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+# installing Arch on a VM
+
+This is a basic set of instructions for installing Arch on a virtual machine.
+
+# starting steps
+
+Boot up the latest Arch install disk from PXE or an `iso` file.
+
+Find which disk partition you are installing on. For the purpose of this documentation, the disk is `/dev/vda`, but it may be different.
+
+```
+lsblk
+```
+
+Run parted and make a partition. This is for MBR.
+
+```
+parted /dev/vda
+(parted) mklabel msdos
+(parted) mkpart p ext4 1M 100%
+(parted) quit
+```
+
+Create the filesystem
+
+```
+mkfs.ext4 /dev/vda1
+```
+
+Mount the filesystem.
+
+```
+mount /dev/vda1 /mnt
+```
+
+Edit the mirrorlist
+
+```
+vim /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
+```
+
+Add the following line:
+
+```
+Server = http://128.153.145.19/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
+```
+
+Pacstrap the base system (base is `base` system, `base-devel` is gcc and some build tools, `vim` for editor, `htop` for stuff, `git` for aur, `grub` for bootloader, `go` for `yay` later)
+
+```
+pacstrap /mnt base base-devel vim htop git grub go
+```
+
+Wait.
+
+
+Stop waiting. Install fstab
+
+```
+genfstab -U /mnt > /mnt/etc/fstab
+```
+
+Chroot
+
+```
+arch-chroot /mnt /bin/bash
+```
+
+Install `grub`.
+
+```
+grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
+grub-install /dev/vda
+# notice, not /dev/vda1. This is the disk, not the partition.
+```
+
+Set password. Use the VMSSMP for COSI infrastructure.
+
+```
+passwd
+```
+
+Configure networking. Find the network interface. Something with `NO CARRIER` is probably *not* it. It may have an IPv6 global address and perhaps a COSI IPv4 address already.
+
+```
+ip -c a
+```
+
+Change to the `netctl` folder, copy static ethernet example.s
+
+```
+cd /etc/netctl
+cp examples/ethernet-static ethernet
+```
+
+Edit the ethernet file.
+
+```
+vim ethernet
+```
+
+Typical contents
+
+```
+Description='A basic statc ethernet connection'
+Interface=ens3
+Connection=ethernet
+IP=static
+Address=('128.153.145.23/24')
+Gateway='128.153.145.1'
+DNS=('128.153.145.3')
+```
+
+Enable that, document IP addresses if on COSI infrastructure.
+
+```
+netctl enable ethernet
+```
+
+Edit hostname
+
+```
+vim /etc/hostname
+```
+
+We're done. Exit and reboot. Remove bootable media if applicable.
+
+```
+exit
+reboot
+```
+
+If you screw up, feel free to reboot into the live media, and then you can chroot into the system to fix it after mounting it.
+
+Don't forget to create the `cslabadmin` user. `openssh` server is also probably good - typically the only edits are to enable `Listen 0.0.0.0` and `Port 13699`.
+
+Random commands useful to doing things:
+
+```
+# create user
+useradd <username>
+# create group
+groupadd <group>
+# add user to group
+gpasswd -a <username> <groupname>
+# set default editor to Vim
+export EDITOR=vim
+# add sudo group to sudoers
+visudo
+# get and install yay (AUR package manager)
+git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
+cd yay
+makepkg -i
+```