EAS Station Installation Details

Installation Process

How install.sh Works

The install.sh script uses an interactive TUI (Text User Interface) similar to raspi-config. Here's what happens when you run it:

git clone https://github.com/KR8MER/eas-station.git && \
cd eas-station && \
sudo bash install.sh

Interactive Configuration (New!)

The installer now collects all configuration during installation using blue/gray dialog boxes (whiptail):

You'll be asked to configure:

1. Administrator Account - Username, password, email
2. System Settings - Hostname, domain, EAS originator, station callsign
3. Location & Timezone - Timezone, state, county, optional FIPS codes
4. Alert Sources - Enable/disable NOAA and IPAWS, set poll intervals
5. Audio & Streaming - Icecast streaming with auto-generated passwords
6. Hardware Integration - GPIO, LED signs, VFD displays

Benefits:

• ✅ All configuration done upfront - no post-install wizard needed
• ✅ Input validation with helpful error messages
• ✅ Default values provided for quick setup
• ✅ Can cancel and restart anytime
• ✅ Settings saved to /opt/eas-station/.env

Installation Flow

1. Pre-Installation Checks & Welcome (10-30 seconds)

• ✓ Verifies script is run as root (sudo)
• ✓ Detects system architecture (x86_64, ARM, etc.)
• ✓ Detects OS (Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS)
• ⚠️ If OS is not Debian/Ubuntu, asks for confirmation to continue
• 🎨 Displays welcome screen with installation overview
• 📝 Collects administrator account - username, password, email (TUI dialogs)
• ⚙️ Collects system configuration - hostname, domain, originator, callsign (TUI dialogs)
• 📍 Collects location settings - timezone, state, county, FIPS codes (TUI dialogs)
• 📡 Collects alert sources - NOAA, IPAWS settings (TUI dialogs)
• 🎵 Collects audio settings - Icecast configuration (TUI dialogs)
• 🔌 Collects hardware settings - GPIO, LED, VFD (TUI dialogs)
• ✅ Shows configuration summary for confirmation

2. System Dependencies (2-5 minutes)

• Updates package lists (apt-get update)
• Installs system packages:
  • Python 3, pip, venv
  • PostgreSQL 17 + PostGIS 3
  • Redis server
  • Nginx web server
  • FFmpeg, espeak (audio processing)
  • SDR libraries (SoapySDR, RTL-SDR, Airspy)
  • Build tools (gcc, g++, make)
  • SSL tools (certbot)

3. User and Directory Setup (5-10 seconds)

• Creates eas-station system user and group
• Creates /opt/eas-station directory
• Creates /var/log/eas-station directory
• Adds user to hardware access groups (dialout, plugdev, gpio, audio)

4. Application Installation (30-60 seconds)

• Copies entire repository to /opt/eas-station
• Excludes: .git, pycache, .pyc files
• Preserves: All application code, scripts, templates, static files
• Sets ownership to eas-station:eas-station

5. Python Environment (2-5 minutes)

• Creates Python virtual environment in /opt/eas-station/venv
• Upgrades pip, setuptools, wheel
• Installs all Python dependencies from requirements.txt

6. Database Setup (10-30 seconds)

• Starts PostgreSQL service
• Creates alerts database
• Creates eas_station database user with password
• Grants all privileges to user
• Installs PostGIS and PostGIS Topology extensions
• Optionally installs pgAdmin 4 for database management

7. Redis Setup (5 seconds)

• Enables and starts Redis server
• Default configuration on localhost:6379

8. Configuration File Generation (1 second)

• Automatically generates /opt/eas-station/.env with all settings collected during TUI
• Auto-generates secure SECRET_KEY using Python's secrets module (64 character hex)
• Auto-generates secure database password (43 character urlsafe)
• Auto-generates Icecast passwords if streaming enabled (16 characters each)
• Includes all user-provided configuration:
  • Administrator email
  • Hostname and domain
  • EAS originator and station callsign
  • Timezone, state, county, FIPS codes
  • Alert source settings (NOAA, IPAWS)
  • Icecast streaming configuration
  • Hardware integration settings (GPIO, LED, VFD)
• Sets file permissions to 600 (owner read/write only)

