🛠 Configurer Ethernet et se connecter en SSH

Objectives

Make the Orange Pi PC usable without a screen: obtain an IP address via DHCP on the Ethernet port, verify that the link is indeed at 100 Mbit/s (the H3 integrates a 10/100 PHY only — never gigabit), then connect via SSH. Since the board has neither WiFi nor Bluetooth (unlike the PC Plus), an RJ45 cable or a USB dongle are the only network options.

Hardware

• Orange Pi PC running Armbian, 5 V / 2 A power supply (DC jack)
• RJ45 Ethernet cable to the box/router
• A computer on the same network (SSH client: OpenSSH, PuTTY)
• Optional: HDMI screen or 3.3 V serial cable (115200 8N1) for the first boot

Complete code

1. First boot: create the account at the console (HDMI or serial), then:

# Vérifier l'interface (le nom peut être end0 ou eth0 selon l'image)
ip -br link
sudo dhclient -v end0 2>/dev/null || sudo dhclient -v eth0
ip -br addr                      # noter l'adresse 192.168.x.x

1. Check the actual link speed (the internal PHY is 10/100 MII):

sudo apt install ethtool
sudo ethtool end0 | egrep 'Speed|Duplex|Link'
# Attendu : Speed: 100baseT/Full — si 10baseT, câblage/duplex à vérifier

1. Enable and secure SSH:

sudo systemctl enable --now ssh
# Trouver la carte sur le réseau depuis le PC :
ssh armbian@192.168.1.57        # mot de passe défini au premier boot
# Clé publique plutôt que mot de passe :
ssh-copy-id armbian@192.168.1.57
sudo sed -i 's/^#*PasswordAuthentication.*/PasswordAuthentication no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
echo 'PermitRootLogin no' | sudo tee -a /etc/ssh/sshd_config
sudo systemctl restart ssh

1. A fixed address on the router side (static DHCP) is recommended rather than a local static IP.

Expected verification

ip -br addr displays an IPv4 address in state UP; ethtool indicates 100baseT/Full; SSH connection works via key without a password; after reboot, the board is reachable again.

Common errors

• Desperately looking for WiFi: the base PC has no wireless module (only the PC Plus has one) — cable is mandatory.
• Expecting gigabit: the chip is limited to 100 Mbit/s, a physical ceiling, not a defect.
• Undersized power supply: the Ethernet port is often the first function to fail under 2 A (disconnections, link LED off).
• Wrong interface name: recent images name the port end0, not eth0.
• Plugging a device into the micro-USB port believing it extends the network: this port is OTG and capricious in host mode.