Installation: Difference between revisions

From Alpine Linux
 
(274 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Image:hdd_mount.png|left|link=]]
[[Image:hdd_mount.png|left|link=]]
<br />
<br />


 
This page exists to provide a basic overview to get started. Before actually installing, it can help to skim through the [[Alpine_Linux:FAQ| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)]], as well as to refer to the official installation guide at [https://docs.alpinelinux.org/ docs.alpinelinux.org].
 
 
This page explains the basics to get started. But before actually installing, it can also help to skim through the [[Alpine_Linux:FAQ| Frequenty Asked Questions (FAQ)]].


{{Tip|This is a wiki!
{{Tip|This is a wiki!
If something isn't correct (anymore), or still incomplete, you will have to try figuring it out, or ask for the correct solution in the [https://alpinelinux.org/community/ community].
If something isn't correct, or is incomplete, you will have to figure it out, or ask for the correct solution in the [https://alpinelinux.org/community/ community].


And then carefully edit the wiki page.
And then carefully edit the wiki page.


Just as those before you did it, for you.
Just as those before who did it for you.}}
}}
 


== Minimal Hardware Requirements ==
== Minimal Hardware Requirements ==
{{Main|Requirements}}
* At least 128 MB of RAM. [A graphical desktop system may require up to 512 minimum.]. Note that an installation itself (from ISO) generally requires at least 320 MB during installation.
* At least 0-700 MB space on a writable storage device. [Only required in [[#System Disk Mode|"sys"]] or [[#Data Disk Mode|"data"]] mode installations. It is optional in [[#Diskless Mode|"diskless"]] mode, where it may be used to save newer data and configurations states of a running system.]
* A working internet connection is required to complete [[#System Disk Mode|"sys"]] mode installation.


* At least 100 MB of RAM. [A graphical desktop system may require up to 1 GB minimum.]
{{Note| Most of the steps outlined on this page applies to all [[:Category:Architectures|Architectures]] supported by Alpine Linux. For more specific installation instructions, refer to their respective pages. Refer [[#Custom Installation Instructions|custom installation instructions]] for headless system, virtualization etc.}}
* At least 0-700 MB space on a writable storage device. [Only required in "sys" or "data" mode installations (explained below). It is optional in "diskless" mode, only needed to save newer data and configurations states of a running system.]
 
For more information please check [[Requirements]]


== Installation Overview ==
== Installation Overview ==


=== The general course of action ===
Alpine Linux can be installed and run in [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Alpine_Linux_modes|three modes]]  i.e [[#Diskless_Mode|Diskless Mode]], [[#Data_Disk_Mode|Data Disk Mode]] and [[#System_Disk_Mode|System Disk Mode]]. The installation procedure for Alpine Linux '''requires basic understanding of the three modes''' explained in brief below:
[Note: For single-board-computer (SBC) architectures which can not boot .iso images, see [[Alpine_on_ARM|Alpine on ARM]] for peculiarities.]


==== Diskless Mode ====
{{Main|Diskless Mode}}
In Diskless mode the entire operating system with all applications are first loaded into RAM and then only run from there. This mode is extremely fast and can save on unnecessary disk spin-ups, power, and wear.  Alpine Linux uses this method to boot the .iso installation images. The [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|<code>setup-alpine</code>]] script configures the installed system to continue to boot like this if "disk=none" is specified.


As usual, the regular installation procedure starts with three basic steps (additional details for all the steps follow [[Installation#additional details|below]]):<br>
==== Data Disk Mode ====
{{Main|Data Disk Mode}}
In Data Disk mode also the operating system  runs from system RAM, thus it enjoys the same accelerated operation speed as "diskless" mode. However, swap storage and the entire {{Path|/var}} directory tree get mounted from a persistent storage device. This mode is useful for having RAM accelerated servers with variable amounts of user-data that exceed the available RAM size.


==== System Disk Mode ====


'''1.)''' Downloading and verifying the proper [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads stable-release ISO installation image-file] for the computer's architecture, and the corresponding <code>sha256</code> (checksum) and <code>GPG</code> (signature) files.  
System or '''sys''' Disk Mode is the traditional hard-disk install. Alpine Linux can be installed to an entire [[#setup-alpine based System Disk Install|'''hard disk''']] using <code>setup-alpine</code> script or to custom partitions using [[Setting_up_disks_manually|<code>setup-disk</code>]]. For further info, refer [[Setting_up_disks_manually|System Disk Mode]].  


'''2.)''' Either burning the ISO image-file onto a blank CD/DVD/Blu-ray disk with disk burning software, or flashing the installation image onto a bootable storage device (USB-device, CF-/MMC-/SD-card, floppy, ...).
=== General course of action ===


'''3.)''' Booting the computer from the prepared disk or storage device.
It is really helpful for many use cases to [[#Preparing_for_the_installation|prepare]] and complete the [[#Installation_Step_Details|Installation]] until the [[#Base_configuration|base configuration]] step, then proceed with installation of the target system with any one of the various [[#Alternate courses of action|alternate]] courses of action.


=== Alternate courses of action ===


The boot process copies the entire operating system into the RAM memory, then runs it from there, after which, the command line environment does not depend on reading from the (possibly slow) initial boot media.
Examples of preparation options:
* Download some specific driver to configure the hardware, and/or install some software tool that may be missing in the live system by using the alpine package manager <code>[[Alpine_Package_Keeper|apk]]</code>. 
* Do a [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning|Manual partitioning]] of the harddisk that avoids overwrite of an entire disk.


Log-in is possible as the user <code>root</code>. Initially, the root user has no password.
Examples of such options:


An interactive script named <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> is available at the command prompt to configure and install the initial Alpine Linux system.
* To install Alpine Linux on an '''entire hard disk''' with optional [[Alpine_setup_scripts#Environment_Variables|environment variables]], proceed to [[#setup-alpine_based_System_Disk_Install|setup-alpine based System Disk Install]].
* Use <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-lbu|setup-lbu]]</code> to configure a "local backup" location and <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-apkcache|setup-apkcache]]</code> to configure a local package cache storage location for the [[#Diskless Mode|diskless]] system and finally use <code>[[Alpine_local_backup|lbu commit]]</code> to then save the local configuration state.
* Use <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-bootable|setup-bootable]]</code> to create a [[Create_a_Bootable_Device#Using_setup-bootable|customizable boot media]] for '''[[Installation#Diskless_Mode|diskless]]''' or '''[[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|data]]''' disk-mode i.e a boot device with a writable filesystem.
* Use <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-disk|setup-disk]]</code> to complete a [[Setting_up_disks_manually|traditional hard-disk installation]] on a partition or to [[Dualbooting|Dualboot]] or to configure [[Setting_up_disks_manually#RAID|RAID]], [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Encryption|encryption]] or [[Setting_up_disks_manually#LVM|LVM]] for both [[#Data Disk Mode|"data"]] disk and [[#System_Disk_Mode|"system"]] disk mode or to add a [[#Data Disk Mode|"data"]] mode partition.


