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The 2024 Guide to Installing Arch Linux

By Huzi
The 2024 Guide to Installing Arch Linux

Arch Linux is a lightweight, flexible, and independently developed Linux distribution designed for experienced users who want a highly customized system. It follows a rolling-release model and adheres to the principles of simplicity, modernity, pragmatism, user centrality, and versatility. The famous Arch Wiki is one of the most comprehensive documentation sources in the entire open-source ecosystem.

Unlike user-friendly installers like those for Ubuntu or Fedora, installing Arch Linux is a manual, command-line-driven process. This guide will walk you through the essential steps to get a functional Arch Linux system running in 2024.

Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes. The Arch installation process can be complex. Always back up your data before partitioning drives.

The Arch Way: Core Principles

Before we begin, it's crucial to understand the philosophy behind Arch:

  1. Simplicity: Arch defines simplicity as "without unnecessary additions or modifications." It provides a minimal base system, allowing you to build upon it.
  2. User-Centrality: You, the user, are in control. The system will not make assumptions about your needs. You decide which desktop environment, software, and services to install.
  3. Rolling Release: Arch is continuously updated. A single pacman -Syu command brings your entire system to the latest version. No more major version upgrades.

Step 0: Prerequisites

  • A computer with an x86-64 compatible architecture.
  • At least 512 MB of RAM (2 GB recommended for a graphical environment).
  • A USB drive with at least 2 GB of space.
  • An active internet connection.
  • Familiarity with the Linux command line.

Step 1: Create a Bootable USB

  1. Download the ISO: Get the latest Arch Linux ISO from the official download page.

  2. Create the Bootable Drive: Use a tool like Rufus on Windows, or the dd command on Linux or macOS.

    On Linux:

    # Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device identifier (e.g., /dev/sdb)
# Be extremely careful with this command!
sudo dd if=/path/to/archlinux.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Step 2: Boot into the Live Environment

Insert the USB drive into your target machine and boot from it. You may need to change the boot order in your BIOS/UEFI settings. You will be greeted with a Zsh shell prompt.

Step 3: Initial Setup

  1. Set Keyboard Layout (Optional): The default is US. To list other layouts:

    ls /usr/share/kbd/keymaps/**/*.map.gz

    To set a layout (e.g., for German):

    loadkeys de-latin1

  2. Verify Boot Mode: Check if you've booted in UEFI or BIOS mode.

    ls /sys/firmware/efi/efivars

    If the command shows a directory, you are in UEFI mode. If it reports "No such file or directory," you are in BIOS mode. This is crucial for partitioning.

  3. Connect to the Internet:

    • Ethernet: Should work automatically.
    • Wi-Fi: Use the interactive iwctl utility. 
      iwctl
# Inside iwctl prompt
[iwd]# device list
[iwd]# station <device_name> scan
[iwd]# station <device_name> get-networks
[iwd]# station <device_name> connect <SSID>
# Enter password when prompted, then type 'exit'

    Test your connection:

    ping archlinux.org

  4. Update the System Clock:

    timedatectl set-ntp true

Step 4: Partition the Disks

This is the most critical step. We'll use cfdisk, a user-friendly partitioning tool.

  1. Identify your drive:

    lsblk

    Your main drive will likely be /dev/sda or /dev/nvme0n1.

  2. Run cfdisk:

    cfdisk /dev/sda

  3. Partition Scheme (Example for UEFI):

    • EFI System Partition (ESP): At least 512 MB. Choose EFI System as the type.
    • Swap Partition (Optional but recommended): Size depends on your RAM. A good rule of thumb is a size equal to your RAM. Choose Linux swap as the type.
    • Root Partition: The rest of the space. Choose Linux filesystem as the type.

    Select Write to save the changes, then Quit.

Step 5: Format the Partitions

  1. Format the ESP (UEFI only):

    # Assuming /dev/sda1 is your ESP
mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1

  2. Format the Swap Partition:

    # Assuming /dev/sda2 is your swap
mkswap /dev/sda2

  3. Format the Root Partition:

    # Assuming /dev/sda3 is your root
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3

Step 6: Mount the File Systems

  1. Mount the Root Partition:

    mount /dev/sda3 /mnt

  2. Create and Mount other partitions (UEFI):

    mkdir /mnt/efi
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/efi

  3. Enable Swap:

    swapon /dev/sda2

Step 7: Install the Base System

Use the pacstrap script to install the base packages, a Linux kernel, and common firmware.

pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware nano
  • base: The minimal set of packages for a functional system.
  • linux: The latest Linux kernel.
  • linux-firmware: Firmware files required by many devices.
  • nano: A simple text editor for configuration.

Step 8: Configure the System

  1. Generate fstab: Create the file system table.

    genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

  2. Chroot into the new system:

    arch-chroot /mnt

    From now on, commands are run inside your newly installed system.

  3. Set Time Zone:

    # Example for New York
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/New_York /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc

  4. Localization:

    • Edit /etc/locale.gen and uncomment en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 (and others you need). 
      nano /etc/locale.gen
    • Generate the locales: 
      locale-gen
    • Create /etc/locale.conf: 
      echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf

  5. Network Configuration:

    • Set your hostname: 
      echo "my-arch-box" > /etc/hostname
    • Add matching entries to /etc/hosts: 
      nano /etc/hosts
# Add the following lines:
127.0.0.1   localhost
::1         localhost
127.0.1.1   my-arch-box.localdomain   my-arch-box

  6. Set Root Password:

    passwd

    Enter a strong password for the root user.

Step 9: Install a Boot Loader (GRUB)

  1. Install GRUB and other essentials:

    pacman -S grub efibootmgr networkmanager
    • grub: The boot loader.
    • efibootmgr: Required for UEFI systems.
    • networkmanager: For managing network connections after reboot.

  2. Install GRUB to the disk:

    grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB

  3. Generate the GRUB configuration file:

    grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

Step 10: Final Steps

  1. Enable NetworkManager:

    systemctl enable NetworkManager

  2. Exit and Reboot:

    exit
umount -R /mnt
reboot

    Remove the installation USB drive.

Post-Installation: Welcome to Your System!

You now have a minimal, command-line Arch Linux system. From here, you can:

  • Create a user: useradd -m huzi, passwd huzi
  • Install sudo: pacman -S sudo, and add your user to the wheel group.
  • Install a Desktop Environment: 
    # Install Xorg (the display server)
sudo pacman -S xorg
# Install a desktop environment like GNOME or KDE
sudo pacman -S gnome
sudo systemctl enable gdm # For GNOME
# or
sudo pacman -S plasma
sudo systemctl enable sddm # For KDE
reboot
  • Install a display manager like GDM (for GNOME) or SDDM (for KDE).

Welcome to Arch Linux! You've built a system from the ground up, tailored