pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

mystiquewolf · 2021-10-25 14:39:29

Hello! I've finally decided to give my try at installing Arch! So until i install it successfully i'm still a Kubuntu user.

I'm following this guide: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Instal … stribution

More specifically i'm using Method A for creating the chroot.
From the Kubuntu installation i've run these commands:

mount --bind /home/lyubomir/Downloads/root.x86_64/ /tmp/root.x86_64
cd /tmp/root.x86_64
cp /etc/resolv.conf etc
mount -t proc /proc proc
mount --make-rslave --rbind /sys sys
mount --make-rslave --rbind /dev dev
mount --make-rslave --rbind /run run    # (assuming /run exists on the system)
chroot /tmp/root.x86_64 /bin/bash

Then i've initialised the pacman keyring according to the manual.
From then on i've continued to the Installation guide#Mount the file systems point of the installation manual.

I have one hard-disk /dev/sda with partitions:

/dev/sda1 - plain EFI System Partition
/dev/sda2 - LUKS1 encrypted boot partition
/dev/sda3 - LUKS2 encrypted root partition

The above encrypted partitions create on boot, according to /etc/crypttab:

/dev/mapper/bootpart_sda2_decrypted
/dev/mapper/rootpart_sda3_decrypted

/dev/mapper/bootpart_sda2_decrypted contains an ext4 filesystem, while /dev/mapper/rootpart_sda3_decrypted contains a btrfs filesystem with two subvolumes:

@
@home

Next I've done:

mount -t btrfs -o defaults,autodefrag,noatime,compress=zstd:1,subvol=@ /dev/mapper/rootpart_sda3_decrypted /mnt/

mount -t btrfs -o defaults,autodefrag,noatime,compress=zstd:1,subvol=@home /dev/mapper/rootpart_sda3_decrypted /mnt/home/

mount -t ext4 /dev/mapper/bootpart_sda2_decrypted /mnt/boot/

```
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/efi/
```

And then i tried:

pacstrap /mnt/ base linux-hardened linux-firmware

but it resulted at errors of these kind: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem, for example:
filesystem: /mnt/bin exists in filesystem
linux-api-headers: /mnt/usr/include/asm-generic/auxvec.h exists in filesystem.

I don't understand why the guide first tells me to mount my partitions and then complains that some files exist there. Could you please explain to me what's wrong and which possible actions i can take to to install Arch? Thank you very much!

Scimmia · 2021-10-25 14:41:42

Are you trying to install over an existing linux installation? It sure sounds like it.

mystiquewolf · 2021-10-25 14:47:49

Scimmia wrote:

Are you trying to install over an existing linux installation? It sure sounds like it.

Yes. The exact naming in the Arch guide is installing "From a host running another Linux distribution" - in my case Kubuntu.
I'm not really sure why i have to mount root partition and other stuff at /mnt... I'm lost at the reasons.

Scimmia · 2021-10-25 14:53:33

You need somewhere to install Arch, *that* is what you're supposed to mount. You can't overwrite your running system.

mystiquewolf · 2021-10-25 15:46:52

Ok so as far as i understand it chrooting /tmp/root.x86_64 /bin/bash makes bash/terminal act like i am in an Arch live ISO, and i need to mount an empty partition to /mnt over which pacstrap would create what it creates and install Arch? Is that correct?

This makes me ask - would decreasing size of my Kubuntu root partition, making new empty partition with the just freed size, using that as root partition, mounting the existing boot and EFI system partitions at /boot and /boot/efi respectively make pacstrap work? Would it be the right thing to do? I kind of feel that this would become a dual-boot with Kubuntu and Arch, am i right?

Last edited by mystiquewolf (2021-10-25 15:48:47)

jonno2002 · 2021-10-26 02:45:25

if you only have one drive then yes, but you can always remove the kubuntu partition afterwards. or just go all out and install arch from live usb wiping the existing kubuntu install in the process.

if you have 2 drives then you mount the new empty drive to /mnt and install arch there, then you would have two seperrate installs on two seperate drives.

the sky is the limit, do whatever you want

Trilby · 2021-10-26 02:48:34

If your goal is to replace your Kubuntu system with Arch, then why are you trying to use this method? Are you unable to get even a cheap USB flash drive to use for the iso? If you can burn the iso to a usb disk, that should be quite a bit simpler than the options you're considering now.

mystiquewolf · 2021-10-26 16:05:30

jonno2002 wrote:

if you only have one drive then yes, but you can always remove the kubuntu partition afterwards. or just go all out and install arch from live usb wiping the existing kubuntu install in the process.
if you have 2 drives then you mount the new empty drive to /mnt and install arch there, then you would have two seperrate installs on two seperate drives.
the sky is the limit, do whatever you want

Many thanks!

Trilby wrote:

If your goal is to replace your Kubuntu system with Arch, then why are you trying to use this method? Are you unable to get even a cheap USB flash drive to use for the iso? If you can burn the iso to a usb disk, that should be quite a bit simpler than the options you're considering now.

I've got 4 USBs, 3 of them are not with me and i can't find the 4th one. I don't want to buy yet another USB just for this since there's a guide for installing it from an existing distro.

Trilby · 2021-10-26 17:53:34

mystiquewolf wrote:

... since there's a guide for installing it from an existing distro.

Ok, but you're following the wrong section of that page. You are trying to follow the instructions for installing (to some additional device) from an existing linux, when you should be following the steps to replace an existing linux system without a live medium. But that method is a bit clumsy, and really limits your options for a partitioning scheme.

Theoretically, you could follow this approach to get a basic bootable system on the small (former swap) partition, then boot up to that and use that environment to install to the rest of the disk partitioning it however you'd like. This would overcome the disadvantages of the approach, but it would require going through the full installation process twice.

Last edited by Trilby (2021-10-26 17:57:07)

Arch Linux

#1 2021-10-25 14:39:29

pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#2 2021-10-25 14:41:42

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#3 2021-10-25 14:47:49

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#4 2021-10-25 14:53:33

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#5 2021-10-25 15:46:52

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#6 2021-10-26 02:45:25

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#7 2021-10-26 02:48:34

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#8 2021-10-26 16:05:30

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

#9 2021-10-26 17:53:34

Re: pacstrap: filesystem: [lots_of_file_paths_here] exists in filesystem

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