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#1 2017-04-27 09:53:41

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

[SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

Hi!
I have a new computer, Dell XPS, I want to install Arch on. But where's the ethernet port? Seems progress keeps going backwards, in the ever fan-boy-Apple-copying hunt.

I don't have wifi access, so how is this solved?

Must I buy a USB->Eth0 adapter? Will anyone do, or should I look out for caveats?

Last edited by penguin (2017-05-01 14:50:44)

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#2 2017-04-27 10:06:14

ngoonee
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From: Between Thailand and Singapore
Registered: 2009-03-17
Posts: 7,354

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

How do you have ethernet but not wifi access? If the hard disc is removable may be less of a pain to remove it, install Arch using some other machine, and then move it back. An adapter would probably work too, no idea how good support for those are.


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jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
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#3 2017-04-27 10:27:30

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

Thanks for reply.

How do you have ethernet but not wifi access?

I don't have a router. Thus no wifi. I connect directly through wire to my wall.

Alas, these moden machines have everything "hidden" from the user, so I can't do anything on it. Not remove battery, or hard drive. It was a computer given to my by my employer, to be used as main machine. They've agreed to me not using the default windowz on it.

But, it does have two USB-ports, so I was thinking, can I have the Arch-install-usb in one and some kind of mirror of the repository in the other? I have external drive with space for it. How could this be done?

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#4 2017-04-27 10:49:03

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
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Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

I expected the problem to be something about an odd wireless adapter that you'd be able to get working after the install ... but this is hardware that is destined to never have internet connectivity?  If so, don't put arch on it.

Installing would be the least of your problems - you'd never be able upgrade or add packages without jumping through similar hoops of mirror-on-a-usb methods.

Get a usb ethernet adapter for a few bucks from amazon, or get a debian iso for free.


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#5 2017-04-27 11:02:46

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

Trilby: No, it will have access to wifi at work, where I will be using it, but I'd rather spend the hours of installing arch, and setting it up for my use at home, on my spare time, than waste the first day at my new job to sit and tinker with installing stuff. They might then say "just use the windows OS provided" or something like that.

For same reason, I can't buy off amazon, as I would get the dongle too late, after I've already started my new job.

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#6 2017-04-27 11:19:49

Trilby
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Registered: 2011-11-29
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Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

It really shouldn't take hours to get a base install.  If you are prepared when you go into it, it should be more like 15 minutes.

But that should not be done on work time.  Are there no cafes or other wifi hotspots you could get access to briefly?  Or even a mobile phone tether?


"UNIX is simple and coherent..." - Dennis Ritchie, "GNU's Not UNIX" -  Richard Stallman

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#7 2017-04-27 12:36:39

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

Well, I haven't installed Arch since 2010. The pleasure of rolling release.

Just reading the wiki takes forever for me. And partitioning, setting up the software, build environments, etc.

But, yes, there's open wifi at the central station where I live. Not sure it's that reliable. But I can give it a try. The wiki is on the install USB as well? I probably need both my computers, on for installing, one for checking documentation.

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#8 2017-04-27 13:27:20

R00KIE
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From: Between a computer and a chair
Registered: 2008-09-14
Posts: 4,734

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

If anything I would build a bootable usb drive with some form of gui environment (DE/WM/whatever). I suppose that should make it easier to install arch to the HD, get online, read the wiki and use google. That should also give you an idea of what might be hard to get to work before you commit to installing Arch to disk (either I've missed it or you didn't say if you were planning to wipe windows).


R00KIE
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#9 2017-04-27 15:03:05

Xyne
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Registered: 2008-08-03
Posts: 6,963
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Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

If you have another computer at home with a wifi card in it, set it up as a wifi access point. You can then either set up a network bridge or passthrough. There are plenty of guides online and even somewhere here on the forum, including some useful scripts in community contributions. I also have some on my site.


My Arch Linux StuffForum EtiquetteCommunity Ethos - Arch is not for everyone

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#10 2017-04-27 17:54:48

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

@Xyne that's a great idea. I have both one external wifi card and an internal, so one of them should be good. I've never done this before, but I'll try (one of) these two guides:
http://ubuntuhandbook.org/index.php/201 … ot-ubuntu/
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ad-hoc_networking

(I'm not sure if there's a difference between "ad-hoc wireless" and "wifi hotspot" or "wifi access point")
Also, not sure what passthrough or network bride is.
I could make a bridge0 interface in network manager with a few clicks.

@ROOKIE I don't dare wipe the MS Malware off the computer, as it belongs to my employer.

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#11 2017-04-27 22:13:09

Xyne
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Registered: 2008-08-03
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Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

A network bridge unites the wired and wireless networks. Any computer that connections via the wifi access point (WAP) will be visible as if it were on the wired network. In passthrough mode, the wired and wireless networks remain separate. Which one is appropriate depends on what you want to do. In your case, a bridge will be simpler and get the job done.


My Arch Linux StuffForum EtiquetteCommunity Ethos - Arch is not for everyone

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#12 2017-04-27 22:34:08

tlmiller
Member
Registered: 2009-06-10
Posts: 93

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

I keep a $10 USB NIC around for my machine that doesn't have one.  Haven't found a distro yet that didn't read it out of the box.

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#13 2017-04-28 17:28:20

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

If you've a smart phone, USB tether it and use it for your internet connection.  It will appear as a wired network on Arch, all you will need to do is to run dhcpcd.
The phone will share whatever wireless connection it is using; either WiFi or cellular data.  If you are using cellular data, watch your data limits.   After you get as far as installing your wireless drivers and user space tools, you can switch to the internal WiFi.


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
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#14 2017-05-01 14:50:15

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

Nope, I don't have a cell phone.

Anyway, I've solved this, by sitting on the floor of the central station, like an animal, installing arch with free wifi access.

Marking this as solved. thanks for helping.

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#15 2017-05-01 16:55:59

Xyne
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Registered: 2008-08-03
Posts: 6,963
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Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

penguin wrote:

Anyway, I've solved this, by sitting on the floor of the central station, like an animal, installing arch with free wifi access.

Your avatar and listed location makes this the best solution.


My Arch Linux StuffForum EtiquetteCommunity Ethos - Arch is not for everyone

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#16 2017-05-25 18:17:48

penguin
Member
From: Gotham City
Registered: 2010-12-31
Posts: 163

Re: [SOLVED] Installing Arch on laptop with no Ethernet port?

@Xyne HA-ha! (Or should I say "woa-ha-wha")

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