[Simh] MicroSD Card for SimH on Raspberry Pi 3

Sat Dec 9 15:23:48 EST 2017

Hi,

I've been using SD cards in embedded linux devices for a while now and
my negative experience with wear has been concentrated around swap
usage.  Given the 1GB of the RPI3, I do not think that'd be a problem
with simh.

I run a small IoT lab and test on the RPI3.  This involves reflashing
the SD card about every 10-15 min (it's a fully automated process, no
need for manual flashing).  IIRC the SanDisk Ultra HC I Class 10 cards
(16GB) have been the most stable and longest running.  I get them in
bulk from Amazon pretty cheap as their rebranded SD cards.  IIRC, I've
been replacing cards every 3-6 months.

I have duration (24x7) testing RPI2s, RPI3s, Odroids (with EMMC and
SD), and Upboards (EMMC or SSD).  Running active IoT workloads (data
capture, processing, uploads, updates, etc...), they run for years
without issue.  I do not recall a single SD or EMMC failure.

Another option for the RPI3 (and Upboards) is USB or Network boot.
You can get real SSDs on a stick (I've had the best luck with
visitontek and their clones, however I have had one failure--they get
extra toasty).  These SSDs while still USB2 connected are much faster
that the SD card, however will cost more than the RPI3.  I use these
for real intense I/O (IoT application builds, swap, etc...) for both
speed and reliability.  I leave them in 24x7.

IMHO Price/performance the winner is the Upboard (the fist one, not
the square or core (I have not tested them yet)).  The upboard is an
x86_64 SBC the same size as the RPI3 with a USB3 port for very fast
SSD usage.  I get the 4GB RAM models.  While the size of the RPI3
community has addressed a lot of compatibility issues with open source
software, x86_64 is still king.  E.g. The most current MAME/MESS on
the RPI3, forget it.  On Upboard, no problem.  My only really issue
with Upboards is that the EMMC is soldered on.  Once hosed, well not a
simple repair (impossible for me).  I boot my Upboards from proper
SSDs drives connected to USB3 now.  For the cost of this (~$300ish for
upboard 4GB + 256GB SSD + cable, PS, etc...) you could get a used
laptop with better specs and use that.  And you get the
keyboard-video-mouse included.  However for my needs (space,
automation, power utilization, etc...) I use the upboards.

If you are new to SBCs, the size of the RPI community cannot be beat.
I still use RPI3 with older versions of MAME for retro gaming (8-bit).

My recommendation for the OP:

RPI3 (or PI ZERO W)
SanDisk Ultra HC I Class 10 card
Just about any 10W (2.4A) RPI3 power adapter (over kill, but can
support maxed out USB port connections)

AFAIK (someone can correct me here), but Simh only uses text displays.
Getting a keyboard, mouse, monitor may be overkill.

If you want to go headless, then after you write out the Raspbian
image from your PC, Mac, Linux machine, most OSes will mount the FAT
FS /boot partition from there you can create two files:

1.  An empty file called ssh in lowercase on the root of that mount
FS.  IIRC the volume name will be BOOT.  You'll see some other config
files where.
2.  Optional for WIFI only.   Create a wpa_supplicant.conf file in
that same root dir of the mounted BOOT volume with the following
contents:

network={
        ssid="your home SSID here"
        scan_ssid=1
        key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
        psk="your home SSID password"
}

The above assumes WPA/WPA2 is being used and that it is hidden
(scan_ssid=1).  If not hidden you can remove the scan_ssid (or just
leave.  no harm).  If not using a key (bad idea), you need to remove
the key_mgmt and psk lines.

After you create these 1 or 2 files, safely unmount/eject the SD card
from your laptop and put in the RPI3 and power it on.  After about 30
or so seconds you should see its IP address from your DHCP server
(router if using that) and you should be able to ssh pi at ipaddress with
a password of raspberry.  If using Windows, putty is a good SSH
client.

IIRC the new Raspbian stretch boot auto expands the root FS on first
boot, but I could be getting mixed up with another distro.  In any
case the Raspbian instructions on what to do next is the same.

If you want a GUI for some simh fancy GUI someone built, then you can
use any number of instructions on how to enable VNC on your headless
RPI3 for remote video from your laptop.

Of course, feel free to use a keyboard-video-mouse, many do.

Cheers,

Egan

On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 9:26 PM, Shaun McCloud
<shaun.thomas.mccloud at gmail.com> wrote:
> khandy21yo - I have two 128GB Samsung EVO MicroSD cards from old Android
> phones that I plan to use for this.  I actually have one Pi 2 setup as a
> print server at home and a Pi 3 as a RetroPIE box (running of a SSD in an
> external enclosure).
> Timothe - I will consider an external HDD in the future if I kill a MicroSD
> card or two.
> Shaun McCloud, MCDST
>
> On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 8:08 PM, khandy21yo <khandy21yo at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> If you're just starting off with a pi, it might be easiest to buy a kit,
>> which includes all the necessary parts to get started, including power
>> supply, case, heat sinks, HDMI cable, and a SIM card preloaded with an os.
>> Available on Amazon, and many others.
>>
>> Get a 32 or larger card if you want to set up a lot of drives. And the pi3
>> is powerful enough for a lot of other games and stuff. Full Linux
>> environment available, including compi,are, web browsers,, ...Fun toy.
>>
>> If you don't have hdmi display available, get a HDMI to  vga converter.
>> Also a usb keyboard and mouse.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from my Galaxy Tab® A
>>
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: Shaun McCloud <shaun.thomas.mccloud at gmail.com>
>> Date: 12/6/17 5:33 PM (GMT-07:00)
>> To: simh at trailing-edge.com
>> Subject: [Simh] MicroSD Card for SimH on Raspberry Pi 3
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have just gotten into SimH and am planning on getting a Raspberry Pi 3
>> for my SimH usage, just to not use up a lot of space on my laptop.  What is
>> a good MicroSD card for the Pi 3 and SimH?  Or does it not really matter as
>> long as it works fine in the Pi 3 on its own and has capacity for what I
>> want to do?
>>
>> Shaun McCloud, MCDST
>
>
>
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