The <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> question-and-answer dialog can configure installations that boot into one of three different '''Alpinelinux disk modes''', '''"diskless"''', '''"data"''', and '''"sys"'''. These are explained in more detail in the following subsections. However, a newly installed system may always be configured into a fully usable, standalone, "diskless" live-system by runing <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> and answering "none" when asked for the disk to use, where to store configs, and the location for the package cache.
There are many more [[Alpine_setup_scripts|setup-scripts]] available. All these tools may also be run later to adjust specific configurations. For example, to set up a graphical environment as covered under [[Installation#Post-Installation|Post-Installation]] below.


Once a "diskless" system is configured by running <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code>, it's possible to use the [[Alpine_Linux_package_management|apk package manager]] to install any desired tool that may be missing in the live system to configure available hardware.
== Preparing for the installation ==


Specific hardware configuration may be desired, for example, for available disk drives.
=== Downloading installation image ===
e.g. If you need to install a custom partition or filesystem scheme, and if the installation should not use and/or overwrite the entire disk ([[Installation#Custom_partitioning_of_the_harddisk|details below]]).


After the desired adjustments have been made using the "diskless" system, <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-lbu|setup-lbu]]</code> and <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-apkcache|setup-apkcache]]</code> may be run to add persistent configuration and package cache storage to the running "diskless" system. After that, the system state may be saved with <code>[[Alpine_local_backup|lbu commit]]</code>. Or, <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-disk|setup-disk]]</code> may be run to add a "data" mode partition, or do a classic full install of the "diskless" system onto a "sys" disk or partition.
Download the [https://alpinelinux.org/downloads/ stable-release installation image-file] for the target computer's architecture with their corresponding <code>sha256</code> (checksum) and <code>GPG</code> (signature) files.  


More [[Alpine_setup_scripts|setup-scripts]] are available to configure other specifics. They may be run separately to set up a system, or to adjust only specific parts later. For example, to set up a graphical environment (covered in [[Installation#Post-Install|Post-Install]] below).
{{Note|Download <code>sha256</code> (checksum) and <code>GPG</code> (signature) files only from [https://alpinelinux.org/downloads/ official] site and not from mirrors.}}


==='''Diskless Mode'''===
Now you have three files of the following format..  
This is the default boot mode of the .iso images. <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> configures this if "disk=none" is selected during installation. It means the entire operating system and all applications are loaded into, then run from, RAM. This is extremely fast and can save on unnecessary disk spin-ups, power, and wear. It is similar to what is called a "frugal" install running with the "toram" option as with some other distros, but without the need to
<pre>
remaster the install media.
alpine-standard-*.iso
alpine-standard-*.iso.sha256
alpine-standard-*.iso.asc
</pre>
''alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso'' is the '''3.20.3''' version '''Standard''' image file in '''iso''' format for '''x86_64''' architecture. Image file can also be '''gz''' for certain cases.


Custom configurations and package selections may be preserved across reboots with the Alpine local backup tool <code>[[Alpine_local_backup|lbu]]</code>. It enables committing and reverting system states using .apkovl files that are saved to writable storage and loaded when booting. If additional or updated packages have been added to the system, these may also be made available for automatic (re)installation during the boot phase, by enabling a [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Local_Cache|local package cache]] on the writable storage.
=== Verifying downloaded image ===


[[https://gitlab.alpinelinux.org/alpine/alpine-conf/-/issues/10473 FIXME-1]: Storing local configs and the package cache on an ''internal'' disk still requires [[Alpine_local_backup#Saving_and_loading_ISO_image_customizations|some manual steps]] to have the partition listed, i.e. making a /etc/fstab entry, mountpoint, and mount, *before* running setup-alpine. And requires manually committing the configuration to disk afterwards.]
From Security point of view, verify the downloaded image file for both checksum and GPG signature before proceeding further. The three required utilities i.e <code>sha256</code>, <code>curl</code> and <code>gpg</code> or their equivalents are available in every operating system including Linux, windows, Mac and BSD derivaties.  


To allow for local backups, <code>setup-alpine</code> can be told to store the configs and the package cache on a writable partition. (Later, directories on that same partition or another available partition may also be mounted as /home, or for important applications, e.g. to keep their run-time and user data on it.)
{{Tip|Ensure that all the three downloaded files remain in the same folder. If not, adjust the commands accordingly.}}


The boot device of the newly configured local "diskless" system may remain the initial (and possibly read-only) installation media. But it is also possible to copy the boot system to a partition (e.g. /dev/sdXY) with <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-bootable|setup-bootable]]</code>.
The <code>sha256</code> checksum verifies the integrity of the downloaded image i.e no modifications occurred during download.
{{Cmd|sha256sum -c alpine-*.iso.'''sha256'''}}


==='''Data Disk Mode'''===
The <code>GPG</code> signature verifies the link between the downloaded image to the individual who signed it. Signature verification involves two steps:
This mode also runs from system RAM, thus it enjoys the same accelerated operation speed as "diskless" mode. However, swap storage and the entire {{Path|/var}} directory tree get mounted from a persistent storage device (two newly created partitions). The directory {{Path|/var}} holds e.g. all log files, mailspools, databases, etc., as well as <code>[[Alpine_local_backup|lbu]]</code> backup commits and the package cache. The mode is useful for having RAM accelerated servers with variable amounts of user-data that exceed the available RAM size. It enables the entire current system state (not just the boot state) to survive a system crash in accordance with the particular filesystem guarantees.  


