Arch Linux
Arch Linux is a Linux-based operating system. It is distinguished from other distributions by its rolling release development model and bleeding edge ethos.
Contents
Installation
See the manual.
But roughly...
- Download an ISO and flash to a USB
try: dd bs=4M if=path/to/archlinux-version-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdXN conv=fsync oflag=direct status=progress
- Boot into the live USB
Partition and format the installation drive with
an EFI System Partition (ESP) with ~512K formatted as FAT32
sometimes this partition type is labeled EFI (FAT-12/16/32)
a root partition formatted as ext4
leave as the default (Linux) partition type
mount(8) the root partition to /mnt, and then the ESP to /mnt/boot
swapon(8) the swap partition
- install the kernel
try: pacstrap -K /mnt base linux linux-firmware
generate the fstab(5) file
try: genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
chroot(1) into the new installation
try: arch-chroot /mnt
install grub and any microcode that may be needed
- setup the boot loader
try: grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/mnt/boot --bootloader-id=GRUB then grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg`
if needed, install and setup networking (because the live USB includes some daemons and utilities that aren't installed and enabled by default)
poweroff(8), remove the live USB, and try booting directly into the new installation
Upgrading
Arch Linux is a rolling release. There are no versioned releases, just the current state.
Keep an installation of Arch Linux up-to-date by frequently running:
sudo pacman -Syyu
Administration