installing archlinux

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how to manual for installing Arch Linux

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  • SummaryProvides a highlydetailed, explanatoryguide to installing,conguring and usinga full-featured ArchLinux system.

    RelatedCategory:AccessibilityInstallation GuideNetwork InstallationGuideInstall from SSHGeneralRecommendationsGeneralTroubleshooting

    Beginners' GuideFrom ArchWikiTip: This guide is also available in multiple pages, rather than one large copy. If youwould rather follow it that way, please start here.

    This document will guide you through the process of installingArch Linux using the Arch Install Scripts (https://github.com/falconindy/arch-install-scripts) . Before installing, you areadvised to skim over the FAQ.The community-maintained Arch wiki is an excellent resourceand should be consulted for issues rst. The IRC channel(irc://irc.freenode.net/#archlinux), and the forums(https://bbs.archlinux.org/) are also available if the answercannot be found elsewhere. Also, be sure to check out the manpages for any command you are unfamiliar with; this can usuallybe invoked with man command .

    Contents1 Preparation

    1.1 Burn or write the latest installation medium1.1.1 Installing over the network1.1.2 Installing on a virtual machine

    1.2 Boot the installation medium1.2.1 Testing if you are booted into UEFI mode1.2.2 Troubleshooting boot problems

    2 Installation2.1 Change the language2.2 Establish an internet connection

    2.2.1 Wired2.2.2 Wireless2.2.3 xDSL (PPPoE), analog modem or ISDN2.2.4 Behind a proxy server

    2.3 Prepare the storage drive2.3.1 Example

    2.4 Mount the partitions2.5 Select a mirror2.6 Install the base system2.7 Generate an fstab2.8 Chroot and congure the base system

    2.8.1 Locale2.8.2 Console font and keymap2.8.3 Time zone2.8.4 Hardware clock2.8.5 Kernel modules2.8.6 Hostname

  • 2.9 Congure the network2.9.1 Wired2.9.2 Wireless2.9.3 xDSL (PPPoE), analog modem or ISDN

    2.10 Congure pacman2.11 Create an initial ramdisk environment2.12 Set the root password and add a regular user2.13 Install and congure a bootloader

    2.13.1 For BIOS motherboards2.13.1.1 Syslinux2.13.1.2 GRUB

    2.13.2 For UEFI motherboards2.13.2.1 EFISTUB2.13.2.2 GRUB

    2.14 Unmount the partitions and reboot3 Extra

    3.1 Package management3.2 Sound3.3 Graphical User Interface

    3.3.1 Install X3.3.2 Install a video driver3.3.3 Install input drivers3.3.4 Congure X3.3.5 Test X

    3.3.5.1 Troubleshooting3.3.6 Fonts3.3.7 Choose and install a graphical interface

    4 Appendix

    PreparationNote: If you wish to install from an existing GNU/Linux distribution, please see thisarticle. This can be useful particularly if you plan to install Arch via VNC or SSHremotely.Burn or write the latest installation mediumThis guide pertains to the current release (2012.11.01), which can be obtained from theDownload (http://archlinux.org/download/) page.

    Burn the ISO image on a CD or DVD with your preferred software.Note: The quality of optical drives and the discs themselves varies greatly.Generally, using a slow burn speed is recommended for reliable burns. If you areexperiencing unexpected behaviour from the disc, try burning at the lowest speedsupported by your burner.

    Or you can write the ISO image on a USB stick. For detailed instructions, see USBInstallation Media.

  • Installing over the networkInstead of writing the boot media to a disc or USB stick, you may alternatively boot the.iso image over the network. This works well when you already have a server set up.Please see this article for more information, and then continue to Boot the installationmedium.Installing on a virtual machineInstalling on a virtual machine is a good way to become familiar with Arch Linux and itsinstallation procedure without leaving your current operating system and repartitioningthe storage drive. It will also let you keep this Beginners' Guide open in your browserthroughout the installation. Some users may nd it benecial to have an independentArch Linux system on a virtual drive, for testing purposes.Examples of virtualization software are VirtualBox, VMware, QEMU, Xen, Varch,Parallels.The exact procedure for preparing a virtual machine depends on the software, but willgenerally follow these steps:

    Create the virtual disk image that will host the operating system.1.Properly congure the virtual machine parameters.2.Boot the downloaded ISO image with a virtual CD drive.3.Continue with Boot the installation medium.4.

    The following articles may be helpful:Arch Linux VirtualBox GuestInstalling Arch Linux from VirtualBoxVirtualBox Arch Linux Guest On Physical DriveInstalling Arch Linux in VMwareMoving an existing install into (or out of) a virtual machine

    Boot the installation mediumFirst, you may have to change the boot order in your computer's BIOS. To do this, youhave to press a key (usually Delete , F1 , F2 , F11 or F12 ) during the POST (Power OnSelf-Test) phase. Then, select "Boot Arch Linux" from the menu and press Enter in orderto begin with the installation.Note: The memory requirement for a basic install is 64 MB of RAM.Note: Users seeking to perform the Arch Linux installation remotely via an SSHconnection are encouraged to make a few tweaks at this point to enable SSHconnections directly to the live CD environment. If interested, see the Install from SSHarticle.

    Testing if you are booted into UEFI mode

    In case you have a UEFI motherboard, the CD/USB will launch UEFI Shell and display amessage that startup.nsh script will be launched. Allow the shell to launch it, and exitthe shell. Select "UEFI CD: Arch Linux" (or similar) from a list. Then, to check whether

  • you have booted into UEFI mode, load the efivars kernel module (before chrooting) andthen check whether there are les in /sys/firmware/efi/vars/ :# modprobe efivars # before chrooting# ls -1 /sys/firmware/efi/vars/

    Note: The kernel module efivars detects and populates the UEFI Runtime Variables at/sys/firmware/efi/vars . This module is not loaded automatically during the boot process,and until this module is loaded, and the kernel booted in UEFI mode, without noefiparameter, no les will exist in /sys/firmware/efi/vars . These variables are later modiedby efibootmgr to add bootloader entry to UEFI boot menu. In BIOS mode, modprobe willnot give any error about evars module. The correct way to detect UEFI boot is tocheck for les in /sys/firmware/efi/vars .