[[https://gitlab.alpinelinux.org/alpine/alpine-conf/-/issues/10474 FIXME-2]: Setup-alpine can not yet configure storage of the lbu configs to the "data disk" after selecting one. It's still necessary to first select to save configs to "none" in setup-alpine (the new data partition is not listed), and to manually edit /etc/lbu/lbu.conf to set e.g. LBU_MEDIA=sdXY, then execute a corresponding <code>echo "/dev/sdXY /media/sdXY vfat rw 0 0" >> /etc/fstab</code> afterwards, and save the config with <code>lbu commit</code> to have the partition (here, dubbed as sdXY) mounted when booting.]
Step 1. Download and import the gpg signature from official website
{{Cmd|curl https://alpinelinux.org/keys/ncopa.asc &#124; gpg --import ;}}


In data disk mode, the boot device may also remain the initial (and possibly read-only) installation media, or be copied to a partition (e.g. /dev/sdXY) with <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-bootable|setup-bootable]]</code>.
Step 2. Verify that the image signature matches with the one downloded in Step 1.
{{Cmd|gpg --verify alpine-*.iso.'''asc''' alpine-*.'''iso'''}}


==='''System Disk Mode'''===  
=== Preparing installation media  ===
This is a traditional hard-disk install.
{{Seealso|Burning ISOs}}


If this mode is selected, the <code>[[setup-alpine]]</code> script defaults to create three partitions on the selected storage device, {{Path|/boot}}, {{Path|swap}} and {{Path|/}} (the filesystem root). This mode may, for example, be used for generic [[Desktops|desktop]] and development machines.
{{Note|These instructions are exclusively for x86_64 and x86. For ARM boards, see [[Alpine on ARM#Preparing installation media|Alpine on ARM]].}}


For custom partitioning, see [[Setting_up_disks_manually]].
All data currently on the installation media will be '''lost''', when Alpine Linux installation image is written on it. Be extremely careful to correctly identify the device name for the installation media using the commands <code>lsblk</code> and <code>blkid</code>.


And to install along another operating systems, see [[Installing_Alpine_on_HDD_dualbooting]].
In Linux, <code>dd</code> command can write the downloaded image file to the installation media i.e target device.


== Additional Details ==
{{Note|Modify the input file('''if''') and output file('''of''') according to the name and path to your image file and target device. Do not use partition numbers for the target device i.e use '''/dev/sdX''' instead of '''/dev/sdbXY.}}
{{Cmd|# dd if{{=}}alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso of{{=}}/dev/sdX bs{{=}}4M status{{=}}progress; eject /dev/sdX}}


{{Expand|  }}
If your version of <code>dd</code> does not support the option "status=progress", remove it. The <code>eject</code> command removes the target device from the system and ensures the write cache is completely flushed.


This "Additional Details" section needs to be consolidated with the work at '''[https://docs.alpinelinux.org https://docs.alpinelinux.org] (not finished)'''  
In Windows, [https://rufus.ie/ Rufus] has been tested to create bootable USB flash drives and worked for Alpine Linux 3.12.x with the following settings:
(Restructuring things there, moving and linking from here or there?).
* '''Partition scheme''': <code>MBR</code>  '''Target system''': <code>BIOS or UEFI</code>
* '''File system''': <code>FAT32</code>      '''Cluster size''': <code>4096 bytes (default)</code>


===  Verifying Installation media ===


=== Verifying the downloaded image-file ===
After detaching and re-attaching the device, a bit-wise comparison can verify the data written to the device (instead of just data buffered in RAM). If the comparison terminates with an end-of-file error on the .iso file side, all the contents from the image have been written (and re-read) successfully:
<pre>
# cmp ~/Downloads/alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso /dev/sdX
cmp: EOF on alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso
</pre>


{|  class="wikitable" style="width:95%; align=center"
=== Booting Installation Media ===
|+ Commands to verify the checksum and GPG signature of a downloaded image-file on different systems.
|-
! width=100px |  OS type
!  <code>SHA256</code> check !! <code>SHA256</code> calculation (to be compared manually) !! <code>GPG</code> signature verification
|-
! Linux
| <code>sha256sum -c alpine-*.iso.sha256</code> ||        || <code>curl https://alpinelinux.org/keys/ncopa.asc &#124; gpg --import ;</code>
<code> gpg --verify alpine-<version>.iso.asc alpine-<version>.iso</code>
|-
! MACOS 
| - ? -  || <code>shasum -a 256 alpine-*.iso</code> || - ? -
|-
! BSD 
| - ? - || <code>/usr/local/bin/shasum -a 256 alpine-*.iso</code> || - ? -
|-
! Windows (PowerShell installed)
|                - ? -            || <code>Get-FileHash .\alpine-<image-version>.iso -Algorithm SHA256</code> || - ? -
|}


=== Flashing (direct data writing) the installation image-file onto a device or media  ===
Insert the [[#Preparing_installation_media|Installation media]] to a proper drive or port of the computer and turn the machine on, or restart it, if already running.
{{Note| To successfully boot and install Alpine Linux, disable [[Alpine_and_UEFI#How_to_boot_unsigned_code?|secure boot]] in the BIOS. Once Alpine Linux is installed, this can be [[UEFI_Secure_Boot|enabled]].}}
If the computer does not automatically boot from the desired device, one needs to bring up the boot menu and choose the media to boot from. Depending on the computer, the menu may be accessed by repeatedly pressing a key quickly when booting starts. Some computers require that you press the button ''before'' starting the computer and hold it down while the computer boots. Typical keys are: {{key|F9}}-{{key|F12}}, sometimes {{key|F7}} or {{key|F8}}. If these don't bring up the boot menu, it may be necessary to enter the BIOS configuration and adjust the boot settings, for which typical keys are: {{key|Del}} {{key|F1}} {{key|F2}} {{key|F6}} or {{key|Esc}}.


==== Unix/Linux ====
== Installation Step Details ==


Under Unix (and thus Linux), "everything is a file" and the data in the image-file can be written onto a device or media with the <code>dd</code> command. Afterwards, <code>eject</code> can remove the target device from the system, to ensure the completion of all writes and clearing of the cache.
=== Boot Process ===


dd if=<iso-file-to-read-in> of=<target-device-node-to-write-out-to> bs=4M oflag=sync status=progress; eject <target-device-node-to-write-out-to>
The boot process of the alpine installation image first copies the entire operating system into the RAM memory, and then already starts a complete Alpine Linux system from there. It will initially only provide a basic command line environment that does not depend on reading from any (possibly slow) initial boot media, anymore.


Be careful to correctly identify the target device to overwrite, because all previous data on it will be lost! All connected "bulk storage devices" can be listed with <code><nowiki>lsblk</nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki>blkid</nowiki></code>.
Local log-in is possible as the user <code>root</code>. Initially, the '''root''' user has no password.