9. Database Initialization (10-30 seconds)

• Runs Alembic migrations if any exist
• Creates all database tables
• Initializes schema with proper indexes and constraints
• Sets up RBAC roles and permissions
• Initializes NWS zone catalog

10. Hardware Configuration (5 seconds)

• Creates udev rules for SDR devices (RTL-SDR, Airspy, HackRF)
• Grants proper USB device permissions

11. Systemd Services (5 seconds)

• Copies service files to /etc/systemd/system/
• Services installed:
  • eas-station.target - Master service (controls all)
  • eas-station-web.service - Web UI (Flask/Gunicorn)
  • eas-station-sdr.service - SDR hardware service
  • eas-station-audio.service - Audio processing
  • eas-station-eas.service - EAS monitoring
  • eas-station-hardware.service - GPIO/displays
  • eas-station-noaa-poller.service - NOAA alerts
  • eas-station-ipaws-poller.service - IPAWS alerts
• Reloads systemd daemon
• Enables services for auto-start on boot

12. Nginx Configuration (5-10 seconds)

• Copies nginx configuration to /etc/nginx/sites-available/eas-station
• Generates self-signed SSL certificate for immediate HTTPS
• Enables site by symlinking to sites-enabled
• Removes default site
• Tests and reloads nginx

13. Service Startup (5-10 seconds)

• Automatically starts all EAS Station services
• Waits 3 seconds for startup
• Checks if services are running
• Reports status

14. Completion (immediate)

• Displays comprehensive summary
• Shows access URLs (localhost and detected IP)
• Lists next steps
• Shows useful commands

Total Installation Time

• Configuration: 2-5 minutes (TUI dialogs)
• Package Installation: 5-7 minutes (fast hardware, good internet)
• Total Minimal: 7-12 minutes
• Total Typical: 12-20 minutes
• Total Maximum: 25-35 minutes (slower hardware/internet)

What's Interactive vs Automated

Interactive Configuration (TUI Dialogs):

• ✅ Administrator account (username, password, email)
• ✅ System settings (hostname, domain, originator, callsign)
• ✅ Location & timezone (state, county, FIPS codes)
• ✅ Alert sources (NOAA, IPAWS, poll intervals)
• ✅ Audio settings (Icecast streaming)
• ✅ Hardware integration (GPIO, LED signs, VFD)

Fully Automated (No User Input):

• ✅ All package installation
• ✅ User and directory creation
• ✅ Application file copying
• ✅ Python dependency installation
• ✅ Database creation and configuration
• ✅ SECRET_KEY generation
• ✅ Database password generation
• ✅ Icecast password generation
• ✅ Configuration file creation with collected settings
• ✅ SSL certificate generation
• ✅ Service installation and startup

Optional Post-Installation:

1. Fine-tune settings via web interface at /setup
   • Advanced features like FIPS code lookup/builder
   • Zone code derivation from FIPS codes
2. Reconfigure anytime using sudo eas-config command
   • Provides same raspi-config style TUI
   • Update any setting without reinstalling
3. Manual editing of /opt/eas-station/.env for advanced users

No Post-Install Wizard Required! All essential configuration is collected during installation.

Configuration File: Why .env?

Why .env and Not .cfg?

