Script to automate the installation on RetroPie on Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04, with the end-state user experience nearly identical to a Raspberry Pi installation, but with the power and flexibility of x86.
This script was inspired by feedback provided on the RetroPie forums, and does the following:
- Disables sudo password prompts
- Installs the minimal OS dependencies needed to install OpenBox and run RetroPie
- Installs the RetroPie 'basic' packages
- Install the latest video drivers for Intel, Nvidia, and Vulkan
- Applies the RetroPie-PacMan Plymouth theme to run during startup/shutdown
- Hides all GRUB and kernel text output during startup/shutdown
- Enables autologin and boots directly into OpenBox / EmulationStation
- Hides all terminal window 'chrome' in OpenBox (menu, scrollbar, cursor) when launching emulators
- Uses 'unclutter' to show the mouse cursor only when it is being moved
- Enables 1080p resolution for GRUB and X Windows to improve the user experience & performance on 4K displays (user configurable)
The script also provides the ability for additional customizations, optionally executing external scripts at the beginning and end of the installation process. A library of user-submitted scripts is available to get you started. See the Optional Scripts section for more information.
Of course, your mileage may vary when using the master retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh script. It has been organized into functions to improve readability. If you don't want to run the full script, you can copy/paste the sections that apply to the specific changes you wish to make. Just note that many of these commands would need to be run in sudo if executed independently and variable substitution may be required.
These scripts are intended for one of the following Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 installations:
- 22.0.4 Live Server (Recommended)
- 20.0.4 Live Server
- 20.0.4 Legacy Server
- 20.0.4 Legacy Minimal Install (mini.iso)
Perform a basic install of Ubuntu with these basic options
- Language:
English - If prompted to do so, choose to
Update to the new installer - Keyboard configuration:
- Keyboard:
English (US) - Keyboard variant:
English (US)
- Keyboard:
- Type of install:
- The base for the installation:
Ubuntu Server - Additional options:
Search for third-party driverschecked/selected
- The base for the installation:
- Network connections: configure as needed to obtain a valid IP address
- Configure proxy: leave blank unless your network uses a web proxy (which would not be typical)
- Configure the Ubuntu archive mirror
- The default mirror should be OK
- Wait for the test to complete (
This mirror location passed tests.), then pressEnter/Return.
- Guided storage configuration: use defaults (preferred, not required), i.e.:
- Leave selected:
Use an entire disk - Leave selected:
Set up this disk as an LVM group - Leave unselected:
Encrypt the LVM group with LUKS - Note: after installing Ubuntu, we recommend reviewing the logical volume configuration because it seems the installer does not configure the logical volume to use the full disk space amount (as you would expect from a RetroPie system).
- Leave selected:
- Profile setup:
- Your name:
pi - Your server's name:
retropie - Pick a username:
pi - Password:
raspberry
- Your name:
- Upgrade to Ubuntu Pro
- Leave
Skip for nowselected
- Leave
- SSH Setup
- Optional: Choose to
Install OpenSSH server(which allows for remote access, copy/paste) - Import SSH identity: leave
noselected
- Optional: Choose to
- Complete/acknowledge the
Third-party driversscreen - Do not select any
Featured Server Snaps
If you are familiar with the use of autoinstall files to automate Ubuntu installs (no support here), you can use the example autoinstall-user-data file to perform a basic install against the Live Server installer. Use at your own risk!!!
If you are familiar with the use of preseed files to automate Ubuntu installs (no support here), you can use the example retropie.preseed file to perform a basic install against the Legacy Server or Mini installer. Use at your own risk!!!
As noted, Ubuntu setup does not configure the logical volume to use the full size of the disk. To confirm the current configuration, perform the following steps:
-
If you have not already done so, reboot the Ubuntu Server following the operating system installation, then log in as the
piuser. -
Run the following command:
df -h -
Look for the largest filesystem on the list (in terms of what is listed in the
sizecolumn). In testing, the size was only set to 100G (100 GB) on a 2 TB SSD.
To correct this, you must extend the logical volume and file system by running the following commands:
-
Determine the logical volume path by running the following command:
sudo lvscanIn the results, take note of the logical volume path. In testing, it was
/dev/ubuntu-vg/ubuntu-lv. -
Extend the logical volume:
sudo lvextend -l +100%FREE /dev/ubuntu-vg/ubuntu-lv(if necessary, replace the logical volume path with that which you observed in the
lvscancommand) -
Resize the file system:
sudo resize2fs /dev/ubuntu-vg/ubuntu-lv
Note: Do not log in via SSH at this point. If you do, the RetroPie setup process will disconnect your SSH session and make the setup process appear hung.
-
If you have not already done so, reboot the Ubuntu Server following the operating system installation, then log in as the
piuser. -
Download the
bootstrap.shscriptwget -q https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MizterB/RetroPie-Setup-Ubuntu/master/bootstrap.sh -
Run the
bootstrap.shscriptsudo bash ./bootstrap.shOptionally, you can override the Git repository (-r) and branch (-b) used by the bootstrap script. This is helpful if you want to bootstrap from your fork or a different branch. The available options can be passed as follows:
sudo bash ./bootstrap.sh -r https://github.com/<USERNAME>/RetroPie-Setup-Ubuntu -b <BRANCHNAME> -
Configure Optional Scripts, if desired
-
Run the installer script as sudo
sudo ./RetroPie-Setup-Ubuntu/retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh -
The script will run for some time. Depending on your system's architecture, you may see RetroPie Setup start, resulting in the process pausing at a disclaimer screen.
