Using the Computer

What is this section about?

This section covers day-to-day tasks on a TechLit computer, from changing settings to managing apps and games.

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Changing System Settings (tl-sys-configure)

This is the main tool for setting up a computer’s name and its role in the classroom.

Note

Open this tool by typing tl-sys-configure in the terminal (logged in as admin).

Settings Menu

Use arrow keys to move, Space to select, and Enter to finish.

What you can do here

• Set Role: Make the computer a server (main) or a client (network role).
• Wi-Fi Setup: Set the name of the classroom Wi-Fi network.
• Computer Name: Give the computer a unique name (like tl-1234).
• Fix Hardware: Turn on special fixes for older computers.

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Managing Apps & Storage (tl-comp-manage)

Use this tool to see which apps are installed and to free up disk space by removing old files.

Manage Components

Search for ‘Manage Components’ in the menu to start.

How to use this tool

Check Space

• See a list of all installed parts and how much space they use.
• Remove old parts or Btrfs Snapshots to get more free space.

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Updating components (tl-comp-update)

Use this tool to update the computer’s software using a USB drive.

Update Components

Search for ‘Update Components’ in the menu to start.

How to use this tool

USB Updates

• Update apps and tools from a USB drive.
• Perform a full update of the computer system.

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Installing Games

TechLit computers support adding games and other software as “package bundles”. These bundles are managed similarly to other system components and can be pulled from the network and installed locally.

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Installing a Game Bundle

Installing a game involves pulling the bundle files to the computer and then running the installation command provided by the tool.

1. Pull the Bundle

   First, ensure the game bundle is available on your computer. You can pull it from the internet (Bastion) or another computer on the network (LAN).

   From the Internet (Bastion):

   # Example for SuperTux
   tl-comp-pull supertux-bundle https://bastion

   From a Local Computer (LAN):

   # Replace 'tl-1234' with the hostname of the source computer
   tl-comp-pull supertux-bundle tl-1234.local

2. Run the Installation Command

   Once the bundle is pulled, the tl-comp-pull command will display the specific instructions for installing it. It usually involves running a command like this:

   # Copy the exact command from your terminal output
   sudo pacman -U /srv/packages/bundle-name/*.pkg.tar.zst

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Uninstalling a Game

If you need to remove a game, you have several options depending on whether you want to remove just the game or revert recent system changes.

Option 1: Using the Package Manager

The recommended way to remove a specific game package is to use the package manager.

# Replace 'game-name' with the actual package name (e.g., supertuxkart)
sudo pacman -Rs game-name

Option 2: System Restore

You can also use TechLit’s built-in tools to revert the system to its previous state.

• Restore Snapshot:tl-img-restore
• Reconfigure System:tl-sys-configure

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Admin Scripts

What are admin scripts?

These are the scripts you will be using to maintain your TechLit System (fresh install, upgrade, reinstall, etc.)

Note

• Run as admin: You need to be admin user to run the script.
• Basic Usage: To run a script, use the following format: tl-group-command parameters (e.g., tl-hw-prepare /dev/sdb tl-2054)
• HELP: Run the command without any arguments to print a quick usage.
• Environment Variables: Customize behavior with environment variables like: WIFI_NAME='My Network' tl-hw-prepare /dev/sda tl-2054

Script format

How are scripts named?

The scripts follow a naming convention to make them easy to identify and use

• All admin scripts follow a consistent format: tl-*-*.
• Each script begins with the prefixtl-.
• The second part represents the group of commands it belongs to (e.g., hw, img, comp, sys, or usb).
• Finally, the third part specifies the specific action or command within that group (e.g., prepare, update, etc.).

Groups of commands

What are the command groups?

The admin scripts are organized into distinct groups, each serving a specific purpose.

Hardware

tl-hw-*

Hardware related commands

Hardware related commands (partitioning, installing components, updating bootloaders).

• tl-hw-prepare: Creates partitions and installs components for the TechLit system.

• Takes a hard drive and a tag as parameters.

• Example tl-hw-prepare /dev/sdX tl-2054

• tl-hw-update-desktop: Unpacks the TechLit system archive into an already-provisioned desktop system on /dev/sdX. Takes a hard drive and an optional version as parameters. Example: tl-hw-update-desktop /dev/sdX

• tl-hw-update-bootloader: Installs and configures the bootloader on /dev/sdx.

• tl-hw-chroot-desktop: Mounts the required partitions and chroots into the TechLit system on /dev/sdx.

Image

tl-img-*

Desktop image management

Desktop image management (creating snapshots, packing/unpacking, restoring).

1. tl-img-save: Creates a new snapshot of the TechLit system hosted at /var/btrfs/snapshots.
2. tl-img-pack: Creates a new clone-able archive of the TechLit system.
3. tl-img-unpack: Unpacks a desktop archive into the TechLit system.
4. tl-img-restore: Restores a desktop snapshot of the TechLit system.

Component

tl-comp-*

Component management

Component management (pulling, pushing, and syncing components).

• All the components are hosted in /srv/$component
• Components include (but not limited to) desktop, admin, curriculum, helpcontrol

1. tl-comp-pull: Downloads a version of a component from remote.
2. tl-comp-push: Uploads a version of a component from /srv/component/ to remote.
3. tl-comp-sync: Updates list of local and remote versions for component. (This script is called by the other 2 scripts in this group)

System

tl-sys-*

System configuration

System configuration (network setup, Driver personalization etc).

1. tl-sys-configure: Reconfigures the TechLit system with a new configuration file.
   • The options include: role, hostname, wifi_name, and wifi_password
   • The config file is located here /srv/secure/config.json
2. tl-sys-personalize: Personalizes the system using the values in config.json.
3. tl-sys-anonymize: Removes sensitive data and the custom configuration from the TechLit system.

USB

tl-usb-*

USB drive tasks

USB drive tasks (creating installer USBs, updating components).

• tl-usb-prepare: Creates a TechLit installer USB on /dev/sdx and installs components on it.
• tl-usb-update-components: Copies updated TechLit components on the USB.
• tl-usb-update-recovery: Updates iso partition with a new recovery iso.
• tl-usb-update-bootloader: Installs or updates and configures the bootloader for the USB.

Examples

See command examples

Some examples of some common command usage

Install

• A TechLit system for the first time on a computer with a hard drive /dev/sda and tag tl-2054

tl-hw-prepare /dev/sda tl-2054

• With environment variables

WIFI_NAME="TechLit Vim" tl-hw-prepare /dev/sda tl-2054

Update

• A TechLit system from a desktop image hosted in /dev/sda

tl-hw-update-desktop /dev/sda

Reconfigure

• A TechLit system first time after preparing

tl-sys-configure

Fix Bootloader

• On a TechLit Computer unable to boot because of bootloader or wrong fstab by reinstalling Grub bootloader on a TechLit system installed at /dev/sda

sudo tl-hw-update-bootloader /dev/sda

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More topics

Setting Up Programming LanguagesInstall and switch the programming languages used in class.

• System Updates: You mostly use the Update Components tool for this. The method changes if you use a USB drive or the local network. For full steps on all update methods, see the Update Guide.