Arch Linux

sionydus

Member

Registered: 2011-12-04

Posts: 4

ArchLinux through KVM

Hello,

I am an Ubuntu user attempting to try out non-Debian Linux distros through virtualization as to best choose a third OS (on top of Win7 and Pinguy OS), preferably one that will facilitate me learning more about the Linux system. I also do this as a fool-proof way of keeping the rest of my system intact in the event that I do something stupid, given the more freedom to screw up that a more advanced OS allows.

Unfortunately, right now I am stuck at the installation process in virtualizing ArchLinux because I am having trouble figuring/finding out how disk partitions and networks work under KVM, which I am managing through virt-manager.

As I keep creating and overwriting my ArchLinux images (as they flop), my settings are as follows: 8gb for partition settings, 1-2 CPU and 1024mb of RAM. Once I get to the part where I have to partition, it tells me "Could not find disk" and that I need to manually specify one. I don't know of one, so I fib, and installation has to restart. When I attempt to partition manually, cfdisk panics and quits. I do not understand where to proceed.

Of course, even if I brave past this step, I have other issues... So could someone point how to set up partitions under virt-manager? Even better: can someone hold my hand through setting up ArchLinux using virt-manager?

Thanks.

sionydus

Member

Registered: 2011-12-04

Posts: 4

Re: ArchLinux through KVM

I have found a work-around to the partitioning problem: simply specify /dev/vda when asked to do so manually. Please forgive me for not setting this to 'RESOLVED' just yet; I would like to finish the installation without so much as a scratch first.

sionydus

Member

Registered: 2011-12-04

Posts: 4

Re: ArchLinux through KVM

I'm in the configuring step. Now it seems /etc/fstab only lists tmpfs as a partition. Do I need to add my virtual partition to it? If so, what values should it have?

paziul

Member

From: N.C.

Registered: 2011-11-23

Posts: 27

Re: ArchLinux through KVM

tmpfs it is a "RAM disk" - it is not a 'partition' or a filesystem on your hard disk or other block device - yes you need to create the proper file systems, at least one that th root '/' will live on - here is a sample fstab with a "RAM" tmpfs, root and swap space:

tmpfs			/tmp		tmpfs		nodev,nosuid	0 0
/dev/sda1 		/ 		ext4 		defaults,noatime 	0 1
/dev/sda2 		none	 	swap 		defaults 	0 0

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"...and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks..."