# 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-install /dev/vda
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
# 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
```