# Setting up Home Assistant in a virtual environment on Intel NUC (or any other x86 machine)
Setting up Home Assistant in a virtual environment on Intel NUC (with mqtt, ssh, samba, docker…) based on Ubuntu Server 17.10 / Intel NUC7i3BNH
Originally for Taymurf (Taymurf#0781 on DiscordHA) Big thanks to him for beta testing and motivating me to do this!
**V 0.1 (Jan 2018) Tested on HomeAssistant Release 0.62.1**
**V 0.2 (Jun 2018) Migrated to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with dist upgrade**
**V 0.3 (Apr 2020) Migrated to Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS with dist upgrade**
>The basic steps in this How-To reflect till today my current working setup. I've made minor changes to some services (e.g. migrated the Mosquitto Server to Docker). Ubuntu switched from SysV to systemd. If you did aswell, please notice that all commands starting with `/etc/init.d/SERVICE` are now (re)started/stopped via `systemctl (re)start/stop SERVICE`.
Main reason for writing this "How-to" is to give a helping hand to those willing to switch their working appliance to something more powerful. I recently moved from a Raspberry Pi 3 to an Intel NUC and these were the initial steps I took...
I changed some (imho) basic settings in the system to ensure a basic level of minimum security. I am not a Linux Guru nor a nationwide "Security Consultant" so any constructive criticism or advice on how I can improve this guide is greatly appreciated.
I mainly use "vim" for editing files. Feel free to use any other editor of your choice (i.e. nano).
The following wildcards (placeholders) will be used throughout the text:
EDITOR - Replace with whatever editing program you prefer to use.
USER - Replace with your main user account
HAUSER - Replace with your Home Assistant user account
Greetings to the whole community (especially the devs!) and thanks for making this stunning project so vital and awesome.
## 0.) Preamble
---
If anything isn’t working as it should, contact me on any of my mentioned channels. I try to respond as soon as possible!
If you need general help visit [https://home-assistant.io/help/](https://home-assistant.io/help/)
**PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:**
**THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT MAINTAINED BY HOME ASSISTANT!**
**This is a written account of what has worked for me and tested by another user of**
**Home Assistant making the switch from a Raspberry Pi 3 to an Intel NUC.**
## 1.) Before Install
---
Update to the latest BIOS Version and adjusting it Download the appropriate Version for your System from [https://downloadcenter.intel.com/](https://downloadcenter.intel.com/).
Detailed instructions how to update are found here: [https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005636/mini-pcs.html](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005636/mini-pcs.html)
Initial upgrade failed for me with any USB Stick larger 64GB. Basically, format any USB Stick with exFAT (respectively FAT32) and copy the *.bio file onto it.
Insert the Stick into a USB Port of your choice and shutdown the PC. Reboot into the BIOS Updater by pressing "F7" while starting up the NUC. Select the stick and file you copied earlier and wait for it to complete.
Reboot to the BIOS (Press F2) Changes I made to the BIOS include selecting the "Quiet" model for the fans and disabled any lighting for HDD activity. I prefer a quiet and stealthy device on my shelf.
## 2.) Installation
---
Download the Ubuntu Server ([https://www.ubuntu.com/download/server](https://www.ubuntu.com/download/server))
Use Etcher or rufus (Etcher: [https://etcher.io/](https://etcher.io/) / rufus: [http://rufus.akeo.ie/](http://rufus.akeo.ie/)) on Windows to flash the image to an USB Stick of your choice.
Any Stick should work.
On Linux: Stick to: [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick) On MacOS: Etcher is also available.
In general any *NIX based system with _dd_ should work.
Connect a Keyboard, a monitor and an ethernet cable to your PC. Initial networking setup is done via DHCP, most routers will assign an IPv4/IPv6. If not, assign a static ip and gateway manually (If DHCP fails, the installer will tell you).
Insert the Stick and reboot, the Ubuntu Installer should come up (if not, enter the Boot Menu from the BIOS and select your stick). Select your prefered Language/Region and choose a username/password of your choice. Later we will set a strong password to this user. Main configuration and maintenance of the system is done by that user via `sudo`.
By default, Ubuntu does not allow any direct logins with the "root" user (which makes sense imho). I decided **NOT** to setup an encrypted home container.
