Install Debian/Ubuntu on Orange Pi

Install Debian/Ubuntu on an Orange Pi

Prepare an Orange Pi for MikRouter — download the exact board-specific Debian or Ubuntu image, write it to a microSD card with Rufus or balenaEtcher, and finish the first boot over SSH.

What you need

An Orange Pi and its power supply, a microSD card (8 GB or larger), a card reader, an Ethernet cable, and a Windows, macOS or Linux computer. Writing the card erases it.

Use a Server image — it has SSH switched on

You set the agent up by typing one command on the board, so you need a way in. A Server image accepts SSH from the first boot: plug in Ethernet and log in from your own computer.

Without SSH you need an HDMI monitor and a USB keyboard plugged into the board — and a board with no HDMI port needs a serial adapter. Pick a Server image and skip all that.

Get the right image

Identify the exact Orange Pi model

The model is printed on the board — Orange Pi One, 3B, 5, Zero 3, and so on.

Match the model exactly

Images are board-specific. One built for another model may not boot. The filename must name your board.

Download the Debian or Ubuntu Server image

Go to orangepi.org, find your model, and download its Debian Server or Ubuntu Server image. Not the Desktop one — Server is smaller and comes with SSH ready.

The examples here use an Orange Pi One and its OrangePi_one_ubuntu_xenial_server_linux5.3.5_v1.0 download. Yours will carry your own board's name.

Old boards get old images

The Orange Pi One's newest official Ubuntu is 16.04, so apt may no longer reach its package servers. The agent does not need it. Armbian has current builds for many models, also SSH-ready — write them the same way.

Extract the archive

The download is a .7z, .zip or .xz. Right-click it and choose Extract All — a .7z needs 7-Zip or WinRAR. You want the .img inside.

Write the .img, not the archive

Neither tool can write a .7z. The extracted image is about 1.4 GB, so leave room for it.

Write the image to the microSD card

Rufus is Windows only. balenaEtcher runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Pick one tab and follow it through.

Download Rufus and insert the microSD card

Get the Portable build from https://rufus.ie and double-click it — there is nothing to install. Windows asks for permission, because writing a whole drive needs it.

Now put the card in your reader. Device fills in with its letter and size — here NO_LABEL (E:) [8 GB] — and the bottom bar reads 1 device found.

Rufus 4.15.2396 (Portable)

Drive Properties

Device

NO_LABEL (E:) [8 GB]

Boot selection

Disk or ISO image (Please select)

SELECT

Partition scheme

MBR

Target system

BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)

Show advanced drive properties

Format Options

Volume label

8 GB

File system

NTFS

Cluster size

4096 bytes (Default)

Show advanced format options

Status

READY

STARTCLOSE

1 device found

Check the drive letter and the size

Rufus writes over the whole drive and there is no undo. Unplug any other removable drives, and make sure the capacity matches the card in your hand.

Leave Partition scheme, Target system, File system and Cluster size alone. Rufus greys them out because the image brings its own.

Select the .img file

Click SELECT and choose the .img you extracted.

Boot selection now names the image and the bottom bar reads Using image: …. Nothing has been written yet.

Rufus 4.15.2396 (Portable)

Drive Properties

Device

NO_LABEL (E:) [8 GB]

Boot selection

OrangePi_one_ubuntu_xenial_server_linux5.3.5_v1.0.i

SELECT

Partition scheme

MBR

Target system

BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)

Show advanced drive properties

Format Options

Volume label

8 GB

File system

NTFS

Cluster size

4096 bytes (Default)

Show advanced format options

Status

READY

STARTCLOSE

Using image: OrangePi_one_ubuntu_xenial_server_linux5.3.5_v1.0.img

Start the write

Click START and confirm the warning. The status bar turns green and counts up.

Rufus 4.15.2396 (Portable)

Drive Properties

Device

NO_LABEL (E:) [8 GB]

Boot selection

OrangePi_one_ubuntu_xenial_server_linux5.3.5_v1.0.i

SELECT

Partition scheme

MBR

Target system

BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)

Show advanced drive properties

Format Options

Volume label

8 GB

File system

NTFS

Cluster size

4096 bytes (Default)

Show advanced format options

Status

Writing image: 50.0%

STARTCANCEL

Please wait...00:01:37

Expect a few minutes. Do not unplug the reader or cancel partway — a half-written card will not boot.

Wait for READY, then eject the card

The bar goes fully green and reads READY. Device now shows BOOT (E:) with FAT32 — the image's own boot partition, which means the write landed.

