Alpine Linux - User contributions [en]

Raspberry Pi

2016-12-31T18:42:15Z

Gioele:

[[Category:Installation]]
This tutorial will help you install Alpine Linux on your Raspberry Pi.

== Preparation ==

This section will help you format and partition your SD card:

# [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads/ Download] Alpine for Raspberry Pi tarball which is named as <code>alpine-rpi-<version>-armhf.rpi.tar.gz</code>. You will need version 3.2.0 or greater if you have a Raspberry Pi 2.
# Mount your SD card to your workstation
# Use [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNOME_Disks gnome-disks] or [http://linux.die.net/man/8/fdisk fdisk] to create a FAT32 partition. If you are using fdisk, the FAT32 partition type is called ''W95 FAT32 (LBA)'' and its ID is 0xC.
# Mark the newly created partition as bootable and save
# Mount the previously created partition
# Extract the tarball contents to your FAT32 partition
# Unmount the SD Card.

== Installation ==

Alpine Linux will be installed as [[Installation#Installation_Handbook|diskless mode]], hence you need to use [[Alpine local backup|Alpine Local Backup (lbu)]] to save your modifications between reboots. Follow these steps to install Alpine Linux:

# Insert the SD Card into the Raspberry Pi and turn it on
# Login into the Alpine system as root. Leave the password empty.
# Type <code>setup-alpine</code>
# Once the installation is complete, commit the changes by typing <code>lbu commit</code>

Type <code>reboot</code> to verify that the installation was indeed successful.

== Post Installation ==

=== Update the System ===

Upon installation, make sure that your system is up-to-date:

{{cmd|apk update
apk upgrade}}

Don't forget to save the changes:

{{cmd|lbu commit}}

=== Clock-related error messages ===

During the booting time, you might notice errors related to the hardware clock. The Raspberry Pi does not have
a hardware clock and therefore you need to disable the hwclock daemon and enable swclock:

{{cmd|rc-update add swclock boot # enable the software clock
rc-update del hwclock boot # disable the hardware clock}}

Since Raspberry Pi does not have a clock, the Alpine Linux needs to know what the time is by using a
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_Time_Protocol Network Time Protocol (NTP)] daemon. Make sure that you a
NTP daemon installed and running. If you are not sure, then you can install NTP client by running the following
command:

{{cmd|setup-ntp}}

Busybox NTP client might be the most lightweight solution. Save the changes and reboot, once the NTP software is
installed and running:

{{cmd|lbu commit
reboot}}

After reboot, make sure that the <code>date</code> command outputs the correct date and time.

=== X11 Setup ===
Here are what you need if you want to try and run a single X11 application like a browser kiosk or maybe even a desktop: {{cmd|setup-xorg-base
apk add xf86-video-fbdev xf86-input-mouse xf86-input-keyboard dbus setxkbmap
rc-update add dbus}}

Also edit the default X11 module config: /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-modules.conf
{{cmd|Section "Module"
Load "fbdevhw"
Load "fb"
Load "shadow"
Load "shadowfb"
Load "dbe"
Load "glx"
Disable "dri"
EndSection}}

Commit your changes:
{{cmd|lbu_commit}}

Now you should be able to run a browser or desktop. (Guides may follow)

If setup-xorg-base gives you an error regarding rc-update that fails to add mdev to sysinit just run:
{{cmd|rc-update mdev sysinit}}
to add it manually. If you skip this the next time you reboot your Raspberry Pi the screen maybe will not display anything on screen.

== Persistent storage ==

=== Loopback image with overlayfs ===

The install is in disk-less mode and forces everything into memory, if you want additional storage we need to create loop-back storage onto the SD mounted with overlayfs.

First make the sd-card writable again and change fstab to always do so:
{{cmd|mount /media/mmcblk0p1 -o rw,remount
sed -i 's/vfat\ ro,/vfat\ rw,' /etc/fstab}}

Create the loop-back file, this example is 1 GB:

{{cmd|dd if=/dev/zero of=/media/mmcblk0p1/persist.img bs=1024 count=0 seek=1048576}}

Install the ext utilities:

{{cmd|apk add e2fsprogs}}

Format the loop-back file:

{{cmd|mkfs.ext4 /media/mmcblk0p1/persist.img}}

Mount the storage:

{{cmd|echo "/media/mmcblk0p1/persist.img /media/persist ext4 rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
mkdir /media/persist
mount -a}}

Make the overlay folders, we are doing /usr here, but you can do /home or anything else:

{{cmd|mkdir /media/persist/usr
mkdir /media/persist/.work
echo "overlay /usr overlay lowerdir=/usr,upperdir=/media/persist/usr,workdir=/media/persist/.work 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
mount -a}}

Your /etc/fstab should look something like this:
{{Cmd|/dev/cdrom /media/cdrom iso9660 noauto,ro 0 0
/dev/usbdisk /media/usb vfat noauto,ro 0 0
/dev/mmcblk0p1 /media/mmcblk0p1 vfat rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,errors=remount-ro 0 0
/media/mmcblk0p1/persist.img /media/persist ext4 rw,relatime,errors=remount-ro 0 0
overlay /usr overlay lowerdir=/usr,upperdir=/media/persist/usr,workdir=/media/persist/.work 0 0}}

Now commit the changes: (optionally remove the e2fsprogs, but it does contain repair tools)
{{cmd|lbu_commit}}

Remember with this setup, if you install things and you have done this overlay for /usr, you must not commit the 'apk add', otherwise while it boots it will try and install it to memory and not to the persist storage.