Please keep in mind that all information stored on the harddrive could easily be read by anyone with physical access to the system (I.e. if it gets stolen). Maybe I will add the Setup of LUKS/LVM in a future version or update this how-to if there is some public demand.
Check the determined Timezone and correct the Settings if necessary.
In my setup I select _Guided - use entire disk and set up LVM_ for the server. LVM makes it easy to add some hard drive space in the future if needed. LVM means _Logical Volume Manager_ and is more powerful than playing around with _parted_ and _mkfs.X_ Read more about LVM and why it is good here: [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lvm](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lvm)
Wait for "apt" to finish. I've decided to let the system maintain it's security updates automatically.
If you are the natural born sysadmin feel free to keep updating in your hand.
Install OpenSSH Server and Samba in the next dialogue simply by marking it with an asterisk. SSH will handle our remote connection and Samba is used for editing the HASS config in a Windows share.
Install GRUB to the MBR if you don't want to setup a multi-OS system (what i guess you don't want to).
Remove the Stick, hit _Continue_ and watch your server come to life! Login in with the user and password created earlier.
## 3.) Initial System Config
---
After logging in for the first time, use ``` sudo -s ``` and enter your password to become the root user.
Remember this command, you will need it many times... First we will do some updates. Use ```apt-get update && apt-get full-upgrade -y``` to update all packages installed at this point.
sudo:
As seen before working as the root user is vital.
Later, we will change the password for the user to something more complex and secure. The Login to System with your default user will later be strengthened with an openssh key login. I decided to give this user the permission to use "sudo" without typing the password all the time.
>_PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:_ _Everybody with your password (or ssh key) is able to modify, read or delete anything on that system!_
type ```cd /etc/sudoers.d && EDITOR 010_USER-nopasswd``` to change the directory and create an empty config file (replace USER with your own user).
_BE VERY CAREFUL ON THIS STEP:_ _if you enter anything wrong in this file and save it (giving you a syntax error) you will most likely have to reinstall your server. It only takes about 10 minutes to do over, but it’s a hassle._
_It is possible to regain access with any "Linux Live Media" but that would go beyond the scope of the document._
Enter ```USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL``` and save the file and after that ```sudo -k``` for applying the changes. Next time any use of the sudo command won't prompt you for a password. If you want to, logout with `logout` (or Ctrl + D ) an re-login. The command ````sudo whoami```` should output "`root`" without any password requested.
Sample output:
```
root@hostname:~# cd /etc/sudoers.d
root@hostname:/etc/sudoers.d# nano 010_USER-nopasswd
root@hostname:/etc/sudoers.d# cat 010_USER-nopasswd
USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
```
Setting up a static IP for the system:
I don't want to rely on any DHCP Daemon for assigning a IP to my HASS server. If for whatever reason your DHCP server fails or the static route in your router is lost you won't be able to connect to it. Type ```ip link show``` to find out the device name of your ethernet card.
```
root@hostname:~# ip link show
1: lo: mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000 link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
2: eno1: mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state UP mode DEFAULT group default qlen 1000 . .
```
In my case the network device is named "eno1". Yours may differ. My server will listen to the Address "192.168.0.10" and use the Google DNS Servers (8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4).
_IMPORTANT!_ _Change those to whatever you want but KEEP IN MIND this address has be unique and should not appear in your DHCP daemons ip pool._ _Usually every DHCP Daemon reservers a _pool_ for assigning IP Addresses._ _In my case I configured the DHCP service with a static address 192.168.0.10 for HomeAssistant and a pool range from 192.168.0.200 to 192.168.0.254._
If unsure about your net settings use `ifconfig` to display the actual settings of your network card and `ip route |grep default` for the gateway address Sample for my network:
```
> root@hostname:~# ifconfig eno1
eno1: flags=4163 mtu 1500 inet 192.168.0.10 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255 ether ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff txqueuelen 1000 (Ethernet) RX packets 31680033 bytes 40287320994 (40.2 GB) RX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 frame 0 TX packets 17808340 bytes 2638877725 (2.6 GB) TX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 carrier 0 collisions 0
root@hostname:~# ip route |grep default
default via 192.168.0.1 dev eno1 proto static
```
In previous Ubuntu Version static interfaces were configured in "/etc/network/interfaces". This changed in Ubuntu 17.10. Use "`cd /etc/netplan`" to change to config directory as root (`sudo -s` if you are not already root).
