Auto Login and Auto Run gpsd

As I continue to work on the Autonomous Satellite Antenna Tracking System (ASATS), to changes need to be made to setup the RPi so things happen automatically on power-up.  This requires two changes to the RPi:

1. Setup for Automatic Login on bootup
2. Setup to Automatically Run desired tools

Automatically Login:

Edit the /etc/inittab to comment out the original gettty tty1 line, then add a new line immediately below it to automatically login the “pi” default user.  (By the way, all the spacing is absolutely critical, and making any typo can result in a RPi that will no longer boot correctly — guess how I know!):

#1:2345:respawn:/sbin/getty --noclear 38400 tty1
1:2345:respawn:/bin/login -f pi tty1 </dev/tty1 >/dev/tty1 2>&1

Automatically Run GPS Daemon:

Edit the /etc/rc.local files, and add the following immediately before the final line of the file (‘exit 0’):

sudo gpsd /dev/ttyAMA0 -F /var/run/gpsd.sock

This will ensure that the GPS Daemon is loaded at boot time (and configured to use the serial port on the RPi).  After booting up, use the console cgps -s command to verify operation.  Just keep in mind it can take several minutes for the GPS to obtain a fix on a cold powerup.

Remote SSH using a MacBook:

I noted that the SSH services are already installed in the RPi OS.  Since I often use a MacBook for other tasks, it is very simple to use the built-in Terminal application in OS X.  Just start Terminal, and type “SSH pi@192.168.1.20”.  You will then be asked for a password.  (Note because it is still set for DHCP, my RPi address will change periodically.  Eventually I will set the Pi to use a static address that is reserved by my router).