Initial Setup¶

Power On¶

1. Connect your server to power and Ethernet.

   Caution

   If you built StartOS from source, it may take up to 20 minutes to first initialize.

2. Power the device on and select which mode you would like to continue in on the tab below:

You can either boot your server as-is (headless mode) or add a monitor, mouse, and keyboard (kiosk mode). Server Lite (Raspberry Pi) is currently headless only. Headless is the default and recommended option. All control of your server can be done from your computer or mobile device.

1. Select “Start Fresh.”

   

   Note

   The “Recover” button is used for hardware upgrades, restoring from backup, data migration, or disaster recovery.

2. Select your storage drive

   

3. Create a master password for your server and click “Finish.”

   Warning

   Choose a strong master password. Write it down. Store it somewhere safe. DO NOT LOSE IT.

   

4. StartOS will initialize. This can take up to a few minutes.

   

5. You are now hosting your own private server!

   Tip

   If you are in headless mode, click “Download This Page” to save your server address and certificate info to your computer.

   

6. You may now log in. Continue to the section on connecting to learn more about using your server over Tor and LAN.

   

Troubleshooting¶

If you are experiencing issues with setup, try the following:

1. Confirm that the server is plugged into both power and Ethernet

   • An ethernet network with DHCP server must be available at setup. Most routers provide one. If such ethernet connectivity is not available, or there is another hardware issue, you may hear this sound:

2. Confirm your phone/computer is not connected to a “Guest” network

3. Confirm your phone/computer is not using a VPN, or that if you are, that it allows LAN connections, such as the examples below:

   • Mullvad - Go to “Settings -> VPN Settings -> Local Network Sharing”

   • ProtonVPN - Go to “Preferences -> Connection -> Allow LAN Connections”

4. Visit or refresh (ctrl+shift+R - Linux/Windows, cmd+shift+R - Mac) the start.local page in a web browser

5. To avoid networking issues, it is recommended to use your primary router, not an extender or mesh router.

6. Very rarely, your firewall settings may block mDNS. In this case:

   • From your browser, navigate to your router configuration settings. This is usually an IP address such as 192.168.1.1. A simple web search will usually reveal how to access the router configuration settings for a particular brand.

   • Once in the router config settings, find the section that lists the devices on your network. You should see a device labeled start. Take note of the associated IP address and enter it into your browser’s URL field to enter the setup.

You can always to reach out to support if you need a hand.

Server Models With Speakers¶

Server Lite, Server Pure, and Server One (2022 and older) have an internal speaker and may provide the following audio feedback:

• “bep” - Starting up

• “chime” - Server is ready

• “flatline” - Server initialization failed / no network connection

• Beethoven’s 5th - Something has gone wrong and Diagnostic Mode has been launched on http://start.local, please check here for solutions.

Raspberry Pi Lights¶

Server Lite has 2 status lights:

• Red - Power. This will be on solid when powered up and running normally.

• Green - SD Card. This will display when there is SD Card activity, such as during OS installation. It may be off, flashing, or on solid during normal operation.

Server One (2022) has 2 additional lights:

• Blue power button - Power. This will be on solid when powered up and running normally.

• Blue drive light - SSD. This will display when there is SSD activity. It may be off, flashing, or on solid during normal operation.