diff --git a/arch-install-guide.txt b/arch-install-guide.txt index 7fceafb..c568ea1 100644 --- a/arch-install-guide.txt +++ b/arch-install-guide.txt @@ -1,11 +1,12 @@ Arch Linux Installation Guide - April 15, 2008 + February 2009 Dennis Herbrich Tobias Powalowski Judd Vinet + Simo Leone Summary @@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ Table Of Contents --sync (so it resolves dependencies for me)? 3. How can I create multiple swap partitions during the install? 4. How do I reconfigure LILO from the rescue system? - 5. How do i reconfigure GRUB from the rescue system? + 5. How do i reconfigure GRUB from the rescue system? 6. I can't ssh into my machine! 7. How should I load modules during boot now? 8. Kernel refuses to boot because of "lost interrupt" @@ -56,12 +57,13 @@ Introduction What is Arch Linux? - Arch Linux is an i686-optimized Linux distribution that was originally - based on ideas from CRUX, a great distribution developed by Per Lid�n. + Arch Linux is an i686 and x86_64 optimized Linux distribution that was + originally based on ideas from CRUX, a great distribution developed + by Per Liden. Arch is fast, lightweight, flexible and simple. Those aren't very - fancy buzzwords but they're all true. Arch is optimized for the i686 - processor, so you get more for your CPU cycle. It's lightweight + fancy buzzwords but they're all true. Arch is optimized for modern + processors, so you get more for your CPU cycle. It's lightweight compared to RedHat et al., and its simple design makes it easy to extend and mold into whatever kind of system you're building. @@ -74,26 +76,21 @@ Introduction Arch Linux strives to maintain the latest stable version of its software. We currently support a fairly streamlined core package set - with a growing collection of extra packages maintained by AL - developers, as well as literally thousands of additional packages - submitted by trusted members of the community to our AUR for everyone - to use as they see fit. - - In it's goal to be simple and lightweight, the relatively useless - portions of a Linux system have been left out, things like /usr/doc - and the info pages. In my own personal experience these are rarely - used, and equivalent information can be obtained from the net if need - be. Manpages all the way! - - Arch Linux also strives to use some of the newer features that are - available to Linux users. All the typical filesystems, raid, lvm, and - encrypted partitions are supported. + with a growing collection of extra packages maintained by Arch Linux + developers and a complementary collection of packages maintained bu + trusted members of the community. In addition there are literally + thousands of packages available as build scripts in our AUR + (the Arch Linux User Repository). + + Arch Linux also tries to keep up with all the latest features and + technologies that are available to Linux users. All the typical + filesystems, RAID, LVM, and encrypted partitions are supported. License Arch Linux, pacman, documentation, and scripts are copyright 2002-2007 Judd Vinet - 2007-2008 Aaron Griffin + 2007-2009 Aaron Griffin and are licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Credits and Feedback @@ -104,7 +101,7 @@ Introduction feedback should be fed into the bug tracker. An uncountable lot of people have contributed and will contribute to the evolution of the official Arch Linux Documentation by submitting corrections and - suggesting improvement, it's way too unpractical to list them all. + suggesting improvements, it's way too unpractical to list them all. However, you know who you are, and without your help this would be near impossible to maintain and improve. Thank you! @@ -112,19 +109,20 @@ Installing Arch Linux Pre-Installation - Arch Linux is optimized for the i686 processor and therefore will not - run on any lower or incompatible generations of x86 CPUs (i386,i486,i586). - A Pentium II or AMD K6-2 processor or higher is required. x86-64 - architectures are also officially supported. + Arch Linux is optimized for i686 and x86_64 processors and therefore will + not run on any lower or incompatible generations of x86 CPUs (i386,i486 + or i586). A Pentium II or AMD K6-2 processor or higher is required. Before installing Arch Linux, you should decide which installation method and medium you would like to use. You should also read through this installation guide in its entirety, so you have some idea of what to expect. - Arch Linux provides bootable ISO and USB disk images. The ISO images will - work on almost any machine with a CD-ROM drive, and the USB images will - work on any system capable of booting from a USB drive. + Arch Linux provides bootable ISO and USB disk images, using the GRUB + bootloader. The ISO images will work on almost any machine with a CD-ROM + drive, and the USB images will work on any