_        _______  _______  _        _______           _______  _______  _______ 
( (    /|(  ____ \(  ___  )( (    /|(  ____ \|\     /|(  ___  )(  ____ )(       )
|  \  ( || (    \/| (   ) ||  \  ( || (    \/| )   ( || (   ) || (    )|| () () |
|   \ | || (__    | |   | ||   \ | || (_____ | | _ | || (___) || (____)|| || || |
| (\ \) ||  __)   | |   | || (\ \) |(_____  )| |( )| ||  ___  ||     __)| |(_)| |
| | \   || (      | |   | || | \   |      ) || || || || (   ) || (\ (   | |   | |
| )  \  || (____/\| (___) || )  \  |/\____) || () () || )   ( || ) \ \__| )   ( |
|/    )_)(_______/(_______)|/    )_)\_______)(_______)|/     \||/   \__/|/     \|                                                                              

Maker-friendly DIY DS3 Composer Demo Panel powered by Raspberry Pi 5.

---

What is Neonswarm?

Neonswarm is a compact, PoE-powered Raspberry Pi 5 panel showcasing the Cubbit DS3 distributed storage system in action. It integrates an NVMe SSD, LCD screens, LED strip indicators, and runs Kubernetes (K3S) to orchestrate demo services in a real-world setup.

Purpose

• Demonstrate Cubbit DS3 performance and resilience on low-power hardware.
• Enable hands-on experimentation with containerized storage workloads.
• Showcase remote access via VPN and automated LED/LCD feedback.

Necessary Parts

Component	Example Link
Raspberry Pi 5	Amazon.it
PoE + NVMe HAT	Waveshare M.2 PoE HAT
NVMe SSD (500 GB)	Crucial CT500P3SSD8
PoE Switch (4 ports)	NETGEAR 4-Port PoE
LCD Screens (I2C, HD44780)	Freenove I2C LCD 1602
LED Strip (cuttable)	Generic LED Strip
JST 3-Pin Connector Set	VISSQH 3-Pin JST
Jumper Wires (M/M, M/F)	AZDelivery Jumper Cables
On/Off Rocker Switch	Senven Rocker Switch
Solder (Sn63/Pb37)	TOWOT Solder Wire
WiFi Router / Access Point	TP-Link Archer AX58
Ethernet Cable CAT6 (50 cm)	CSL CAT6 50 cm
Cable Organizer	SOUWLIT® Cable Clamp
SKÅDIS Panel (rear)	IKEA SKÅDIS Panel
SKÅDIS Connectors	IKEA SKÅDIS Connector
Standoffs	—
Panel-to-Panel Mounts	—
Thumbscrew	—
T-Nuts	—
RJ45 Male Connectors	Greluma RJ45
RJ45 Crimp Tool	VCE Crimper

Note: For custom parts (spacers, mounting brackets, adhesive prints), source locally or via your preferred supplier.

How to Assemble

1. Prepare the panel: Attach SKÅDIS rear panel to mounting supports.
2. Mount Raspberry Pi & HAT: Secure Pi 5 onto standoffs, then install the PoE + NVMe HAT and SSD.
3. Wire up LCDs: Cut one I2C LCD, solder 3-pin JST connectors, and mount next to the Pi.
4. Install LED strip: Cut to length, solder 3-pin JST, and route along panel edge.
5. Cable management: Use jumpers and cable clamps to organize I2C, power, and data lines.
6. Network: Crimp CAT6 cables to RJ45 and connect to PoE switch.
7. Power switch: Wire rocker switch inline with 5 V feed.
8. Finalize: Attach front adhesive with QR code and text, tighten thumbscrews.