    Troubleshooting boot problems

    If you're using an Intel video chipset and the screen goes blank during the bootprocess, the problem is likely an issue with Kernel Mode Setting (KMS). A possibleworkaround may be achieved by rebooting and pressing Tab over the entry thatyou're trying to boot (i686 or x86_64). At the end of the string type nomodeset andpress Enter . Alternatively, try video=SVIDEO-1:d which, if it works, will not disablekernel mode setting. See the Intel article for more information.If the screen does not go blank and the boot process gets stuck while trying to loadthe kernel, press Tab while hovering over the menu entry, type acpi=off at the end ofthe string and press Enter .

    InstallationYou are now presented with a shell prompt, automatically logged in as root.Change the languageTip: These are optional for the majority of users. Useful only if you plan on writing inyour own language in any of the conguration les, if you use diacritical marks in theWi-Fi password, or if you would like to receive system messages (e.g. possible errors)in your own language.

    By default, the keyboard layout is set to us . If you have a non-US keyboard layout, run:# loadkeys layout

    ...where layout can be fr , uk , be-latin1 , etc. See here for a comprehensive list.The font should also be changed, because most languages use more glyphs than the 26letter English alphabet. Otherwise some foreign characters may show up as whitesquares or as other symbols. Note that the name is case-sensitive, so please type itexactly as you see it:# setfont Lat2-Terminus16

  • By default, the language is set to English (US). If you would like to change the languagefor the install process (German, in this example), remove the # in front of the locale(http://www.greendesktiny.com/support/knowledgebase_detail.php?ref=EUH-483) youwant from /etc/locale.gen , along with English (US). Please choose the UTF-8 entry.Use Ctrl+X to exit, and when prompted to save changes, press Y and Enter to use thesame lename.# nano /etc/locale.gen

    en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8de_DE.UTF-8 UTF-8

    # locale-gen# export LANG=de_DE.UTF-8

    Remember, LAlt+LShift activates and deactivates the keymap.Establish an internet connectionThe dhcpcd network daemon is started automatically at boot and it will attempt to start awired connection, if available. Try pinging a website to see if it was successful. And sinceGoogle is always on...# ping -c 3 www.google.com

    PING www.l.google.com (74.125.132.105) 56(84) bytes of data.64 bytes from wb-in-f105.1e100.net (74.125.132.105): icmp_req=1 ttl=50 time=17.0 ms64 bytes from wb-in-f105.1e100.net (74.125.132.105): icmp_req=2 ttl=50 time=18.2 ms64 bytes from wb-in-f105.1e100.net (74.125.132.105): icmp_req=3 ttl=50 time=16.6 ms--- www.l.google.com ping statistics ---3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2003msrtt min/avg/max/mdev = 16.660/17.320/18.254/0.678 ms

    If you get a ping: unknown host error, you will need to set up the network manually, asexplained below.Otherwise, move on to Prepare the storage drive.WiredFollow this procedure if you need to set up a wired connection via a static IP address.If your computer is connected to an Ethernet network, in most cases, you will have oneinterface, called eth0 . If you have additional network cards (apart from the oneintegrated on the motherboard, for example), their name will follow the sequence eth1 ,eth2 , etc.You need to know these settings:

    Static IP address.Subnet mask.Gateway's IP address.Name servers' (DNS) IP addresses.

  • Domain name (unless you're on a local LAN, in which case you can make it up).Activate the connected Ethernet interface (e.g. eth0 ):# ip link set eth0 up

    Add the address:# ip addr add / dev

    For example:# ip addr add 192.168.1.2/24 dev eth0

    For more options, run man ip .Add your gateway like this, substituting your own gateway's IP address:# ip route add default via

    For example:# ip route add default via 192.168.1.1

    Edit resolv.conf , substituting your name servers' IP addresses and your local domainname:# nano /etc/resolv.conf

    nameserver 61.23.173.5nameserver 61.95.849.8search example.com

    Note: Currently, you may include a maximum of 3 nameserver lines.You should now have a working network connection. If you do not, check the detailedConguring Network page.WirelessFollow this procedure if you need wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi) during the installationprocess.The wireless drivers and utilities are now available to you in the live environment of theinstallation media. A good knowledge of your wireless hardware will be of keyimportance to successful conguration. Note that the following quick-start procedureexecuted at this point in the installation will initialize your wireless hardware for use inthe live environment of the installation media. These steps (or some other form ofwireless management) must be repeated from the actual installed system afterbooting into it.Also note that these steps are optional if wireless connectivity is unnecessary at this

  • point in the installation; wireless functionality may always be established later.Note: The following examples use wlan0 for the interface and linksys for the ESSID.Remember to change these values according to your setup.

