9.8 KiB
Installation Arch Linux (e.g. on Lenovo Think Pad)
You have to disable secure boot in the BIOS. Enable virtualization and enable access to the USB for booting.
Also, you should disable legacy mode and enable UEFI in the BIOS.
Insert a prepared ventoy USB stick with already installed latest Arch Linux ISO file.
Change keyboard layout to German language
# loadkeys de-latin1
Connect to WLAN (Wi-Fi access)
If you have no ethernet access, only Wi-Fi, you can connect to the Access Point:
# iwctl
[iwd]# device list
At least one device, e.g. wlan0, should now appear.
[iwd]# station wlan0 scan
... wait a moment ...
[iwd]# station wlan0 get-networks
If, for example, the network is called ‘mynet’, then:
[iwd]# station wlan0 connect mynet
Passphrase: *******
[iwd]# exit
If the network is eduroam follow the next section:
Connect to EDUROAM eduroam.8021x
Firstly, you have to create a new file at /var/lib/iwd/eduroam.8021x with:
All personal data, such as ma0079, and the password, must of course be replaced.
# cd /var/lib/iwd
# nano -cl eduroam.8021x
Content of the file:
[Security]
EAP-Method=TTLS
EAP-Identity=holo@technikum-wien.at
EAP-TTLS-Phase2-Method=MSCHAPV2
EAP-TTLS-Phase2-Identity=ma0079
EAP-TTLS-Phase2-Password=Ubdaed8.Dtdpmc!
EAP-TTLS-ServerDomainMask=radius.technikum-wien.at
[Settings]
AutoConnect=true
Start the iwctl wireless connection tool
# iwctl
[iwd]# device list
At least one device, e.g. wlan0, should now appear.
[iwd]# station wlan0 scan
... wait a moment ...
[iwd]# station wlan0 get-networks
[iwd]# station wlan0 connect eduroam
Passphrase: *******
[iwd]# exit
Check the internet connection
# ping -c 3 kuschel.at
Remote access via SSH
If you are on the same network, you can easily access the machine via ssh.
First you have to give the user root a new password to get access via the pre-installed openssh with:
# passwd
Then within the same network, connect without using a strict host key check (no hosts file is put into .ssh directory)
Now from any linux machine in the same network, you can access that device with:
$ ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -o LogLevel=quiet root@archiso.local
or if you know the ip address (e.g. 192.168.170.2) of the machine, it could also be established with:
$ ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -o LogLevel=quiet root@192.168.170.2
Start the arch installation script
Hint: If possible, use a terminal window with a minimum size of approximately 160 x 46 so that all entries are clearly visible, e.g. in the partition table.
# archinstall
Archinstall language
English (100%)
Locales
Keyboard layout: de-latin1
Locale language: en_DK.UTF-8
Locale encoding: UTF-8
Note: Using ‘en_DK’ instead of de_DE or de_AT is ideal for receiving English operating system messages.
In addition, the operating system uses European date/time formats.
The en_DK.UTF-8 locale is not the only option for these formats; for example, C.UTF-8 can also be used for 24-hour time.
However, en_DK.UTF-8 is frequently recommended in the ArchWiki and community discussions as a practical choice for users who want a consistent, internationally recognized date and time format without relying on US-centric defaults.
It is also used in conjunction with other locales to mix and match formatting rules, such as using en_GB.UTF-8 for language and de_DE.UTF-8 for paper and measurement standards.
Mirrors and repositories
Select regions: [x] Austria
[ ] China
[x] Czechia
[x] Worldwide
Additional repositories: [ ] multilib
[ ] testing
Disk configuration
Partitioning
Disk configuration type > Use a best-effort default partition layout
Select the correct built-in hard drive that you want to format. For instance:
Model | Path | Type | Size | Free space | Sector size | Read only
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ ] VendorC ProductCode | /dev/sda | scsi | 58.6 GiB | 0 | 512 | False
> [x] Samsung SSD 990 PRO 2TB | /dev/nvme0n1 | nvme | 1.8 TiB | 1907728 | 512 | False
Note: The /dev/sda is the USB stick, so we have to select and partition/format the /dev/nvme0n1 device.
Select the filesystem BTRFS, and create a default subvolume structure with compression, i.e. zstd:
Filesystem
> btrfs
ext4
xfs
f2fs
Would you like to use BTRFS subvolumes with a default structure?
No > Yes
Would you like to use compression or disable CoW?
> Use compression Disable Copy-on-Write
My configuration looks like:
┌─ Info ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Configuration: Use a best-effort default partition layout │
│ /dev/nvme0n1: Samsung SSD 990 PRO 2TB │
│ Wipe: True │
│ Status | Device | Type | Start | End | Size | FS type | Mountpoint | Mount options | Flags | Btrfs vol. │
│ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- │
│ create | | primary | 2048 | 2099200 | 1 GiB | fat32 | /boot | | boot | │
│ create | | primary | 2099200 | 3907028992 | 1.8 TiB | btrfs | | compress=zstd | | 4 subvolumes │
│ │
│ name | mountpoint │
│ ------------------------------ │
│ @ | / │
│ @home | /home │
│ @log | /var/log │
│ @pkg | /var/cache/pacman/pkg │
│ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
LVM
We don't use LVM, a logical volume.
Disk encryption
Here we could activate hard drive encryption. If it is a company laptop (PC), the partition of a hard drive should be encrypted. Typically, LUKS is used.
Btrfs snapshots
We try out the snapshot type Snapper
Swap
Swap on zram:
Enabled
Bootloader
If "UEFI is not detected and some options ...", you have to enable UEFI boot option in the BIOS.
> Systemd-boot (default)
Grub
Efistub
Limine
We use Systemd-boot, formaly known as Gummiboot. Systemd-boot relies on the EFI System Partition (ESP) for configuration and boot entries.
Unified kernel images
Unified kernel images: Disabled
Hostname
I use a colourful network at home:
We give the PC a nice name, e.g. a colour such as silver or another colour that is not yet used in our network.
Authentication
This section is self-explanatory: enter a root password and create a user.
Root password
Adding a good root password
User account
We add a user tom to the system
Should "tom" be a superuser (sudo)?
No > Yes
Profile
Type
> Desktop
Minimal
Server
Xorg
I use Cinnamon as a profile and desktop environment
Installed packages:
- cinnamon
- engrampa
- gnome-keyring
- gnome-terminal
- gvgs-smb
- system-config-printer
- xdb-user-dirs-gtk
- xed
Graphics driver
For the best compatibility with your Intel hardware, you may want to use either the all open-source or Intel options. For the best compatibility with your Nvidia hardware, you may want to use the Nvidia proprietary driver.
AMD /ATI (open-source)
All open-source (default)
Intel (open-source)
Nvidia (open kernel module for newer GPUs, Turing+)
Nvidia (open-source nouveau driver)
> Nvidia (proprietary)
VirtualBox (open-source)
My DELL has a built-in Nvidia card, so I selected Nvidia (prorietary), with installed packages:
- dkms
- libva-nvidia-driver
- nvidia-dkms
- xorg-server
- xorg-xinit
If that doesn't work, I will try with All open-source.
Greeter
I choose the default lightdm-gtk-greeter from the list:
gdm
> lightdm-gtk-greeter (default)
lightdm-slick-greeter
ly
sddm