occurs again:

sudo ncdu /run

Could also be some program using lots of memory.

Honestly if you don’t have a clue, better to reimage.

PiAware - build your own ADS-B ground station for integration with FlightAware - FlightAware
For Beginners - How to Get Back Existing Station Number in A Fresh Install

The issue seems to have resolved itself on its own somehow.

While trying to remember how to telnet in (the IP i was using timed out and i got sidetracked from finding the real ip of my raspberry pi to telnet and try the suggested things), a few days passed and the piaware is working fine again.

I’ll print your post because I have a feeling this will happen again sometime.