Alpine Install: from a disc to PC Engines APU
Overall description: Alpine Installation from a official image tar file downloaded to a real second generation PC Engines APU systems (apu2, apu3, apu4), where will be single OS only.
This document will guide you to install Alpine into second generation PC Engines APU systems, it were tested with an apu2d4 and Alpine 3.11.6.. For others ways to install see at the Alpine_newbie_install_manual
Contents
- 1 Terminology
- 2 Booting the Alpine ISO disc
- 3 The setup install for normal process
- 3.1 Login prompt as root
- 3.2 Running setup alpine script
- 3.2.1 Select keyboard layout
- 3.2.2 Select keyboard variant
- 3.2.3 Enter system hostname
- 3.2.4 Initialize network cards
- 3.2.5 Initialize network DNS
- 3.2.6 Changing password for root
- 3.2.7 Witch timezone to choose?
- 3.2.8 Proxy chooser
- 3.2.9 Enter mirror number
- 3.2.10 Witch ssh server?
- 3.2.11 Witch NTP client to run?
- 3.2.12 Which disk choose to use?
- 3.2.13 How would be used?
- 4 After reboot
- 5 Documents series
- 6 See Also
Terminology
- BIOS: it's a system into computer hardware machine laptop or desktops, embebed that will manage the early boot process, see more in the Alpine and UEFI page.
- New machine: will be your real machine fresh and ready to install your new Alpine operating system, with a installed ISO image where to put the downloaded media installation.
- Bootable USB: will be your hardware drive input to put the image downloaded iso media with the operating system Alpine to install as source media; this drive are commonly named USB unit.
- Serial console: is an iput port t the device.. DB9 serial port for serial console, located at the board to use as char device, its common in those devices.
- Source media: will be the just burned/ disc from the downloaded iso file of Alpine operating system. Will be Attach to the serial console to property boot the source disc as media installation.
- Target media: will be the storage medium device into the new computer target where the Alpine files for operating system will be installed, its one partition from the HardDisk of the new computer.
Booting the Alpine ISO disc
- It's probably a good idea to ensure that the BIOS / Firmware is up to date.
- Create_a_Bootable_USB thumb drive with the current standard x86_64 image from the downloads page.
- Attach to the serial console. Configure your terminal emulator for 115200 8n1.
- Power on the APU.
- When BIOS prompted, hit F10 and select to boot from USB.
- At the boot prompt, quickly type a slash to interrupt the default boot, which has a short timeout.
- Continue entering the remainder of this command at your leisure. It should have only one slash at the start, to be clear:
/boot/vmlinuz-lts modules=loop,squashfs,sd-mod,usb-storage nomodeset console=ttyS0,115200 initrd=/boot/initramfs-lts
- Alpine should come up as normal.
The setup install for normal process
After boot up.. a command line shell of a complete ready to use Alpine will show you.

Login prompt as root
At the login: to appear, type root and press enter, no password will be asked if run from image boot.
Running setup alpine script
Run the setup-alpine script as show in the image:
Select keyboard layout
Choose your keyboard layout. If you don't know your keyboard layout choose us. By example for most Latin American a es are enough, for Russian (an maybe Cirilyc ones) ru are enough.
Select keyboard variant
Choose your keyboard variant. If you don't know your keyboard variant choose default from list. By example for most Latin American must use es-winkeys are enough.
Enter system hostname
Host name, which will be the name of your computer; using localhost are enough and recommended for testing purposes cos permits apply mostly how to's and tutorials of the wiki pages.
Initialize network cards
Choose your network card, most people can just go with the default (just press enter), a second question will raised about any other configuration, just type "no" and then press enter to bypass the step to property setup after installation finished property.
IMPORTANT NOTE: mostly in x86 and x64 ISO images we can let configurations for later, cos at the most modern the network card, the lest supported or still not well tested. Just type done
and press enter.. if you made some wired configuration later another question will raised, will use dhcp? Most people will use DHCP, so press enter again, if you have Internet connection from ISP most settings are just DHCP so all will be configured automatically.
Initialize network DNS
The DNS will be automatically detected, if not will ask for, just type for domain "" (empty) then press enter, later and 8.8.8.8
as picture show and then press enter to next question:
Changing password for root
Next a root password must be defined, twice for confirmation as picture shows, if are too short will said as a warning "bad" but nothing wrong.. just retype and go. Take note that when typed no chars will be show, all will be invisible when type the password.
Witch timezone to choose?
Select a timezone, just press enter to use UTC
when perform a single installation.
Proxy chooser
Then setup script will ask for proxy chooser.. just type none
and then press enter
Enter mirror number
Then setup script will ask for repository mirror chooser.. just type done
and then press enter, this will be configure many times later during usage of the system. Almost any tutorial of newbie pages will explain detailed so lest bypass using "done".
Witch ssh server?
Choose an SSH server allows you to remotely manage your machine. OpenSSH is what the big distro's use, Dropbear is a tiny SSH replacement. Recommended to type openssh and then press enter, cos you able to connect using command line from Unix-like systems also is the offline available in all alpine installer images.
Witch NTP client to run?
This is for time sync, just press enter to use the image offline available can be changed at post install.
Which disk choose to use?
To choose the disk destination ..
How would be used?
Then choose type of installation .. those are described at Setup modes section at Alpine setup scripts wiki page. "sys" mode is the familiar install to disk well knowed for usage as main OS to computers.
After all a confirmation question will raised, type "y" if everything are ok and the setup will proceed to erase, format and copy the files to the destination disk choose!
After reboot
- Before rebooting, edit /boot/extlinux.conf.
- Add
SERIAL 0 115200
as the first line in the file. - In the
APPEND
line, replacequiet
withconsole=ttyS0,115200
- Add
- Remove the thumb drive.
- Cross your fingers and reboot. The system should boot properly with console on serial.
- Edit
/etc/update-extlinux.conf
so that if extlinux.conf is regenerated it will retain these settings:- Update the line with
serial_port
to readserial_port=0
- Update the
serial_baud
line to readserial_baud=115200
- Update the
default_kernel_opts
line to replacequiet
withconsole=ttyS0,115200
- Update the line with
- Run
update-extlinux
- Examine
/boot/extlinux.conf
.- Make sure it looks OK. Compare with /boot/extlinux.conf-old.
- If something looks wrong,
mv /boot/extlinux.conf-old /boot/extlinux.conf
to roll back the changes and try to figure out what went wrong
- Cross your fingers and reboot. The system should boot properly with console on serial.
Documents series
Previous required | What's next to read |
---|---|
Alpine newbie install manual | Alpine newbie apk packages |
See Also
- Newbie_Alpine_Ecosystem
- Alpine and UEFI
- Alpine newbie apk packages
- Alpine newbie desktops
- Alpine newbie developer
- Alpine newbie lammers
es:Alpine Instalar: de un disco a una nueva computadora arrancar un solo sistema