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Build a Killer Customized Arch LinuxInstallation (and Learn All About Linux in theProcess)

Don't l ike Windows 8's new interface? Sick ofUbuntu Unity and the new ads that come alongwith it? Maybe it's time to create your own, idealoperating system with just the features you want.Arch Linux can make it happen: it lets you buildyour own personal, kil ler Linux distro from theg round up.

If this article looks familiar, it's because we'veposted it before! However, Arch recently changed itsinstallation process quite a bit, making our old guideoutdated. Due to the popularity of this guide, we'veupdated it to work with Arch's new process, so we can all keep getting our Arch fix (and hopefullyintroduce a few new users to the OS of their dreams).

Here's why you may want to use Arch Linux, followed by how to set it up.

Who Is Arch Linux Good For?

Linux is popular for a number of reasons, but hig h on that l ist is the fact that, with Linux,you have a lot more power to tweak your OS to your liking . You also have the opportunity tolearn more about the way computers and operating systems work. While Ubuntu certainlyfits this bill (when compared with Windows or Mac OS), intermediate Linux users may beitching to try something new. Arch Linux is a g reat distribution for intermediate userslooking to dig into Linux a bit more and essentially roll your own fast, stable, super-personalized distro.

The key part of this explanation is "intermediateusers." Arch Linux is not for Linux beg inners;there's a lot of manual config uration andcommand line work involved that Linux rookiesprobably aren't comfortable with. If you are arookie, that's awesome—welcome to thewonderful world of Linux—but you won't want tostart here. Check out our g uide to g etting startedwith Linux first, and when you've used somethinglike Ubuntu or Mint for awhile, come on backhere for some serious Linux action. If you'refamiliar with something like Ubuntu and arecomfortable with the basic ideas of command line work and config uration files, read on,because Arch Linux is a g reat next step.

This g uide has two parts. The first half describes the philosophy behind Arch Linux and itsbenefits as a distro, while the second part is a (very simplified) g uide on setting up yourfirst Arch install . I won't g o throug h some of the more basic explanations since, as Linuxusers, you probably know how to burn an ISO imag e to CD, what the difference between 32-and 64-bit operating systems is, and so on.

Bear in mind that while this g uide should g et you started, this is by no means a one-stop-shop for all Arch Linux knowledg e. I h ig hly, highly recommend you also browse the ArchLinux Wiki, especially the Beg inner's Guide, before you actually beg in. The forums are alsoa g reat source of info, so check them out as well . If you just follow the steps in this g uideand g o "ta-dah!", you'll miss the point of what Arch Linux has to offer. The Beg inner'sGuide can be a bit overwhelming , since it incorporates so many different possibilities thatmany first-timers won't deal with, so I've created this g uide to inspire you and help showyou that it isn't as nerve-racking as it may seem—but you'll stil l want to use multipleresources when you g o to install your system.

Why Arch Linux?

As Arch is definitely not for Linux beg inners, youmay be wondering what its advantag es are. Whileit's pretty popular among developers and thelike, it's also pretty popular among g eneraltweakers and g eeks that l ike to really g et at thenuts and bolts of a system. If you've been a Linuxuser for a l ittle while and you'd love to g et a bitdeeper and learn about how it works—so you canmore properly and openly config ure it to workfor you—Arch is the perfect next step in yourjourney.

The philosophy behind Arch is what's known as The Arch Way: simplicity at its finest.Specifically, Arch aims to be an efficient, user-centric, open, eleg antly coded distributionthat doesn't sacrifice anything for convenience. That is, when faced with a choice betweenmore efficient code and a simpler experience for the averag e computer user, Arch willalways choose the former.

However, while this may seem like a burden to some, it's actually one of Arch 's big g estadvantag es. Instead of config uring the distribution to be idiot-proof, Arch forces you(politely) to learn what each config uration file and important terminal command doesearly on. Thus, when something breaks or when you want to config ure something beyondwhat KDE or GNOME has options for, you pretty much already know where to g o and whatto do.

Note that I'm not trying to say that idiot-proofing is a bad thing . In fact, being simple to useis one of the best characteristics a modern OS can have—for the averag e PC user. Onceag ain, this g uide is not for those people. This is for those of us that love tinkering with ouroperating system's insides.

Why, as an Ubuntu User, You May Want to Switch

Of course, if you're already a Linux user, you're probably pretty happy with all the optionsyour distro of choice g ives you. Here's what Arch really offers that makes it worth trying .