_*NOTE:_ _.yaml files are very sensitive to indenting properly so make sure you follow the spacing of the file and don’t just copy and paste what I have here._
For an example of what it should look like with proper indents,use ```wget -O 01-netcfg.yaml https://chris.0x711.de/01-netcfg.yaml``` to store a local copy of my config.
Use ```EDITOR 01-netcfg.yaml``` to alter the configuration. Change to the following (altered to match your config) and save:
```
# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# For more information, see netplan(5).
network:
version: 2
renderer: networkd
ethernets:
eno1:
dhcp4: no
dhcp6: no
addresses: [192.168.0.10/24]
gateway4: 192.168.0.1
nameservers:
addresses: [8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4
```
use ```netplan apply``` to execute the changes.
Check if everything works: type ```ip addr|grep inet``` the output should be something like:
```
root@hostname:~# ip addr|grep inet
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo inet 192.168.0.10/24 brd 192.168.0.255 scope global eno1
```
use ```ping -c 5 home-assistant.io``` to test the internet connectivity:
```
root@hostname:~# ping -c 5 home-assistant.io
PING home-assistant.io (104.31.87.190) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 104.31.87.190 (104.31.87.190): icmp_seq=1 ttl=57 time=11.1 ms
64 bytes from 104.31.87.190 (104.31.87.190): icmp_seq=2 ttl=57 time=10.3 ms
64 bytes from 104.31.87.190 (104.31.87.190): icmp_seq=3 ttl=57 time=10.5 ms
64 bytes from 104.31.87.190 (104.31.87.190): icmp_seq=4 ttl=57 time=11.6 ms
64 bytes from 104.31.87.190 (104.31.87.190): icmp_seq=5 ttl=57 time=10.6 ms
--- home-assistant.io ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 received, 0% packet loss, time 4004ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 10.320/10.872/11.683/0.501 ms
```
The ping command send 5 packets to the Home Assistant homepage. You could use any domain for this test (google.com, nasa.gov, xkcd.com….)
More information about netplan is found here: [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Netplan](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Netplan)
Time for the first reboot of your machine using `sudo reboot` (Apply the kernel updates and see if the static ip setup works).
After rebooting you could remotely connect to your server. For doing that in my case (replace the IP with the one you've set up above):
Linux/MacOS: _ssh -l USER 192.168.0.10_
Windows: Use [PuTTY](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html) and enter in hostname your address.
Congratulations!
You’ve just set up a Ubuntu server with a static IP-Address on your NUC!
## 4.) Setting up sshd and login with key
---
Login to your box and become the _root user_ with `sudo -s`.
Use ```apt-get install -y pwgen``` pwgen is a handy tool for generating passwords.
Use `pwgen 40` to generate some random passwords with the length of 40 characters. Default settings use a-z, 0-9 and some capitalized characters. If you want to you could mix in some special characters. See _man pwgen_.
For those of you how want to learn more about security and complexity of passwords start with this (very popular) comic: [https://xkcd.com/936/](https://xkcd.com/936/)
```
root@ubuntu:~# pwgen 40
mohFiwie1ilix7aox8maiThid4xeb7goj1eedail
uvohchoo4exa4YaeBei0Deiy9ieh4shaigicheec
Ailiu7Thaisai7ahvei9Eez5ru4IeruChaiceibu
ooShii8eeWieg0saiweeghaeph2cheerae9ieBai
johc4cai7du8ahP5ae1peeSh7eeZu1WaiLohtahP
aiz0shaeshiezeihu1Uneexee5vohcaipaow2nah
Faet5phiesiuQuohzo5dienge5OhMu7gool7ahJa
aighoo0ui2echoovooci4suoti6AeYie3ie1epai
toobiangai8Einguac2phue5Aej0ii1shaeRaaph
feoBoongashii5chaesh4chaedieDohc7ooyeej4
IdoeHa3Ailaeca7luK8etheegee3ooraiF9geeme
Yee3bucei0eghizohthei5aJoquahX7iejeediev
teesohmiiRaeshietheemai9Uungae8no8uguveu
iw7xeiC8phuomahngee5iech9rielodoh1te1ohL
chahKohsai2jie5oohaereiviP6ne8Aixuez2shi
yah2ZooBookoo8egherohJah8otoofahziek4Ohw
...