# lsblk
At the command prompt, an interactive script named [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|<code>setup-alpine</code>]] is available to configure and install Alpine Linux. The script can be customized by the optional [[Alpine_setup_scripts#Environment_Variables|environment variables]], in case of [[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|'''"data"''']] or [[Installation#System_Disk_Mode|'''"sys"''']] mode. For e.g {{Codeline|<code>USE_EFI{{=}}1 BOOTSIZE{{=}}512 setup-alpine</code>}}, sets the disklabel type to gpt, creates 512MB '''/boot''' partition with '''vfat''' filesystem and uses <code>grub</code> as bootloader.
NAME            MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE  MOUNTPOINT
sdX              0:0    0  64,0G  0 disk 
├─sdX1            0:1    0    2G  0 part 
└─sdX2            0:2    0    30G  0 part  /mnt/sdX2
# blkid
/dev/sdX1: LABEL="some" UUID="..." TYPE="vfat"
/dev/sdX2: LABEL="other" UUID="..." TYPE="ext4"


For example, if /dev/sdX is the desired target device to write the image to here, then first make sure to un-mount all mounted partitions of the target device individually. For example sdX1 and sdX2.
=== Base configuration ===


umount  /dev/sdX1  /dev/sdX2
Launch the Alpine Linux Installation by running the [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|<code>setup-alpine</code>]] script :


{{Cmd|# setup-alpine}}


For <code>dd</code>'s out-file (<code>of=</code>), however, do '''not''' specify a partition number. For example, write to sdX and not sdX1:
The question-and-answer dialog of <code>setup-alpine</code> takes care of the base configuration. It sets up a network connection to access Internet to configure the system to boot into one of three different Alpine Linux "disk" modes:  [[Installation#Diskless_Mode|'''"diskless"'''(none)]], [[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|'''"data"''']]  or [[Installation#System_Disk_Mode|'''"sys"''']]. If you choose to edit any option, the relevant file is opened in [[BusyBox#vi| '''vi''']] for editing.


Warning: '''This will overwrite the target device /dev/sdX''', so before executing, make sure to really have a backup of the data if still need.
[[File:Installation-alpine-alpine-setup-3-setup-scripts.png|350px|thumb|right|Example <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> session]]


dd if=~/Downloads/alpine-standard-3.00.0-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M oflag=sync status=progress; eject /dev/sdX
The <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> script offers the following configuration options:


==== Windows ====
# '''Keyboard Layout''' (Local keyboard language and usage mode, e.g. ''us'' and variant of ''us-nodeadkeys''.)
# '''Hostname''' (The name for the computer.)
# '''Network ''' (Setup network connection to access Internet.)
#* Available interfaces are: '''eth0''' '''wlan0'''.(List depends on your hardware.)
#* Which one do you want to initialize? (or '?' or 'done') [eth0] (Enter 'done' after configuring '''atleast''' one interface for Internet access.)
#* Do you want to do any manual network configuration? (y/n) [n] (Default uses "DHCP".) 
# '''DNS Servers''' (If none of the interfaces configured in previous step uses dhcp, set DNS server. If unsure, leave DNS domain name blank and using <code>[https://quad9.net/ 9.9.9.9 2620:fe::fe]</code> for DNS is typically adequate.)
# '''Root password''' (the password used to login to the root account)
# '''Timezone''' (Optionally display times/dates in your local time zone)
# '''HTTP/FTP Proxy''' (Proxy server to use for accessing the web/ftp. Use "none" for direct connections to websites and FTP servers.)
# '''Mirror''' (From where to download packages. Choose the organization you trust giving your usage patterns to.)
# '''Setup a user''' (Setting up a regular user account)
# '''NTP''' (Network Time Protocol client used for keeping the system clock in sync with a time server. Package "chrony" is part of the default install image.)
# '''SSH''' (Secure SHell remote access server. "OpenSSH" is part of the default install image. Use "none" to disable remote login, e.g. on laptops.)
# In most cases, either one of following line(s) is displayed as follows:
#: '''No disks found.''' or ''' Available disks are: sda (128.0 GB JMicron  Tech )'''
# '''Disk Mode''' ( A pre-setup of the "diskless" system or base configuration is completed by answering "none" when asked for the following questions.)
#* Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') '''none'''
#* Enter where to store configs (/media/ or 'none') '''none'''
#* The location of the package cache '''none'''


There is, for example, the [https://rufus.ie/ Rufus] program. It allows writing bootable USB flash drives under Windows.  
Base configuration is complete with the above step. Refer to the [[#Alternate courses of action|alternate courses of action]] to proceed further.


Rufus has been tested and works for Alpine Linux 3.12.x with the following settings:
=== setup-alpine based System Disk Install === 
* '''Partition scheme''': <code>MBR</code>
* '''Target system''': <code>BIOS or UEFI</code>
* '''File system''': <code>FAT32</code>
* '''Cluster size''': <code>4096 bytes (default)</code>


===  Verifying the written installation media ===
<code>setup-alpine</code> script based installation, needs an ''' entire hard disk(s)''' for Alpine Linux and uses a partitioning layout with (/)root partition, /boot partition and a swap partition, where [[Alpine_setup_scripts#Environment_Variables|environment variables]] determine filesystem, size of the boot partition and the bootloader used. If your use case matches the above, at the final step of [[#Base configuration|base configuration]], type the appropriate hard disk '''device name''' instead of '''none'''. If multiple disks are chosen, [[Alpine_setup_scripts#RAID|RAID]] is used.
 
After detaching and re-attaching the device, a bit-wise comparison can verify what has been written to the device (instead of just data buffered in RAM). If the comparison terminates with an end-of-file error on the .iso file side, all the contents from the image has been written (and read again) successfully:
* At the '''Disk Mode''' stage, '''sda''' or relevant disk(s) must be chosen in the below screen:
 
** Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') '''sda'''
# cmp ~/Downloads/alpine-standard-3.00.0-x86_64.iso /dev/sdX
** Confirmation for the chosen disk(s) appears. ''The following disk is selected:'' '''sda    (128.0 GB JMicron Tech ).'''
  cmp: EOF on alpine-standard-3.00.0-x86_64.iso
{{Warning|Pay close attention to the disk name and size. If you enter '''sys''' in the next step, no further questions will be asked and data on the chosen disk(s) will be overwritten!. Enter {{key|Ctrl}}+{{key|c}} to abort the installation process. Proceed only if you are 100% sure.}}
 
* How would you like to use it? ('sys', 'data', 'lvm' or '?' for help) '''sys'''
=== Booting from external devices ===
 
Insert the boot media to a proper drive or port of the computer and turn the machine on, or restart it, if already running.
 
If the computer does not automatically boot from the desired device, one needs to bring up the boot menu selection for choosing the media to boot from. Depending on the computer the menu may be accessed by quickly (repeatedly) pressing a key when booting starts, or sometimes it is needed to press the button before starting the computer and keep holding it when it boots. Typical keys are:  `F9`-`F12`, sometimes `F7` or `F8`. If these don't bring up the boot menu, it may be necessary to enter the BIOS configuration and adjust the boot settings, for which typical keys are: `Del.` `F1` `F2` `F6` or `Esc.`
 
=== Custom partitioning of the harddisk ===
 
It is possible to specify configurations for RAID, encryption, LVM, etc., or to do manual partitioning.


