error in installation guide?

SteveNewcomb · 2025-12-17 17:05:33

I think I have found an error in the installation guide (https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Installation_guide, 1.1) and I can't fix it because the page is "protected" from editing. Here's the existing text:

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Create any remaining mount points under /mnt (such as /mnt/boot for /boot) and mount the volumes in their corresponding hierarchical order.
Tip
Run mount(8) with the --mkdir option to create the specified mount point. Alternatively, create it using mkdir(1) beforehand.

For UEFI systems, mount the EFI system partition:

# mount --mkdir /dev/efi_system_partition /mnt/boot
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Assuming that the user has a boot partition that, in accordance with the first line reproduced above, has already been mounted at /mnt/boot, then the last line's mount command will mount the efi partition on that same mountpoint, and a chaotic experience is in store for new users who have done exactly what the installation guide says to do. In view of that possibility, the last line should be

# mount --mkdir /dev/efi_system_partition /mnt/boot/efi

...right?

system72 · 2025-12-17 17:07:48

efi partition is for uefi systems which is usually formatted as fat32, the boot partition for bios is mbr 1mb yada yada, the specification says it can be either /efi or /boot for uefi not /boot/efi since that is nested

https://uapi-group.org/specifications/s … unt-points

Scimmia · 2025-12-17 17:12:20

The installation guide never tells you to use /boot/efi/, in fact it points to https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/EFI_system_partition which specifically tells you NOT to use that.

The given command is an example, you have already chosen your partition layout by this point and know where it needs to be mounted.

Last edited by Scimmia (2025-12-17 17:14:12)

SteveNewcomb · 2025-12-17 17:16:10

Thanks, system72. My fix is evidently wrong but there's still a problem with the installation guide. If I understand correctly, the command should be:

# mount --mkdir /dev/efi_system_partition /mnt/efi

system72 · 2025-12-17 17:19:13

not exactly, that command is going based off of the example layout two sections earlier

there is only 1 boot / efi partition, 2 partitions are not being mounted at /boot, i dont see what the exact issue is

Last edited by system72 (2025-12-17 17:19:51)

mcloaked · 2025-12-17 17:47:19

There are different ways to use the efi and boot partitions. One way is to simply make a large vfat efi partition and mount it (once installed) as /boot - in that case the kernel image and initrd will be generated on that vfat partition. The other way is to mount the vfat efi at /efi, and have a separate ext4 (or other fs type) as the boot partition, of type ea00 (extended boot loader type) at /boot at least if you are using systemd boot. That way the kernel image and initrd will be on a non-vfat partition and has its advantages. If you are using a different boot manager such as grub then you can create the appropriate efi/boot partitions accordingly. Either way it is worth checking which partitions will work with the chosen boot manager. It is also possible to boot a stub kernel directly without a boot manager, and that is described in the arch wiki too.

So in the first case during the install with the install medium booted, and mounting the new partitions ahead of doing the initial arch-chroot, you would simply mount the root partition as /mnt and then the efi as /mnt/boot once that directory was created, but in the second case you would first mount /mnt, and then make both /mnt/efi and /mnt/boot and mount both the efi and boot partitions to those mount points, before arch-chrooting into /mnt to complete the install, and run the initial base and essential package installs with pacman. I guess it would make things easier if the various options were described in the install guide, or a reference to a separate section in the wiki.

Last edited by mcloaked (2025-12-17 17:49:25)

SteveNewcomb · 2025-12-17 18:41:57

Scimmia says: "The given command is an example, you have already chosen your partition layout by this point and know where [the EFI partition] needs to be mounted."

No, you don't know where to mount the EFI partition, if you've never done this before. The installation guide tells you mount it at /boot, full stop, in exactly the same manner that other hard paths are shown. It looks like "/boot" is intended to be used verbatim, according to the punctuation rules as I understand them. If the command shown is to be understood as exemplary, it should perhaps express the mountpoint argument as "<mountpoint for efi, e.g. /boot, /efi>" in italic font, not "/boot" in courier/tty font.

Last edited by SteveNewcomb (2025-12-17 18:43:57)

system72 · 2025-12-17 18:45:09

it gives an example layout and links to other articles to learn more

SteveNewcomb · 2025-12-17 18:50:53

"it gives an example layout and links to other articles to learn more"

True enough, but it doesn't change the fact that the instruction to mount at /boot is problematic. It nowhere says "E.g." or "for example". It says mount it at /boot.

mcloaked · 2025-12-17 18:55:19

You can look at the details of the partitions needed for the chosen boot manager - so https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd-boot https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/GRUB and https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/REFInd

It is important, particularly if you are new to Arch, that you read beyond the install guide to look at the more detailed sections for the install. The install guide is a brief bullet point summary rather then a fully detailed guide. So it gives the key steps but expects the user to read up more detail if not familiar with a particular section.

Last edited by mcloaked (2025-12-17 18:58:46)

SteveNewcomb · 2025-12-17 18:56:03

How can I report this problem to whomever has editorial control of the installation guide? Is this the place?

mcloaked · 2025-12-17 19:02:22

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Talk:I … tion_guide

Arch Linux

#1 2025-12-17 17:05:33

error in installation guide?

#2 2025-12-17 17:07:48

Re: error in installation guide?

#3 2025-12-17 17:12:20

Re: error in installation guide?

#4 2025-12-17 17:16:10

Re: error in installation guide?

#5 2025-12-17 17:19:13

Re: error in installation guide?

#6 2025-12-17 17:47:19

Re: error in installation guide?

#7 2025-12-17 18:41:57

Re: error in installation guide?

#8 2025-12-17 18:45:09

Re: error in installation guide?

#9 2025-12-17 18:50:53

Re: error in installation guide?

#10 2025-12-17 18:55:19

Re: error in installation guide?

#11 2025-12-17 18:56:03

Re: error in installation guide?

#12 2025-12-17 19:02:22

Re: error in installation guide?

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