Mini PC

A small Intel N100 or N150 computer is a good home for Torsher: it is quiet, uses little power and has a GPU that can transcode video. This page takes it from a blank disk to Docker, then hands over to the Torsher install itself.

What you'll get

A mini PC running Linux and Docker, its GPU ready for hardware transcoding, and Torsher started with Docker Compose.

Before you start

• A mini PC with an Intel N100 or N150. An N150 mini PC is one of the reference machines Torsher is checked on. Other x86-64 computers work the same way.
• Memory: 4 GB or more.
• Disks: the system disk, plus room for what you watch and keep. A second internal or USB disk works too; see Several disks.
• A USB stick for the Linux installer, and a screen and keyboard for the install.
• The mini PC connected to your home network.

1. Install Linux

Install Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS or Debian 13. Follow the official guides:

• Install Ubuntu Server
• Debian installation guide

The version matters for the GPU. N100 and N150 graphics can encode video only on Linux 6.2 or later. Ubuntu 24.04 ships Linux 6.8 and Debian 13 ships Linux 6.12, so both are fine. Debian 12 (Linux 6.1) and Ubuntu 22.04 (Linux 5.15) are too old out of the box: Torsher still runs on them, but transcodes on the CPU.

While installing, turn on the SSH server if the installer offers it, so you can run the rest of the commands from your computer.

After the install, give the mini PC a fixed address in your router (often called a DHCP reservation). TVs and the panel then always find the server at the same address.

2. Install Docker Engine

Follow Docker's guide for your system. It installs Docker Engine together with the Compose plugin, which Torsher needs:

• Install Docker Engine on Ubuntu
• Install Docker Engine on Debian

Use the apt repository method from that guide. Docker then starts on its own every time the mini PC boots.

The quick way: Docker's convenience script

Docker also offers a script that sets everything up in one go. Docker itself does not recommend it for production machines, and its default install can bring in a new major Docker version without asking. Read the convenience script section of Docker's guide first.

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh

sudo sh get-docker.sh

Check that Docker and the Compose plugin are installed:

docker compose version

3. Run Docker without sudo

By default, only root can run docker. Add your user to the docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out and back in, then check:

docker run hello-world

The docker group is an admin group

Anyone in the docker group has root-level access to the machine. Add only your own user. See Docker's post-install steps. If you'd rather not, keep typing sudo in front of docker commands.

4. Prepare the GPU

1. Check that the system sees the GPU:

   ls -l /dev/dri

   You should see renderD128.

2. Install the Intel graphics firmware and check the kernel version, as described in Hardware transcoding, step 2.

5. Start Torsher

Follow Docker Compose from the first step. On a mini PC, also remove the # in front of these lines in docker-compose.yml, so the container can use the GPU:

devices:
  - /dev/dri:/dev/dri

Check

1. In the folder with docker-compose.yml, run:

   docker compose ps

   The torsher container should be running, and within a minute healthy.

2. On your computer or phone, open http://<server-address>:8080/panel/. Find the address with hostname -I on the mini PC.

3. After the setup wizard, open Settings → Playback: under Hardware acceleration you should see the Intel GPU marked Working.

If something went wrong

• docker says permission denied. You haven't logged out and back in since adding your user to the docker group.
• The container keeps restarting. See Troubleshooting.
• The panel doesn't open from another device. See Troubleshooting.
• The GPU is missing or failed the test. Check the firmware and the kernel version, then see Troubleshooting.

Next

• Setup wizard.
• Connect a device.