Rufus 4.15.2396 (Portable)

Drive Properties

Device

BOOT (E:) [8 GB]

Boot selection

OrangePi_one_ubuntu_xenial_server_linux5.3.5_v1.0.i

SELECT

Partition scheme

MBR

Target system

BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)

Show advanced drive properties

Format Options

Volume label

BOOT

File system

FAT32 (Default)

Cluster size

4096 bytes (Default)

Show advanced format options

Status

READY

STARTCLOSE

1 device found00:03:15

Windows will offer to format the card — always Cancel

Windows cannot read a Linux card, so it asks to format it. Formatting destroys the image you just wrote. The card also looks far smaller than it is; the Orange Pi expands it on first boot.

Eject the card safely and take it out of the reader.

Download and open balenaEtcher

Get the build for your system from https://etcher.balena.io. On macOS, drag it into Applications first. It asks for your administrator password when it writes.

balenaEtcher

Flash from file

Flash from URL

Clone drive

Select target

Flash!

Three stages, left to right. Ignore Flash from URL and Clone drive — you already have the file.

Flash from file — choose the .img

Insert the card, click Flash from file and pick the .img you extracted.

Select target — choose the microSD card

Click Select target and tick your card. The capacity shown must match the card in your hand.

balenaEtcher

OrangePi_…_v1.0.img

Cancel

1.3 GB

MXT-USB S…ice Media

Change

8.0 GB

Flash!

Check the target

Writing replaces everything on that drive and there is no undo. Unplug any other removable drives first.

Flash

Click Flash! and enter your password if asked. The window changes shape — watch the left panel for the percentage, speed and time left.

balenaEtcher

OrangeP…1.0.img1.3 GB

MXT-USB…e Media

Flashing… 50%Cancel

8.40 MB/sETA: 55s

TaskSolution

Flash devicebalenaEtcher

Update and manage devicesbalenaCloud

Etcher is just one tool in your kit

Find out more

Do not unplug the reader or press Cancel partway — a half-written card will not boot.

Wait for Flash Completed!

The bolt turns grey with a green tick and the panel reads Flash Completed!. That is the card finished.

balenaEtcher

OrangePi_on….5_v1.0.img

Flash Completed!

1 Successful target

Effective speed: 11.6 MB/s

Flash another

TaskSolution

Flash devicebalenaEtcher

Update and manage devicesbalenaCloud

Etcher is just one tool in your kit

Find out more

Windows will offer to format the card — always Cancel

Windows cannot read a Linux card, so it asks to format it. Formatting destroys the image you just wrote. The card also looks far smaller than it is; the Orange Pi expands it on first boot.

Etcher ejects the card for you, so you can take it out.

First boot and first login

Boot the Orange Pi

Card in, Ethernet in, then power. The first boot takes a few minutes and reboots itself once — leave it alone until it settles.

Find the board's IP address in your router

Open your router's admin page and look at its list of connected devices — Network Map on TP-Link, Attached Devices or DHCP Clients elsewhere. Find OrangePi.

tp-link

Network MapInternetWirelessHomeShieldAdvanced

LaptopAA-BB-CC-DD-EE-01192.168.1.505G

OrangePiAA-BB-CC-DD-EE-02192.168.1.100Wired

PhoneAA-BB-CC-DD-EE-03192.168.1.1502.4G

Here it is 192.168.1.100. If the board is not listed yet, wait a minute and refresh.

Log in over SSH

Open a terminal on your own computer — Windows Terminal or cmd on Windows, Terminal on macOS or Linux:

On your own computer

ssh orangepi@192.168.1.100

Field	Value	Note
Username	`orangepi`	The account the vendor's images ship with
Password	`orangepi`	The same word as the username

The first connection asks you to accept the board's fingerprint. Type the whole word yes and press Enter, then the password. A prompt ending in orangepi@OrangePi:~$ means you are in.

macOS Terminal

user@macbook ~ % ssh orangepi@192.168.1.100The authenticity of host '192.168.1.100 (192.168.1.100)' can't be established.ED25519 key fingerprint is: SHA256:TurrS4PDUdQ194MKu+I3B+54rPzQ/9QbPN6VgZv//rsThis key is not known by any other names.Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yesWarning: Permanently added '192.168.1.100' (ED25519) to the list of known hosts.orangepi@192.168.1.100's password:Welcome to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (GNU/Linux 5.3.5+ armv7l)  * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com/Last login: Tue Aug 18 08:02:59 2026To run a command as administrator (user "root"), use "sudo <command>". orangepi@OrangePi:~$

The password is invisible as you type

No dots, no cursor movement. That is normal, not a frozen session. Type it and press Enter.

Some Orange Pi images use root / orangepi instead.

Nothing answers on SSH?

The image probably has SSH switched off. Plug an HDMI monitor and a USB keyboard into the board, log in there, run sudo systemctl enable --now ssh, and try again. If the board has no HDMI port, reflash it with a Server image instead.

Next: install the MikRouter Linux agent

Debian or Ubuntu is now ready. Continue with Set up an agent on Linux for the one-line installer, network selection, portal, tunnel host, and Agent Token steps.