Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@guneydoganer
Forked from mattiaslundberg/arch-linux-install
Last active April 27, 2020 22:23
Show Gist options
  • Select an option

  • Save guneydoganer/b8133e07448f53d7755cb43db2d3b182 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.

Select an option

Save guneydoganer/b8133e07448f53d7755cb43db2d3b182 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Minimal instructions for installing arch linux on an UEFI NVMe system with full system encryption using dm-crypt, luks and systemd-boot
# Install ARCH Linux with encrypted file-system and UEFI
# The official installation guide (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_Guide) contains a more verbose description.
# Download the archiso image from https://www.archlinux.org/
# Copy to a usb-drive
dd if=archlinux.img of=/dev/sdX bs=16M && sync # on linux
# Boot from the usb. If the usb fails to boot, make sure that secure boot is disabled in the BIOS configuration.
# To list all available keymaps, use the following command:
localectl list-keymaps
# Set your keymap, default keymap is named 'us'
loadkeys us
# This assumes a wifi only system...
#wifi-menu
# Add settings for ethernet here...
# perhaps the following two packages: netctl dhcpcd
# Create partitions
cgdisk /dev/nvme0n1
1 512MB EFI partition # Hex code ef00
2 100% size partiton # (to be encrypted) Hex code 8300
mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/nvme0n1p1
mkfs.ext2 /dev/nvme0n1p2
# Setup the encryption of the system with 256 bit effective size
cryptsetup -c aes-xts-plain64 --key-size 512 --hash sha512 --iter-time 3000 -y --use-random luksFormat /dev/nvme0n1p2
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/nvme0n1p2 luks
# Create encrypted partitions
# This creates one partions for root, modify if /home or other partitions should be on separate partitions
pvcreate /dev/mapper/luks
vgcreate vg0 /dev/mapper/luks
lvcreate --size 16G vg0 --name swap
lvcreate -l +100%FREE vg0 --name root
# Create filesystems on encrypted partitions
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/vg0-root
mkswap /dev/mapper/vg0-swap
# Mount the new system
mount /dev/mapper/vg0-root /mnt # /mnt is the installed system
swapon /dev/mapper/vg0-swap # Not needed but a good thing to test
mkdir /mnt/boot
mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/boot
# Install the system also includes stuff needed for starting wifi when first booting into the newly installed system
# Unless vim and zsh are desired these can be removed from the command
pacstrap /mnt base base-devel linux linux-firmware zsh vim git efibootmgr mkinitcpio lvm2 dialog networkmanager wireless_tools wpa_supplicant os-prober
xdg-user-dirs xorg-server xorg-apps xorg-xinit xterm ttf-dejavu gvfs gvfs-smb gvfs-mtp pulseaudio pavucontrol pulseaudio-alsa alsa-utils unzip xf86-input-libinput polkit-gnome network-manager-applet
# 'install' fstab
genfstab -pU /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
# Make /tmp a ramdisk (add the following line to /mnt/etc/fstab)
tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0
# Change relatime on all non-boot partitions to noatime (reduces wear if using an SSD)
# Enter the new system
arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash
# Setup system clock
ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Amsterdam /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc --utc
# Set the hostname
echo MYHOSTNAME > /etc/hostname
# Generate locale
# Uncomment wanted locales in /etc/locale.gen
vim /etc/locale.gen
locale-gen
localectl set-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8
# To avoid problems with gnome-terminal set locale system wide
# Do NOT set LC_ALL=C. It overrides all the locale vars and messes up special characters
# Pay attention to the UTF-8. Capital letters !
echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 >> /etc/locale.conf
echo LC_ALL= >> /etc/locale.conf
# Set password for root
passwd
# Add real user remove -s flag if you don't whish to use zsh
useradd -m -g users -G wheel -s /bin/zsh MYUSERNAME
passwd MYUSERNAME
# Configure mkinitcpio with modules needed for the initrd image
vim /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
# Add 'ext4' to MODULES
# Add 'encrypt' and 'lvm2' to HOOKS before filesystems
# Add 'resume' after 'lvm2' (also has to be after 'udev')
# Regenerate initrd image
mkinitcpio -p linux
# Setup systembootd (grub will not work on nvme at this moment)
bootctl --path=/boot install
# Create loader.conf
echo 'default arch' >> /boot/loader/loader.conf
echo 'timeout 5' >> /boot/loader/loader.conf
# Create arch.conf (or XYZ.conf for default XYZ in loader.conf)
vim /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf
# Add the following content to arch.conf
# <UUID> is the the one of the raw encrypted device (/dev/nvme0n1p2). It can be found with the 'blkid' command
title Arch Linux
linux /vmlinuz-linux
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
options cryptdevice=UUID=<UUID>:vg0 root=/dev/mapper/vg0-root resume=/dev/mapper/vg0-swap rw intel_pstate=no_hwp
# Exit new system and go into the cd shell
exit
# Unmount all partitions
umount -R /mnt
swapoff -a
# Reboot into the new system, don't forget to remove the cd/usb
reboot
# Bonus: Fix the system-clock if dual booting with Windows 10
# This command makes Linux use local time, just like Win10.
timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock
#For during chroot or after logging in for the first time:
systemctl enable dhcpcd.service
systemctl enable NetworkManager.service
systemctl enable cpupower.service
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment