Arch installer

wark · 2014-05-15 15:25:47

Hello fellow Arch users...

I have made a set of scripts that will almost automatically install arch linux onto a whole disk of choise...
Comments are wellcome

EDIT: new github username
https://github.com/thecodecabin/arkin

Last edited by wark (2014-05-19 21:49:36)

drcouzelis · 2014-05-15 15:37:02

Who is the target audience for these scripts? Experienced, inexperienced, or other type of users?

wark · 2014-05-15 15:43:14

drcouzelis wrote:

Who is the target audience for these scripts? Experienced, inexperienced, or other type of users?

Well.. The intended audience would be OEM and probably users that know about hard drives and such in linux.
The main goal with this is actually to eventually make a half-rolling gnome variant like Chackra, with extreme simplicity..

Last edited by wark (2014-05-15 16:02:35)

bstaletic · 2014-05-15 15:46:20

Big problem here is no flexibility.
- I assume it uses DHCP. I like to manually set my ip address
- Does it use LVM or RAID?
- How can I choose file system? Does it default to ext4?
- Does it install DE/WM? If it does you eliminate the freedom of choise, and if it doesn't, it for most users doesn't finish the initial installation.

Don't take this too hard, these things take a lot of work to be usable by everyone and still maintain user friendlyness (idiot proofness).

wark · 2014-05-15 15:52:27

bstaletic wrote:

Big problem here is no flexibility.
- I assume it uses DHCP. I like to manually set my ip address
- Does it use LVM or RAID?
- How can I choose file system? Does it default to ext4?
- Does it install DE/WM? If it does you eliminate the freedom of choise, and if it doesn't, it for most users doesn't finish the initial installation.
Don't take this too hard, these things take a lot of work to be usable by everyone and still maintain user friendlyness (idiot proofness).

Yes DHCP but I could add an option for static ip. (good point)
Nope, no LVM or RAID...
Yes it defaults to ext4
Yes it installs Gnome

I do follow you but as the main intention was OEM or likewise, I could probably add all the options to a file where you specify file system etc,
or add more command options.. This is just a first release, all advice is helpfull

- Does it install DE/WM? If it does you eliminate the freedom of choise, and if it doesn't, it for most users doesn't finish the initial installation.

It's a conundrum, although it aims for simplicity thereof it's pre-installed...
All packages installed during execution is listed in packages.install and can be changed.

Last edited by wark (2014-05-15 15:57:38)

bstaletic · 2014-05-15 16:06:16

I started writing my comment before drouzelis posted his comment, just didn't click on submit.

Considering OEM as target system it's a good start. Apart from static ip consider LVM/RAID and you're pretty much ready to go.

EDIT: Are you considering server usage, because they usually don't have X installed (though not 100% of them).

Last edited by bstaletic (2014-05-15 16:09:27)

wark · 2014-05-15 16:10:33

bstaletic wrote:

Considering OEM as target system it's a good start. Apart from static ip consider LVM/RAID and you're pretty much ready to go.

Indeed. I will try to implement that over the weekend. Both static ip and LVM/RAID also makes it fit for business/it departments...
For servers, i could add an option for no X. Keep it simple and stuff all the extra in command arguments...

Last edited by wark (2014-05-15 16:12:48)

2ManyDogs · 2014-05-15 16:11:21

wark wrote:

Yes DHCP but I could add an option for static ip. (good point)
Nope, no LVM or RAID...
Yes it defaults to ext4
Yes it installs Gnome

You might want to mention all these things in the README, and I wonder why you don't expose the scripts on github (instead of just the archive). I don't think many people will want to download and unpack an archive without some opportunity to look at the scripts first. This would also allow people here to give you feedback on the scripts without requiring that they download and unpack the archive first.

Last edited by 2ManyDogs (2014-05-15 16:13:24)

wark · 2014-05-15 16:19:19

2ManyDogs wrote:

You might want to mention all these things in the README

Will edit it soon

2ManyDogs wrote:

I wonder why you don't expose the scripts on github (instead of just the archive).

Fixed

Last edited by wark (2014-05-15 16:21:11)

teateawhy · 2014-05-15 16:48:13

I made a script for installing arch that can be configured. Reading through it might help you.
https://github.com/vitamins/archinstaller

Spider.007 · 2014-05-15 16:51:31

Are you sure that the cookies.sqlite belongs here? It seems to contain som user-specific ones.

https://github.com/wille-dev/arkin/tree … 983c9ce7fe

bstaletic · 2014-05-15 16:54:53

How does it auto partition the destination drive? Does it make separate / /boot and /home? If it makes a separa root partition how does it know what is enough for a user?

