Changes to the installer

Due to someone having issues with the installer, I have decided to include a base version of all the required Python modules in pip wheel form. From what I could gather from the logs, one or more Python modules were missing or broken. The cause of this was most likely a bad network connection or temporarily broken modules or even just the pip servers being overloaded. Whatever the case, having all the required modules included in the installer should ensure a smoother installation experience. After adding in all the module wheels, and a few duplicates for the different pi platforms (armv6 / armv7), the size of the installer went from 1.2 MB to 45.7 MB. Probably for the best, considering those modules had to be downloaded anyway.

There are a few other nice benifits to including the modules as well, such as.

  • Faster install times, especially on the Pi Zero
  • So long as the apt-get requirements are meet, offline Installs should be possible (I still need to test it)
  • The install won’t break if there are bugs in the most current Python Modules or if the internet connection cuts out after getting the system (apt-get) requirements

There are a few downsides, such as the size I mentioned but also the fact you’ll be starting off with older modules that could include bugs or security holes. I already have the ability to update to the latest modules in the program itself (with the click of a button under Advanced), but I’m wondering if I should do something more…

I have finally found an HTML template for documentation I like, so I have started to fill in the blanks and customize the layout. I’m building the document directly into the program itself, so you can easily access it when trying out the sensor software. Once the document is closer to completion, I will also add it to my website, so people can view it for the installation instructions and troubleshooting.

On another note, I have a request to support another sensor, this makes 2 new sensor requests so far. Thanks to the Python Module I found to add support, I’m also automatically getting support for a bunch of similar sensors which include the DS18S20, DS1822, DS18B20, DS28EA00 & DS1825/MAX31850K. Support has been added but I don’t have the sensor in question to test it. I’m hoping the person will see the post/response and try it out and let me know.

Let’s see what else has been done… O yeah, I added configuration options for both the Sensor Checkin server & the Sensor Checkin itself. For the Checkin, you can enable, disable and change the URL it uses to Checkin. For the Checkin server, you can enable, disable and customize the view options. I have also added more features such as the database clean-up section to clear old data, remove sensors and shrink the database.

Right now I’m filling in the Documentation and adding a High/Low trigger recording section. That will probably take a week or two, then maybe I’ll re-organize the Installed Sensors section to have a tabbed layout per sensor company.

  1. Great job!

    I would like to test out this new installer. Since I can’t update to the latest beta version via the updater, I’ll rebuild a new card from scratch. You can email me the link. Thanks!

  2. I emailed you the links but just in case, here they are as well.

    Direct link to Development Build
    http://kootenay-networks.com/installers/dev/KootnetSensors.deb

    Direct link to Standard Build
    http://kootenay-networks.com/installers/KootnetSensors.deb

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