system capable of booting from + a USB drive. For those who have problems with GRUB not loading, ISOs with + the ISOLINUX bootloader are offered as well. There are two variants of each installation medium which only differ in terms of supplied packages. You can instruct the installer to obtain the @@ -138,16 +136,15 @@ Installing Arch Linux up with an up-to-date system, but they are best suited for people with fast, cheap connections. - Furthermore you should not worry about using an old ISO for - installation, as upgrading the system to the current branch is a - breeze once you've got your basic system set up. At least if you've - got a broadband connection! + Furthermore you should not worry about using an old ISO for installation, + as upgrading the system to the current branch is a breeze once you've got + your basic system set up. At least if you've got a broadband connection! Using a dialup PPP connection to gain access to the Internet during - the install process is supported. ppp utilities, rp-pppoe and the ISDN + the install process is supported. PPP utilities, RP-PPPoE and the ISDN userspace utilities are included on the installation media. - The ISOs run like any regular installed Arch system. In fact, they're + The ISOs run like any regular installed Arch Linux system. In fact, they're exactly the same, just installed to a CD or USB image instead of a hard disk. They include the entire "base" package set, as well as various networking utilities and drivers. If there's something else you happen @@ -163,7 +160,7 @@ Installing Arch Linux Another thing you should know before trying to install Arch Linux is that during the install you're asked a few questions about which hard drive to prepare, what modules to load, and what changes to make to - certain system-critical files like lilo.conf and rc.conf. The + certain system-critical files like GRUB's menu.lst and rc.conf. The installer will not hold your hand here and guide you through any potential setup known and unknown to mankind, you are expected to know what to put in and leave out. This is quite a requirement for a @@ -189,31 +186,34 @@ Installing Arch Linux * You can download Arch Linux from any of the sources listed on the download page, http://archlinux.org/download/ - * You may also purchase an installation CD from OSDisc and have it - shipped anywhere in the world. + * You may also purchase an installation CD from Archux, OSDisc or LinuxCD + and have it shipped anywhere in the world. Preparing Installation Media CD-ROM - 1. Download iso///Archlinux-XXX.iso + 1. Download iso///archlinux-XXX.iso 2. Download iso///md5sum.txt 3. Verify the integrity of the .iso image using md5sum: md5sum --check md5sum.txt - Archlinux-XXX.iso: OK + archlinux-XXX.iso: OK 4. Burn the ISO image to a CD-R or CD-RW using any software of your choice. USB - 1. Download iso///Archlinux-XXX.img + 1. Download iso///archlinux-XXX.img 2. Download iso///md5sum.txt 3. Verify the integrity of the .img image using md5sum: md5sum --check md5sum.txt - Archlinux-XXX.img: OK + archlinux-XXX.img: OK 4. Write the disk image to a USB mass storage device, such as a thumb drive, using dd or similar raw-write software: - dd if=Archlinux-XXX.img of=/dev/your_usb_device + dd if=archlinux-XXX.img of=/dev/sdX + Make sure to use /dev/sdX and not /dev/sdX1. This command will + irrevocably delete all files on your USB stick, so make sure you + don't have any important files on the stick before doing this. Booting the Install Media If you're already familiar with the boot process, you may skip all this @@ -234,9 +234,8 @@ Installing Arch Linux At the end of the boot procedure, you should be at a login prompt with some simple instructions at the top of the screen. You should login as root. - When prompted for a password, just hit enter, as there is none. At this - point you are ready to commence the actual installation, or do any manual - preparation you consider necessary. + At this point you are ready to commence the actual installation, or do any + manual preparation you consider necessary. Common Installation Procedure @@ -248,15 +247,19 @@ Installing Arch Linux 1. Loading a non-US Keymap 2. Running Setup - 3. Configure Network (FTP Install only) - 4. Prepare Hard Drive + 3. Select source + 1. CD-ROM or OTHER SOURCE + 2. FTP/HTTP + 1. Setup Network + 2. Choose Mirror + 4. Set Clock + 5. Prepare Hard Drive 1. Auto-Prepare 2. Partition Hard Drives 3. Set Filesystem Mountpoints - 5. Select Packages - 6. Install Packages - 7. Configure System - 8. Install Kernel + 6. Select Packages + 7. Install Packages + 8. Configure System 9. Install Bootloader 10. Exit Install @@ -274,27 +277,31 @@ Installing Arch Linux Loading a non-US Keymap - If you need to load a non-US keymap, use the loadkeys utility, the same as - you would on a fully-installed system. Likewise, if you need to