[Support] HomeAssistant_inabox

[SpaceInvaderOne]

HomeAssistant_inabox

 

HomeAssistant_inabox is a powerful and easy-to-use Docker container designed to seamlessly download and install a fully functional Home Assistant VM onto an Unraid server. It simplifies the installation and management of Home Assistant by integrating a virtual machine (VM) setup directly from the official Home Assistant source.

 

Key Features

 

• Direct Download & Installation:

Automatically downloads the Home Assistant .qcow2 image from the official Home Assistant release repository and installs it onto your Unraid server.

• Automated VM Setup:

Handles the creation of a new VM configuration, dynamically building the XML template based on your environment and the highest QEMU version available.

• Automatic VM Monitoring:

Regularly checks the status of the VM and restarts it if it has been shut down unexpectedly, ensuring Home Assistant is always available.

• Seamless Integration with Docker & VM WebUI:

Combines Docker container management with VM monitoring. Clicking the “WebUI” link from the Unraid Docker tab will automatically redirect to the Home Assistant WebUI inside the VM.

• Dynamic IP Management:

Automatically determines the internal IP address of the Home Assistant VM and updates the Docker WebUI redirect,

 

Getting Started

 

Follow these instructions to install and configure the HomeAssistant_inabox container on your Unraid server.

 

Installation

 

1. Go to the Unraid Apps Tab (also known as CA Community Applications).

2. Search for HomeAssistant_inabox and click Install.

3. Configure the container variables as described below in the “Configuration” section.

4. Start the container. HomeAssistant_inabox will automatically download the latest Home Assistant image, create a VM, and set up the necessary configuration files.

5. Once the setup is complete, click the container’s “WebUI” button to access your Home Assistant instance.

 

Configuration

 

HomeAssistant_inabox relies on a few essential variables that need to be set through the Unraid Docker template. Below is a detailed description of each option and its purpose:

 

Container Variables

 

1. VMNAME

• Description: Set the name of the Home Assistant VM.

• Default: Home Assistant

• Purpose: This is the VM name that will be displayed in Unraid’s VM manager.

2. VM Images Location

• Description: Specify the location where the VM images are stored (e.g., your Domains share).

• Example: /mnt/user/domains/

• Purpose: Defines the storage path for the Home Assistant VM files on your Unraid server.

3. Appdata Location

• Description: Set the path where HomeAssistant_inabox stores its appdata and configuration files.

• Default: /mnt/user/appdata/homeassistantinabox/

• Purpose: Specifies where the container’s internal configuration and scripts are stored.

4. Keep VM Running

• Description: If set to Yes, the container will automatically monitor the Home Assistant VM and restart it if it’s not running.

• Default: Yes

• Purpose: Ensures that Home Assistant remains available, even after unexpected shutdowns.

5. Check Time

• Description: Defines the frequency (in minutes) for checking the status of the Home Assistant VM.

• Default: 15

• Purpose: Determines how often the container checks to see if the VM is running and needs to be started.

6. WEBUI_PORT

• Description: Set the port for accessing the Home Assistant WebUI through the container’s WebUI redirect.

• Default: 8123

• Purpose: Allows you to configure the WebUI access port for Home Assistant.

 

How It Works

 

HomeAssistant_inabox provides a robust solution by combining a Docker container with a full VM environment:

 

1. Direct Download & Installation:

• When the container is started, it automatically downloads the latest Home Assistant .qcow2 disk image from the official Home Assistant source.

• It then extracts and moves the image to your Unraid server’s specified domains location.

2. Dynamic VM Setup:

• The container dynamically builds a VM XML template for Home Assistant using the latest QEMU version available.

• This template is then used to automatically define a new VM on your Unraid server.

3. Automatic IP Detection:

• After the VM is started, the container uses the QEMU guest agent to retrieve the internal IP address of the VM.

• The IP address is then used to configure a redirect within the Docker container, making the “WebUI” link in Unraid’s Docker tab point directly to the Home Assistant WebUI inside the VM.

4. Monitoring & Restart Functionality:

• If RESTART is set to Yes, the container will regularly check to see if the Home Assistant VM is running.

• If the VM is found to be shut down or paused, the container will attempt to start it automatically.

5. WebUI Integration:

• When you click the WebUI button for the HomeAssistant_inabox container, it dynamically redirects to the Home Assistant WebUI inside the VM using the IP address retrieved during the last check.
 

[Diode663]

I just installed this and the vm came up with a weird IP off of my standard network.  I tried to connect using your web UI button as well as manually typing the address in and could not get to the webUI.  I manually changed the address inside the VM to something on my network and it still cannot be reached.  It doesnt show up on an IP scan either.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thank you for all the good work you do.

[TheExplorographer]

Same exact problem here.

[fuzzydunlop]

I was able to get mine to resolve by stopping the Home Assistant VM and changing the Network Source to vhost0 so that it grabbed a proper IP address on my network. The HomeAssistant_inabox docker picked up on the IP change and adjusted the nginx and then I was able to connect to the remapped UI from the docker link to WebUI.

Look forward to exploring it further!

[TheExplorographer]

29 minutes ago, fuzzydunlop said:

I was able to get mine to resolve by stopping the Home Assistant VM and changing the Network Source to vhost0 so that it grabbed a proper IP address on my network. The HomeAssistant_inabox docker picked up on the IP change and adjusted the nginx and then I was able to connect to the remapped UI from the docker link to WebUI.

Look forward to exploring it further!