```
Time to change the _installer password_ (I had chosen _password_ (ultra secure)) to something more complex.
Choose one from your list (NOT MINE!) and type `passwd USER`.
After submitting that command, copy and paste a password of your choice and hit _Enter_.
Ensure you did it right with a new ssh/Putty session and login with your new password.
_WARNING: Note down the password in a safe place! You won’t be able to login to your server with the old one anymore!_
For Windows I use _Keepass_ ([https://keepass.info/](https://keepass.info/)).
A Beginner’s guide can be found [here.](http://www.petersmittenaar.com/keepass-why-and-how-to-use-it-effectively.php)
Continue as USER (if you are still root enter _exit_ or press Ctrl + D).
Use ``` mkdir .ssh && cd .ssh ``` to create a _hidden_ directory and change to it.
Create a ssh key with ```ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C USER2nuc``` and save it to USER2nuc (or any other distinct name of your choice).
You could leave the passphrase password empty. Again it is your personal choice and it would without a doubt be more secure to add one.
My server is only in my local network and I store all of my keys on an encrypted drive, so I left it blank for convenience of logging in.
If you ever going to expose the machine (or to be more precise the ssh port) to the open internet do yourself a favor and increase the security with this simple _two factor mechanism_. (OT: you could use the autotype function in keepass to launch a putty profile and autotype the password)
Next we add the keyfile to a file called _authorized_keys_.
To do so: ```cat USER2nuc.pub >> authorized_keys```
_Note: The command won't generate any output_
```
USER@ubuntu:~/.ssh$ cat USER2nuc.pub >> authorized_keys
USER@ubuntu:~/.ssh$
```
Use ``` cat USER2nuc ``` to display the private key and copy & paste it to some secure space.
If you want to connect from a linux shell to the nuc (assumed you saved the key to /path/to/USER2nuc-keyfile and the remote ip is ..0.10) use this command: _chmod 600 /path/to/keyfile_ (makes the file only readable by the owner) and after that _ssh -l USER -i path/to/USER2nuc-keyfile _
On Windows download and open [putty keygen](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html)
Use _File_ → _Load private key_ and select the private key you saved before. Click on _Save private key_ and choose again a safe location.
Putty keygen will create a .ppk file which is needed.
Next step will be editing the openssh daemon config file: Use ```sudo -s``` to become root, change the directory and edit the config with ``` cd /etc/ssh && EDITOR sshd_config ```
Changes I made (remove the leading # to _activate_ the options):
```
Port 2222
. . .
# Authentication:
#LoginGraceTime 2m
PermitRootLogin no
StrictModes yes
MaxAuthTries 2
. . .
DenyUsers homeassistant
```
Add the _DenyUsers_ line at the bottom of the document. Save the file and exit the EDITOR.
I changed the port to something not typically _sshd_-associated. Many bots try to bruteforce into poorly administered remote machines.
Changing the port is filed under _Security by Obscurity_. Login for the user _root_ is denied in general.
Even if someone exploits your machine and changes the root password the intruder can’t login using ssh. We deny the user _homeassistant_ access to the system.
In a later section we will add this user to run HASS. One more discussable option for the config would be _PasswordAuthentication no_.
If you decide to do so please remember:
If you lose your openssh/.ppk keyfile you are locked out of the system!
Use `/etc/init.d/ssh restart` to load the new settings. Open Putty. Enter the IP Address and your new port.
Enter a session name like _HA-nuc_ in the lower half of Putty window. Click on the left side on _Data_ under Connection and fill in USER under _Auto-login username_.
Click on _Auth_ under _Connection SSH_ and supply the path to your private keyfile.ppk created earlier. Go back to _Session_ and hit _Save_ on the lower right side.
A double-click onto the profile name will now connect and auto login you to your server!
## 5.) Setting up the HomeAssistant User and creating a Samba share
---
Become _root_ with `sudo -s` and type `adduser HAUSER`
Enter a password of your choice. I used _homeassistant_ for both HAUSER and the password because remote login to the machine via ssh is denied.
More secure in a general way would be setting up a strong password (see 4.)).