For "diskless" or "data disk" mode installs, manual partitioning may be needed to prepare a partition on the harddisk for committing local backups of the system state with <code>[[Alpine_local_backup|lbu commit]]</code>, for a package cache, or to use it as the /var mount.  
If '''sys''' is chosen, the <code>setup-alpine</code> script will complete the traditional hard-disk installation of Alpine Linux on the chosen disk(s) without further questions.  Once the installation is complete, you can skip the next steps and proceed to [[#Reboot|reboot]] the system to boot into the newly installed Alpine Linux and [[Installation#Post-Installation|configure]] further.


For a "sys" install, custom partitioning is only needed if the desired scheme differs from overwriting a whole disk, or creating the default /boot, swap and root partitions.
=== Custom partitioning  ===
 
See [[Setting_up_disks_manually]] for the alpine options for RAID, encryption, LVM, etc., and manual partitioning.
 
=== Questions asked by <code>setup-alpine</code> ===
[[File:Installation-alpine-alpine-setup-3-setup-scripts.png|350px|thumb|right|Example <code>setup-alpine</code> session]]
 
The <code>[[setup-alpine]]</code> script offers to configure:
 
* '''Keyboard Layout''' (Local keyboard language and usage mode, e.g. ''us'' and variant of ''us-nodeadkeys''.)
* '''Hostname''' (The name for the computer.)
* '''Network''' (For example, automatic IP address discovery with the "DHCP" protocol.)
* '''DNS Servers''' (Domain name servers to query. For privacy reasons it is NOT recommended to route every local request to servers like google's <s>8.8.8.8</s> .)
* '''Timezone'''
* '''Proxy''' (Proxy server to use for accessing the web. Use "none" for direct connections to the internet.)
* '''Mirror''' (From where to download packages. Choose the organization to trust giving your usage patterns.)
* '''SSH''' (Remote login server. The "openssh" is part of the default install images. Use "none" to disable remote logins, e.g. on laptops.)
* '''NTP''' (Client package to use for keeping the system clock in sync. Package "chrony" is part of the default install images.)
* '''Disk Mode''' (Select between diskless (disk="none"), "data" or "sys", as described above.)
  '''The data on a chosen device will be overwritten!'''


[[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning|Manual partitioning]] of the harddisk may be needed to prepare the harddisk for "sys" mode install using [[Setting_up_disks_manually|<code>setup-disk</code>]] and for storing the config file using [[Alpine_local_backup|<code>lbu commit</code>]] and package cache for [[Diskless Mode|Diskless]] and for /var mount for [[Data Disk Mode|Data disk]] mode installs. Refer [[Setting up disks manually|Setting up disks manually]] page for specific configurations related to [[Setting_up_disks_manually#RAID|RAID]], [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Encryption|encryption]], [[Setting_up_disks_manually#LVM|LVM]], etc...


=== Preparing for the first boot ===
=== Preparing for the first boot ===
If [[#System_Disk_Mode|System Disk Mode]] of installation was performed, ignore this section and proceed to [[#Reboot|reboot]].


If <code>setup-alpine</code> has finished configuring the disk mode "sys", then the system should be ready to reboot right away (see next subsection).
If the new local system was configured to run in "diskless" or "data" mode, and you do not want keep booting from the initial (and possibly read-only) [[Installation#Preparing_installation_media|installation media]], create a  [[Create_a_Bootable_Device|customizable boot device]]. Once everything is in place, save your customized configuration with {{ic|lbu commit}} before rebooting.


If the new local system was configured to run in "diskless" or "data" mode, and should not keep booting from the initial (and possibly read-only) installation media, then the boot system needs to be copied to another device or partition.
=== Reboot ===
 
The target partition may be identified using <code><nowiki>lsblk</nowiki></code> (after installing it with <code>apk add lsblk</code>) and/or <code>blkid</code>, similar to previously identifying the initial installation media device.
 
The procedure to copy the boot system is explained at <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-bootable|setup-bootable]]</code>
 
Once everything is in place, save the locally customized configurations with <code>lbu commit</code> before rebooting.
 
=== Rebooting and testing the new system ===
 
First, the initial installation media has to be removed from the boot drive, or detached.
 
Then the system may be power-cycled or rebooted to confirm that everything is working.
 
The relevant commands for this are <code>poweroff</code> or <code>reboot</code>.


First, remove the initial installation media from the boot drive, or detach it from the port it's connected to. The system may now be power-cycled or rebooted to confirm everything is working correctly. The relevant commands for this are {{ic|poweroff}} or {{ic|reboot}}. Login into the new system with the root account.


=== Completing the installation ===
=== Completing the installation ===


The installation script only installs the base operating system. '''No''' applications such as a web server, mail server, desktop environment, or web browser are installed, and <code>root</code> is the only user.
The installation script installs only the base operating system. '''No''' applications e.g. web server, mail server, desktop environment, or web browsers are installed.


Please look under "Post-Install" below, for some common things to do after installation.
Please look at [[Installation#Post-Installation|Post-Installation]], for some common things to do after installation.


= Further Documentation =
== Custom Installation Instructions ==


=== Installing ===
<!-- This has to be moved to headless installation page -->
Custom-made headless apkovl can be done by first booting the install media on some computer with a display and keyboard attached, or in a virtual machine, and doing an intermediate "diskless" setup of just the boot media (more details below), i.e. using the offical <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> to configure the system's network, possibly for dhcp if needed, a ssh server, and a login user. Choosing "disks=none" for now, yet, configure to store configs on the boot media (if it is writable, otherwise on a separate storage media). And afterwards calling <code>[[Alpine_local_backup|lbu commit]]</code> to store the configs as local backup. Then your completed setup, including its securely created own private keys, will readily get (re)loaded on every subsequent (headless) boot from your custom-build <code><hostname>.apkovl.tar.gz</code> stored on the boot media (or on an auxilary media or server location, in case the boot media is read-only).


<!-- COMMENT FOR EDITORS
Specific topics should be kept on separate pages and manageable category-pages only must get listed with direct reference on this general page.
-->
* [https://github.com/macmpi/alpine-linux-headless-bootstrap/ Bootstrap Alpine Linux on a headless system] using pre-built <code>apkovl</code> overlay file.
* [[Kernels]] ''(kernel selection, e.g. for VMs or RPi)''
* [[Kernels]] ''(kernel selection, e.g. for VMs or RPi)''
* [[How to make a custom ISO image with mkimage]] ''(installation media with its own configuration)''
* [[Directly booting an ISO file]] ''(without flashing it to a disk or device)''
* [[Directly booting an ISO file]] ''(without flashing it to a disk or device)''
* [[Installing_Alpine_on_HDD_dualbooting|Dual-/multi-boot install to HDD partition]]
* [[Netboot Alpine Linux using iPXE]]
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Networking|Setting up Networking]] ''(incl. non-standard configurations)''
* [[:Category:Virtualization|Virtualization]]
<br>
* [[How to make a custom ISO image with mkimage]] ''(installation media with own configuration)''


Also see other [[:Category:Installation|Installation Category]] pages.


