Transform Your Raspberry Pi with CentOS in a Single Click! Learn How to Install Now!
Raspberry Pi is a versatile small computer that has captured the hearts of hobbyists and makers worldwide. With its compact size and affordable price, Raspberry Pi can be used for a wide range of projects, from media centers to home automation systems. However, while Raspberry Pi comes with its own operating system, Raspbian, there are plenty of other operating systems you can install on your device.
One of the most popular operating systems for Raspberry Pi is CentOS. CentOS is a Linux distribution that is based on the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It is known for its stability, security, and reliability and is widely used in enterprise environments. If you want to transform your Raspberry Pi into a powerful and stable device, installing CentOS is an excellent choice.
In this article, we will show you how to install CentOS on your Raspberry Pi in a single click. You can do this by using the BerryBoot software, which is a powerful boot loader and OS installer designed for Raspberry Pi.
Prerequisites
To install CentOS on your Raspberry Pi, you will need the following:
A Raspberry Pi device with an SD card
A computer with an SD card reader and a web browser
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these steps to install CentOS on your Raspberry Pi using the BerryBoot software:
- Download BerryBoot
Go to the BerryBoot website, and download the latest version of the software. BerryBoot is compatible with most Raspberry Pi models, including the Raspberry Pi 2, Raspberry Pi 3, and Raspberry Pi 4.
- Copy BerryBoot to the SD card
Once you have downloaded BerryBoot, extract the contents of the ZIP file to a folder on your computer. Insert the SD card into your computer’s SD card reader and format it as FAT32.
Next, copy the contents of the BerryBoot folder to the root directory of the SD card. You should see several files and folders on the SD card, including a file called ‘cmdline.txt’ and a folder called ‘berryboot’.
- Download CentOS
Go to the CentOS website, and download the latest version of the operating system for ARM processors. You should download the file with the extension ‘.img.xz’. This is a compressed image file that you will use to install CentOS.
- Extract the CentOS image
After you have downloaded the CentOS image, extract it using a tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR. You should end up with a file with the extension ‘.img’.
- Copy CentOS to the SD card
Copy the CentOS ‘.img’ file to the ‘berryboot’ folder on your SD card.
- Boot Raspberry Pi with BerryBoot
Insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi and power it on. BerryBoot will automatically load, and you will see a screen with several operating systems to choose from, including CentOS.
- Install CentOS
Select CentOS from the list of operating systems and click ‘Install’. BerryBoot will automatically partition your SD card and install CentOS to the allocated space. This process may take several minutes, depending on the speed of your SD card and Raspberry Pi.
- Restart Raspberry Pi
Once the installation is complete, restart your Raspberry Pi. BerryBoot will automatically load CentOS, and you will be able to access the operating system’s desktop.
Conclusion
In conclusion, installing CentOS on your Raspberry Pi is an excellent way to transform your device into a powerful and stable computer. Using the BerryBoot software, you can install CentOS in a single click and enjoy the benefits of this popular Linux distribution. So, why not give it a try today and see what CentOS can do for your Raspberry Pi?
As one of the most popular single-board computers on the market, the Raspberry Pi is a mainstay in most Linux users’ homes. Whether it’s for home server applications, computers for kids, learning Linux or some other skill, you can surely find a use for the Pi. Given its popularity as a home server, we’re going to show you how to install CentOS on your Raspberry Pi to create a rock-solid home server.
Getting the CentOS Image
The specific Raspberry Pi images from the CentOS project are hidden a little bit in the downloads page. For the best experience, I recommend using CentOS 7. From the CentOS Home page, click on “CentOS Linux.”
Click on “7(2003).” That version number may change over time.
Choose whichever mirror is closest to you in the mirror page, and you’ll be presented with a list of options to choose from. There are a couple that are important for this project: four at the time of writing that say “RaspberryPi” in the name. For my case, I’ll be grabbing the one that says “RaspberryPi-Minimal-4,” as I’m installing this on a Raspberry Pi 4b. Make sure to choose whichever is best suited to your particular use case.
Flashing Your SD Card
For most users, Balena Etcher is probably the best choice for flashing your Raspberry Pi SD cards. One of the key parts is that it will flash straight from the xzip archives that you download for most Raspberry Pi images.
The flashing process is easy. Launch the application, select the source file (the CentOS archive in this case), the SD card port and click “Start Flashing.”
It’ll only be a little while before everything is finished and you can boot from your SD card on your Pi.
Booting CentOS on Your Raspberry Pi
With these images, it should be just as simple as turning it on and waiting until you get to the command prompt. If you were able to install either the KDE or the GNOME version, you’ll be bumped straight to the login screen.
The default login credentials are:
- Username: rootPassword: centos
An important note: change the root password and create a non-root user for yourself immediately. If you don’t do this, there’s a decent chance that someone (aka hacker) will know this and get into your system with root access. That’s not good. The commands to create a new user are as follows:
Changing your root password: passwd
Creating a new user:
Substitute your preferred username and password. That command will create a user in the wheel or sudo group, allowing you to fully switch users and avoid logging in as root. Once you do that, make sure to use the su command to switch users to your newly-created user like so:
Substitute the username of the user you just created. From there, make sure your packages are up to date with the update command:
Installing a Graphical Desktop Environment
This is one of the easiest parts. You can see the available software groups with the following command:
Choose which one you’d like to install. I’ll be installing GNOME, but KDE Plasma is available as well.
This seems to depend on which Raspberry Pi you’re using. On my Pi 4b, I could not get systemd to jump into the GUI even though it said it was running. Your mileage may vary.
Now that you’ve learned how to install CentOS on your Raspberry Pi, you can now create an IRC server or set up a Tor Proxy or Wi-Fi bridge. The simplest of all is to create a personal web server.
John is a young technical professional with a passion for educating users on the best ways to use their technology. He holds technical certifications covering topics ranging from computer hardware to cybersecurity to Linux system administration.
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