PIN Connections

Signal	Pi GPIO Pin	Physical Pin	Connector	Notes
5 V Supply	—	2	Rocker Switch	Feeds HAT VIN through power switch
GND	—	6	LCD & LED strips	Common ground
SDA (I2C)	GPIO 2 (BCM 2)	3	LCD SCL/SDA	I2C data line
SCL (I2C)	GPIO 3 (BCM 3)	5	LCD SCL/SDA	I2C clock line
LED DIN	GPIO 18 (BCM 18)	12	LED strip DIN	WS2812 data in
LED GND	—	14	LED strip GND	Strip ground
On/Off Button	GPIO 17 (BCM 17)	11	ButtonPin	Scales LCD deployment on/off (pull-up)

Raspberry Pi Setup

1. Flash OS: Write Raspberry Pi OS to microSD (for initial boot).

2. Set Hostnames (recommended):

   hostnamectl set-hostname pi-gateway
   hostnamectl set-hostname pi-storage1
   hostnamectl set-hostname pi-storage2
   hostnamectl set-hostname pi-storage3

3. Static IPs (recommended): We’ll use 192.168.1.101 (pi-gateway), .102 (pi-storage1), .103 (pi-storage2), .104 (pi-storage3). Replace as needed.

   sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/network
   sudo tee /etc/systemd/network/10-eth0.network <<EOF
   [Match]
   Name=eth0
   
   [Network]
   Address=192.168.1.xxx/24
   Gateway=192.168.1.1
   DNS=192.168.1.1 8.8.8.8
   EOF
   sudo systemctl enable systemd-networkd
   sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd
   sudo systemctl disable dhcpcd NetworkManager

   Restart Network

   sudo systemctl enable systemd-networkd
   sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd
   sudo systemctl disable dhcpcd NetworkManager

4. Create an SSH key to connect via SSH:

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/ed25519_pi

5. Boot from NVMe:

   sudo sed -i '1i dtparam=nvme\\ndtparam=pciex1_gen=3' /boot/firmware/config.txt
   sudo reboot

6. Clone root FS to NVMe:

   curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/geerlingguy/rpi-clone/master/install | sudo bash
   sudo rpi-clone nvme0n1

7. Setup VPN (Optional, Netbird): We use Netbird to run a self-hosted WireGuard management plane. Replace https://your-netbird.example.com and YOUR-KEY.

   sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/netbird-once.service <<EOF
   [Unit]
   Description=Start Netbird at boot
   After=network-online.target
   Wants=network-online.target
   
   [Service]
   Type=oneshot
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/netbird up --management-url https://your-netbird.example.com --setup-key YOUR-KEY
   ExecStartPost=/bin/systemctl disable netbird-once.service
   RemainAfterExit=true
   User=root
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   EOF
   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable netbird-once.service

   Ensures the VPN starts at boot and connects to your management network.

Kubernetes Setup (K3S)

On pi-gateway:

k3sup install --host pi-gateway --user pi --ssh-key ~/.ssh/ed25519_pi \
  --cluster --context neonswarm \
  --k3s-extra-args '--node-ip=192.168.1.101 --disable traefik'

Join storage nodes:

k3sup join --host pi-storage1 --user pi --ssh-key ~/.ssh/ed25519_pi \
  --server-user pi --server pi-gateway --k3s-extra-args '--disable traefik'
# repeat for pi-storage2, pi-storage3

Configuring values.yaml

Copy & rename the provided example:

cp values.example.yaml values.yaml

Edit values.yaml, focusing on agent.swarm:

agent:
  swarm:
    enabled: true
    agents:
      - name: agent1
        secret: <agent-secret-1>
        machineId: <agent-machineId-1>
        nodeName: pi-storage1
      # etc.

To obtain secret & machineId:

• Visit your Composer dashboard at https://composer.cubbit.eu.
• Create a Swarm & Nexus, then add three agent nodes.
• Copy the --secret and --machineId from the suggested docker run command.
• Paste into values.yaml.

Read more: https://docs.cubbit.io/composer/swarms/quickstart

Installing the Swarm

helm upgrade --install neonswarm . \
  -n neonswarm --create-namespace \
  -f values.yaml

Installing the Gateway

Just follow the guidelines of the official doc