- If this happens, press
Enterto accept the disclaimer. - Then, use the arrow keys to select
Exit, then pressEnter. - The installation of RetroPie continues.
- If this happens, press
-
When prompted, reboot the system
This setup uses a desktop environment called Openbox to bootstrap the start of EmulationStation. This is done to ensure that EmulationStation is consistently launched in full screen and the foreground.
As a consequence of this setup, when you exit EmulationStation, you will be faced with a black screen instead of a terminal prompt.
To return to a terminal prompt, right-click the mouse and a pop-up menu will appear.
Click Terminal emulator to open a terminal.
When you are done working in the terminal, type exit and you will return to the black screen Openbox environment.
The easiest way to restart EmulationStation is to restart Openbox.
To do so, right-click the mouse and a pop-up menu will appear.
Click Exit.
Depending on the environment configuration, one of two things will happen:
-
Openbox will exit and then restart, thereby restarting EmulationStation;
or,
-
Openbox will exit and return to a terminal prompt. In this case, to restart Openbox, type:
startx
The main retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh script is intended to create a Ubuntu environment that closely mimics the basic RetroPie image for Raspberry Pi. However, some users have suggested additional tweaks and features that further customize the Ubuntu environment beyond this scope, as well as experimental changes that may be incorporated into the master script in the future. The optional_scripts directory provides the ability to include these additional changes in the installation process or to write scripts based on your needs.
Inside optional_scripts/library, you will find a collection of additional scripts that further extend the installation process. While the script names are intended to be descriptive, additional details for each script are included at the beginning of each file.
The optional_scripts/pre_install and optional_scripts/post_install directories can be populated with BASH scripts that are run at the very beginning and end of the master installation process. Scripts in these directories will be executed in alphabetical order, so if the order is important to you, you can prepend the file names with a number (e.g. 01-myscript.sh) for greater control.
If you want to include a Library script in your pre or post-install process, the easiest way to do this is to simply copy it into the appropriate folder. Alternatively, you can also move the Library scripts or create symbolic links to them.
You can also write your custom scripts and place them in these directories. Use the scripts in the Library as an example. Note that variables defined in the master script (USER_HOME, SCRIPT_DIR, etc.) are also available to the custom scripts and that all output will be automatically written to both the console and log file.
Additionally, you can create a single pre/post-install script that calls multiple Library scripts by using the source command. Note that paths should be relative to the retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh script. For example:
#!/bin/bash
###############################################################################
# This is an example script that wraps multiple Library scripts
# that disable system services
###############################################################################
echo "--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
echo "| Disabling multiple services via Library scripts"
echo "--------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
echo -e "\n\n"
source ./optional_scripts/library/disable_apparmor.sh
source ./optional_scripts/library/disable_avahi_daemon.sh
source ./optional_scripts/library/disable_bluetooth.sh
source ./optional_scripts/library/disable_modemmanager.sh
source ./optional_scripts/library/disable_samba.sh
echo -e "FINISHED $BASH_SOURCE \n\n"If you have master script changes or additional features that you would like to include in the Library, please share! Pull Requests are preferred.
Running the installer script retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh without any arguments results in the full installer logic being executed. But you can also pass individual function names as arguments, and the script will just execute those functions. For example:
sudo retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh "set_resolution_xwindows 720x480"
or
sudo retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh "run_optional_scripts optional_scripts/pre_install/pre_install.sh"
or
sudo retropie_setup_ubuntu.sh "run_optional_scripts optional_scripts/library/enable_wifi.sh"
A couple of things to note...
- Take care when running a function or script more than once - depending on the steps it takes, it could create duplicate configuration entries and break your system!
- When calling an optional script, the script path should be absolute, or relative to the current directory. This means that you can also run arbitrary scripts from outside the Retropie-Setup-Ubuntu directory structure if desired.
- Explicitly support Ubuntu 22.04
- Clarifications to make the setup process more user-friendly
- Add instructions to extend the logical volume (and use up the full disk)
- Markdown cleanup
- 20.04 promoted to master branch
- Instructions for multiple 20.04 install methods, including autoinstall example
- New bootstrap installation process
- Customizations are possible through pre_install and post_install script directories
- Library of optional scripts
- The log file is timestamped
- Script runtime is now calculated
- Prevent running as the root user, only allow sudo as a normal user
- MANY THANKS TO @etheling FOR MULTIPLE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THIS RELEASE!
- Validated against Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- Verbose logging to both console and file
- Improved modularity, formatting, and commenting of functions
- Installs the same base packages as the official RetroPie image
- Installs the latest Intel video driver
- Option to reboot after install
- Disabled screen blanking
- Safely enable 1080p resolution in GRUB, if available - the user can override the screen resolution in script
- Safely enable 1080p resolution in X Windows, if available - the user can override the screen resolution in script
- MANY THANKS TO @movisman FOR HIS CODE OPTIMIZATION AND NEW FUNCTIONS!
- Changed name to reflect support for both Server and Mini versions of Ubuntu
- Added
retropie.preseedfile to standardize basic OS install & config - Installs the basic_install RetroPie meta-package, rather than its individual parts
- Improved hiding of boot messages
- Updated autostart logic, moved EmaulationStation launch into RetroPie's autostart.sh file
- Enabled installation of updated video drivers and Vulkan by default
- Removed install of Ultimarc-linux and RetroPie launchingimages package.
- Initial release
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