    The basic procedure will be:(optional) Identify the wireless interface:

    # lspci | grep -i net

    Or, if using a USB adapter:# lsusb

    Ensure udev has loaded the driver, and that the driver has created a usable wirelesskernel interface with iwconfig :

    Note: If you do not see output similar to this, then your wireless driver has not beenloaded. If this is the case, you must load the driver yourself. Please see Wireless Setupfor more detailed information.# iwconfig

    lo no wireless extensions.eth0 no wireless extensions.wlan0 unassociated ESSID:"" Mode:Managed Channel=0 Access Point: Not-Associated Bit Rate:0 kb/s Tx-Power=20 dBm Sensitivity=8/0 Retry limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off Power Management:off Link Quality:0 Signal level:0 Noise level:0 Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0 Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

    In this example, wlan0 is the available wireless interface.Bring the interface up with:

    # ip link set wlan0 up

    A small percentage of wireless chipsets also require rmware, in addition to acorresponding driver. If the wireless chipset requires rmware, you are likely to receivethis error when bringing the interface up:# ip link set wlan0 up

    SIOCSIFFLAGS: No such file or directory

    If unsure, invoke dmesg to query the kernel log for a rmware request from the wirelesschipset.Example output from an Intel chipset which requires and has requested rmware fromthe kernel at boot:

  • # dmesg | grep firmware

    firmware: requesting iwlwifi-5000-1.ucode

    If there is no output, it may be concluded that the system's wireless chipset does notrequire rmware.Warning: Wireless chipset rmware packages (for cards which require them) arepre-installed under /usr/lib/firmware in the live environment (on CD/USB stick) butmust be explicitly installed to your actual system to provide wirelessfunctionality after you reboot into it! Package installation is covered later in thisguide. Ensure installation of both your wireless module and rmware before rebooting!See Wireless Setup if you are unsure about the requirement of corresponding rmwareinstallation for your particular chipset.

    Next, use netcfg (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=netcfg) 's wifi-menu to connect to anetwork:# wifi-menu wlan0

    You should now have a working network connection. If you do not, check the detailedWireless Setup page.xDSL (PPPoE), analog modem or ISDNIf you have a router in bridge mode, run:# pppoe-setup

    Type in the username that the ISP provided you with.Press Enter for "eth0".Press Enter for "no", so that it stays up continuously.Type server (since this is usually the case).Press 1 for a rewall.Type in the password that the ISP provided you with.Press Y at the end.

    To use these settings and connect to your ISP, run:# pppoe-start

    You may also need to adjust your resolv.conf :# echo nameserver 8.8.8.8 > /etc/resolv.conf

    If you have a dial-up or ISDN connection, see Direct Modem Connection.Behind a proxy serverIf you are behind a proxy server, you will need to export the http_proxy and ftp_proxy

  • environment variables. Click here for more information.Prepare the storage driveWarning: Partitioning can destroy data. You are strongly cautioned and advised tobackup any critical data before proceeding.

    Absolute beginners are encouraged to use a graphical partitioning tool. GParted(http://gparted.sourceforge.net/download.php) is a good example, run from a "live" Linuxdistribution such as Parted Magic, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, etc. A drive should rst bepartitioned and the partitions should be formatted with a le system before rebooting.It's possible to set up a swap le at any point after installation, so there is no need todecide on swap size now. See Swap for details if you wish to set up a swap partition now(but note that it's much easier to resize a le than a partition).If you have already done so, proceed to Mount the partitions.Otherwise, see the following example.ExampleThe Arch Linux install media includes the following partitioning tools:

    gdisk supports only GPT partition tables.cfdisk supports only MBR partition tables.parted supports both.

    This example uses cfdisk, but it can easily be followed using gdisk, which will allow forGPT instead of MBR partitioning.Notes regarding UEFI boot:

    If you have a UEFI motherboard, you will need to create an extra UEFI Systempartition.It is recommended to always use GPT for UEFI boot, as some UEFI rmwares donot allow UEFI-MBR boot.

    Notes regarding GPT partitioning:If you are not dual booting with Windows, then it is advisable to use GPT insteadof MBR. Read GPT for a list of advantages.If you have a BIOS motherboard (or plan on booting in BIOS compatibility mode)and you want to setup GRUB on a GPT-partitioned drive, you will need to create a2 MiB "BIOS Boot Partition". Syslinux doesn't need one.Some BIOS systems may have issues with GPT. See http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/8035.html and http://rodsbooks.com/gdisk/bios.html for more info and possibleworkarounds.

    Note: If you are installing to a USB ash key, see Installing Arch Linux on a USB key.

  • # cfdisk /dev/sda

    The example system will contain a 15 GB root partition, and a home partition for theremaining space.It should be emphasized that partitioning is a personal choice and that this example isonly for illustrative purposes. See Partitioning.Root:

    Choose New (or press N ) Enter for Primary type in "15360" Enter for Beginning Enter for Bootable.

    Home:Press the down arrow to move to the free space area.Choose New (or press N ) Enter for Primary Enter to use the rest of the drive (oryou could type in the desired size).

    Here's how it should look like:Name Flags Part Type FS Type [Label] Size (MB)-----------------------------------------------------------------------sda1 Boot Primary Linux 15360sda2 Primary Linux 133000*

    Double check and make sure that you are happy with the partition sizes as well as thepartition table layout before continuing.If you would like to start over, you can simply select Quit (or press Q ) to exit withoutsaving changes and then restart cfdisk.If you are satised, choose Write (or press Shift+W ) to nalize and to write the partitiontable to the drive. Type "yes" and choose Quit (or press Q ) to exit cfdisk without makingany more changes.Simply partitioning is not enough; the partitions also need a lesystem. To format thepartitions with an ext4 lesystem:Warning: Double check and triple check that it's actually /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda2 thatyou want to format.# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2

    Mount the partitionsEach partition is identied with a number sux. For example, sda1 species the rstpartition of the rst drive, while sda designates the entire drive.To display the current partition layout:# lsblk /dev/sda

  • Pay attention, because the mounting order is important.First, mount the root partition on /mnt . Following the example above (yours may bedierent), it would be:# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt

    Then mount the /home partition and any other separate partition ( /boot , /var , etc), if youhave any:# mkdir /mnt/home# mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/home

    In case you have a UEFI motherboard, mount the UEFI partition:# mkdir /mnt/boot/efi# mount /dev/sdaX /mnt/boot/efi

    Select a mirrorBefore installing, you may want to edit the mirrorlist le and place your preferred mirrorrst. A copy of this le will be installed on your new system by pacstrap as well, so it'sworth getting it right.# nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

    #### Arch Linux repository mirrorlist## Sorted by mirror score from mirror status page## Generated on 2012-MM-DD##Server = http://mirror.example.xyz/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch...

