Preparing Raspberry Pi OS Lite

Before installing the Printerhive client on a Raspberry Pi, you need a working Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS Lite installed. This guide uses the official Raspberry Pi Imager tool. If you are installing on Windows or macOS, skip this page and use the desktop installer from the Printerhive guide.

We recommend the current Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit) release.

Requirements

• A supported Raspberry Pi listed in Hardware Requirements
• An SD card (minimum 16 GB, Class 10 recommended)
• A computer with an SD card reader
• Internet connection

Steps using Raspberry Pi Imager

1. Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager

• Go to the official Raspberry Pi Software page.
• Download and install Raspberry Pi Imager for your operating system.

2. Select the device, operating system, and storage

1. Insert the SD card into your computer and open Raspberry Pi Imager.
2. On the Device tab, select your Raspberry Pi model.
3. On the OS tab, choose Raspberry Pi OS (other) and then Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit).
4. On the Storage tab, select your SD card. All data on the selected storage device will be erased. Make sure you choose the correct drive.

3. Configure the operating system

Open the Customisation tab and configure the Raspberry Pi before writing the image:

• Hostname: We recommend printerhive. The device should then be available on your local network as printerhive.local. You can choose another hostname if needed.
• Username and password: Create a username and a strong password. Raspberry Pi OS no longer provides a default pi user, so remember the username you choose.
• Wi-Fi: Enter your Wi-Fi network name (SSID), password, and country. The Raspberry Pi must be connected to the same local network as your 3D printers. If you will use Ethernet instead, Wi-Fi configuration is optional.
• Locale: Set the correct time zone and keyboard layout.
• SSH: Enable SSH and select password authentication, or configure public-key authentication if you already use SSH keys.

Review the settings and apply the customisation.

4. Write the image

1. Start writing the image.
2. Confirm that the selected SD card can be erased.
3. Wait while Raspberry Pi Imager downloads, writes, and verifies the operating system.
4. When the process is complete, safely eject the SD card.

5. Start the Raspberry Pi

1. Insert the SD card into the Raspberry Pi.
2. Connect the Raspberry Pi to power.
3. Allow a few minutes for the first boot and network connection.

6. Connect via SSH

Open Terminal on macOS or Linux, or PowerShell/Command Prompt on Windows, and run:

ssh your_username@printerhive.local

Replace your_username with the username you created in the Customisation tab. If you chose a different hostname, replace printerhive.local as well.

The first time you connect, SSH asks you to confirm the device's host key. Verify the hostname, type yes, and then enter the password you configured.

If the hostname cannot be resolved, find the Raspberry Pi's IP address in your router and connect with:

ssh your_username@192.168.1.100

Replace the example IP address with the actual address of your Raspberry Pi.

Using PuTTY on older Windows versions

1. Download and install PuTTY.
2. Enter printerhive.local (or the Raspberry Pi's IP address) in Host Name.
3. Keep port 22 and connection type SSH, then select Open.
4. Accept the host key prompt after verifying the hostname, then enter the username and password you configured.

Once connected, continue with Client Installation. The Linux installation uses secure Printerhive login and location selection; it does not require a client API key.