You'll Know What's Really Going on Behind the Scenes

For the record, I l ike Ubuntu. It's easy to install , works out of the box on tons of hardware,and has actually made some interesting innovations on the desktop (whether you love orhate Unity as a whole). I've also used it to repurpose some old PCs for my mother aroundthe house and it's easy enoug h for even non-g eeks to use. If you use Linux solely because it'sfree, open, and easy to use, you don't need to complicate your life for no reason. However, ifyou've used Linux for a l ittle while and would like to take the next step, Arch is where youwant to g o.

While Ubuntu works out of the box with a lot of computers, and provides a lot of user-friendly config uration for certain thing s, it's a nig htmare to config ure for others. Itprovides no way of teaching you where the correct config files are for your eig hty buttonmouse or your three monitor setup, and I hate to say it, but in my experience the Ubuntuforums have been less than helpful. Ag ain, not to hate, but that's just what I've experienced.

Arch 's installation doesn't really have ag raphical interface. It's mostly done throug h thecommand line, and consists of you using a g uidelike this and the fabulous Arch Wiki to partitionyour drive, install a minimal base system, and g othroug h each command and config uration file tog et thing s set up, and you'll know how the basesystem works. That way, down the road, when youwant to automatically mount another hard drivewhen Arch boots, you'll know you need to addsomething to the options column of /etc/fstab,and you won't be intimidated by that fact. And, when you don't know what to do, Arch hasone of the best documentations and communities I've ever seen.

You'll Always Have the Newest Software

Unlike other popular operating systems, Arch doesn't have a big update every two years,one year, or even six months—Arch updates whatever it wants, whenever it wants, whichmeans you're constantly on the bleeding edg e of both the OS and the software you use.

Note that in this instance, "bleeding edg e" doesnot mean "ridiculously unstable". Lots of testingg oes into these packag es before they g et added tothe repositories, and you aren't g oing to findyour PC crashing every day because you're alwaysg etting the newest updates. What it really meansis that you'll g et software updates as soon asthey're ready to use, not as soon as Ubuntu g etsaround to updating their repositories. IfThunderbird releases an update, you'll g et thatupdate the next day—not the next month.

You Build a Killer Operating System that Fits Your Needs and Wants

Since you start off with a minimal install andbuild up from there, you won't have anyunnecessary packag es bloating up your system.You have complete control over everything that

g oes into your setup, and you can make it assmall and minimalistic or as big and powerful asyou want—you essentially build your own, fast,stable, super-customized Linux distro from theg round up. And who wouldn't love that?

How to Install Arch Linux

If all th is sounds like your dream come true, then it's time to move on to the next step:actually installing Arch. While the Arch Wiki has a g reat Beg inner's Guide (have Imentioned that you should read it?), I found I stil l ran into a few hiccups along the way,and the wiki is so full of (g reat) information that it can be a bit overwhelming for an Archfirst-timer. For example, the beg inner's g uide g oes throug h lots of different possiblesituations—i.e., if you're using a static IP, if you require wireless internet from the g et-g o,etc. Instead of trying to sift throug h all that and ig nore the more advanced stuff that maynot apply to you, I've created this g uide that should g et you up and running without yourbrain exploding .

This g uide contains the methods I found work best and were easiest for me, and theyshould work with most PC builds without a problem. If you do run into any problems, orhave any specific needs that aren't fulfil led by this g uide (like if you are using a static IP),you can probably find more detail in the corresponding section of Arch 's Beg inner's Guide,so head over there when necessary.

Step One: Get Yourself an Arch Linux Install CD

You can install Arch many different ways, but we're g oing to use your basic CD installation.If you don't have an optical drive, you can always install it from a USB flash drive, too. Headover to the Arch download pag e, download the Arch Linux ISO, and burn it to yourinstallation medium of choice before you continue.

Step Two: Set Up Your Partitions

While you could always partition your drive from the Arch Linux installation CD, it's mucheasier to do from a Linux Live CD like Ubuntu or GParted, which you probably already have(because you're no Linux slouch!). Assuming you already know how to partition drives, g oahead and make one for your OS (around 15GB is safe) and one for all your documents andapps (which can be as big as you want). If you use an SSD, you can just make one partitionon the SSD for your boot drive and one on a big g er HDD for your files. You can also make anice 1GB swap partition for g ood measure, but if you have a lot of RAM, this probably isn'tnecessary.

Format them as ext4, and note the names of the two you'll be using (i.e. /dev/sda1 as the OSpartition and /dev/sda2 as your data partition), as that's how you'll have to refer to thepartitions during the install process.

