neurobin/jinarch

Arch Linux installer

An Arch Linux installer.

Some configurations that depend on an active internet connection can only be done successfully if network is available.

USE/INSTALL

jinarch can be run without installing, from the directory that it resides:

./jinarch # as root

Or it can be installed:

./install.sh # as root

then run as:

jinarch

Arch Linux installation can be automated using a configuration file jinarch.conf (you will still be prompted for passwords for accounts). If you installed the script, it should be available as /etc/jinarch.conf. Or if you are running from a directory as ./jinarch, you will have to rename the ./jinarch.conf.in file to ./jinarch.conf and make necessary changes there.

jinarch searches for the configuration file as follows:

1. Firstly, in ./jinarch.conf (in the current working directory)
2. secondly, in /etc/jinarch.conf

STEPS

jinarch tries to automate archlinux installation except the partitioning step. You will have to partition the disks manually. jinarch will only let you select the partitions for different mount points (/, /home, /boot, /var etc..) and then mount it. It does not create/delete/change/format any partitions in any way.

The installation involves the following steps:

1. Checking network connection
2. Updating the system clock
3. Mounting partitions
4. Selecting mirrors
5. Installing the system
6. Generating /etc/fstab
7. Installing grub bootloader
8. chroot into the new system
9. Setting time zone
10. Setting locale
11. Keymap settings
12. Typematic delay and rate settings
13. Setting hostname
14. Checking network status in chroot
15. Setting the root password
16. Updating grub configuration
17. Setting the default login shell
18. Creating a standard user account with sudo access
19. Leave the chroot open for further modification

After the last step, the chroot is left open. You can modify your new system as you wish. After you are done, run exit to exit the chroot (some cleaning steps are done here). After exiting chroot, you will land on the original terminal prompt again. That's it.

You can reboot now

Preparing a custom archlinux live cd/dvd image:

Download the official archlinux live iso image. Use it with JLIVECD and customize it. Do not forget to install the jinarch script in the custom archlinux live OS.

After you have run JLIVECD, there will be a directory named edit in your JLIVECD project directory, this is the root filesystem (/). Copy the jinarch folder into edit/mydir and run the following commands in JLIVECD chroot terminal to install jinarch in live OS:

cd /mydir/jinarch
./install.sh

This will install jinarch in the live cd. When you are done with customization, exit JLIVECD chroot and let JLIVECD build the ISO image.