use a - different console font, use the setfont utility. + If you need to load a non-US keymap and use a different console font, + use the km utility. Running Setup Now you can run /arch/setup to invoke the installer program. After an - informational message you will be prompted for the installation method - of your choice. If you have a fast Internet connection, you might - prefer the FTP installation to ensure you get the latest packages - instead of using the potentially outdated CD contents. Please note - that you will probably run into trouble if you have a complex proxy - setup with authentication when using the FTP installation. If you - can't use a CD-ROM, or any other medium you could mount at this stage, - this is the only viable method of installing Arch Linux. - - When navigating the setup script, make sure that you select DONE from - the submenus after performing each step. This saves any settings you - make in preparation for the next step. Further, avoid arbitrary steps - through the installation process as this can also confuse the - installer. + informational welcome message you will be presented with the main + installation menu. You can use UP and DOWN arrow to navigate menus. Use + TAB to switch between buttons and ENTER to select. At any point during the + install process, you can switch to your 7th virtual console (ALT-F7) to + view the output from the commands the setup is running. Use (ALT-F1) to get + back to your first console where the installer is running, and any F-key in + between if you need to open another console to intervene manually for any + reason. + + Select Source + + As a first step you must choose the method you want to install Arch + Linux. If you have a fast Internet connection, you might prefer the + FTP installation to ensure you get the latest packages instead of using + the potentially outdated CD contents. Please note that you will probably + run into trouble if you have a complex proxy setup with authentication + when using the FTP installation. If you can't use a CD-ROM, or any other + medium you could mount at this stage, this is the only viable method of + installing Arch Linux. It's actually rather easy to set up your own FTP package mirror or create your own bootable installation CD with the packages you need, @@ -303,6 +310,12 @@ Installing Arch Linux of mirror bandwidth. Make your life and ours easier, and look into these alternatives! + After choosing one of the two alternatives, you will be presented with + the installer menu, listing the necessary steps in the order in which + they should be completed. + + CD-ROM or OTHER SOURCE + When choosing a CD-ROM or OTHER SOURCE install you will only be able to install packages contained on the CD, which may be quite old, or packages stored on a medium you were able to mount (DVD, USB stick or @@ -311,20 +324,10 @@ Installing Arch Linux the recommended choice for dialup users or anyone else who does not feel like downloading about at least 100 MB of packages. - After choosing one of the two alternatives, you will be presented with - the installer menu, listing the necessary steps in the order in which - they should be completed. - - At any point in the install process, you can switch to your 5th - virtual console (ALT-F5) to view the output from the commands the - setup is running. Use (ALT-F1) to get back to your first console where - the installer is running, and any F-key in between if you need to open - another console to intervene manually for any reason. + FTP/HTTP - Configure Network (FTP Install only) - - Configure Network will allow you to install and configure your network - device. + The first entry Setup Network will allow you to install and configure + your network device. If you are using a wireless device you will still need to use the usual utilities to configure it manually, in which case this part of the @@ -339,7 +342,7 @@ Installing Arch Linux been properly installed, and that it is supported by the Linux kernel. When the correct module is loaded, and your desired network card is - listed, you should Select the ethernet device you want to configure + listed, you should select the ethernet device you want to configure and you will be given the option to configure your network with DHCP. If your network uses DHCP, hit YES and let the installer do the rest. If you select NO, you will be asked to enter the networking information @@ -353,8 +356,21 @@ Installing Arch Linux All the installer needs is a transparent connection to the FTP server you are going to select later during the installation. - This menu entry is only available when choosing FTP Installation, for - rather obvious reasons. + Choose Mirror + + Choose Mirror will allow you to choose the preferred mirror to download + the packages that will be installed in your Arch Linux system. You should + choose a mirror