Arch Linux reinstall script
To suit my personal preferences and diverting package choices compared to stock arch linux I have created a simple reinstall script to suit my needs.
goal
The goal is to have a somewhat uniform way of installing my machines and have full disk encryption for root. Here the unlock key is stored on a portable usb device for additional security. You can argue about the added value over a password, but I like it this way.
The script should also enable me to install a new machine fairly quickly without having to do all the things manually. So if I want to use Deepin desktop, Plasma desktop, i3 or fluxbox, I want to get a working set of packages which I can start working with. Eventually there might be packages I need to do something extra, but I just tried to have a sane default for myself.
choices
I made some choices for myself how I want to install my machines.
- filesystem: xfs or btrfs
- bootloader: grub
- default user: ike
- keyboard layout: belgian
My preferred filesystems are xfs and btrfs. For a default install I will probably use xfs, but if I want to have snapshots and other customizability I will pick btrfs. Before I was using syslinux or refind as bootloader, but because this added additional complexity I switched back to grub, this allows for installs on msdos (bios) or gpt (EFI) the same way.
How to use
Prepare
- download the iso somewhere
- put the iso on a usb or cd
- boot your system with the iso
Basic live env setup
keyboard setup
If you need to change your keyboard layout like me, first thing to run is
$ loadkeys be-latin1
Or loadkeys with your keymap.
wifi
Configure wifi if needed
$ wifi-menu
prepare usb ‘key’ device
If you have an empty device you also have to format it.
$ mkfs.ext2 -L keydrive /dev/sdb1
Make the /media/usb directory.
$ mkdir -p /media/usb
And then mount the usb ‘key’ device to /media/usb
$ mount /dev/sdb1 /media/usb
Installation
Check some things
- what will be my root disk (sda, nvme1)
- will I do EFI boot or BIOS boot
get the archlinux-reinstall repo
We need git to get the archlinux-reinstall repo
$ pacman -Sy git
clone the repo
$ git clone https://github.com/BlackIkeEagle/archlinux-reinstall.git
Go into the new folder and run ‘a’ installer (see installer types)
$ cd archlinux-reinstall
$ ./install.sh
The script will ask 6 questions and then run almost until you can reboot.
- Which blockdevice (pass it without leading /dev/)
- efi or legacy boot
- btrfs or xfs
- nvme disk? (nvme disks add a ‘p’ for the partitions)
- checkblocks (do you first want to run checkblocks on the device)
- root password (at the end of the run)
If you run as described above you will get a minimal install of archlinux with my preferred kernel and configuration.
reboot and post install
Reboot and remove the installation medium.
when logged in as root, first run ./post-install-first-run.sh. And then
continue configuring whatever you want. The inital password for the ike user is
set expired so you have to pick a new password on first login. Also this first
login should better be done before trying to login with a display manager.
installer types
install.sh
This is just a minimal working system with xfs or btrfs.
install-plasma.sh
Install Plasma desktop with the required packages to have a nice working Plasma environment.
install-deepin.sh
Install Deepin desktop the way I think it works properly without installing everything of the deepin group.
install-i3.sh
Installs i3 with some extra packages for desktopish operation. This comes without display manager because I use it with startx.
install-fluxbox.sh
Installs fluxbox with extra packages for desktop use.
Closing
I made this just for me, if you find it usefull feel free to use it. You might need to to some customizations to suit your needs.