    Alt+6 to copy a Server line.PageUp key to scroll up.Ctrl+U to paste it at the top of the list.Ctrl+X to exit, and when prompted to save changes, press Y and Enter to use thesame lename.

    If you want, you can make it the only mirror available by getting rid of everything else(using Ctrl+K ), but it's usually a good idea to have a few more, in case the rst one goesoine.Tip:

    Use the Mirrorlist Generator (http://www.archlinux.org/mirrorlist/) to get anupdated list for your country. HTTP mirrors are faster than FTP, because ofsomething called keepalive. With FTP, pacman has to send out a signal each time itdownloads a package, resulting in a brief pause. For other ways to generate amirror list, see Sorting mirrors and Reector.Arch Linux MirrorStatus (https://archlinux.org/mirrors/status/) reports variousaspects about the mirrors such as network problems with mirrors, data collection

  • problems, the last time mirrors have been synced, etc.

    Note:Whenever in the future you change your list of mirrors, always remember to forcepacman to refresh all package lists with pacman -Syy . This is considered to be goodpractice and will avoid possible headaches. See Mirrors for more information.If you're using an older installation medium, your mirrorlist might be outdated,which might lead to problems when updating Arch Linux (see FS#22510(https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/22510) ). Therefore it is advised to obtain thelatest mirror information as described above.Some issues have been reported in the Arch Linux forums(https://bbs.archlinux.org/) regarding network problems that prevent pacman fromupdating/synchronizing repositories (see [1] (https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=68944) and [2] (https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=65728) ). When installing Arch Linux natively, these issues havebeen resolved by replacing the default pacman le downloader with an alternative(see Improve Pacman Performance for more details). When installing Arch Linuxas a guest OS in VirtualBox, this issue has also been addressed by using "Hostinterface" instead of "NAT" in the machine properties.

    Install the base systemThe base system is installed using the pacstrap (https://github.com/falconindy/arch-install-scripts/blob/master/pacstrap.in) script.The -i switch can be omitted if you wish to install every package from the base andbase-devel groups without prompting.# pacstrap -i /mnt base base-devel

    Note: If pacman fails to verify your packages, check the system time with cal . If thesystem date is invalid (e.g. it shows year 2010), signing keys will be considered expired(or invalid), signature checks on packages will fail and installation will be interrupted.Make sure to correct the system time, either by doing so manually or with the ntp(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=ntp) client, and retry running the pacstrapcommand. Refer to Time page for more information on correcting system time.

    base (https://www.archlinux.org/groups/i686/base/) : Software packages from the [core]repo to provide the minimal base environment.base-devel (https://www.archlinux.org/groups/i686/base-devel/) : Extra tools from [core]such as make , and automake . Most beginners should choose to install it, as it will likelybe needed to expand the system. The base-devel group will be required to installsoftware from the Arch User Repository.

    This will give you a basic Arch system. Other packages can be installed later usingpacman.Generate an fstab

  • Generate an fstab le with the following command. UUIDs will be used because theyhave certain advantages (see fstab#Identifying lesystems). If you would prefer to uselabels instead, replace the -U option with -L .Note: If you encounter errors running genfstab or later in the install process, do notrun genfstab again; just edit the fstab le.# genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab# nano /mnt/etc/fstab

    A few considerations:Replace "codepage=cp437" with "codepage=437" or else when you next reboot, anymounts with this option will fail and systemd will halt and drop into recovery mode.Please take the time to align the columns properly, using spaces and the Tab key,like in the examples from the fstab page. This way it's easier to read and also easierto spot a problem.Only the root ( / ) partition needs 1 for the last eld. Everything else should haveeither 2 or 0 (see fstab#Field denitions).The data=ordered option can be removed, because it will be used automaticallywhether you specify it or not. No point in cluttering up your fstab.For machines with less than 384 MB RAM, the tmpfs entry should also be removed,because by default it uses half the available RAM.

    Chroot and congure the base systemNext, we chroot into our newly installed system:# arch-chroot /mnt

    At this stage of the installation, you will congure the primary conguration les of yourArch Linux base system. These can either be created if they do not exist, or edited if youwish to change the defaults.Closely following and understanding these steps is of key importance to ensure aproperly congured system.LocaleLocales are used by glibc and other locale-aware programs or libraries for renderingtext, correctly displaying regional monetary values, time and date formats, alphabeticidiosyncrasies, and other locale-specic standards.There are two les that need editing: locale.gen and locale.conf .

    The locale.gen le is empty by default (everything is commented out) and you needto remove the # in front of the line(s) you want. You may uncomment more linesthan just English (US), as long as you choose their UTF-8 encoding:

    # nano /etc/locale.gen

    en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8

  • de_DE.UTF-8 UTF-8

    # locale-gen

    This will run on every glibc upgrade, generating all the locales specied in/etc/locale.gen .

    The locale.conf le doesn't exist by default. Setting only LANG should be enough. Itwill act as the default value for all other variables.

    # echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf# export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

    Note: If you set some other language than English at the beginning of the install, theabove commands would be something like:# echo LANG=de_DE.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf# export LANG=de_DE.UTF-8

    To use other LC_* variables, rst run locale to see the available options. An advancedexample can be found here.Warning: Using the LC_ALL variable is strongly discouraged because it overrideseverything.

