https://github.com/drrlvn/arch-installation-guide
A quick guide for installing Arch Linux
https://github.com/drrlvn/arch-installation-guide
Last synced: about 1 month ago
JSON representation
A quick guide for installing Arch Linux
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/drrlvn/arch-installation-guide
- Owner: drrlvn
- Created: 2017-12-12T20:52:30.000Z (over 7 years ago)
- Default Branch: develop
- Last Pushed: 2020-02-01T21:02:42.000Z (about 5 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-01-30T04:16:19.365Z (3 months ago)
- Size: 21.5 KB
- Stars: 14
- Watchers: 4
- Forks: 6
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Arch Linux installation guide
So you want to install Arch Linux but got lost in the Wiki. This is a quick guide for installing a
basic system. It is far from being feature-complete, as it makes some basic assumptions.
## Assumptions
1. You want to use the entire disk for Arch Linux without dual-booting another operating system.
1. You use either a physical or a virtual x86 64 bit machine which is capable booting in EFI
mode. Note that if you use a virtual machine then you'll probably have to check the EFI option somewhere.
1. You use an Intel CPU.
1. Your desired root filesystem is XFS.
## The steps
1. Disable "Secure Boot" in the BIOS.
1. Boot into Arch Linux live installation media. Make sure that you know which disk is used for your
installation. We'll assume it's `/dev/sda`. You can use `blkid` to list block devices.
1. If you're using Wifi, launch `wifi-menu`. You're network should be automatically configured if
you're using wired network.
1. *Optional* - You can launch an SSH server and continue your installation remotely from another
computer. In order to do that:
1. Set a root password using `passwd`
1. Start the SSH server using `systemctl start sshd`
1. Figure out your IP using `ip a`
1. SSH to your installation disk from another computer and continue the installation as usual.
1. Partition your disk:
1. Run `cfdisk` for partitioning
1. Choose GPT partitioning (if you don't get the option to choose ,please run `cfdisk -z`)
1. Create a 512MiB partition. Set its type to `EFI System`
1. Create a swap partition. 4GiB will probably do. Set its type to `Linux Swap`
1. Create a partition for the rest of the drive. (that should create /dev/sda3)
1. `mkswap /dev/sda2`
1. `swapon /dev/sda2`
1. `mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/sda1`
1. `mkfs.xfs /dev/sda3`
1. `mount /dev/sda3 /mnt`
1. `mkdir /mnt/boot`
1. `mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot`
1. `pacstrap /mnt base intel-ucode sudo linux linux-firmware xfsprogs neovim`
1. `genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab`
1. `arch-chroot /mnt`
1. `ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Region/City /etc/localtime` (you can see all the options in [wiki timezones list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones))
1. Uncomment `en_US.UTF-8`and other needed localizations in `/etc/locale.gen`
1. `locale-gen`
1. Edit `/etc/locale.conf` and write `LANG=en_US.UTF-8`
1. Networking - Use [NetworkManager](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager)
1. `pacman -S networkmanager`
1. `systemctl enable NetworkManager`
1. Once you have a GUI environment set up - configure the network using the GUI
1. `echo [YOUR HOSTNAME] > /etc/hostname`
1. `passwd` - Set the root password
1. `useradd -m `
1. `usermod -G wheel -a `
1. `passwd ` - Set the user password
1. `EDITOR=nvim visudo` - Uncomment the line containing the `wheel` group
1. Install the bootloader - [systemd-boot](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Systemd-boot)
1. `bootctl --path=/boot install`
1. Edit `/etc/pacman.d/hooks/systemd-boot.hook`:
```
[Trigger]
Type = Package
Operation = Upgrade
Target = systemd
[Action]
Description = Updating systemd-boot...
When = PostTransaction
Exec = /usr/bin/bootctl update
```
1. Edit `/boot/loader/loader.conf`:
```
timeout 4
default arch
```
1. Figure out your root partition's UUID By running `blkid`. This should probably be the UUID of /dev/sda3
1. Create `/boot/loader/entries/arch.conf`. Replace `` (**NOT** ``) with the PARTUUID that you got from
running `blkid`. Note that the UUID is case sensitive.
```
title Arch Linux
linux /vmlinuz-linux
initrd /intel-ucode.img
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
options root=PARTUUID= rw
```
1. Leave chroot - `exit`
1. If this is a server installation you might want to enable SSH before rebooting. See the
instructions at the bottom.
1. Reboot - `systemctl reboot`
1. Once your system is up activate NTP by running `timedatectl set-ntp on`
1. If needed, connect to wifi by running `nmcli device wifi connect password `
## Extras
### Yay
Building packages from AUR isn't possible to do as root. In order to install Yay you have to
configure sudo and run these commands as a regular user.
1. `sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git`
1. `cd /tmp`
1. `git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay-bin.git && cd yay-bin && makepkg -i && cd - && rm -rf yay-bin`
### GNOME
```pacman -S gnome && systemctl enable --now gdm```
### KDE
```pacman -S sddm plasma-meta kdebase-meta kdeutils-meta kdegraphics-meta && systemctl enable --now sddm```
### Setting up an SSH server
```pacman -S openssh && systemctl enable --now sshd.socket```