The application uses .env because:

1. Industry Standard - .env files are the de facto standard for 12-factor app configuration
2. Python-Dotenv Library - The application uses python-dotenv==1.0.1 which specifically reads .env files
3. Environment Variables - .env files are designed to export environment variables, which is how Flask and other Python frameworks read configuration
4. Wide Support - Most deployment tools, IDEs, and frameworks recognize .env files automatically
5. Git-Friendly - .env is in .gitignore by convention, preventing accidental commits of secrets

.env vs .cfg Comparison

Configuration File Location

/opt/eas-station/.env

Permissions: 600 (owner read/write only)
Owner: eas-station:eas-station

How Configuration is Loaded

# In app.py
from dotenv import load_dotenv

# Load from custom path or default .env
_config_path = os.environ.get('CONFIG_PATH')
if _config_path:
    load_dotenv(_config_path, override=True)
else:
    load_dotenv(override=True)  # Loads .env from current directory

Configuration Priority

1. Environment Variables - Highest priority (system environment)
2. .env File - Middle priority (file in /opt/eas-station/)
3. Application Defaults - Lowest priority (hardcoded defaults)

This allows:

• Production: Use environment variables for secrets
• Development: Use .env for local overrides
• Testing: Use in-memory configuration

Alternative: CONFIG_PATH Environment Variable

You can specify an alternate configuration file location:

# In systemd service file
Environment="CONFIG_PATH=/etc/eas-station/config.env"

But the file should still use .env format:

KEY=value
SECRET_KEY=abc123
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...

Post-Installation

Verify Installation

# Check services
sudo systemctl status eas-station.target

# Check web service specifically
sudo systemctl status eas-station-web.service

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u eas-station-web.service -f

# Check database
sudo -u postgres psql -l | grep alerts

# Check configuration
sudo ls -lh /opt/eas-station/.env

First-Time Access

1. Open browser to https://your-server-ip
2. Accept self-signed certificate (click "Advanced" → "Proceed")
3. Create admin account
4. Complete setup wizard

No Manual Configuration Files to Edit!

Unlike traditional installations that require:

• ❌ Editing configuration files with nano/vi
• ❌ Manually generating secret keys
• ❌ Running database migrations
• ❌ Starting services manually

EAS Station does everything automatically and provides a web-based setup wizard for all configuration.

Troubleshooting Installation

Installation Fails

# Check where it failed
sudo journalctl -xe

# Re-run with verbose output
sudo bash -x install.sh 2>&1 | tee install.log

Services Won't Start

# Check status
sudo systemctl status eas-station.target

# Check individual service
sudo systemctl status eas-station-web.service

# View detailed logs
sudo journalctl -u eas-station-web.service -n 100 --no-pager

Database Issues

# Check if PostgreSQL is running
sudo systemctl status postgresql

# Test connection
sudo -u postgres psql -d alerts -c "SELECT version();"

# Check if user exists
sudo -u postgres psql -c "\du" | grep eas_station

Permission Issues

# Fix ownership
sudo chown -R eas-station:eas-station /opt/eas-station
sudo chown -R eas-station:eas-station /var/log/eas-station

# Fix permissions
sudo chmod -R 755 /opt/eas-station
sudo chmod 600 /opt/eas-station/.env

Summary

Installation is:

• ✅ Fully Automated - No manual steps during installation
• ✅ Non-Interactive - Runs without prompts (except OS warning)
• ✅ Complete - Installs and configures everything
• ✅ Idempotent - Safe to re-run if it fails
• ✅ Fast - 10-15 minutes on typical hardware

Configuration is:

• ✅ Auto-Generated - .env file created automatically
• ✅ Secure by Default - Random SECRET_KEY, proper permissions
• ✅ Web-Based - All user settings configured via UI
• ✅ Standard Format - Uses industry-standard .env format

User Experience:

1. Run one command
2. Wait 10-15 minutes
3. Open web browser
4. Create account and configure
5. Done!

No command-line configuration, no editing files with nano, no manual service management.

