ArchLinux Basic Setup

Shelly · 2012-03-16 12:16:35

Hello everybody,

A nerdy guy and I created a basic-setup-script for archlinux, which is based on the Unofficial Beginners' Guide. Note, that the script is still under developement.

You can view the sourcecode on github: archlinux-basic-setup.

Features:

Languages (English, German)
New user
Steps for non-netinstall users
Add the fastest Servers to mirrorlist
Archlinuxfr
Multilib (x86)
Keyring in Pacman
Audio and various codecs
Xorg
Graphics (ATI/NVIDIA)
GNOME/KDE/XFCE/LXDE
Networkmanager (Wireless)
Samba
CUPS
NTFS r/w support
VirtualBox (optional)
Dropbox (optional)

We would be very glad, if you give us feedback to improve the script.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Last edited by Shelly (2012-09-14 12:40:03)

tomk · 2012-03-16 14:10:16

You consider all of the above to be "basic"?

Czarcasmo · 2012-03-16 14:17:10

I think for a basic setup one could go without samba, CUPS, VirtualBox, Dropbox, and Archlinuxfr. Perhaps I am latching too much on the word 'basic.' A basic setup to me is what you get with a default install of Arch. Once you add these packages, it is not...basic anymore.

Czar.

ANOKNUSA · 2012-03-16 15:12:16

I don't mean any offense, Shelly, and I don't want to discourage you after having just joined the community, but you seem to have missed the point entirely. If a "basic" set-up required a full-blown desktop (many of us use stand-alone window managers), discrete graphics drivers (many of us have laptops with Intel chips), [mutlilib] (many people still use i686 machines), unofficial repositories (archlinuxfr is a specialized repository containing many things available straight from the AUR anyway), or a virtual machine (a very specialized piece of software most people have likely never heard of), those things would be included with the installation image. Those things aren't required, ergo the packages aren't included in a basic installation. The installer is set up so as to provide the least amount of pre-configured utilities possible, so that nothing stands in the way of the user's ability to configure the system to their liking--except their own sloth or timidity, of course, in which case Arch likely isn't for them.

Last edited by ANOKNUSA (2012-03-16 15:12:43)

Shelly · 2012-03-16 20:11:15

tomk wrote:

You consider all of the above to be "basic"?

This is the crucial question.

Czarcasmo wrote:

I think for a basic setup one could go without samba, CUPS, VirtualBox, Dropbox, and Archlinuxfr.

@Samba and Archlinuxfr: ok. VirtualBox and Dropbox are optional (I forgot it to mention). What would you use instead of CUPS for printing? But, I will make it optional.

ANOKNUSA wrote:

full-blown desktop (many of us use stand-alone window managers)

You are right, we will change this.

ANOKNUSA wrote:

discrete graphics drivers (many of us have laptops with Intel chips)

Ok, we will add xf86-video-intel.

ANOKNUSA wrote:

[mutlilib] (many people still use i686 machines)

Of course. It checks, if the system supports an x86 kernel or not.

Thanks for the Feedback

Last edited by Shelly (2012-03-16 20:49:24)

Barrucadu · 2012-03-16 20:53:20

Networkmanager? Why not just use netcfg? Of course, if you're going for a desktop environment networkmanager may be a 'better' option, but outside of that use case I have found netcfg to be superior (and far simpler to get working).

Shelly · 2012-03-16 21:03:40

Barrucadu wrote:

Networkmanager? Why not just use netcfg? Of course, if you're going for a desktop environment networkmanager may be a 'better' option, but outside of that use case I have found netcfg to be superior (and far simpler to get working).

Thanks for the hint. Only if the user wants to use a desktop environment, he is asked if he would like to install Networkmanager.

dodo3773 · 2012-03-16 21:05:23

Have you seen this:

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=130515&p=1

Maybe you can join efforts. What I would like some day is an automatic lvm / ssd partition formatting script. But I do agree with the others that this is not a "Basic Setup". Automating something like wpa_supplicant would be nice for a basic base install. In fact that's what I thought this script was going to be leaning towards after I read the title.

mcmillan · 2012-03-16 21:10:40

I agree ANOKNUSA that it's a bit excessive, and I'm not sure if we should encourage people who can't even get through the beginner's guide to rely on automation. That said there's a few things that if you'll be using this, I can see causing issues.

Shelly wrote:

What would you use instead of CUPS for printing?

What if we don't need a printer on that computer?

Steps for non-netinstall users

It doesn't look like it actually checks if anything needs updating before doing any of these steps. I think it will just end up reinstalling things anyway, except the removal of locale.sh that would be needed for an update would break things if you don't actually install initscripts afterwards.

Keyring in Pacman

Looks like you set this up at the end, after an update to pacman earlier. I suspect that could lead to problems, and even if that works, would probably be best to configure right away. Similarly you also have it run rankmirrors after updating, when it probably makes more sense to run it before.

GNOME/KDE/XFCE/LXDE

I'd suggest at least giving an option for none/other to let people who may not want one of the 4 DE.

Multilib (x86)
Audio and various codecs
Xorg
Graphics (ATI/NVIDIA)
Networkmanager (Wireless)
NTFS r/w support

All seem like could be optional as well

Re: Making Archlinuxfr optional - as written now you force installation of yaourt, and use it for later parts, which won't work without archlinuxfr enabled.

I think some of these things could also need additional configuration by hand, which may not be clear to people running the script. This is probably good, as it forces people to do some things themselves. But I'd suggest putting some warnings to that effect, and also hold off rebooting automatically at the end so people can look things over beforehand.

karol · 2012-03-16 21:11:57

dodo3773 wrote:

Have you seen this:
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=130515&p=1
Maybe you can join efforts. What I would like some day is an automatic lvm / ssd partition formatting script. But I do agree with the others that this is not a "Basic Setup". Automating something like wpa_supplicant would be nice for a basic base install. In fact that's what I thought this script was going to be leaning towards after I read the title.

I think we can add another two similar scripts:
* https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=129974
* https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=126455

Last edited by karol (2012-03-16 21:13:44)

Arch Linux

#1 2012-03-16 12:16:35

ArchLinux Basic Setup

#2 2012-03-16 14:10:16

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#3 2012-03-16 14:17:10

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#4 2012-03-16 15:12:16

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#5 2012-03-16 20:11:15

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#6 2012-03-16 20:53:20

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#7 2012-03-16 21:03:40

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#8 2012-03-16 21:05:23

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#9 2012-03-16 21:10:40

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

#10 2012-03-16 21:11:57

Re: ArchLinux Basic Setup

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