All fields for name etc. are not needed. Just hit enter.
```
root@hostname:~# adduser HAUSER
Adding user `HAUSER ...
Adding new group `HAUSER (1001) ...
Adding new user `HAUSER (1001) with group `HAUSER ...
Creating home directory `/home/HAUSER ...
Copying files from `/etc/skel' ...
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Changing the user information for homeassistant
Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default
Full Name []:
Room Number []:
Work Phone []:
Home Phone []:
Other []:
Is the information correct? [Y/n]
```
To add the HAUSER to more system groups use `adduser HAUSER GROUPNAME`
In my case i want to use a Z-Wave stick and the HAUSER needs to be a member of the group _dialout_.
If any special Home Assistant component will need a special group it is normally documented in the official docs.
I assume samba was installed in the initial setup process if not run ```apt-get install samba -y``` as root.
WARNING: I’ve decided to create a _public share_. Everybody in your home network could read and modify the files inside the share!
If you don’t want a public share stick to this: [Ubuntu | Creating Samba from the console](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/How%20to%20Create%20a%20Network%20Share%20Via%20Samba%20Via%20CLI%20%28Command-line%20interface/Linux%20Terminal%29%20-%20Uncomplicated%2C%20Simple%20and%20Brief%20Way%21)
It might be also a good idea to to disable the autostart of samba and start it only up if you need to modify the configuration of HomeAssistant:
To do so enter `systemctl disable smbd` as root. `systemctl start smbd` is used via ssh to start the service and `systemctl stop smbd` to stop it.
Change the Samba config directory and edit the config file with ``` cd /etc/samba && EDITOR smb.conf ``` I added the following at the end of the file:
```
[homeassistant]
path = /home/HAUSER/.homeassistant
writeable = yes
guest ok = yes
create mask = 0644
directory mask = 0755
force user = HAUSER
[winshare_USER]
path = /home/USER/winshare
writeable = yes
guest ok = yes
create mask = 0644
directory mask = 0755
force user = USER
```
Create the folders with ``` mkdir /home/USER/winshare ``` and ``` mkdir -p /home/HAUSER/.homeassistant ```
We need to set the correct file permissions to both folders:
Execute that with ``` chown -R USER:USER /home/USER``` and ``` chown -R HAUSER:HAUSER /home/HAUSER```
Restart samba with `service smbd restart`.
Test your shares from Windows: Press Windowsbutton + R and enter _192.168.X.Y_ (the static ip of your server).
Two folders should appear and you should be able to create or delete files.
## 6.) Installing the Virtual Environment and (finally) HomeAssistant
---
Detailed information is found at: [https://home-assistant.io/docs/installation/virtualenv/](https://home-assistant.io/docs/installation/virtualenv/)
Start with ``` sudo apt-get install python3-pip python3-venv -y ```
Do all of the following commands as the HAUSER.
Use ``` sudo su -s /bin/bash HAUSER ``` to work as HAUSER Change directory with `cd /home` and run ``` python3 -m venv HAUSER``` ``` cd HAUSER && source bin/activate ``` actives the virtual environment.
Run ```python3 -m pip install wheel``` followed by ```python3 -m pip install homeassistant```
For a first test run ```hass --open-ui``` HASS is preparing the first start and you should see a lot of installing in the log. Give it some time.
Check _http://_your-ip_:8123_ and hopefully there it is! =)
You should find inside the HA Windows samba share some newly generated files (e.g. the configuration.yaml)
Hit _Ctrl + C_ once inside the terminal window to stop the process and continue with setting up autostart via systemd. Enter `exit` to return to your normal user and type `sudo -s` to become root.
Change to `cd /etc/systemd/system` and run `EDITOR home-assistant@HAUSER.service`
*NOTE: File will be blank. Copy over the following and save the file:
```
[Unit]
Description=Home Assistant
After=network-online.target
[Service]
Type=simple
User=%i
ExecStart=/home/homeassistant/homeassistant_venv/bin/hass -c "/home/homeassistant/.homeassistant"
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
```
Reboot your Machine and wait for HA to come up under _http://:8123_
Congratulations! You’ve just setup your own Ubuntu Server with HASS!