situated near where you live, in order to achieve faster + download speed. At some later point of the installation, you will be given + the option to use the mirror you choose at this step, as the default + mirror to download packages from. + + These menu entries are only available when choosing FTP Installation, + for rather obvious reasons. + + Set Clock + + Set Clock will allow you to set up your system clock and date. Prepare Hard Drive @@ -424,6 +440,10 @@ Installing Arch Linux mountpoint associations, and activate a swap file on your desired, formatted partition with the swapon command. + If you chose to use a swap partition, you will be asked whether to + create a filesystem on it, and since this partition uses a specific + filesystem of it's own, you should always answer YES here. + After setting up the swap partition, you'll be asked to specify the partition to be used as the root partition. This is mandatory. @@ -432,11 +452,11 @@ Installing Arch Linux with their intended mountpoints. The installer will suggest /boot for all following mountpoints after choosing swap and root. - Every time you specify a partition to mount, you will be asked if you - want to create a filesystem on the respective partition. If you select - YES, you will be asked what filesystem to create (a matter of taste, - really. Choose ext3 if you have no clue), and the partition will be - formatted with the chosen filesystem, destroying all data in the + As for swap, every time you specify a partition to mount, you will be + asked if you want to create a filesystem on the respective partition. + If you select YES, you will be asked what filesystem to create (a matter + of taste, really. Choose ext4 if you have no clue), and the partition + will be formatted with the chosen filesystem, destroying all data in the process. It should be no problem, however, to say NO at this point to preserve any existing files on the partition. @@ -444,10 +464,6 @@ Installing Arch Linux advised to create backups instead of hoping that nothing will go wrong during the install. Don't say I didn't warn you! - You will be asked whether to create a filesystem on your swap - partition, and since this partition uses a specific filesystem of it's - own, you should always answer YES here. - If you want to mount any other partitions, for example a separate /boot or /home partition, you will be able to do so. Simply * select a partition to mount @@ -536,17 +552,15 @@ Installing Arch Linux any packages you need for setting up Internet connectivity. These packages usually are: - dhcpcd (base) - Add if your machine is a DHCP client. - - isdn4k-utils (support) + isdn4k-utils Add if you use ISDN for dialup. - ppp (support) - Add if you use an analog modem for dialup. + iwlwifi-3945-ucode + Add if you have an Intel wireless IPW3945 card - rp-pppoe (support) - Add if you use DSL for pseudo-dialup. + madwifi + Add if you have an Atheros wireless card + Other packages from support category. @@ -572,7 +586,7 @@ Installing Arch Linux or selecting a smaller set of packages. Error messages and debugging output is echoed as usual to terminal - five (ALT-F5). During normal, successful operation, you shouldn't find + five (ALT-F7). During normal, successful operation, you shouldn't find much to read there, though. After the packages have been installed, proceed to the next step, Configure System. @@ -1371,24 +1385,24 @@ Package Management Typical tasks: - 1. Adding a new package with a package file - 2. Upgrading a package with a package file - 3. Removing packages - 4. Refreshing the package list - 5. Upgrading the system - 6. Adding/Upgrading a package from the repositories - 7. List installed packages - 8. Check if a specific package is installed - 9. Display specific package info - 10. Display list of files contained in package - 11. Find out which package a specific file belongs to + 1. Adding or upgrading a new package with a package file + 2. Removing packages + 3. Refreshing the package list + 4. Upgrading the system + 5. Adding/Upgrading a package from the repositories + 6. List installed packages + 7. Check if a specific package is installed + 8. Display specific package info + 9. Display list of files contained in package + 10. Find out which package a specific file belongs to - Adding a new package with a package file + Adding or upgrading a new package with a package file - # pacman --add foo.pkg.tar.gz - # pacman -A foo.pkg.tar.gz + # pacman --upgrade foo.pkg.tar.gz + # pacman -U foo.pkg.tar.gz - This will install the foo.pkg.tar.gz package on the system. If + If package foo is not currently installed on the system, then + this will install the foo.pkg.tar.gz package on the system. If dependencies are missing, pacman will exit with an error and report the missing deps, but not attempt to resolve the dependencies automatically. Look at