Utility · sources and further reading
Resources
Everything this hub teaches is checked against the documents below. Same rule as Week 2: when a tutorial found in a search disagrees with these, these win.
Official documents
| Document | Use it for | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi OS documentation | Using apt, raspi-config reference, system configuration | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Remote access | SSH, VNC, scp, finding your Pi on the network; the authority behind stages 3 and 5 | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
| Connecting to GitHub with SSH | Generating a key, adding it to your account, testing; current screenshots for every OS | GitHub Docs (CC BY 4.0) |
| Ubuntu community guide: UFW | Rule syntax beyond this week: ranges, addresses, rate limiting; identical tool on Raspberry Pi OS | CC BY-SA |
| OpenSSH manual pages | The reference for ssh, ssh-keygen, ssh-copy-id options | Project documentation |
| RealVNC Viewer download | The viewer used in the lab (portable version available) | Freeware client |
Background reading, matched to the stages
| Stage | Read this for the ideas behind it |
|---|---|
| Why secure configuration | OWASP Internet of Things project: the recurring IoT weaknesses; Mirai botnet: the case study behind the motivation |
| Packages | Debian FAQ: package management basics: .deb files, dependencies, why signed repositories |
| SSH | Cloudflare's What is SSH?; SSH Academy on the protocol and public-key authentication; the ssh-keygen manual |
| Firewall | Cloudflare's What is a firewall?; DigitalOcean's UFW essentials rule cookbook; the ufw manual page |
| Remote desktop | The official remote-access chapter; wayvnc (the server) and TigerVNC (an alternative viewer) |
Reading order for a beginner: the Cloudflare explainers first (shortest), then the SSH Academy pages, then manuals as needed.
Guides and how-tos
- Markdown Guide: basic syntax and GitHub's writing and formatting guide: everything the A1 README needs.
- Raspberry Pi OS setup notes (M. Paquette): the clock fix and USB gadget mode, both referenced from this hub.
- Week 2 cheat card: the terminal commands this week builds on, printable.
- The Fall 2026 course outline and the Assignment 1 instructions are on Omnivox.
Licences and reuse
Same table as Week 2. In short: the Raspberry Pi documentation content adapted here is CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution; GitHub Docs content is CC BY 4.0; link official reference pages rather than copying them.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| apt | Debian's package manager: updates the catalogue, installs, upgrades and removes system software. |
| Package / repository (apt) | A unit of installable software / the online server apt fetches it from. |
| ed25519 | The modern key type ssh-keygen uses here: short keys, fast, strong. |
| Private / public key | The matched halves of a key pair: the private half never leaves its machine, the public half is installed wherever you log in. |
| authorized_keys | The file on the Pi (~/.ssh/authorized_keys) listing the public keys allowed to log in as you. |
| Passphrase | Optional encryption on the private key file itself; asked by your machine, not by the Pi. |
| Fingerprint | A short hash identifying a key; safe to show, used to compare keys. |
| Port | A numbered network endpoint on the OS: 22 for SSH, 5900 for VNC, 1883 for MQTT later. |
| Service / daemon | A background program answering the network, like sshd or wayvnc. |
| UFW | Uncomplicated Firewall: the per-port allow/deny filter you enabled, persistent across reboots. |
| Default deny | The policy that refuses every incoming connection not explicitly allowed. |
| wayvnc | The VNC server current Raspberry Pi OS uses to share the desktop. |
| Headless | Running the Pi with no monitor attached; SSH and VNC are how you use it. |