Now that you've created your partitions, boot up from your newly-burned Arch InstallationCD and choose "Start Arch Linux" at the prompt. Make sure you choose the rig htarchitecture for your CPU (32-bit or i686 vs 64-bit or x86-64). When it finishes booting ,you'll g et a command line prompt.

Start by seeing if you have an active internet connection. I recommend plug g ing yourcomputer in via Ethernet, since that'l l make installation a lot easier, even if you plan onusing Wi-Fi later. To see if you have a connection, just ping Goog le with the followingcommand:

ping -c 3 www.g oog le.com

If you g et an error that says unknown host or anything like that, you'll need to set up yournetwork manually.

Next, mount those partitions you just created. If you aren't sure the names of yourpartitions, run the following command:

fdisk -l

You'll see a l ist of your drives and partitions, with the same names we saw before (like /dev/sda1. Make note of the partition(s) you want to use for Arch.

Ag ain, we're using two partitions here—one for the OS and one for our personal files. So,we're g oing to need to mount them as such. Mount your drives using the followingcommands:

mkdir /mntmount /dev/sda1 /mntmkdir /mnt/homemount /dev/sda2 /mnt/home

In this example, /dev/sda1 is our root partition for the OS, while /dev/sda2 is our homepartition for our files.

The last thing you need to do before starting is select a mirror for downloading yourpackag es. Run:

nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Scroll down to your preferred mirror (the closer to your location the better), press Alt+6to copy the line, then scroll back up and press Ctrl+U to paste that l ine at the top of thelist. US users should already have a g ood server at the top of the list. When you're done,press Ctrl+X to exit, and save with Y and Enter if you made any chang es.

Step Three: Install the Arch Base System

Now it's time to start the installation. You can do so with the following command:

pacstrap -i /mnt base

If you want to tweak any packag es during the process, you can do so when prompted, butthe default setting s should be fine.

Next, you'll need to create and edit some config files. Here are the ones you want to worryabout:

/etc/fstab: Fstab stands for File Systems Table. This file l ists your available drives andpartitions and decides how you'll use each one. To create one for your drive, just run:

g enfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

You can then view and edit it with:

nano /mnt/etc/fstab

The columns, in order from left to rig ht, l ist the drive's name(s) and UUID, mount point,file system, and boot options. You probably won't have to do anything here at the moment,but if you have a lot of partitions on your drive, you'll probably find yourself back heresoon. You may also want to clean up the columns a l ittle bit so they line up better, but that'sup to you. Check out the Fstab wiki entry for more information.

/etc/locale.gen: This file determines certain location-based setting s, l ike time and dateformats, alphabetic tweaks, and other thing s. For this and the other config uration files,we'l l need to chroot into our newly-created system. Essentially, we'l l be running a terminalon that system without having booted into it yet. To do this, just run:

arch-chroot /mnt

Next, create the locale files by running :

nano /etc/locale.g en

By default, everything has been commented out with a #, but you can scroll down anduncomment the line for your locale(s) by deleting the # symbol. For example, US userswould uncomment the en_US.UTF-8 l ine. Ag ain, press Ctrl+X to exit, then Y and Enter tosave it.

You should also create a locale.conf file with the following command (for Eng lish-speaking US users):

echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.confexport LANG=en_US.UTF-8

If you speak another lang uag e, tweak this command according ly.

T ime Zone and Clock: Next, we'l l set our time zone. To view the available zones, run thefollowing command:

ls /usr/share/zoneinfo

You can view sub-zones by picking a categ ory and running :

ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/America

Find the zone you want, then run the following command, replacing America/Los_Angeleswith your time zone:

ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Ang eles /etc/localtime

Then, set the clock according to your chosen zone with:

hwclock --systohc --utc

That's all you should need for now in the realm of miscellaneous config uration files. Thenext few steps will be a tad more pointed.

Step Four: Set Up Your Network

At this point, you have network access from the live CD, but you'll need to set up yournetwork for the actual Arch installation.

If you have a wired connection, with a dynamic IP address, all you need to do is enablethe wired networking service on your new setup. To enable a backg round service l ike thisone, you'll need to use the systemctl command. In this case, run:

systemctl enable dhcpcd@eth0.service

If you connect using Wi-Fi, you'll need to install a few packag es first. To start, installArch 's wireless tools with:

pacman -S wireless_tools wpa_supplicant wpa_actiond dialog

Then, run the following to connect to your network:

wifi-menu

This will create a profile in /etc/network.d named after your network. Lastly, enable thewireless service with systemctl :

systemctl enable net-auto-wireless.service

Now, your network should be all set up and ready to g o when you finish installing Arch.