## 7.) Updating and managment of the service
---
dale3h made a great command line tool for controlling and managing HomeAssistant
See [https://github.com/dale3h/hassctl](https://github.com/dale3h/hassctl) for more information.
Install it with: ``` sudo curl -o /usr/local/bin/hassctl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dale3h/hassctl/master/hassctl && sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/hassctl```
Run `hassctl log` once to auto-generate the config files. The program will terminate with an error but we fix that in the next step. Use `sudo EDITOR /etc/hassctl.conf` and change the paths:
_VIRTUAL_ENV=_ to _/home/HAUSER_ HASS_CONFIG=/home/HAUSER/.homeassistant HASS_USER=HAUSER
Example Output:
```
root@hostname:~$ cat /etc/hassctl.conf
# /etc/hassctl.conf: `hassctl' configuration.
#
# A full description of the configuration file is at
# https://github.com/dale3h/hassctl
HASSCTL_BRANCH=master
VIRTUAL_ENV=/home/homeassistant/homeassistant_venv_3.8
PIP_EXEC=$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/pip3
HASS_EXEC=$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/hass
HASS_CONFIG=/home/homeassistant/.homeassistant
HASS_USER=homeassistant
HASS_SERVICE="home*assistant*"
OZW_LOG=$HASS_CONFIG/OZW_Log.txt
```
Now test it with `hassctl restart && hassctl log`.
You should see Home Assistant rebooting. To stop the process use _Ctrl + C_.
As a backup (if hassctl stops working for whatever reason) you could manually start, stop or update HomeAssistant with those commands:
Stop: `sudo systemctl stop home-assistant@HAUSER.service`
Start: `sudo systemctl start home-assistant@HAUSER.service`
Logfile: `sudo journalctl -fu home-assistant@HAUSER.service`
Update: First stop the service (see above) then become the HAUSER: `sudo su -s /bin/bash HAUSER`:
Change to the homedir and activate the VENV: `cd /home/HAUSER/ && source bin/activate`
Upgrade HASS with: ```python3 -m pip install --upgrade homeassistant``` Use `exit` to leave the virtual environment and use the start command.
## 8.) Other useful services and helpful hints
---
Services I would personally advise are mosquitto as a mqtt broker and docker-io.
### Mosquitto
Mqtt offers a widespread and reliable way for communicating with plenty of devices.
See the official component page for further information: [https://home-assistant.io/components/mqtt/](https://home-assistant.io/components/mqtt/)
Become root with `sudo -s`. Use `apt-get install mosquitto mosquitto-clients -y` to install the server and useful tools.
Stop the service with `service mosquitto stop` Change to the configuration directory with `cd /etc/mosquitto`
The configuration file (mosquitto.conf) is mainly self explaining. If you are lazy grab a copy of my config with ```wget -O mosquitto.conf https://chris.0x711.de/mosquitto.conf```
Use `mosquitto_passwd -c /etc/mosquitto/pwfile MQTTUSERNAME` to create a user called MQTTUSERNAME with a corresponding password.
Restart the service with `service mosquitto restart`
Subscribe to your server with `mosquitto_sub -h -p 1883 -t '#' -u MQTTUSERNAME -P MQTT_PASSWORD -v -R`
Send a test message from another shell (or Putty session) with: `mosquitto_pub -h -p 1883 -u MQTTUSERNAME -P MQTT_PASSWORD -t test/hello -m world`
The output of the stream should display
```
root@hostname:~# mosquitto_sub -h 192.168.0.10 -p 1883 -t '#' -u test -P test -v -R
test/hello world
```
Your server is ready to use! For adding another user use `mosquitto_passwd /etc/mosquitto/pwfile ANOTHERUSERNAME` and restart the service.
_*Note: You could use the same user on multiple devices but please keep in mind that the _client-id_ has to be different._
### Docker
I mainly use docker to generate some neat looking statistics for my sensor data. To install docker use the command `apt-get install docker.io -y` as root.
Phil Hawthorne made some great articles on how to and why using docker in combination with Home Assistant is a great idea.
See his blog for more information: [https://philhawthorne.com/getting-started-with-grafana-influxdb-for-home-assistant/](https://philhawthorne.com/getting-started-with-grafana-influxdb-for-home-assistant/)
**Thank you for reading and if this document has helped you in any way let me know it if it was worth the effort and time ;)**