Linux Installation

Traintastic provides Debian packages for Ubuntu (amd64/arm64) and for Raspberry Pi (armel/arm64). There are three packages available:

traintastic-data – required data package (must always be installed)
traintastic-server – the main server, required if this machine will control your layout
traintastic-client – graphical client application, optional for headless setups

Installing

Download the .deb packages from traintastic.org/download.
Install the required packages using apt (preferred) or dpkg. For example:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install ./traintastic-data_<version>_all.deb \
                    ./traintastic-server_<version>_<arch>.deb \
                    ./traintastic-client_<version>_<arch>.deb

Replace <version> with the release number (e.g. 0.3.0) and <arch> with your platform (amd64, arm64, armhf).

Choosing packages

If this computer will control your layout → install traintastic-server + traintastic-data.
If this computer will run the graphical interface only → install traintastic-client + traintastic-data.
For most desktop/laptop setups → install all three (traintastic-server + traintastic-client + traintastic-data).

Running the server (systemd)

When installed via the Debian package, Traintastic server is set up as a systemd service, but it is disabled by default.

Start the server:

sudo systemctl start traintastic-server.service

Stop the server:

sudo systemctl stop traintastic-server.service

You need sufficient permissions (typically root) to manage systemd services.

Autostart server on Boot

Enable the server to run automatically at system boot:

sudo systemctl enable traintastic-server.service

Disable automatic start:

sudo systemctl disable traintastic-server.service

Running the client

If you installed the client package, you can start it from your desktop environment’s application launcher menu (look for Traintastic).

After installation, continue with: The Quick Start series.