Installing ArchLinux for Newbies. Installing ArchLinux programs. Installing Steam on ArchLinux

Operating systems of the Winows family are leading on the computer market. But sometimes there is a need to use third-party and free software because of personal preferences or the inability to purchase a license for Windows. In this case, Linux comes to the rescue. But not all of them have friendly interfaces and wide documentation. And the latter, if present, is often only in English, the knowledge of which not everyone can boast. But, unlike closed-source software, Linux-systems have the possibility of much more extensive customization for a particular user. The article details the features of the installation of ArchLinux and this system as a whole.

ArchLinux. Installation and configuration

There is a very interesting operating system from the "Linux" family. It's called ArchLinux. Its singularity lies in the fact that, unlike packet "ubuntopodobnyh" systems, ArchLinux can be customized to the last "cog". True, this requires extraordinary knowledge in this field, which often frightens off newcomers. And in general, the whole system, unlike batch distributions, is designed for a very experienced user of "Linux-like" systems, who can work with the command line and terminal. Installation and configuration of ArchLinux in many respects differs from the installation of other operating systems. And in this article we will discuss all the stages of installing the OS of ArchLinux.

General Information on ArchLinux

ArchLinux is a branch from a very minimal CRUX OS. This OS was popular with fans to collect the system from the sources and maximize "sharpen" it for themselves. Unlike the "parent" OS, ArchLinux does not require the user to compile the kernel and build dependencies. It can be installed using a standard graphical manager. Although the installation of ArchLinux from the command line begins . But more on this later.

At the moment, there are two branches of the development of the ArchLinux OS: stable and current. Stable uses a stable version of the operating system with proven programs. However, updates for it have to wait a very long time. For fans of all the most "fresh" there is a branch current. Here updates are not late, but the stability of the system is somewhat lame. Installing ArchLinux programs in it also causes some difficulties and errors. Experienced "archers" (as slang users are called ArchLinux) are advised to use the stable-version of the OS. Let it not be very relevant, but stability - above all.

The trouble with ArchLinux is the lack of installation documentation in the distributive itself. There are only general guidelines for advanced users of the Linux operating system. And they are all in English. True, some of them are translated by enthusiasts. So the installation of ArchLinux for beginners is quite a difficult task, we'll take a closer look at it.

Preparation for the procedure

First of all, you need to create a bootable USB-stick with the distribution of ArchLinux. To do this, we need to download the ISO image of the OS from the official website of the project. The image with ArchLinux can be of two types: full and basic. The difference is in the size of the image and the number of programs available "out of the box." The full image of "weighs" about 600 MB, and the base image - only 200 MB. It is better to use the full version of the installation disk.

After downloading, you need to select the program to burn the distribution to USB-media. If you use Windows, the best option for this purpose will be to take the program Rufus. It can be downloaded for free, it does not require installation. Run Rufus and select the downloaded disk image from the OS. We press the button "Start". During the recording process, the USB drive will be formatted and renamed to ArchLinux. Installation on the USB flash drive, in principle, finished. Now you can reboot and try to install the OS on the computer.

Starting the installer

After all the manipulations with the boot order in the BIOS we start downloading ArchLinux from the USB flash drive. As mentioned above, the step-by-step installation of ArchLinux differs in many respects from the same batch OS process. Therefore, it is important to consider all the details and features.

The first thing we'll see is the command line. To start the graphical installer, you need to type the command $ / arch / setup. After that, the installer window will appear. There are menu items that reflect all the stages of the installation process:

• Preparation of the disk;
• Selection of packages;
• Installation of packages;
• Kernel installation;
• System configuration;
• Loader installation;
• exit.

If even the novice cope with most sections of the menu, then even the advanced users will have to sweat with the "Installing the kernel" item. That's why installing ArchLinux is not an easy task for beginners.

