FAQ

How do I enable the read-only filesystem?

Overview

Read-only mode is a setting on your TinyPilot device that can increase the lifetime of your microSD card and reduce the risk of filesystem corruption from unplanned shutdowns.

As the name implies, the read-only filesystem loads the TinyPilot device's file system in read-only mode so that writes to the disk stay in memory and don't affect the physical microSD card.

Enabling the read-only filesystem

Important: Ensure you've finished setting up your TinyPilot device before proceeding, as any changes you make while the read-only filesystem is enabled will be lost on reboot, including:

  • Network and security settings
  • Device configuration
  • Virtual media uploads

If you want to apply updates or permanently change configuration on your TinyPilot device after enabling the read-only filesystem, you'll need to disable the read-only filesystem first.

To set up the read-only filesystem, connect to your device over SSH and run the following commands:

sudo raspi-config nonint enable_overlayfs && \
  sudo reboot

The command may take a few moments to complete. Read-only mode slows down the boot process, so don't worry if your reboot takes 2-3x as long as normal.

Disabling the read-only filesystem

To disable read-only mode, connect to your device over SSH and run the following commands:

sudo raspi-config nonint disable_overlayfs && \
  sudo reboot