=== Post-Install ===
== Post-Installation ==


<!-- If you edit post-install, also consider [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Post-Install]], [[Developer_Documentation#Package_management]] and the Handbook. Here, first there are only most relevant jumping points listed, not exact list duplicates!!!  -->
{{Tip|Alpine Linux packages stay close to the upstream design. Therefore, all upstream documentation about configuring a software package, as well as good configuration guides from other distributions that stay close to upstream, e.g. those in the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ ArchWiki], or [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/ Gentoo wiki] are to a large degree, also applicable to configuring the software on Alpine Linux, thus can be very useful.}}


<!-- COMMENT FOR EDITORS


Language support
If you edit Post-Install,
* Fix unicode defaults: <code>sed -i s/#unicode="NO"\n\n#/#unicode="NO"\n\nunicode="YES"\n\n#/ /etc/rc.conf</code>
* <code>apk add musl-locales</code> Installs a limited set of locales (languages) for musl (C library) generated console messages.
* Listing defined locales is possible with <code>locales -a</code>
* <code>cp /etc/profile.d/locale.sh /etc/profile.d/locale.sh.sh</code> Copies the default locale settings. Then the custom override file can be edited <code>nano /etc/profile.d/locale.sh.sh</code>.
* <code>apk add lang</code> Pulls in the translation packages of all installed packages.
* <code>apk list hunspell*</code>  To list available hunspell dictionary packages.
* <code>apk list *-xy *-xy-*</code>  To list translation packages for your specific (xy) language (for example, pt for Portuguese).


Documentation
  * Consider that there are already [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Post-Install]], [[Developer_Documentation#Package_management]], {{:Daily driver guide}} and the Handbook, please work towards reducing duplication and providing an overview, and maintaining topic details of considerable size on their own pages.
* <code>apk add man-pages</code> Installs basic manual pages.
  * Here, only the most relevant jumping off points are listed, not exact list duplicates!!!
* <code>apk add mandoc</code> A man command to be able to open man pages.
  * Keep short-list of links here, as overview to more detailed topic specific pages.
* <code>apk add mandoc-apropos</code> The apropos command to search in man pages.
  * Don't aggregate different topics at yet another place.
* <code>apk add docs</code> Pulls in all the *-doc sub-packages of installed packages.


-->
=== Daily driver guide  ===
<!-- COMMENT FOR EDITORS
Any topic related to configuring Alpine as Desktop workstation i.e as a daily driver must go to the [[Daily driver guide]] which is called below. Tutorial and How To should go to [[Tutorials_and_Howtos]].
-->
{{:Daily driver guide}}


<br>
=== Other topics ===
* [[Setting up a new user]] ''(to allow remote, console, or graphical logins)''
<br>
* [[Enable Community Repository]] ''(access to additional packages)''
* [[Alpine Linux package management|Package Management (apk)]] ''(how to search/add/del packages etc.)''
* [[Alpine setup scripts#setup-xorg-base|<code>setup-xorg-base</code>]] ''(setup graphical base environment)''
** [[Xfce_Setup]] / [[Gnome_Setup]] / [[KDE]] / [[MATE]] (desktop environments)
* [[How to get regular stuff working]] ''(things one may miss in a too lightweight installation )''
<br>
* [[Alpine_local_backup|Local backup utility <code>lbu</code>]] ''(persisting RAM system configurations)''
** [[Back Up a Flash Memory Installation]] ''("diskless mode" systems)''
** [[Manually_editing_a_existing_apkovl]] ''(the stored custom configs)''
<br>
* [[Alpine Linux Init System|Init System (OpenRC)]] ''(configure a service to automatically boot at next reboot)''
** [[Multiple Instances of Services]]
** [[Writing Init Scripts]]
<br>
* [[Hosting services on Alpine]] ''(links to several mail/web/ssh server setup pages)''
* Running applications and services in their own [[Firejail Security Sandbox]]
<br>
* [[Alpine_Linux_package_management#Upgrade_a_Running_System|Upgrading Alpine]] ''(checking for and installing updates)''


=== Further Help and Information ===
Topics not strictly related to using Alpine Linux as desktop are listed below:


* [[Comparison with other distros]] ''(how common things are done on alpine)''
<!-- COMMENT FOR EDITORS
* [[Running glibc programs]] ''(installation and development)''
  * This section is meant to cover topics not related to Using Alpine as daily driver or as desktop workstation as there is already [[Daily driver guide]] and the Handbook. Please refer to the comment at the beginning of this wiki [[#Post-Installation]].
 
<!-- * [[setup-acf]] ''(configures ACF (webconfiguration) so you can manage your box through https)''
* [[Changing passwords for ACF|Changing passwords]]
-->
-->
* [[Upgrading Alpine|Upgrade your OS]], when a new version is [https://www.alpinelinux.org/releases/ released].
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Networking_2|Setting up Networking]] ''(including non-standard configurations)''
* [[OpenRC|Init System (OpenRC)]] ''(configure a service to automatically boot at next reboot)''
** [[Writing Init Scripts]]
** [[Multiple Instances of Services]]
* [[Hosting services on Alpine]] ''(links to several mail/web/ssh server setup pages)''


* [[FAQ|FAQs]]
== See also ==
* [[Tutorials and Howtos]]
* [[Tutorials and Howtos]]
 
* [[Alpine_Linux:FAQ|FAQs]]
* [[Contribute|How to Contribute]]
* [[Comparison with other distros]] ''(how common things are done on Alpine)''
* [[Developer Documentation]]
* [[Alpine_Linux:Wiki_etiquette|Wiki etiquette]] ''(to collaborate on this documentation)''
* [[Alpine_Linux:Wiki_etiquette|Wiki etiquette]] ''to collaborate on this documentation''
 
 
 
{{Tip| Alpine linux packages stay close to the upstream design. Therefore, all upstream documentation about configuring a software package, as well as good configuration guides from other distributions that stay close to upstream, like e.g. in the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ Arch Wiki], are to a large degree also well applicable to configure the software on alpine linux, thus can be very useful.}}
 
= Other Guides =
 
There may still be something useful to find and sort out of some "newbie" install notes in this wiki, but beware that these pages can lack explanations and contain highly opinionated content, redundantly on many convoluted pages.
 
