I have just received the ZimaBoard2 and am in the process of getting things setup thru my desktop but I have 3 issues driving me crazy, so here goes (hope someone has good answers quickly)
#1 After setting my timezone during the initial startup, zimaos is showing a difference of 17 hours behind or 7 hours ahead. How do I get the time correct.
#2 I’m looking at the monitor connected to the ZimaBoard2 and it says the SSH service is disabled bye default. enable it through the webUI but how do I do that?
#3 Enable root login over SSH, you need to set the root password. Prssing “Alt+F2” execute “passwd” to set it. Again, how do I do that?
Now for my big gripe, why does everything I’ve looked at so far seem to be based on the assumption that I have a strong working knowledge of linux, much less a new flavor of it. Pardon the language, but where the hell is the HELP button?
Thank you.
And YES I am a newbie to Linux but not to working with apps for over 30years that have help capabilities that don’t leave you wondering just what you’ve gotten yourself into. I’m 76, wasn’t born and raised on computers but I have a degree in them, so there.
Hey, I get where you’re coming from, it does feel a bit rough at first, especially if you’re expecting a more guided setup. You’re not doing anything wrong.
For your points:
The time issue is usually just the sync not applying properly. Go into Settings > General > Time, toggle automatic time sync off and back on, then reselect your timezone. That normally fixes it.
For SSH, open the web UI, go to Settings > Terminal / SSH and just enable it there. That message on the screen is basically pointing you to that toggle.
And yeah, your last point is fair. ZimaOS is very minimal under the hood, so it doesn’t have that traditional “help” experience yet. It’s more like a lightweight system with a UI on top, and the documentation hasn’t fully caught up.
If it helps, here’s the easiest way to get going without headaches:
Set timezone and confirm time sync is correct
Enable SSH (so you always have a fallback)
Update the system (if an update is available)
Set up your storage first before installing apps
Then install apps one at a time and check they actually start
Once those basics are in place, everything becomes a lot smoother.
Thank you so much, laughs, now I just have to fix ZimaOS. I was trying to install a bootable ap and it blew up so now I’m trying to find a useable zimaos distro and according to windows, every one I’ve tried has a UEFI issue and windows won’t create a USB.
Yeah that makes sense, I’ve seen the same thing.
Honestly just stick with Balena Etcher, it’s the most reliable with ZimaOS. Rufus can work in some cases, but it’s hit and miss with these images and tends to throw those UEFI errors you’re seeing.
What I normally do:
Open Balena Etcher
Select the ZimaOS image
Flash it straight to the USB (no changes needed)
That’s it, Etcher handles everything properly in the background.
If Windows is complaining before that, just ignore it or reformat the USB once, then let Etcher take over. Don’t try to “fix” it with Windows tools, that’s usually what causes the issue.
Once it’s flashed, plug it into the ZimaBoard2 and boot from USB, it should come up fine.
You’re actually very close, this part is just one of those annoying quirks.