If you do want to install something small at boot you can use `apk add` and `lbu commit`.

If it is something a bit bigger then you can use `apk add` but then not commit it, it will be persistent (in /user), but do check everything you need is in that directory and not in folders you have not made persistent.

=== Traditional disk-based (sys) installation ===

{{Warning|This isn't yet supported by the Alpine setup scripts for Raspberry Pi. It requires manual intervention, and might break.}}

It is also possible to switch to a fully disk-based installation: this is not yet formally supported, but can be done somewhat manually. This frees all the memory otherwise needed for the root filesystem, allowing more installed packages.

Split your SD card into two partitions: the FAT32 boot partition described above (in this example it'll be <code>mmcblk0p1</code>) , and a second partition to hold the root filesystem (here it'll be <code>mmcblk0p2</code>). Boot and configure your diskless system as above, then create a root filesystem:

{{cmd|apk add e2fsprogs
mkfs.ext4 /dev/mmcblk0p2}}

Now do a disk install via a mountpoint. The <code>setup-disk</code> script will give some errors about syslinux/extlinux, but you can ignore these: the Raspberry Pi doesn't need this to boot anyway.

{{cmd|<nowiki>mkdir /stage
mount /dev/mmcblk0p2 /stage
setup-disk -o /media/mmcblk0p1/MYHOSTNAME.apkovl.tar.gz /stage
# (ignore errors about syslinux/extlinux)</nowiki>}}

Add a line to <code>/stage/etc/fstab</code> to mount the Pi's boot partition again:

{{cmd|/dev/mmcblk0p1 /media/mmcblk0p1 vfat defaults 0 0}}

Now add a <code>root=/dev/mmcblk0p2</code> parameter to the Pi's boot command line, either <code>cmdline-rpi2.txt</code> or <code>cmdline-rpi.txt</code> depending on model:

{{cmd|<nowiki>mount -o remount,rw /media/mmcblk0p1
sed -i '$ s/$/ root=\/dev\/mmcblk0p2/' /media/mmcblk0p1/cmdline-rpi2.txt</nowiki>}}

You might also consider <code>overlaytmpfs=yes</code> here, which will cause the underlying SD card root filesystem to be mounted read-only, with an overlayed tmpfs for modifications which will be discarded on shutdown.

Beware, though, that the contents of /boot will be ignored when the Pi boots: it will use the kernel, initramfs, and modloop images from the FAT32 boot partition. To update the kernel, initfs or modules, you will need to manually (generate and) copy these to the boot partition, too.

== See Also ==

* [[Create a bootable SDHC from a Mac]]

AwesomeWM

2016-03-01T08:54:12Z

Gioele:

= Initial setup =
Start by booting up Alpine (see [[Installation|these]] instructions on how to do that) 
When Alpine is up and running, do the initial setup.
{{Cmd|setup-alpine}}

= Install packages =
Install awesome, feh, aterm as basic desktop system. 
This might take a few minutes depending on your network speed.
{{Cmd|apk add awesome feh aterm}}
If aterm is not recognized by apk (Alpinelinux 3.2.x or above) instead of it you can install lxterminal. 
On the same version of Alpinelinux (3.2.x or above) you have to install the package lua otherwise awesome will not start
{{Cmd|apk add lua}}
Add other apps on need, eg. firefox, gnumeric, xchat, gimp, pidgin, geany, vim, etc. 
For Alpinelinux 2.6.x add additional pkgs
{{Cmd|apk add cairo-gobject pango}}

== Optional packages ==
=== Video and Input packages ===
You might also want to install a package suitable for your video chipset and input devices. 
For example, if you have an Sis video chipset install 'xf86-video-sis', for Intel video chipset install 'xf86-video-intel'. 
{{Cmd|apk add xf86-video-sis}}
and / or
{{Cmd|apk add xf86-input-synaptics}}

Run 'apk search xf86-video*' to see available xf86-video packages. 
Run 'apk search xf86-input*' to see available xf86-input packages. 