Step Five: Configure Your Package Manager

Arch Linux uses a packag e manag er called Pacman, and it's pretty darn awesome. Beforeyou can use it in your new installation thoug h, you'll need to do a few thing s. Start byediting its config uration file with:

nano /etc/pacman.conf

Scroll down to the "Repositories" section. The [core], [extra], and [community]repositories should already be uncommented, but if you're on a 64-bit machine, you shouldalso enable the [multil ib] repository, which lets you install both 64- and 32-bit prog rams.To do so, add the following lines to the bottom of the config file:

[multil ib]Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

If you're on a 32-bit system, you shouldn't need to edit anything in here rig ht now, but it's ag ood idea to take a look around, since this is where you'll add any extra repositories in thefuture. When you're done, g o ahead and exit, saving any chang es you mig ht have made.

When you're done, run the following command to refresh your repository list (if you madeany chang es):

pacman -Sy

We'll talk more about how to use Pacman in a l ittle bit. For now, head to the next step.

Step Six: Create a User Account

Now it's time for a few finishing touches before we actually boot into our Arch system. First,set the root password by running :

passwd

Type in your desired password when prompted. Now, as an intermediate Linux user, youalready know you don't want to use the root account for reg ular computing , since that canbe dang erous. So, create a user account (and a password) for yourself by running :

useradd -m -g users -G wheel,storag e,power -s /bin/bash johndoepasswd johndoe

Of course, replace johndoe with your desired username. The string of comma-separatedterms contains the g roups to which your user belong s. The ones listed should be fine,thoug h they aren't the only ones available. If you have a floppy drive or scanner, forexample, you'll want to add floppy and/or scanner to the list. For a full l ist, check out theGroups wiki entry.

Now would probably be a g ood time to install sudo too, so your new user can performadministrative tasks. To do this, use the aforementioned Pacman packag e manag er:

pacman -S sudo

That's how easy adding a packag e is in Pacman. If you wanted to see a l ist of packag espertaining to a search term, you could type:

pacman -Ss sudo

This would search the repositories for "sudo", returning to you a l ist of packag escontaining that name. Of course, you could also search the database on Arch Linux's website.

Once you've installed sudo, you can allow your new user to run it by editing your sudoersfile:

EDITOR=nano visudo

Scroll down until you find this l ine and uncomment it:

%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL

Save the document and exit the editor. This tweak will allow all members of the wheelg roup—to which your new user belong s—to use sudo, which will be handy when you finallyboot into our new OS.

Step 7: Install Your Bootloader

Next, you'll need to install a bootloader that can boot you into your Arch installation. Forthis g uide, we'l l be using the ever-popular GRUB, thoug h you can use something else if youdesire. If you're installing Arch on a UEFI-based motherboard (instead of a BIOS-basedmotherboard) or if you're dual-booting , you may want to do some extra reading beforecontinuing , as everyone's setup is g oing to be a l ittle different.

To install GRUB, run the following commands, replacing /dev/sda with the drive (not thepartition, /dev/sda1) that holds your Arch Linux installation:

pacman -S g rub-biosg rub-install --targ et=i386-pc --recheck /dev/sdacp /usr/share/locale/en\@quot/LC_MESSAGES/g rub.mo /boot/g rub/locale/en.mo

If you're dual booting , run the following :

pacman -S os-prober

Then, whether you're dual-booting or not, run:

g rub-mkconfig -o /boot/g rub/g rub.cfg

This will create a config file for your bootloader (which you can edit if you want differentoptions when booting into Arch or another OS).

Lastly, exit from chroot, unmount your partitions, and reboot your computer:

exitumount /mnt/homeumount /mntreboot

Obviously, if you mounted other partitions at any point, include them in the commands

above. You should also remove your Arch Linux Installation CD at this time.

Step Eight: Get Your Desktop Up and Running

When you reboot, you should find yourself at a simple log in prompt, just l ike when you firststarted. However, this time, you're actually log g ing into your new Arch installation! Younow have a very basic system from which you can build up a working desktop with sound,video, and more.

To start, let's g et sound up and running . To do this, you need to install alsa-uti ls with thefollowing command:

sudo pacman -S alsa-utils

Then, start up alsamixer:

alsamixer

All your channels will start muted, so use the M key to unmute the channels you need. Then,use the arrow keys to turn them up or down. You'll definitely want to unmute the Masterchannel, and the PCM channel if you have one. Depending on your speaker setup, you mayalso need to unmute others l ike Front Speaker or Headphone. Raise their volume up until"dB g ain" equals "0" for each. This will ensure that you don't g et any sound distortion.Press ESC when you're done.

