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Capacitimer Linux Server Setup Guide

This guide will help you install Capacitimer on an Ubuntu Server NUC to run as a dedicated fullscreen display.

Prerequisites

  • Fresh Ubuntu Server installation on your NUC
  • Network connectivity between your NUC and laptop
  • SSH access to the NUC (for initial setup)

Architecture Overview

The setup will:

  1. Install X server (minimal GUI) and Openbox window manager
  2. Auto-login to console on boot
  3. Automatically start X server
  4. Launch Capacitimer in fullscreen mode
  5. Run web server accessible from your laptop

Installation Steps

Step 1: Build the Linux Distribution (on your Mac)

# Install dependencies (if not already done)
npm install

# Build the application and create Linux .deb package
npm run dist:linux:intel

This will create a .deb file in the out/ directory named something like: Capacitimer-1.0.0-linux-x64.deb

Step 2: Transfer Files to NUC

Transfer the .deb file and installation script to your NUC:

# From your Mac, in the capacitimer directory
scp out/Capacitimer-*.deb your-username@nuc-ip-address:~/
scp install-linux-server.sh your-username@nuc-ip-address:~/

Step 3: Run Installation on NUC

SSH into your NUC and run the installation script:

ssh your-username@nuc-ip-address

# Make the script executable
chmod +x install-linux-server.sh

# Run the installation (requires sudo)
sudo ./install-linux-server.sh

The script will:

  • Install required system packages (X server, Openbox, Node.js)
  • Install the Capacitimer .deb package
  • Configure auto-login
  • Set up X server to start automatically
  • Create systemd service
  • Configure fullscreen mode

Step 4: Reboot

After installation completes, reboot the NUC:

sudo reboot

The system will automatically:

  1. Boot and auto-login
  2. Start X server
  3. Launch Capacitimer in fullscreen

Accessing the Timer

From your laptop, open a web browser:

  • Control Interface: http://nuc-ip-address/control.html
  • Display Page: http://nuc-ip-address/display.html

The NUC's IP address will be shown at the end of the installation script output.

Architecture Details

What Gets Installed

  1. System Packages:

    • xorg - X Window System
    • openbox - Minimal window manager
    • nodejs & npm - JavaScript runtime
    • unclutter - Hides mouse cursor
    • x11-xserver-utils - X utilities (xset for power management)

  2. Capacitimer Application:

    • Installed to /opt/capacitimer (or via .deb to /opt/Capacitimer)
    • Runs on startup in fullscreen

  3. Services:

    • capacitimer-display.service - Systemd service for auto-start
    • Getty auto-login on tty1

Configuration Files

  • /etc/systemd/system/capacitimer-display.service - Main systemd service
  • /etc/systemd/system/getty@tty1.service.d/autologin.conf - Auto-login config
  • ~/.xinitrc - X session startup script
  • ~/.bash_profile - Starts X on console login

Troubleshooting

Check Service Status

sudo systemctl status capacitimer-display

View Logs

# Follow live logs
sudo journalctl -u capacitimer-display -f

# View recent logs
sudo journalctl -u capacitimer-display -n 50

Restart Service

sudo systemctl restart capacitimer-display

Manual Start (for testing)

# Stop the service first
sudo systemctl stop capacitimer-display

# Start X and Capacitimer manually
startx

Display Not Working

  1. Check if X is running:

    ps aux | grep X

  2. Check display variable:

    echo $DISPLAY

  3. Try restarting the service:

    sudo systemctl restart capacitimer-display

Network Issues

  1. Check NUC's IP address:

    hostname -I

  2. Check web server is running:

    sudo netstat -tulpn | grep node

  3. Test from NUC itself:

    curl http://localhost/control.html

Can't Connect from Laptop

  1. Check firewall on NUC:

    sudo ufw status

  2. If UFW is active, allow HTTP:

    sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 3001/tcp

Customization

Change Display Resolution

Edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf or add a display mode in .xinitrc:

# Add before launching Capacitimer
xrandr --output HDMI-1 --mode 1920x1080

Disable Fullscreen Mode

Edit ~/.xinitrc and remove the --fullscreen flag:

/usr/bin/capacitimer --no-sandbox

Change Auto-Start User

Re-run the installation script as a different user:

sudo ./install-linux-server.sh

Uninstallation

# Stop and disable service
sudo systemctl stop capacitimer-display
sudo systemctl disable capacitimer-display

# Remove service files
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/capacitimer-display.service
sudo rm -rf /etc/systemd/system/getty@tty1.service.d/

# Remove application
sudo apt-get remove capacitimer
# OR if installed manually:
sudo rm -rf /opt/capacitimer

# Remove user config files
rm ~/.xinitrc ~/.bash_profile

# Reload systemd
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Notes

  • The NUC will show the main timer display window in fullscreen
  • Control the timer from your laptop's web browser
  • The web server starts on port 80 (or next available port)
  • WebSocket runs on port 3001 for real-time updates
  • Screen blanking and power management are disabled
  • Mouse cursor is automatically hidden

Security Considerations

  • The web server has no authentication
  • Only use on trusted networks
  • Consider setting up a firewall if exposing to larger networks
  • The --no-sandbox flag is required for Electron on Linux servers without GPU

Performance

  • Uses minimal resources (Openbox is very lightweight)
  • No desktop environment overhead
  • Ideal for dedicated display purposes
  • Works well on modest hardware (Intel NUC, Raspberry Pi 4, etc.)