# [[Newbie_Alpine_Ecosystem]]
# [[Alpine newbie install manual]]
# [[Alpine_newbie#Install|Alpine_newbie Install section]]
# [https://mckayemu.github.io/alpineinstalls/ https://mckayemu.github.io/alpineinstalls/ All informatin for Spanish users]


[[Category:Installation]]
[[Category:Installation]]

Latest revision as of 10:52, 22 November 2024


This page exists to provide a basic overview to get started. Before actually installing, it can help to skim through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), as well as to refer to the official installation guide at docs.alpinelinux.org.

Tip: This is a wiki!

If something isn't correct, or is incomplete, you will have to figure it out, or ask for the correct solution in the community.

And then carefully edit the wiki page.

Just as those before who did it for you.

Minimal Hardware Requirements

Main article: Requirements
  • At least 128 MB of RAM. [A graphical desktop system may require up to 512 minimum.]. Note that an installation itself (from ISO) generally requires at least 320 MB during installation.
  • At least 0-700 MB space on a writable storage device. [Only required in "sys" or "data" mode installations. It is optional in "diskless" mode, where it may be used to save newer data and configurations states of a running system.]
  • A working internet connection is required to complete "sys" mode installation.
Note: Most of the steps outlined on this page applies to all Architectures supported by Alpine Linux. For more specific installation instructions, refer to their respective pages. Refer custom installation instructions for headless system, virtualization etc.

Installation Overview

Alpine Linux can be installed and run in three modes i.e Diskless Mode, Data Disk Mode and System Disk Mode. The installation procedure for Alpine Linux requires basic understanding of the three modes explained in brief below:

Diskless Mode

Main article: Diskless Mode

In Diskless mode the entire operating system with all applications are first loaded into RAM and then only run from there. This mode is extremely fast and can save on unnecessary disk spin-ups, power, and wear. Alpine Linux uses this method to boot the .iso installation images. The setup-alpine script configures the installed system to continue to boot like this if "disk=none" is specified.

Data Disk Mode

Main article: Data Disk Mode

In Data Disk mode also the operating system runs from system RAM, thus it enjoys the same accelerated operation speed as "diskless" mode. However, swap storage and the entire /var directory tree get mounted from a persistent storage device. This mode is useful for having RAM accelerated servers with variable amounts of user-data that exceed the available RAM size.

System Disk Mode

System or sys Disk Mode is the traditional hard-disk install. Alpine Linux can be installed to an entire hard disk using setup-alpine script or to custom partitions using setup-disk. For further info, refer System Disk Mode.

General course of action

It is really helpful for many use cases to prepare and complete the Installation until the base configuration step, then proceed with installation of the target system with any one of the various alternate courses of action.

Alternate courses of action

Examples of preparation options:

  • Download some specific driver to configure the hardware, and/or install some software tool that may be missing in the live system by using the alpine package manager apk.
  • Do a Manual partitioning of the harddisk that avoids overwrite of an entire disk.

Examples of such options:

There are many more setup-scripts available. All these tools may also be run later to adjust specific configurations. For example, to set up a graphical environment as covered under Post-Installation below.

Preparing for the installation

Downloading installation image

Download the stable-release installation image-file for the target computer's architecture with their corresponding sha256 (checksum) and GPG (signature) files.

Note: Download sha256 (checksum) and GPG (signature) files only from official site and not from mirrors.

Now you have three files of the following format.. 

alpine-standard-*.iso
alpine-standard-*.iso.sha256
alpine-standard-*.iso.asc

alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso is the 3.20.3 version Standard image file in iso format for x86_64 architecture. Image file can also be gz for certain cases.

Verifying downloaded image

From Security point of view, verify the downloaded image file for both checksum and GPG signature before proceeding further. The three required utilities i.e sha256, curl and gpg or their equivalents are available in every operating system including Linux, windows, Mac and BSD derivaties.

Tip: Ensure that all the three downloaded files remain in the same folder. If not, adjust the commands accordingly.

The sha256 checksum verifies the integrity of the downloaded image i.e no modifications occurred during download.

sha256sum -c alpine-*.iso.sha256

The GPG signature verifies the link between the downloaded image to the individual who signed it. Signature verification involves two steps:

Step 1. Download and import the gpg signature from official website

curl https://alpinelinux.org/keys/ncopa.asc | gpg --import ;

Step 2. Verify that the image signature matches with the one downloded in Step 1.

gpg --verify alpine-*.iso.asc alpine-*.iso

Preparing installation media

See also: Burning ISOs
Note: These instructions are exclusively for x86_64 and x86. For ARM boards, see Alpine on ARM.

All data currently on the installation media will be lost, when Alpine Linux installation image is written on it. Be extremely careful to correctly identify the device name for the installation media using the commands lsblk and blkid.

In Linux, dd command can write the downloaded image file to the installation media i.e target device.

Note: Modify the input file(if) and output file(of) according to the name and path to your image file and target device. Do not use partition numbers for the target device i.e use /dev/sdX instead of /dev/sdbXY.

# dd if=alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress; eject /dev/sdX

If your version of dd does not support the option "status=progress", remove it. The eject command removes the target device from the system and ensures the write cache is completely flushed.

In Windows, Rufus has been tested to create bootable USB flash drives and worked for Alpine Linux 3.12.x with the following settings:

  • Partition scheme: MBR Target system: BIOS or UEFI
  • File system: FAT32 Cluster size: 4096 bytes (default)

Verifying Installation media

After detaching and re-attaching the device, a bit-wise comparison can verify the data written to the device (instead of just data buffered in RAM). If the comparison terminates with an end-of-file error on the .iso file side, all the contents from the image have been written (and re-read) successfully: 

 # cmp ~/Downloads/alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso /dev/sdX
 cmp: EOF on alpine-standard-3.20.3-x86_64.iso

Booting Installation Media

Insert the Installation media to a proper drive or port of the computer and turn the machine on, or restart it, if already running.

Note: To successfully boot and install Alpine Linux, disable secure boot in the BIOS. Once Alpine Linux is installed, this can be enabled.

If the computer does not automatically boot from the desired device, one needs to bring up the boot menu and choose the media to boot from. Depending on the computer, the menu may be accessed by repeatedly pressing a key quickly when booting starts. Some computers require that you press the button before starting the computer and hold it down while the computer boots. Typical keys are: F9-F12, sometimes F7 or F8. If these don't bring up the boot menu, it may be necessary to enter the BIOS configuration and adjust the boot settings, for which typical keys are: Del F1 F2 F6 or Esc.

Installation Step Details

Boot Process

The boot process of the alpine installation image first copies the entire operating system into the RAM memory, and then already starts a complete Alpine Linux system from there. It will initially only provide a basic command line environment that does not depend on reading from any (possibly slow) initial boot media, anymore.

Local log-in is possible as the user root. Initially, the root user has no password.