the --sync option if you expect this @@ -1396,16 +1410,9 @@ Package Management listed files depend on each other, the packages will be automatically installed in the correct order. - Upgrading a package with a package file - - # pacman --upgrade foo.pkg.tar.gz - # pacman -U foo.pkg.tar.gz - - This does essentially the same as the --add operation, but will - additionally upgrade an already-installed package at no extra cost. I - can personally not imagine a case where you'd prefer --add over this - --upgrade function, unless you want pacman to exit if a package is - already installed. + If package foo is already installed, then this operation will replace + the version installed on the system with the package specified on the + command line. Removing packages @@ -1460,9 +1467,8 @@ Package Management Retrieve and install package foo, complete with all dependencies it requires. Before using any sync option, make sure you refreshed the package list, or add --refresh or -y to the options to do it before - the installation attempt. Unlike --add, the --sync option does not - differ between installing and upgrading packages. Depending on your - pacman.conf settings this function requires working Internet access. + the installation attempt. Depending on your pacman.conf settings + this function requires working Internet access. Receiving strange errors when downloading packages from the server, ie. broken downloads or files that aren't found, usually are either @@ -1561,26 +1567,12 @@ Arch Build System (ABS) Synchronizing Your ABS Tree You can synchronize all the required package building files in - /var/abs by running the abs script as root. It requires the cvsup - package to operate and will complain if you don't have it installed. A - working Internet connection is also required, of course. Using CVS as - the transfer medium allows you to follow different version trees - within ABS - this can be configured in /etc/abs/supfile.core. For - example, the default supfile is set to track the current package tree, - which is bleeding-edge and the recommended source to follow. You can - also follow specific versions. See the comments in the supfiles for - more info. + /var/abs by running the abs script as root. A working internet + connection is required, of course. ABS supports multiple repositories, which can be enabled or disabled - in /etc/abs/abs.conf. By default, abs will follow the core and - extra repositories, but not anything else. - - You will also see an /etc/abs/supfile.extra file. This will give you - access to all the unofficial build scripts that were not included in - the main ABS repository. If you do not want to use this repository, - you can delete the file, but usually it makes more sense to edit - abs.conf accordingly instead, and disable the repositories you don't - need. + in /etc/abs.conf. By default, abs will follow core, extra, community + and the testing repositories. How to Build Packages @@ -1631,7 +1623,7 @@ Arch Build System (ABS) /usr/lib Libraries /usr/include Header files /usr/lib/{pkg} Modules, plugins, etc. - /usr/man Manpages + /usr/share/man Manpages /usr/share/{pkg} Application data /etc/{pkg} Configuration files for {pkg} /opt @@ -1657,14 +1649,12 @@ Arch Build System (ABS) 3. Unpacks source files 4. Does any necessary patching 5. Builds the software and installs it in a fake root - 6. Removes /usr/doc, /usr/info, /usr/share/doc, and /usr/share/info - from the package - 7. Strips symbols from binaries - 8. Strips debugging symbols from libraries - 9. Generates the package meta file which is included with each + 6. Strips symbols from binaries + 7. Strips debugging symbols from libraries + 8. Generates the package meta file which is included with each package - 10. Compresses the fake root into the package file - 11. Stores the package file in the configured destination directory + 9. Compresses the fake root into the package file + 10. Stores the package file in the configured destination directory (cwd by default) Other @@ -1820,18 +1810,18 @@ Server = file:///media/cd The directions below are EXAMPLES; do not follow them character for character unless your setup is identical. - --For an IDE setup with separate boot partition, ext3 filesystem: + --For an IDE setup with separate boot partition, ext4 filesystem: # cd / - # mount -t ext3 /dev/sda3 /mnt - # mount -t ext3 /dev/sda1 /boot + # mount -t ext4 /dev/sda3 /mnt + # mount -t ext4 /dev/sda1 /boot # mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev # mount -t proc none /mnt/proc # mount -t sysfs none /mnt/sys # chroot /mnt /bin/bash - --For a SCSI setup, ext3 filesystem: + --For a SCSI setup, ext4 filesystem: # cd / - # mount -t ext3 /dev/sda1 /mnt + # mount -t ext4 /dev/sda1 /mnt # mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev # mount -t proc none /mnt/proc # mount -t sysfs none /mnt/sys