Install Arch Linux

This is my personal setup almost every time I install Arch Linux. This is meant for me as being something I can quickly reference.

Change localkeys to my keyboard layout

You can find your keymap file by using localectl:

localectl list-keymaps

In my case I have a Serbian keyboard layout.

loadkeys sr-latin

Create Partitions

To list block devices :

lsblk

Now, select a device to partition

cfdisk /dev/DEVICE

Set up the partions, mount and use swap

Let us say you have a simple setup:

• /boot/efi partition (vfat)
• / partition (ext4)
• /home partition (ext4)

NOTE: lsblk is a very nice tool to doublecheck your partition(s) structure.

First we format to the file systems we want:

mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/PART (/boot/efi)
mkfs.ext4 /dev/PART (/, /home)

And then mount the file systems to /mnt:

# Mount / (root)
mount /dev/sdaxY /mnt

Create /mnt structure, one-liner:

mkdir -p /mnt/{boot,home}

# Mount /boot, /home
mount /dev/PART /mnt/<point>

Installing the actual base system and doas

Install the base system, with some packages I like as well.

pacstrap /mnt base base-devel opendoas neovim iwd dhcpcd linux linux-headers linux-firmware

Generate the fstab (so it knows how things are mounted)

This is why we had to mount everything as first, so genfstab would know what to do when generating the fstab.

genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

chroot into the installed system with /bin/bash

arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash

Locale (system language)

Depending on what you want, you change the /etc/locale.gen file:

nvim /etc/locale.gen

NOTE: Use UTF-8 whenever possible.

DOUBLE NOTE: If you are from America, you don't need to change the file.

When done, you simply generate the locales you want and tell the system what you want to use.

Generate:

locale-gen

Tell the system what we use:

echo LANG=en_US.UTF-8 > /etc/locale.conf
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

Timezone

Symlink/Set your timezone:

ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/CONTINENT/CITY /etc/localtime

Set system to the Hardware Clock

hwclock --systohc --local

Hostname

Choose an awesome hostname:

echo myhostname > /etc/hostname

Edit /etc/vconsole.conf:

KEYMAP=sr-latin

Add matching entries to hosts:

127.0.0.1	localhost
::1		    localhost
127.0.1.1	myhostname.localdomain	myhostname

Ramdisk

Initial ramdisk environment.

mkinitcpio -P

This actually ran under the pacstrap process, I just like to be safe.

Root Password

Be stronk:

passwd

Grub (Bootloader)

Well, we need a bootloader:

pacman -S refind

It's as simple as

refind-install

Also, it will break on first boot. You will have to find a way to boot without it and do refind-install again within the system.

Exit arch-chroot

exit

Umount /mnt and reboot

Unmount EVERYTHING and reboot the system.

umount -R /mnt
reboot

Login as Root to Arch Linux and permantly set the keymap (keyboard)

Now we want to make our keyboard layout permanent:

localectl set-keymap --no-convert sr-latin

Add User and set Password

useradd -m -g users -G audio,video,network,games,wheel -s /bin/bash username
passwd username

Change sudoers file using nvim

EDITOR=nvim visudo

Uncomment wheel group.

# %wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

Enable services :

systemctl enable --now dhcpcd iwd

Logout of Root

exit

Login as your username and test sudo with pacman

sudo pacman -Syyu  ...