Alternative Installation Methods

Current Method: Bash Shell Script

The current install.sh provides an interactive TUI-based installation that:

• ✅ Works on any Debian/Ubuntu system without additional tools
• ✅ Provides visual feedback and progress indicators
• ✅ Handles all configuration in one session
• ✅ Requires only bash and whiptail (auto-installed)
• ✅ Easy to debug and modify
• ⚠️ Must be run as root/sudo
• ⚠️ Not idempotent (can't safely re-run)

1. Ansible Playbook (Recommended for Production)

Pros:

• ✅ Idempotent - can safely re-run
• ✅ Version controlled configuration
• ✅ Multi-system deployment
• ✅ Role-based installation
• ✅ Better secret management (Ansible Vault)
• ✅ Built-in error handling and rollback

Cons:

• ❌ Requires Ansible to be installed first
• ❌ Steeper learning curve
• ❌ More complex for single-system installs

Implementation:

# playbook.yml
- hosts: eas_stations
  roles:
    - postgresql
    - redis
    - eas-station
  vars:
    eas_admin_user: admin
    eas_state_code: OH

2. Docker / Docker Compose (Recommended for Development)

Pros:

• ✅ Isolated environment
• ✅ Easy to reset/rebuild
• ✅ No host system modifications
• ✅ Portable across platforms
• ✅ Built-in dependency management

Cons:

• ❌ SDR hardware access is complex
• ❌ GPIO access requires privileged mode
• ❌ Performance overhead
• ❌ Not suitable for production EAS

Implementation:

# Dockerfile
FROM python:3.12-slim
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y postgresql postgis redis
COPY . /app
WORKDIR /app
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
CMD ["gunicorn", "app:app"]

3. Debian Package (.deb)

Pros:

• ✅ Native package management
• ✅ Automatic dependency resolution
• ✅ Clean uninstall
• ✅ Version tracking
• ✅ Signed packages

Cons:

• ❌ Complex to create and maintain
• ❌ Still requires post-install configuration
• ❌ Debian/Ubuntu only
• ❌ Package repository hosting

Implementation:

# Build .deb package
dpkg-deb --build eas-station_1.0.0_amd64

# Install
sudo dpkg -i eas-station_1.0.0_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Fix dependencies

4. Snap Package

Pros:

• ✅ Auto-updates
• ✅ Sandboxed
• ✅ Cross-distro (Ubuntu, Fedora, etc.)
• ✅ Centralized distribution

Cons:

• ❌ Hardware access restrictions
• ❌ Not suitable for SDR/GPIO
• ❌ Snapd overhead

5. Python Package (pip/PyPI)

Pros:

• ✅ Easy Python-based installation
• ✅ Virtual environment friendly
• ✅ Standard Python tooling

Cons:

• ❌ Doesn't handle system dependencies (PostgreSQL, Redis, nginx)
• ❌ No systemd service setup
• ❌ User must handle configuration

Implementation:

pip install eas-station
eas-station-setup  # Interactive config wizard

6. Makefile-based Installation

Pros:

• ✅ Standard Unix tool
• ✅ Fine-grained control
• ✅ Parallel execution
• ✅ Dependency tracking

Cons:

• ❌ Less user-friendly than bash script
• ❌ No built-in prompting/TUI
• ❌ Makefiles can be complex

Recommendation Matrix

Improving the Current Bash Script

Instead of replacing the bash script, we can improve it:

1. Add idempotency checks - detect existing installation
2. Configuration file support - accept pre-configured values
3. Silent mode - non-interactive for automation
4. Modular structure - separate functions for each component
5. Better error recovery - rollback on failure

Example:

# Support pre-configured installation
sudo ./install.sh --config /path/to/config.env --silent

# Or interactive mode (current behavior)
sudo ./install.sh

Hybrid Approach (Recommended)

Keep the current bash script as the primary method but add:

1. Ansible roles for multi-system deployment
2. Docker Compose for development
3. Configuration templates for automation
4. --silent mode to the bash script for CI/CD

This gives users flexibility while maintaining simplicity for the common case.

Conclusion

The current bash script installation is appropriate and efficient for EAS Station's target audience because:

• Target users are familiar with command-line tools
• Single-system installation is the primary use case
• Hardware integration (SDR, GPIO) requires host access
• Real-time audio processing benefits from native installation

Recommendation: Keep the bash script, add silent/config mode for automation.