At the command prompt, an interactive script named setup-alpine is available to configure and install Alpine Linux. The script can be customized by the optional environment variables, in case of "data" or "sys" mode. For e.g USE_EFI=1 BOOTSIZE=512 setup-alpine, sets the disklabel type to gpt, creates 512MB /boot partition with vfat filesystem and uses grub as bootloader.

Base configuration

Launch the Alpine Linux Installation by running the setup-alpine script :

# setup-alpine

The question-and-answer dialog of setup-alpine takes care of the base configuration. It sets up a network connection to access Internet to configure the system to boot into one of three different Alpine Linux "disk" modes: "diskless"(none), "data" or "sys". If you choose to edit any option, the relevant file is opened in vi for editing.

Example setup-alpine session

The setup-alpine script offers the following configuration options:

  1. Keyboard Layout (Local keyboard language and usage mode, e.g. us and variant of us-nodeadkeys.)
  2. Hostname (The name for the computer.)
  3. Network (Setup network connection to access Internet.)
    • Available interfaces are: eth0 wlan0.(List depends on your hardware.)
    • Which one do you want to initialize? (or '?' or 'done') [eth0] (Enter 'done' after configuring atleast one interface for Internet access.)
    • Do you want to do any manual network configuration? (y/n) [n] (Default uses "DHCP".)
  4. DNS Servers (If none of the interfaces configured in previous step uses dhcp, set DNS server. If unsure, leave DNS domain name blank and using 9.9.9.9 2620:fe::fe for DNS is typically adequate.)
  5. Root password (the password used to login to the root account)
  6. Timezone (Optionally display times/dates in your local time zone)
  7. HTTP/FTP Proxy (Proxy server to use for accessing the web/ftp. Use "none" for direct connections to websites and FTP servers.)
  8. Mirror (From where to download packages. Choose the organization you trust giving your usage patterns to.)
  9. Setup a user (Setting up a regular user account)
  10. NTP (Network Time Protocol client used for keeping the system clock in sync with a time server. Package "chrony" is part of the default install image.)
  11. SSH (Secure SHell remote access server. "OpenSSH" is part of the default install image. Use "none" to disable remote login, e.g. on laptops.)
  12. In most cases, either one of following line(s) is displayed as follows:
    No disks found. or Available disks are: sda (128.0 GB JMicron Tech )
  13. Disk Mode ( A pre-setup of the "diskless" system or base configuration is completed by answering "none" when asked for the following questions.)
    • Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') none
    • Enter where to store configs (/media/ or 'none') none
    • The location of the package cache none

Base configuration is complete with the above step. Refer to the alternate courses of action to proceed further.

setup-alpine based System Disk Install

setup-alpine script based installation, needs an entire hard disk(s) for Alpine Linux and uses a partitioning layout with (/)root partition, /boot partition and a swap partition, where environment variables determine filesystem, size of the boot partition and the bootloader used. If your use case matches the above, at the final step of base configuration, type the appropriate hard disk device name instead of none. If multiple disks are chosen, RAID is used.

  • At the Disk Mode stage, sda or relevant disk(s) must be chosen in the below screen:
    • Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') sda
    • Confirmation for the chosen disk(s) appears. The following disk is selected: sda (128.0 GB JMicron Tech ).
Warning: Pay close attention to the disk name and size. If you enter sys in the next step, no further questions will be asked and data on the chosen disk(s) will be overwritten!. Enter Ctrl+c to abort the installation process. Proceed only if you are 100% sure.


  • How would you like to use it? ('sys', 'data', 'lvm' or '?' for help) sys

If sys is chosen, the setup-alpine script will complete the traditional hard-disk installation of Alpine Linux on the chosen disk(s) without further questions. Once the installation is complete, you can skip the next steps and proceed to reboot the system to boot into the newly installed Alpine Linux and configure further.

Custom partitioning

Manual partitioning of the harddisk may be needed to prepare the harddisk for "sys" mode install using setup-disk and for storing the config file using lbu commit and package cache for Diskless and for /var mount for Data disk mode installs. Refer Setting up disks manually page for specific configurations related to RAID, encryption, LVM, etc...

Preparing for the first boot

If System Disk Mode of installation was performed, ignore this section and proceed to reboot.

If the new local system was configured to run in "diskless" or "data" mode, and you do not want keep booting from the initial (and possibly read-only) installation media, create a customizable boot device. Once everything is in place, save your customized configuration with lbu commit before rebooting.

Reboot

First, remove the initial installation media from the boot drive, or detach it from the port it's connected to. The system may now be power-cycled or rebooted to confirm everything is working correctly. The relevant commands for this are poweroff or reboot. Login into the new system with the root account.

Completing the installation

The installation script installs only the base operating system. No applications e.g. web server, mail server, desktop environment, or web browsers are installed.

Please look at Post-Installation, for some common things to do after installation.

Custom Installation Instructions

Custom-made headless apkovl can be done by first booting the install media on some computer with a display and keyboard attached, or in a virtual machine, and doing an intermediate "diskless" setup of just the boot media (more details below), i.e. using the offical setup-alpine to configure the system's network, possibly for dhcp if needed, a ssh server, and a login user. Choosing "disks=none" for now, yet, configure to store configs on the boot media (if it is writable, otherwise on a separate storage media). And afterwards calling lbu commit to store the configs as local backup. Then your completed setup, including its securely created own private keys, will readily get (re)loaded on every subsequent (headless) boot from your custom-build <hostname>.apkovl.tar.gz stored on the boot media (or on an auxilary media or server location, in case the boot media is read-only).

Also see other Installation Category pages.

Post-Installation

Tip: Alpine Linux packages stay close to the upstream design. Therefore, all upstream documentation about configuring a software package, as well as good configuration guides from other distributions that stay close to upstream, e.g. those in the ArchWiki, or Gentoo wiki are to a large degree, also applicable to configuring the software on Alpine Linux, thus can be very useful.

Daily driver guide

Alpine Linux is built to be small and resource efficient. It is still a general purpose Linux distribution designed for power users. If you feel the defaults are too lightweight for desktop use, it is easy to get most of the regular stuff working and use it as a daily driver.

Note: This guide assumes you have already installed a minimal Alpine Linux system in sys mode with working Internet by following the Installation guide. The following four steps are mandatory to install any Desktop:
  1. Create a non-privileged user account for security reasons.
  2. Ensure that community repository is enabled
  3. Install graphics driver for your video hardware.
  4. Install a desktop using Setup-desktop script or manually install any desktop of your choice.

Basics

Advanced

Other topics

Topics not strictly related to using Alpine Linux as desktop are listed below:

See also

Retrieved from "https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/w/index.php?title=Installation&oldid=27875"