OPiZero and GPIO Rootless access from python

[jscax]

Hi all,
I'm trying to access the GPIO from python context and I absolutely need to do it in a rootless way. (WSGI apache module)

I'm a newbie and noticed that this is the library command causing the error inside the python library:

Code: Select all

fd = open("/dev/mem", O_RDWR);

I do have /dev/mem on my armbian distro and clearly the access to /dev/mem is root limited, what's worst I don't have /dev/gpiomem 

Is there a way to create /dev/gpiomem so I can add the apache user to gpio group and solve this?
Do I need to configure and compile a kernel by myself?

please help me, thank you

[jscax]

I googled the world searching for a way to access GPIO without root in the userspace but I can't find anything useful

 

can anyone help?

I even tried changing permission of /dev/mem just to try with chmod 777, chown but no way to access GPIO without sudo.

[chwe]

It might help if the people know which library you use to trigger the GPIOs... 

[lagerschaden]

I have the same problem, need rootless acces to GPIO with python.

I use pyH3 from https://github.com/duxingkei33/orangepi_PC_gpio_pyH3 on an Orangepi One

 

[jscax]

1 hour ago, chwe said:

It might help if the people know which library you use to trigger the GPIOs... 

You are right, I'm using the orangepi_PC_gpio_pyH3 library too

 

I'm impressed we need root to access the GPIO, it's a little bit like you need root to play an mp3

 

I hope we can find an alternative

[jscax]

my findings about my Orange Pi Zero so far...

 

create group gpio if you do not have one and then add the users you need to it

 

vim /lib/udev/rules.d/60-python3-gpio.rules:

KERNEL=="spidev*", GROUP="spi", MODE="0660"
SUBSYSTEM=="gpio*", PROGRAM="/bin/sh -c 'chown -R root:gpio /sys/class/gpio && chown -R root:gpio /sys/devices/platform/soc/1c20800.pinctrl && chown -R root:gpio /sys/devices/platform/soc/1f02c00.pinctrl && chmod -R ug+rw /sys/class/gpio && chmod -R ug+rw /sys/devices/platform/soc/1c20800.pinctrl && chmod -R ug+rw /sys/devices/platform/soc/1f02c00.pinctrl'"

Reboot to test it directely from bash.

 

Then this library had my attention: https://github.com/rm-hull/OPi.GPIO

I had to patch it because as it is it was not working and I had once again a permission issue from userspace.

 

Inside OPi.GPIO/OPi/sysfs.py you can import time then add a little bit of sleep:

def direction(pin, dir):
assert dir in [IN, OUT]
#insert sleep
time.sleep(0.1)
path = "/sys/class/gpio/gpio{0}/direction".format(pin)
with open(path, "w") as fp:
if dir == IN:
fp.write("in")
else:
fp.write("out")

In this way the library is working rootless, in the userspace.

 

This solution works for my relays but I don't know if I can read DHT22 sensor with this library (implementing all the stuff eventually).

If I understood correctly this is "slow" way to access GPIO not compatible with DHT22 readings.

A workaround should be I2C sensor (which I have and I plan to integrate in the future) and for which I hope I will have rootless access with no issue.

 

At the moment for the DHT22 readings I've gone the visudo sudoers way so the www-data user can run a bash script from python context as root.

I feel dirty a little bit I have to work this out in another way.

[lagerschaden]

on Orangepi One you have to add a file like /etc/udev/rules.d/99-gpio.rules

SUBSYSTEM=="gpio*", PROGRAM="/bin/sh -c '\
    chown -R root:gpio /sys/class/gpio && chmod -R 770 /sys/class/gpio;\
    chown -R root:gpio /sys/devices/platform/sunxi-pinctrl/gpio && chmod -R 770 /sys/devices/platform/sunxi-pinctrl/gpio;\
    '"

add a group gpio and add the user to it, then you have rootless access to gpio