    Console font and keymapIf you set a keymap at the beginning of the install process, load it now, as well, becausethe environment has changed. For example:# loadkeys de-latin1# setfont Lat2-Terminus16

    To make them available after reboot, edit vconsole.conf :# nano /etc/vconsole.conf

    KEYMAP=de-latin1FONT=Lat2-Terminus16FONT_MAP=

    KEYMAP Please note that this setting is only valid for your TTYs, not any graphicalwindow managers or Xorg.FONT Available alternate console fonts reside in /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts/ . Thedefault (blank) is safe, but some foreign characters may show up as white squaresor as other symbols. It's recommended that you change it to Lat2-Terminus16 , becauseaccording to /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts/README.Lat2-Terminus16 , it claims to support"about 110 language sets".FONT_MAP Denes the console map to load at boot. Read man setfont . The default

  • (blank) is safe.See Console fonts and man vconsole.conf for more information.Time zoneAvailable time zones and subzones can be found in the /usr/share/zoneinfo//directories.To view the available , check the directory /usr/share/zoneinfo/ :# ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/

    Similarly, you can check the contents of directories belonging to a :# ls /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe

    Create a symbolic link /etc/localtime to your zone le /usr/share/zoneinfo//using this command:# ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo// /etc/localtime

    Example:# ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Minsk /etc/localtime

    Hardware clockSet the hardware clock mode uniformly between your operating systems. Otherwise,they may overwrite the hardware clock and cause time shifts.You can generate /etc/adjtime automatically by using one of the following commands:

    UTC (recommended)Note: Using UTC for the hardware clock does not mean that software will displaytime in UTC.# hwclock --systohc --utc

    localtime (discouraged; used by default in Windows)Warning: Using localtime may lead to several known and unxable bugs.However, there are no plans to drop support for localtime.# hwclock --systohc --localtime

    If you have (or planning on having) a dual boot setup with Windows:

  • Recommended: Set both Arch Linux and Windows to use UTC. A quick registry x isneeded. Also, be sure to prevent Windows from synchronizing the time on-line,because the hardware clock will default back to localtime. If you want suchfunctionality (NTP sync), you should use ntpd on your Arch Linux installationinstead.Not recommended: Set Arch Linux to localtime and disable any time-relatedservices, like ntpd.service . This will let Windows take care of hardware clockcorrections and you will need to remember to boot into Windows at least two timesa year (in Spring and Autumn) when DST kicks in. So please don't ask on the forumswhy the clock is one hour behind or ahead if you usually go for days or weekswithout booting into Windows.

    Kernel modulesTip: This is just an example, you do not need to set it. All needed modules areautomatically loaded by udev, so you will rarely need to add something here. Only addmodules that you know are missing.

    For kernel modules to load during boot, place a *.conf le in /etc/modules-load.d/ , with aname based on the program that uses them.# nano /etc/modules-load.d/virtio-net.conf

    # Load 'virtio-net.ko' at boot.virtio-net

    If there are more modules to load per *.conf , the module names can be separated bynewlines. A good example are the VirtualBox Guest Additions.Empty lines and lines starting with # or ; are ignored.HostnameSet the hostname to your liking (e.g. arch):# echo myhostname > /etc/hostname

    Note: You no longer need to edit /etc/hosts . The nss-myhostname (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=nss-myhostname) package will provide host name resolution, and is installedon all systems by default.Congure the networkYou need to congure the network again, but this time for your newly installedenvironment. The procedure and prerequisites are very similar to the one describedabove, except we are going to make it persistent and automatically run at boot.Note: For more in-depth information on network congration, visit ConguringNetwork and Wireless Setup.

  • WiredDynamic IPIf you only use a single xed wired network connection, you do not need a networkmanagement service and can simply enable the dhcpcd service:# systemctl enable [email protected]

    Alternatively, you can use netcfg (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=netcfg) 'snet-auto-wired , which gracefully handles dynamic connections to new networks:# pacman -S ifplugd# cd /etc/network.d# ln -s examples/ethernet-dhcp .# systemctl enable net-auto-wired.service

    Static IPInstall ifplugd (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=ifplugd) , which is required fornet-auto-wired :# pacman -S ifplugd

    Copy a sample prole from /etc/network.d/examples to /etc/network.d :# cd /etc/network.d# cp examples/ethernet-static .

    Edit the prole as needed:# nano ethernet-static

    Enable the net-auto-wired service:# systemctl enable net-auto-wired.service

    WirelessYou will need to install additional programs to be able to congure and manage wirelessnetwork proles for netcfg.NetworkManager and Wicd are other popular alternatives.

    Install the required packages:# pacman -S wireless_tools wpa_supplicant wpa_actiond dialog

    If your wireless adapter requires a rmware (as described in the above Establish aninternet connection section and also here), install the package containing your rmware.For example:

  • # pacman -S zd1211-firmware

    Connect to the network with wifi-menu (optionally checking the interface name withip link , but usually it's wlan0 ), which will generate a prole le in /etc/network.dnamed after the SSID. There are also templates available in /etc/network.d/examples/for manual conguration.

    # wifi-menu

    Enable the net-auto-wireless service, which will connect to known networks andgracefully handle roaming and disconnects:

    # systemctl enable net-auto-wireless.service

    Note: Netcfg also provides net-auto-wired , which can be used in conjunction withnet-auto-wireless .