To check and make sure your speakers are working , just run:

speaker-test -c 2

Chang e 2 to the number of speakers you have (for example, 8 if you have a 7.1 surroundsystem). If you hear the static it g enerates, you've g ot working audio! If not, head back to alsamixer and try tweaking your channels to make sure everything 's properly unmuted. Tostop the speaker test, press Ctrl+C.

Next, it's time to g et some g raphics up and running . First, we'l l install the X window systemwith:

sudo pacman -S xorg -server xorg -xinit xorg -server-utils

If you want 3D support, you'll also want to install mesa:

sudo pacman -S mesa

Now comes what, in my experience, is always the most troublesome part of a Linuxinstallation: video drivers and config uring X. The video driver you need will depend onyour g raphics card and what you want to g et from it, so see the corresponding entry in theBeg inner's g uide for more information. You'll use Pacman to install those drivers, aprocess with which you're probably familiar. For example, if I wanted to install theproprietary NVIDIA drivers on a 64-bit system, I'd run:

sudo pacman -S nvidia l ib32-nvidia-utils

Ag ain, your commands will differ. Do some research to find out what drivers you need.

Most desktop computers should be able to use their mouse and keyboard out of the box. Ifyou're on a laptop, thoug h, you should take this time to install some drivers for yourtrackpad:

sudo pacman -S xf86-input-synaptics

We're in the home stretch! Biw it's time to see if you can g et a g raphical environment upand running . First, install the default environment:

pacman -S xorg -twm xorg -xclock xterm

Then, to test X, just run:

startx

If it works, you should be able to interact with a very basic windowed environment and runcommands in xterm. You can exit by typing exit into xterm and hitting Enter.

It is here where I learned I used the wrong video drivers my first time around, so I had touninstall the old ones and reinstall a different packag e. To remove a packag e in Pacman,just type:

pacman -Rns packag e_name

The n flag removes all the config uration files related to a packag e, while the s flag removesany dependencies that are now unnecessary. I g enerally always use n and s when removinga packag e, because I l ike to keep my system clean of cruft.

If you're having trouble with your video drivers and testing X, there's more information ontroubleshooting it in the Beg inner's Guide.

Stay with us, we're at the last step! All that's left is to install your desktop environment ofchoice. First, install a few fonts:

sudo pacman -S ttf-dejavu

Then, pick your favorite desktop environment and install it (you can see lots of g oodchoices here). Your commands will differ depending on what you choose, but it should besimple. For example, to install a GNOME desktop, you'd run:

sudo pacman -S g nome

This could take awhile, depending on how big of an environment you want. Once it's done,you can turn on a display manag er to g ive yourself a g raphical log in to your new desktop.GNOME comes with the gdm display manag er, so to enable its service (remember those?)we just need to run:

sudo systemctl enable g dm.service

Now, reboot your system with sudo reboot and you should find yourself inside a newdesktop on your new Arch system! Hooray!

Going Further: Using Pacman, Installing Other Apps, and More

Cong ratulations on setting up your first Arch desktop. There's a lot more to learn, butthat's pretty much where this g uide ends. Here are some thing s you may want to read up onto g et started:

How to Use Pacman: You already know how to install a packag e with Pacman, butthis'l l show you how to remove packag es, update your repositories, and update yoursystem with the newest versions of all your apps. Memorize this, it will be your bible.

Install Other Apps with the Arch User Repository: One of my absolute favoriteparts of Arch is the Arch User Repository, or AUR. This is a special repository thatcombines apps that aren't in the official repositories, manag ed by Arch 's user. Itbasically contains every Linux app you could possibly imag ine. Read up on the AURand install an AUR helper l ike Yaourt or Packer—they'l l help you install apps fromthe AUR as easily as you install apps with Pacman. Seriously, do this.

Install Browser Plug-ins: You'll probably want (however beg rudg ing ly) to installAdobe Flash, and this wiki pag e will help you do so.

Use the Forums: They'l l be your g reatest source of help. Of course, make sure youGoog le and search the forums before you g o and start asking questions.

Compiz: Because who doesn't l ike cool desktop effects? Alternatively, KDE users canalso use the built-in Kwin just by g oing to System Setting s.

Our Lifehacker Pack for Linux and our App Directory: For finding all the bestapps to g et your new system started.

That's it for now! There's a ton of other information out there, and lots of cool thing s todo, but this will g et you up and running . If you have any questions, Goog le and the ArchForums are your friends, but so are we! Arch is a pretty popular distribution amongLifehacker readers, so hit us up in the comments of this post or in our weekly open threadif you've g ot questions.

Title image remixed from somchaij (Shutterstock).