How to install Arch for experienced Linux users

install_arch.md

Install Arch

The installation guide for ArchLinux is designed for first-time Arch Linux user that can't proceed installing ArchLinux. But have thorough understanding of how Linux OS bootstraps.
Therefore This documentation skips all of the "bloat" that is basically "Linux for dummies".

This documentation will explain how to install ArchLinux for some-how experienced Linux users who installed using TUI Installer since forever.

Table of Contents

1. Environment Setup
2. Installation
3. Configuration

Environment Setup

1. Boot to LiveCD
2. Set the console keyboard layout with comand if you are using keyboard layout non-ANSI (e.g. loadkeys no-latin1).
   For other available keyboard layout: ls /usr/share/kbd/keymaps/**/*.map.gz.
3. Set the console font with command (e.g. setfont ter-132b for high-DPI screens).
   For other available font layout: ls /usr/share/kbd/consolefonts/
4. (UEFI only) Check if you have booted which version of UEFI using cat /sys/firmware/efi/fw_platform_size.
   Note: use systemd-boot if you have 32-bit UEFI.
5. Connect to internet using ip command. You already know how to do it.
6. Setup system time using timedatectl and setup clocksource. You already know how to do it.
   • timedatectl set-ntp true - setup ntp server at /etc/ntp.conf
   • (if you dual boot windows, and you non-UTC on System clock) timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock
7. Prepare the disk partition and setup filesystem or swap using fdisk or something. For example:
   • EFI Partition (if UEFI) - use FAT
   • root filesystem partition
   • SWAP Partition (if you want)
8. Mount root filesystem
9. Mount EFI Partition to /boot of root filesystem if you are using UEFI.

Now you have prepared your disk and time data to install arch.

Installation

1. use pacstrap to install base linux linux-firmware packages. pacstrap -K /root_mountpoint base linux linux-firmware
2. install your favorite text editor. For my case: emacs
pacstrap -K /root_mountpoint emacs
3. Create /etc/fstab file on root filesystem. You can automate this via using genfstab -U /root_mountpoint >> /mnt/etc/fstab.
4. chroot into your root mountpoint using arch-chroot.
5. Install your bootloader, Using GRUB since I like GNU/Bloat(tm).
   1. pacman -Sy grub efibootmgr
   2. grub-install --target={arch} --efi-directory=/boot --bootloader-id=GRUB
   3. grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
6. Install microcode
   1. Intel: Install intel-ucode package
   2. AMD: Install amd-ucode package

Configuration

1. setup timezone via symlinking current timezone at /usr/share/zoneinfo/Your/Timezone into /etc/localtime.
2. generate /etc/adjtime and set hardware clock with hwclock --systohc.
3. edit /etc/locale.gen and apply it with locale-gen.
4. edit /etc/locale.conf to set locale and update /etc/vconsole.conf if you need to set console keyboard layout
5. set hostname via /etc/hostname.
6. (If you need initramfs update) edit /etc/mkinitcpio.conf and build initramfs with mkinitcpio -P.
7. Set root password with passwd.
8. Reboot.
9. Now you can proudly say "btw, I use arch."