Migrating from free-sleep

If your Pod runs free-sleep , you already have root access and a Pod that sleepypod Core supports. This page covers the one thing that is different from a fresh install: the installer refuses to run on top of free-sleep until it is removed.

What you keep

No firmware update. Core runs on the same stock embedded Linux that free-sleep runs on.
No re-root. Your existing root shell or SSH login is all the installer needs. You do not need to open the Pod again.
Your free-sleep data stays until you choose to remove it. Core uses its own databases and does not read free-sleep’s. If you want anything from /persistent/free-sleep-data, copy it off the Pod first; both cleanup paths below delete that directory.

Why the installer refuses

free-sleep installs persisted drop-all iptables rules in /etc/iptables/iptables.rules and ip6tables.rules. The Pod’s stock iptables.service reloads those files on every boot. free-sleep’s own unblock_internet_access.sh only flushes the rules that are currently running, not the files on disk, so the block comes back after a reboot and fights Core’s own firewall. Until the files are gone, the installer cannot download anything and Core cannot keep its firewall consistent.

So when the installer finds any free-sleep service unit, /home/dac/free-sleep, or /persistent/free-sleep-data, it stops with free-sleep detected — refusing to install and prints the cleanup below. You can let the installer do the cleanup with a flag, or do it by hand.

Get the Pod back online

You only need LAN access to reach the Pod over SSH. free-sleep’s rules allow LAN traffic, so connect as you did before.

If the Pod has no internet access because free-sleep’s rules are loaded, flushing them lets the installer download Core. This is the same flush the installer prints in its refusal message:


sudo iptables -F && sudo iptables -X && sudo iptables -t nat -F && sudo iptables -t nat -X
sudo ip6tables -F && sudo ip6tables -X

That only clears the running rules. The files on disk still reload on the next boot, which is why the cleanup below removes them. If you use --purge-free-sleep, the installer does both for you.

Option A: let the installer remove free-sleep

Download and inspect the installer as in Install and update Core, then run it with --purge-free-sleep:


curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sleepypod/core/main/scripts/install -o /tmp/sleepypod-install
less /tmp/sleepypod-install
sudo bash /tmp/sleepypod-install --purge-free-sleep

If your shell is already root and has no sudo, run bash /tmp/sleepypod-install --purge-free-sleep.

The flag removes exactly this, then continues with the normal install without a reboot:

Removed	What it is
`free-sleep`, `free-sleep-stream`, `free-sleep-update` services	Stopped, disabled, and their unit files deleted
`/etc/iptables/iptables.rules` and `/etc/iptables/ip6tables.rules`	The persisted drop-all firewall
`/home/dac/free-sleep`	free-sleep’s source
`/persistent/free-sleep-data`	free-sleep’s databases and settings
`/etc/sudoers.d/dac`	free-sleep’s sudoers fragment

It also flushes the running iptables and ip6tables rules. Nothing else on the Pod is touched. The installer then sets up its own firewall, so no reboot is needed.

Option B: remove free-sleep by hand

Run this on the Pod. It is the same block the installer prints when it refuses. If your shell is already root and has no sudo, drop the sudo prefix from each line:


sudo systemctl stop free-sleep free-sleep-stream free-sleep-update 2>/dev/null
sudo systemctl disable free-sleep free-sleep-stream free-sleep-update 2>/dev/null
sudo rm -f /etc/systemd/system/free-sleep.service \
           /etc/systemd/system/free-sleep-stream.service \
           /etc/systemd/system/free-sleep-update.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo iptables -F && sudo iptables -X && sudo iptables -t nat -F && sudo iptables -t nat -X
sudo ip6tables -F && sudo ip6tables -X
sudo rm -f /etc/iptables/iptables.rules /etc/iptables/ip6tables.rules
sudo rm -rf /home/dac/free-sleep /persistent/free-sleep-data
sudo rm -f /etc/sudoers.d/dac
sudo reboot

Reboot after the manual cleanup. Without it, the stock iptables.service still holds free-sleep’s rules in memory, and systemd can keep stale state for the removed units. Option A skips the reboot because the installer reconfigures the firewall itself.

After the Pod comes back, reconnect over SSH and run the installer as in Install and update Core. It no longer needs the flag.

Check the install

On the Pod:


sp-status

sleepypod.service should be active. Then open http://POD_IP:3000 from a browser on the same network. In System → Dashboard, Firewall should read In place, which means Core’s own rules replaced free-sleep’s. Internet reads Blocked by default; that is Core’s firewall, not a leftover. See System for the rest of the Dashboard.

If the page does not load, follow connection troubleshooting. If the service fails, follow the Core troubleshooting guide. When you ask for help, say that the Pod used to run free-sleep, even if you believe you removed it.

Source reference: Installer preflight · Deployment guide