highascg

Server Consolidation & USB Image Guide

This document outlines the strategy for merging HighAsCG and CasparCG into a unified, portable folder structure and preparing a bootable “Golden Image” USB for rapid deployment.

1. Unified Directory Structure

To make the system portable and easy to back up, we will move away from system-wide /opt installs and consolidate everything under the primary user’s home directory (/home/casparcg).

Proposed Layout:

/home/casparcg/
├── highascg/             # The HighAsCG Node.js application
│   ├── config/           # App configuration files
│   ├── src/              # Server source code
│   └── web/              # Web UI assets
├── casparcg-server/      # CasparCG Server binaries & scanner
│   ├── casparcg.config   # The main CasparCG config (managed by HighAsCG)
│   ├── media/            # Symlink to the media partition
│   └── template/         # Symlink to the templates partition
└── scripts/              # Utility scripts (start, stop, update)

Consolidation Steps:

Move Application: Clone/Move HighAsCG to /home/casparcg/highascg.
Move CasparCG: Extract CasparCG Server to /home/casparcg/casparcg-server.
Update Paths: Update highascg.config.json to reflect the new relative paths for CasparCG and media.

2. Managing the Media Partition

For a broadcast server, keeping the OS image small while allowing for large media storage is critical.

The Strategy:

OS Partition: Small (approx. 20-40GB), containing the OS, HighAsCG, and CasparCG binaries.
Media Partition: The remainder of the drive (HDD/SSD), formatted as EXT4 or XFS.

Implementation:

Mounting: Configure /etc/fstab to mount the media partition to /mnt/media or /data/media.
Symlinking: Create a symbolic link from the CasparCG folder to the mount point:
```
ln -s /mnt/media /home/casparcg/casparcg-server/media
```
Benefit: When you “re-image” the OS partition from your USB drive, the media partition remains untouched, preserving your library.

3. Creating the Bootable USB “Golden Image”

The goal is a USB drive that acts as a “Live Demo” but can also “Install” to a machine.

Recommended Tools:

Cubic (Custom Ubuntu ISO Creator): Allows you to “chroot” into a live ISO, install HighAsCG/CasparCG/Drivers, and then repack it into a bootable .iso.
Clonezilla: Best for creating a bit-for-bit image of an already configured SSD.
Respin / Linux Respin: Tools specifically designed to turn a running system into an ISO.

Workflow with Cubic (Recommended):

Start with a clean Ubuntu 24.04 ISO.
In the Cubic terminal:
- Install Node.js, NVIDIA drivers, and DeckLink drivers.
- Copy the casparcg home folder content.
- Set up nodm and openbox autostart.
Generate the ISO.
Flash to USB using Rufus (on Windows) or dd (on Linux).

4. “Windows Installer” Possibilities

Can we run an installer in Windows for this?

Option A: The “USB Preparer” (Most Realistic)

You can create a simple Windows .bat or .ps1 script (or a small Electron app) that:

Downloads the “Golden ISO”.
Uses a CLI tool (like rufus-cmd) to flash it to a selected USB drive.
This isn’t a “HighAsCG Installer for Windows”, but rather a “HighAsCG Deployment Tool”.

Option B: WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

HighAsCG can run on Windows via WSL2, but direct hardware access (DeckLink/NVIDIA GPU) for CasparCG is extremely complex and not recommended for production.

Option C: Porting to Windows

If you specifically want a Windows installer (.exe/.msi) to run HighAsCG + CasparCG on a Windows Server:

Use Inno Setup or NSIS.
The installer would bundle Node.js, CasparCG binaries, and the HighAsCG source.
It would setup Windows Services (NSSM) instead of systemd units.

5. Summary: The “Live USB” Vision

Boot: Operator plugs in USB and selects “Try HighAsCG”.
Run: The system boots into nodm, starts X11, launches CasparCG, and starts the HighAsCG Web UI.
Discover: The operator can see the local media if the internal HDD is mounted.
Install: If they like it, they click “Install HighAsCG” (the standard Ubuntu installer), which copies the pre-configured environment to the internal drive.

Created: 2026-04-30 | Related: WO-11, WO-12

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