    Make sure that the correct wireless interface (usually wlan0 ) is set in/etc/conf.d/netcfg :

    # nano /etc/conf.d/netcfg

    WIRELESS_INTERFACE="wlan0"

    It is also possible to dene a list of network proles that should be automaticallyconnected, using the AUTO_PROFILES variable in /etc/conf.d/netcfg . If AUTO_PROFILES is not set,all known wireless networks will be tried.xDSL (PPPoE), analog modem or ISDNFor xDSL, dial-up and ISDN connections, see Direct Modem Connection.Congure pacmanPacman is the Arch Linux package manager. It is highly recommended to study andlearn how to use it. Read man pacman , have a look at the pacman article, or check out thePacman Rosetta article for a comparison to other popular package managers.For repository selections and pacman options, edit pacman.conf :Note: When choosing repos, be sure to uncomment both the [repo_name] header lines,as well as the Include lines. Failure to do so will result in the selected repository beingomitted! This is a very common error.# nano /etc/pacman.conf

    Most people will want to use [core] , [extra] and [community] .If you installed Arch Linux x86_64, it's recommended that you enable the [multilib]repository, as well (to be able to run both 32 bit and 64 bit applications):

  • [multilib]Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

    See Ocial Repositories for more information, including details about the purpose ofeach repository.For software unavailable directly through pacman, see Arch User Repository.Create an initial ramdisk environmentTip: Most users can skip this step and use the defaults provided in mkinitcpio.conf . Theinitramfs image (from the /boot folder) has already been generated based on this lewhen the linux (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=linux) package (the Linux kernel)was installed earlier with pacstrap .

    Here you need to set the right hooks if the root is on a USB drive, if you use RAID, LVM,or if /usr is on a separate partition.Edit /etc/mkinitcpio.conf as needed and re-generate the initramfs image with:# mkinitcpio -p linux

    Set the root password and add a regular userSet the root password with:# passwd

    Warning: Linux is a multi-user operating system. You should not perform everydaytasks using the root account. It is considered a very poor practice and could beextremely dangerous. The root account should only be used for administrative tasks.

    Then add a normal user account. For a more interactive way, you can use adduser .However, below is the non-interactive way. The user archie is just an example.# useradd -m -g users -s /bin/bash archie# passwd archie

    If you wish to start over, use userdel . The -r option will remove the user's homedirectory and its content, along with the user's settings (the so-called "dot" les).# userdel -r archie

    For more information, read Users and Groups.Install and congure a bootloaderFor BIOS motherboardsFor BIOS systems, there are three bootloaders - Syslinux, GRUB, and LILO. Choose the

  • bootloader as per your convenience. Below only Syslinux and GRUB are explained.Syslinux is (currently) limited to loading only les from the partition where it wasinstalled. Its conguration le is considered to be easier to understand. An exampleconguration can be found here (https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1109328#p1109328) .GRUB is more feature-rich and supports more complex scenarios. Its congurationle(s) is more similar to a scripting language, which may be dicult for beginnersto manually write. It is recommended that they automatically generate one.

    Note: Some BIOS systems may have issues with GPT. See http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/8035.html and http://rodsbooks.com/gdisk/bios.html for more info and possibleworkarounds.

    Syslinux

    Install the syslinux (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=syslinux) package and then usethe syslinux-install_update script to automatically install the les ( -i ), mark the partitionactive by setting the boot ag ( -a ), and install the MBR boot code ( -m ):Note: If you have partitioned the drive as GPT, install gptfdisk (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=gptfdisk) package, as well ( pacman -S gptfdisk ), because it contains sgdisk ,which will be used to set the GPT-specic boot ag.# pacman -S syslinux# syslinux-install_update -iam

    Congure syslinux.cfg to point to the right root partition. This step is vital. If it points tothe wrong partition, Arch Linux will not boot. Change /dev/sda3 to reect your rootpartition (if you partitioned your drive as in the example, your root partition is sda1). Dothe same for the fallback entry.# nano /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg

    ...LABEL arch ... APPEND root=/dev/sda3 ro ...

    For more information on conguring and using Syslinux, see Syslinux.GRUB

    Install the grub-bios (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=grub-bios) package and then rungrub-install :Note: Change /dev/sda to reect the drive you installed Arch on. Do not append apartition number (do not use sdaX ).Note: For GPT-partitioned drives on BIOS motherboards, GRUB needs a 2 MiB "BIOS

  • Boot Partition".# pacman -S grub-bios# grub-install --target=i386-pc --recheck /dev/sda# cp /usr/share/locale/en\@quot/LC_MESSAGES/grub.mo /boot/grub/locale/en.mo

    While using a manually created grub.cfg is absolutely ne, it's recommended thatbeginners automatically generate one:Tip: To automatically search for other operating systems on your computer, installos-prober (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=os-prober) ( pacman -S os-prober ) beforerunning the next command.# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

    For more information on conguring and using GRUB, see GRUB.For UEFI motherboardsFor UEFI boot, the drive needs to be GPT-partitioned, and a UEFI System Partition (512MiB or higher, FAT32, type EF00 ) must be present and mounted on /boot/efi . If you havefollowed this guide from the beginning, you've already done all of these.While there are other UEFI bootloaders available, using EFISTUB is recommended.Below are instructions for setting up EFISTUB and GRUB.Note: Syslinux does not yet support UEFI.

    EFISTUB

    The Linux kernel can act as its own bootloader using EFISTUB. This is the UEFI bootmethod recommended by developers and simpler compared to grub-efi-x86_64 . The belowsteps set up rEFInd (a fork of rEFIt) to provide a menu for EFISTUB kernels, as well asfor booting other UEFI bootloaders. You can also use gummiboot instead of rEFInd. BothrEFInd and gummiboot can detect Windows UEFI bootloader in case of dual-boot.1. Boot in UEFI mode and load efivars kernel module before chrooting:# modprobe efivars # before chrooting

    2. Mount the UEFISYS partition at /mnt/boot/efi , chroot and copy the kernel andinitramfs les to /boot/efi .3. Every time the kernel and initramfs les are updated in /boot , they need to be updatedin /boot/efi/EFI/arch . This can be automated either using systemd or using incron (fornon-systemd setups).4. At this point, you can jump to UEFI Bootloaders#Booting EFISTUB to choose amethod of installing the boot loader. The following instructions will get you set up usinga boot GUI called rEFInd. Install the following packages:

  • # pacman -S refind-efi efibootmgr

    5. Install rEFInd to the UEFISYS partition (summarized from UEFI Bootloaders#UsingrEFInd):# mkdir -p /boot/efi/EFI/refind# cp /usr/lib/refind/refindx64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refindx64.efi# cp /usr/lib/refind/config/refind.conf /boot/efi/EFI/refind/refind.conf# cp -r /usr/share/refind/icons /boot/efi/EFI/refind/icons

    6. Create a refind_linux.conf le with the kernel parameters to be used by rEFInd:# nano /boot/efi/EFI/arch/refind_linux.conf

    "Boot to X" "root=/dev/sdaX ro rootfstype=ext4 systemd.unit=graphical.target""Boot to console" "root=/dev/sdaX ro rootfstype=ext4 systemd.unit=multi-user.target"

    Note: refind_linux.conf should be in the same directory as the kernel and initramfs les,not the directory refindx64.efi resides.

    7. Add rEFInd to UEFI boot menu using ebootmgr.Warning: Using efibootmgr on Apple Macs may brick the rmware and may needreash of the motherboard ROM. For Macs, use mactel-boot (https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/mactel-boot/) , or "bless" from within Mac OS X.# efibootmgr -c -g -d /dev/sdX -p Y -w -L "rEFInd" -l '\EFI\refind\refindx64.efi'

    Note: In the above command, X and Y denote the drive and partition of the UEFISYSpartition. For example, in /dev/sdc5 , X is "c" and Y is "5".

    8. (Optional) As a fallback, in case efibootmgr created boot entry does not work, copyrefindx64.efi to /boot/efi/EFI/boot/bootx64.efi as follows:# cp -r /boot/efi/EFI/refind/* /boot/efi/EFI/boot/# mv /boot/efi/EFI/boot/refindx64.efi /boot/efi/EFI/boot/bootx64.efi

    GRUB

    Note: In case you have a system with 32-bit EFI, like pre-2008 Macs, installgrub-efi-i386 instead, and use --target=i386-efi .

    # pacman -S grub-efi-x86_64 efibootmgr# grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot/efi --bootloader-id=arch_grub --recheck# cp /usr/share/locale/en\@quot/LC_MESSAGES/grub.mo /boot/grub/locale/en.mo

    The next command creates a menu entry for GRUB in the UEFI boot menu. However, asof grub-efi-x86_64 (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=grub-efi-x86_64) version 2.00,grub-install tries to create a menu entry, so running efibootmgr may not be necessary. SeeUEFI#ebootmgr for more info.

  • # efibootmgr -c -g -d /dev/sdX -p Y -w -L "Arch Linux (GRUB)" -l '\EFI\arch_grub\grubx64.efi'

    Next, while using a manually created grub.cfg is absolutely ne, it's recommended thatbeginners automatically generate one:Tip: To automatically search for other operating systems on your computer, installos-prober (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=os-prober) ( pacman -S os-prober ) beforerunning the next command.# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

    For more information on conguring and using GRUB, see GRUB.Unmount the partitions and rebootExit from the chroot environment:# exit

    Since the partitions are mounted under /mnt , we use the following command to unmountthem:# umount /mnt/{boot,home,}

    Reboot the computer:# reboot

    Tip: Be sure to remove the installation media, otherwise you will boot back into it.

    ExtraCongratulations, and welcome to your new Arch Linux system!Your new Arch Linux base system is now a functional GNU/Linux environment ready forcustomization. From here, you may build this elegant set of tools into whatever you wishor require for your purposes. Most people are interested in a desktop system, completewith sound and graphics: this part of the guide provides a brief overview of theprocedures to acquire these extras.Go ahead and login with your user account.Package managementSudo can noticeably simplify administering your system.See pacman and FAQ#Package Management for answers regarding installing, updating,and managing packages.Sound

  • ALSA usually works out-of-the-box. It just needs to be unmuted. Install alsa-utils(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=alsa-utils) (which contains alsamixer ) and followthese instructions.ALSA is included with the kernel and it is recommended to try it rst. However, if it doesnot work, or if you are not satised with the quality, OSS is a viable alternative. If youhave advanced audio requirements, take a look at Sound for an overview of variousarticles.Graphical User InterfaceInstall XThe X Window System (commonly X11, or X) is a networking and display protocol whichprovides windowing on bitmap displays. It provides the standard toolkit and protocol tobuild graphical user interfaces (GUIs).To install the base Xorg packages:# pacman -S xorg-server xorg-xinit xorg-server-utils

    Install mesa for 3D support:# pacman -S mesa

    Install a video driverNote: If you installed Arch as a VirtualBox guest, you don't need to install a videodriver. See Arch Linux guests for installing and setting up Guest Additions, and jump tothe conguration part below.

    If you don't know which video chipset is available on your machine, run:$ lspci | grep VGA

    For a complete list of open-source video drivers, search the package database:$ pacman -Ss xf86-video | less

    The vesa driver is a generic mode-setting driver that will work with almost every GPU,but will not provide any 2D or 3D acceleration. If a better driver cannot be found or failsto load, Xorg will fall back to vesa. To install it:# pacman -S xf86-video-vesa

    In order for video acceleration to work, and often to expose all the modes that the GPUcan set, a proper video driver is required:

    Brand Type Driver Multilib Package(for 32 bit Documentation

  • applications on Archx86_64)

    AMD/ATI

    Opensource

    xf86-video-ati(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-ati)

    lib32-ati-dri(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=lib32-

    ati-dri)ATI

    Proprietarycatalyst-dkms

    (https://www.archlinux.org/packages

    /?name=catalyst-dkms)

    lib32-catalyst-utils(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=lib32-

    catalyst-utils)AMD Catalyst

    Intel Opensource

    xf86-video-intel(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-intel)

    lib32-intel-dri(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=lib32-

    intel-dri)Intel

    xf86-video-i740(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-i740)

