archinstall

archinstall

Pre-installation

In the latest Arch Linux ISO

• Set the console keyboard

loadkeys sv-latin1

• Connect to the internet Find device name

root@archiso ~ # ip addr show

2: wlan0: ...

iwctl station wlan0 scan
iwctl station wlan0 get-networks

root@archiso ~ # iwctl --passphrase <passphrase> station wlan0 connect <NetworkName>

Guided installation

Archinstall ships with a pre-programmed Guided Installer guiding you through the mandatory steps as well as some optional configurations that can be done.
To start the installer, run

root@archiso ~ # archinstall

Set bootloader: grub (fallback: systemd-boot) profile: Minimal
Filesystem: btrfs
packages: git, openssh, vi

otherwise my choice, see user_configuration_x1.json

Post-installation

XLibre

X11 display server. Striving to improve the existing code base while maintaining backward compatibility to make X11 a viable choice for the future

Build and install from AUR, see README

Clone dotfiles

mkdir repos
git clone git@github.com:holmen1/dotfiles.git

Install packages

First install yay

sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel && git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git && cd yay && makepkg -si

then

./scripts/yay_install.sh ~/[path]/pkglist.txt

dont forget foreignpkglist.txt if any

See packages for more

Install binaries

pre-built binaries from the build factory:

cp /mnt/usb/st-0.9.2 /opt/st
cp /mnt/usb/xmonad-v0.18.0 /opt/xmonad/

and link to /usr/local/bin

Link dotfiles

link_x_config.sh

Enable System Monitoring (Battery & WiFi)

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable system-monitor.timer
systemctl --user start system-monitor.timer

Setting Brightness and Volume Keybindings with xbindkeys

1. First, install xbindkeys
2. Create a config file:

   touch ~/.xbindkeysrc

3. Add brightness controls to ~/.xbindkeysrc:

   # Decrease brightness
   "brightnessctl set 10%-"
     XF86MonBrightnessDown
   
   # Increase brightness
   "brightnessctl set +10%"
     XF86MonBrightnessUp
   
   # Simple ALSA Volume Controls
   "amixer -q set Master 5%+ unmute"
    XF86AudioRaiseVolume
   
   "amixer -q set Master 5%- unmute"
    XF86AudioLowerVolume
   
   "amixer -q set Master toggle"
    XF86AudioMute
   

4. Add xbindkeys to your .xinitrc:

   # Launch key binding daemon
   xbindkeys &

Sanity check

Run the sanity check script to verify your installation:

~/repos/dotfiles/install/archinstall/sanity_check.sh

This script verifies:

• Essential commands (git, ssh, xmonad, xterm)
• XMonad custom binary and configuration
• Screen locking (i3lock) functionality
• Power management (wheel group, passwordless shutdown)
• System monitoring services
• Key bindings and input controls
• Screenshot functionality (scrot, Downloads directory)
• Dotfile symlinks
• Git and SSH configuration
• Repository structure

• Install Haskell

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://get-ghcup.haskell.org | sh

• Build XMonad

REPAIR

On a Btrfs root file system with subvolumes, you have to make sure that all subvolumes are properly mounted as specified in fstab before entering chroot

root@archiso ~ # fdisk -l
/dev/nvme0n1p1    2048    2099199   2097152     1G EFI System
/dev/nvme0n1p2 2099200 1000213167 998113968 475.9G Linux root (x86-64)

# mount -o subvol=@ /dev/nvme0np2 /mnt
# mount -o subvol=@home /dev/nvme0np2 /mnt/home

# lsblk 

# arch-chroot /mnt

chroot to user

[root@archiso /]# su - holmen1

[root@archiso /]# exit
# cd /
# umount --recursive /pa

Export installed packages

Keeping a list of all explicitly installed packages can be useful to backup a system or quicken the installation of a new one

$ .repos/dotfiles/scripts/export_packages.sh ~/repos/linuxinstall/arch/packages/

creates files pkglist.txt and foreignpkglist.txt in the packages directory

LESSONS LEARNED

Update linux-firmware

Manual Intervention Required (June 2025)

Important:
Starting with linux-firmware >= 20250613.12fe085f-5, the package was split and the NVIDIA firmware layout changed. Upgrading from an earlier version may cause errors like:

linux-firmware-nvidia: /usr/lib/firmware/nvidia/ad103 exists in filesystem
...

Solution

1. Download new firmware packages before removing the old one (to avoid losing WiFi):

   sudo pacman -Sw linux-firmware
   

2. Remove the old package (this does NOT delete firmware files from disk):

   sudo pacman -Rdd linux-firmware
   

3. Upgrade and reinstall:

   sudo pacman -Syu linux-firmware
   

Note: Removing linux-firmware with -Rdd only removes the package from the database. The actual firmware files remain on disk, so your WiFi and other hardware should keep working during the upgrade.

References:

• Arch Linux News: linux-firmware upgrade requires manual intervention

If You Lose WiFi: Update with Archinstall ISO

If you lose WiFi connectivity during a linux-firmware upgrade and cannot restore it from your installed system, you can use the Arch Linux ISO (live environment) to repair your system:

1. Boot from the latest Arch Linux ISO (USB/DVD).

2. Connect to the internet using a wired (Ethernet) connection if possible.
   If WiFi is unavailable, Ethernet is the most reliable option.

3. Mount your root partition and (if needed) other subvolumes:

   # mount -o subvol=@ /dev/<root-partition> /mnt
   # mount -o subvol=@home /dev/<root-partition> /mnt/home
   

   (Replace <root-partition> with your actual device, e.g., nvme0n1p2.)

4. Mount other necessary filesystems:

   # mount /dev/<efi-partition> /mnt/boot
   # mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
   # mount --bind /proc /mnt/proc
   # mount --bind /sys /mnt/sys
   

5. Chroot into your installed system:

   # arch-chroot /mnt
   

6. Update and reinstall firmware packages:

   # pacman -Syu linux-firmware
   

   (Add any other firmware packages you need, e.g., linux-firmware-nvidia-gsp.)

7. Exit chroot and reboot:

   # exit
   # reboot
   

Your system should now have the latest firmware and, if supported, WiFi should work again.

---

Tip:
If you need to download packages on another machine, you can copy them to /mnt/var/cache/pacman/pkg/ before installing with pacman -U.

---

References:

• Arch Wiki: Chroot
• Arch Wiki: General Troubleshooting

Gotchas

$ systemctl status NetworkManager