I dont have a vHost.   I only have virbr0 and br0.

[TheExplorographer]

Ahh, changed it to br0 and I have something...  not sure what yet but it is showing graphics.   Thanks!

 

[MarcusCST]

I couldn't solve my problem here by changing the network model type.

Here is a failed message, I am not sure if this is directly related.

 

 

[wobblewoo]

I've got everything started (using default values) and spotted in my Docker log that its assigned its own and different IP address which then i can log into with port 8123

Host path for '/domains' is /mnt/user/domains
Highest Q35 machine type available is pc-q35-7.2
The default VM network type is br0
Icon already there skipping.....
VM 'Home Assistant' is already defined. Skipping VM creation steps...
current status of VM 'Home Assistant': shut off
VM 'Home Assistant' is not running.
RESTART is set to 'Yes'. Attempting to start the VM...
Attempting to start VM 'Home Assistant' (Attempt 1/5)...
Domain Home Assistant started

VM 'Home Assistant' started successfully.
current status of VM 'Home Assistant': running
VM 'Home Assistant' is running.
Checking for the IP address of the running VM...
Guest agent is not responding. Waiting for 5 seconds before retrying... (1/9)
Guest agent is not responding. Waiting for 5 seconds before retrying... (2/9)
Guest agent is connected.
The IPv4 address of the VM 'Home Assistant' is: 192.168.0.187
Reloading Nginx with the new configuration...
 * Reloading nginx configuration nginx
   ...done.
Waiting for 15 minutes before checking again to ensure VM is still running...
Host path for '/domains' is /mnt/user/domains
Highest Q35 machine type available is pc-q35-7.2
The default VM network type is br0
Icon already there skipping.....
VM 'Home Assistant' is already defined. Skipping VM creation steps...
current status of VM 'Home Assistant': running
VM 'Home Assistant' is running.
Checking for the IP address of the running VM...
Guest agent is connected.
The IPv4 address of the VM 'Home Assistant' is: 192.168.0.187
Reloading Nginx with the new configuration...
 * Reloading nginx configuration nginx
   ...done.
Waiting for 15 minutes before checking again to ensure VM is still running...

On my LAN http://192.168.0.187:8123/ gives me this now:

[KeithRBrown]

I'm getting the following error in docker container log

 

 

Any ideas?

[irishjd]

27 minutes ago, KeithRBrown said:

I'm getting the following error in docker container log

 

 

Any ideas?

I have this same issue...

[jeeverz]

I am getting the same error as the people above 

 

operation failed: unable to find any master var store for loader: /usr/share/qemu/ovmf-x64/OVMF_CODE-pure-efi.fd

 

[lightning413]

4 hours ago, jeeverz said:

I am getting the same error as the people above 

 

operation failed: unable to find any master var store for loader: /usr/share/qemu/ovmf-x64/OVMF_CODE-pure-efi.fd

 

I got it working by replacing the <nvram> line in the VM's xml with the <nvram> line from another working VM

[SimonF]

17 minutes ago, lightning413 said:

I got it working by replacing the <nvram> line in the VM's xml with the <nvram> line from another working VM

The file name is unique to each VM, file name contains uuid of VM.

[irishjd]

So I am looking at the XML config for the VM, but I am not seeing a line with nvram in it. Where would I find this?

[irishjd]

Found it!

[KeithRBrown]

On 9/30/2024 at 10:53 PM, lightning413 said:

I got it working by replacing the <nvram> line in the VM's xml with the <nvram> line from another working VM

Unfortunately, I don't have another VM which I can copy.

Anyone else managed to fix this?

[mproberts]

I am having the same issue:

operation failed: unable to find any master var store for loader: /usr/share/qemu/ovmf-x64/OVMF_CODE-pure-efi.fd

Unraid is clean - no special configs and should work with the default settings (validated locations, etc)

 

I also don't have another VM to use to edit the nvram line.

[jeeverz]

On 9/30/2024 at 11:26 AM, jeeverz said:

I am getting the same error as the people above 

 

operation failed: unable to find any master var store for loader: /usr/share/qemu/ovmf-x64/OVMF_CODE-pure-efi.fd

 

So what I did was I created a new VM with a Windows ISO, deleted it, rebooted and was then able to install Home Assistant.
 

Not exactly sure what it did, but my guess is it set up some necessary parameters. I had never even turned on the VM option in Unraid till attempting to install SpaceInvaders Home Assistant. 

Hope this helps.

[PeterD]

It's pretty common for folks to use a specific network for their IoT devices. Before I get started installing, I have to ask -

 

What do I have to specify (and where) to have HomeAssistant_inabox use my IoT network for HA to talk to devices, but have my HA webUI on my primary home network?

 

Thanks!

 

[Espressomatic]

Pretty sure VLANs are (way) outside the scope of this container.

[animeking1987]

I am getting this error when trying to install: 
error: operation failed: unable to find any master var store for loader: /usr/share/qemu/ovmf-x64/OVMF_CODE-pure-efi.fd

[MrGrey]

I think Home Assistant can be as complicated as UnRaid. I run both on different bare metal. Yes, I know, the HassOS and addons are just dockers, but... can you get a reverse proxy to work with it/them? I know many can... all the power to those aficionados. I can guarantee that you don't want to build a smart home on HomeAssistant_inabox. I'm pretty sure Space Invader One hasn't either. Space Invader One overstepped a bit on this one.

 

I was looking forward to it as a backup server of sorts. Oh, well.

 

MrGrey.