=== acpid ===
If you installed your Alpine Linux as a VirtualBox or VMWare guest you might find it handy to be able send ACPI shutdown. 
{{Cmd|rc-update add acpid}}

= Configure xorg-server =
On most systems, xorg should be able to autodetect all devices. However you can still configure xorg-server by hand by launching:
{{Cmd|setup-xorg-base}}

= Create user accounts =
Create a normal user account.
{{Cmd|adduser ncopa}}

Optionally, give that user sudo permissions in /etc/sudoers. When doing so, it is important to use the command: {{Cmd|visudo}} This ensures that only one user is changing the file at any given time. Visudo has two modes: Command mode and Insert mode. To edit the file, use the arrows to navigate to the appropriate line and enter Insert mode by pressing the 'i' key. To save and exit, enter Command mode by pressing the 'Esc' key, then ':w' + 'enter' to save, and finally ':q' + 'enter' to quit.

Logout from root and login into new created account.

= Start your desktop =
{{Cmd|echo 'awesome' >> /home/<newuser>/.xinitrc}}
{{Cmd|mkdir /home/<newuser>/.config}}
{{Cmd|cp -r /etc/xdg/awesome /home/<newuser>/.config}}
{{Cmd|vi /home/<newuser>/.config/awesome/rc.lua}}
Replace instances of xterm with aterm or (if 3.2.x or above use lxterminal instead)

Start awesome.
{{Cmd|startx}}

= Troubleshooting =

D-Bus problems:

{{Cmd|D-Bus library appears to be incorrectly set up; failed to read machine uuid: Failed to open "/var/lib/dbus/machine-id": No such file or directory}}

If startx fails and returns an error about D-Bus failed to read machine uuid, as shown above, proceed as follow:

Install dbus from apk
{{Cmd|apk add dbus}}

Login or su to root account then launch the follow command (Note: sudo is not working for this step):
{{Cmd|dbus-uuidgen > /var/lib/dbus/machine-id}}

Now if startx is launched it should load correctly the desktop

= Screenshot =
[[{{ns:image}}:awesome-01.png|awesome-01.png]]
[[Category:Desktop]]

AwesomeWM

2015-12-10T21:09:40Z

Gioele:

= Initial setup =
Start by booting up Alpine (see [[Installation|these]] instructions on how to do that) 
When Alpine is up and running, do the initial setup.
{{Cmd|setup-alpine}}

= Install packages =
Install awesome, feh, aterm as basic desktop system. 
This might take a few minutes depending on your network speed.
{{Cmd|apk add awesome feh aterm}}
If aterm is not recognized by apk (Alpinelinux 3.2.x) instead of it you can install lxterminal. 
On the same version of Alpinelinux (3.2.x) you have to install the package lua otherwise awesome will not start
{{Cmd|apk add lua}}
Add other apps on need, eg. firefox, gnumeric, xchat, gimp, pidgin, geany, vim, etc. 
For Alpinelinux 2.6.x add additional pkgs
{{Cmd|apk add cairo-gobject pango}}

== Optional packages ==
=== Video and Input packages ===
You might also want to install a package suitable for your video chipset and input devices. 
For example, if you have an Sis video chipset install 'xf86-video-sis', for Intel video chipset install 'xf86-video-intel'. 
{{Cmd|apk add xf86-video-sis}}
and / or
{{Cmd|apk add xf86-input-synaptics}}

Run 'apk search xf86-video*' to see available xf86-video packages. 
Run 'apk search xf86-input*' to see available xf86-input packages. 

=== acpid ===
If you installed your Alpine Linux as a VirtualBox or VMWare guest you might find it handy to be able send ACPI shutdown. 
{{Cmd|rc-update add acpid}}

= Configure xorg-server =
On most systems, xorg should be able to autodetect all devices. However you can still configure xorg-server by hand by launching:
{{Cmd|setup-xorg-base}}

= Create user accounts =
Create a normal user account.
{{Cmd|adduser ncopa}}

Optionally, give that user sudo permissions in /etc/sudoers. When doing so, it is important to use the command: {{Cmd|visudo}} This ensures that only one user is changing the file at any given time. Visudo has two modes: Command mode and Insert mode. To edit the file, use the arrows to navigate to the appropriate line and enter Insert mode by pressing the 'i' key. To save and exit, enter Command mode by pressing the 'Esc' key, then ':w' + 'enter' to save, and finally ':q' + 'enter' to quit.

Logout from root and login into new created account.

= Start your desktop =
{{Cmd|echo 'awesome' >> /home/<newuser>/.xinitrc}}
{{Cmd|mkdir /home/<newuser>/.config}}
{{Cmd|cp -r /etc/xdg/awesome /home/<newuser>/.config}}
{{Cmd|vi /home/<newuser>/.config/awesome/rc.lua}}
Replace instances of xterm with aterm

Start awesome.
{{Cmd|startx}}

= Troubleshooting =

= Screenshot =
[[{{ns:image}}:awesome-01.png|awesome-01.png]]
[[Category:Desktop]]