    (legacy driver)

    Nvidia

    Opensource

    xf86-video-nouveau(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-nouveau)

    (+ nouveau-dri(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=nouveau-dri) for3D support)

    lib32-nouveau-dri(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=lib32-

    nouveau-dri)Nouveau

    xf86-video-nv(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-nv)

    (legacy driver)

    Proprietarynvidia

    (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=nvidia)

    lib32-nvidia-utils(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=lib32-

    nvidia-utils)NVIDIA

    SiS Opensource

    xf86-video-sis(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-sis)

    xf86-video-sisimedia(https://www.archlinux.org

    /packages/?name=xf86-video-sisimedia)xf86-video-sisusb

    (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=xf86-

    video-sisusb)

    SiS

    Install input drivers

  • Udev should be capable of detecting your hardware without problems. The evdev driver(xf86-input-evdev (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=xf86-input-evdev) ) is the modernhot-plugging input driver for almost all devices, so in most cases, installing input driversis not needed. At this point, evdev has already been installed as a dependency of thexorg-server (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=xorg-server) package.Laptop users (or users with a tactile screen) will need the xf86-input-synaptics(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=xf86-input-synaptics) package for thetouchpad/touchscreen to work:# pacman -S xf86-input-synaptics

    For instructions on ne tuning or troubleshooting touchpad issues, see the TouchpadSynaptics article.Congure XWarning: Proprietary drivers usually require a reboot after installation. See NVIDIA orAMD Catalyst for details.

    Xorg features auto-detection and therefore can function without an xorg.conf . If you stillwish to manually congure X Server, please see the Xorg wiki page.Here you may set a keyboard layout if you do not use a standard US keyboard.Note: The XkbLayout key may dier from the keymap code you used with the loadkeyscommand. A list of many keyboard layouts and variants can be found in/usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/base.lst (after the line beginning with ! layout ). For instance, thelayout gb corresponds to "English (UK)", whereas for the console it was loadkeys uk .

    Test XTip: These steps are optional. Test only if you're installing Arch Linux for the rst time,or if you're installing on new and unfamiliar hardware.Note: If your input devices are not working during this test, install the needed driverfrom the xorg-drivers (https://www.archlinux.org/groups/i686/xorg-drivers/) group, and tryagain. For a complete list of available input drivers, invoke a pacman search (press Q toexit):$ pacman -Ss xf86-input | less

    You only need xf86-input-keyboard (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=xf86-input-keyboard)or xf86-input-mouse (https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=xf86-input-mouse) if you plan ondisabling hot-plugging, otherwise, evdev will act as the input driver (recommended).

    Install the default environment:# pacman -S xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm

  • If Xorg was installed before creating the non-root user, there will be a template .xinitrcle in your home directory that needs to be either deleted or commented out. Simplydeleting it will cause X to run with the default environment installed above.$ rm ~/.xinitrc

    Note: X must always be run on the same tty where the login occurred, to preserve thelogind session. This is handled by the default /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc .

    To start the (test) Xorg session, run:$ startx

    A few movable windows should show up, and your mouse should work. Once you aresatised that X installation was a success, you may exit out of X by issuing the exitcommand into the prompts until you return to the console.$ exit

    If the screen goes black, you may still attempt to switch to a dierent virtual console(e.g. Ctrl+Alt+F2 ), and blindly log in as root. You can do this by typing "root" (press Enterafter typing it) and entering the root password (again, press Enter after typing it).You may also attempt to kill the X server with:# pkill X

    If this does not work, reboot blindly with:# reboot

    Troubleshooting

    If a problem occurs, look for errors in Xorg.0.log . Be on the lookout for any linesbeginning with (EE) which represent errors, and also (WW) which are warnings that couldindicate other issues.$ grep EE /var/log/Xorg.0.log

    If you are still having trouble after consulting the Xorg article and need assistance viathe Arch Linux forums or the IRC channel, be sure to install and use wgetpaste(https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?name=wgetpaste) by providing the links from:# pacman -S wgetpaste$ wgetpaste ~/.xinitrc$ wgetpaste /etc/X11/xorg.conf$ wgetpaste /var/log/Xorg.0.log

    Note: Please provide all pertinent information (hardware, driver information, etc)

  • when asking for assistance.FontsAt this point, you may wish to install a set of TrueType fonts, as only unscalable bitmapfonts are included by default. DejaVu is a set of high quality, general-purpose fonts withgood Unicode coverage:# pacman -S ttf-dejavu

    Refer to Font Conguration for how to congure font rendering and Fonts for fontsuggestions and installation instructions.Choose and install a graphical interfaceThe X Window System provides the basic framework for building a graphical userinterface (GUI).Note: Choosing your DE or WM is a very subjective and personal decision. Choose thebest environment for your needs. You can also build your own DE with just a WM andthe applications of your choice.

    Window Managers (WM) control the placement and appearance of applicationwindows in conjunction with the X Window System.Desktop Environments (DE) work atop and in conjunction with X, to provide acompletely functional and dynamic GUI. A DE typically provides a window manager,icons, applets, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers, a suite of applications andabilities like drag and drop.

    Instead of starting X manually with xorg-xinit , see Display Manager for instructions onusing a display manager, or see Start X at Login for using an existing virtual terminal asan equivalent to a display manager.AppendixFor a list of applications that may be of interest, see List of Applications.See General Recommendations for post-installation tutorials like setting up a touchpador font rendering.

    Retrieved from "https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Beginners%27_Guide&oldid=234501"Categories: About Arch Getting and installing Arch

    This page was last modied on 9 November 2012, at 03:40.Content is available under GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 or later.