Also 2manydogs, I believe, wanted to see arkin.sh not makeiso.sh. "makeiso.sh" is simple and only meant to download the .iso. "arkin.sh" is more fun. If you post it we would be able to help you right away with it. There wouldn't be any "How do I write the code for..." kind of problems. But it's your choice, I see you want to protect your work.

EDIT: What about UEFI? It is more powerful than BIOS, and it's slowly becoming the standard. I switched to UEFI last night, for example.
EDIT2: Just found your script in /bin folder sorry about that.

Last edited by bstaletic (2014-05-15 17:02:59)

wark · 2014-05-15 16:57:53

Spider.007 wrote:

Are you sure that the cookies.sqlite belongs here? It seems to contain som user-specific ones.

Good catch! Lucky it was made on a clean install without loging in...

wark · 2014-05-15 17:03:17

bstaletic wrote:

How does it auto partition the destination drive? Does it make separate / /boot and /home? If it makes a separa root partition how does it know what is enough for a user?

It sets up a 20gb /, 1gb swap and the rest as /home
It's just an assumption, static values at this point

Also 2manydogs, I believe, wanted to see arkin.sh not makeiso.sh. "makeiso.sh" is simple and only meant to download the .iso. "arkin.sh" is more fun. If you post it we would be able to help you right away with it. There wouldn't be any "How do I write the code for..." kind of problems. But it's your choice, I see you want to protect your work.

The arkin.sh is located in the usr/bin folder and that's the script used to start the install.

EDIT: What about UEFI? It is more powerful than BIOS, and it's slowly becoming the standard. I switched to UEFI last night, for example.

Indeed.. I need to fix that

bstaletic · 2014-05-15 17:13:57

I mentioned UEFI, because it needs a parttion with FAT32 filesystem and ef00 label. Also for some there could be need for a massive UEFI boot partition.

UEFI can boot pretty much anything, in an order a user wants and this complicates things. I could set it to boot efistab (efistab is not really bootloader but UEFI's way of booting something) which will chain load gummiboot which will chainload rEFInd eventually booting (after a few more bootloaders) booting memtest86. Here I never tried to boot an OS. This is an unlikely scenario, but just keep it in mind.

wark · 2014-05-15 17:27:10

bstaletic wrote:

I mentioned UEFI, because it needs a parttion with FAT32 filesystem and ef00 label. Also for some there could be need for a massive UEFI boot partition.

I'm not familiar with UEFI yet, had no idea it needed a FAT32 partition... Could you clarify the need for a massive UEFI part?

wark · 2014-05-15 17:28:59

teateawhy wrote:

I made a script for installing arch that can be configured. Reading through it might help you.
https://github.com/vitamins/archinstaller

That's an interesting one...
I will definitely check into that

bstaletic · 2014-05-15 17:48:41

I mentioned a lot of bootloaders and a memtest (disregarding a most probable existance of an OS), think about placing it all in /boot. Result: massive /boot partition.

ANOKNUSA · 2014-05-16 00:14:15

wark wrote:

Well.. The intended audience would be OEM..

Huh? How would that work?

wark wrote:

The main goal with this is actually to eventually make a half-rolling gnome variant like Chackra, with extreme simplicity..

Huh?

Partial upgrades are not supported
Arch Linux Distribution Support ONLY

Developing scripts for personal use is fine, and I certainly can't judge your intentions without truly knowing them. I can say, though, that as soon as your scripts start mucking about with the Arch update model or become a separate distribution itself, you won't get support for them here. Just saying.

wark · 2014-05-16 13:45:13

Thanks guys!

I have taken a lot into consideration and will do a re-write and structural change over a few weeks and probably launch the whole thing as a pre-packaged iso on a separate website as an "arch bundle". I will of course upload everything on github as well...

Last edited by wark (2014-05-16 13:46:11)

wark · 2014-05-18 13:47:56

Git repository updated, added more functionality and options. I still have to implement UEFI and Static ip along with some other stuff..
I'll be back

wark · 2014-10-22 15:08:57

New graphical installer build into live cd using archiso,
https://github.com/thecodecabin/arch-installer

Arch Linux

#1 2014-05-15 15:25:47

Arch installer

#2 2014-05-15 15:37:02

Re: Arch installer

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Re: Arch installer

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#16 2014-05-15 17:27:10

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#17 2014-05-15 17:28:59

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