Preparing the Disk

The process of "partitioning" the disk for ArchLinux is somewhat different from the requirements of the other batch OS partitions of the Linux family. The easiest way to allow the program itself to allocate the disk to partitions. In this case, the automation knows best what is needed for the system. However, if you have the necessary files on the HDD, then you will have to do manual marking, so as not to lose them permanently. Installation of ArchLinux begins with this.

When manually partitioning a disk, you must create the following partitions:

• Root partition with label /;
• Section / usr;
• Section / opt;
• The / var section;
• The / var / abs section;
• Section / var / cache / pkg;
• Section / var / cache / src;
• The "/ home" section.

Now let's look at what they all need.

The root partition must be at least one gigabyte. It is in it and the installation of ArchLinux. The / usr partition is a "swap" - a swap file for improving system performance. Therefore, it should be equal to the amount of installed RAM, multiplied by two.

The / opt section serves to accommodate such large files as QT libraries, "iks", and other OS working files. Its size should be about 4 GB.

Partitions marked as / var are used to place various system information to prevent cluttering of the root.

Well, the / home section is used to store the user's personal data. The preferred file system for all partitions is ext3.

Installing the system

The installation of ArchLinux is divided into several stages. The first is the selection and configuration of packages. If you do not have a clue which ones should be noted for your computer, then just leave all the defaults. After analyzing the "iron", the program itself will decide what is needed and what is not. During the installation of packages, the bootloader will also be installed. In ArchLinux, this is GRUB by default.

The next step is to install the kernel of the system. It's also better to rely on automatic selection and configuration here. The only thing that should be noted on your own is the type of core for your hardware. If you have a PC that supports SCSI technology, then you need to choose this type.

After a successful installation of the kernel, the time for configuring the OS will come. Here you are invited to configure the system by editing the text configuration files. It is better not to do this, because you can easily "hang" the system during the installation. Setting up ArchLinux after installation is the most acceptable option, since it's much easier to do everything using the graphical environment.

Configuring ArchLinux

After rebooting the system, you need to determine its basic parameters. The preferred working environment for ArchLinux is KDE. It is we who will put it. To do this, type pacman -S kde on the command line. After loading the graphical shell, the system setup will go faster. Now we need to install at least a Mozilla Firefox browser to get knowledge about the fine sharpening of ArchLinux after installation. To do this, execute the following command: pacman -S firefox. Now you can easily find out about the secrets of the OS parameters from the "great and mighty" Google.

Installing programs

Here, not everything is so simple. Because ArchLinux does not support a graphical installer for software packages, you must install them manually via the command line using the pacman tool. Thanks to some commands it will be possible to get all the necessary software. So, the main command for installing programs is pacman -S package_name. To update the ones already installed, enter the pacman -Syi command. This is how the installation of programs. ArchLinux in this regard is much more complicated than "ubuntopodobnyh" systems.

ArchLinux and Steam

Steam is a working environment for buying and installing games under Linux. It is also available for Windows. In the Steam program, you can buy and install various games. And there are "native" versions for Linux. Installing Steam on ArchLinux requires some additional manipulation, which we will now disassemble.

The problem is that on Steam there is no official support for ArchLinux. Therefore, before executing the installation command, you must first add some repositories and fonts. If you have a 64 bit system, you need to load the multilib repository, and after that the Arial font, because Steam uses it. You can obtain it using the pacman -S ttf-liberation command. After that, you can start installing the "Steam" itself with the command pacman -S steam.

Conclusion

Now we know how to properly install and configure ArchLinux. Of course, the process is rather complicated, it requires a lot of free time. It's up to you to decide if you really need such an operating system. Moreover, we considered even such a "terrible" thing, as the installation of Steam on ArchLinux. Of course, it will not be useful to many. But if you are a gamer, then this information will come in handy. In general, ArchLinux is a good OS for replenishing its knowledge base.

If you are not afraid of the difficulties in the process of mastering a new one, then ArchLinux will have to your liking. And let the market is still the brainchild of Microsoft Corporation, open source software is gaining popularity every year.