Arch Linux installation: BIOS, GPT, Encrypted btrfs root, xfs home

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# Notes on Arch Linux installation
### Key features:
BIOS, GPT, encryption, btrfs, xfs. encrypted btrfs root, unencrypted xfs `/home`

This was created to document the procedures followed during the installation of Arch Linux. This is intended to act as a guide in the event a full installation is required in the future. This is primarily for my own use. I plan to document each step with code. If anyone finds this helpful, then please use it at your own risk, I assume no responsibility for any damage incurred from following these notes. I would recommend that you follow the [Arch Linux Installation Guide](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/installation_guide) and the Arch Linux wikis, rather than these set of notes.

## Setup
* Computer: HP DV6000
* Hard disk: 230 SSD

## References:
In addition to the Arch Linux Installation Guide, webpages and blogs listed below were very helpful:

* [Fitzcarraldo's Blog](https://fitzcarraldoblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/partitioning-hard-disk-drives-for-bios-mbr-bios-gpt-and-uefi-gpt-in-linux/)
* [Mathletic ](https://tincman.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/installing-arch-linux-onto-a-gpt-partitioned-btrfs-root-ssd-on-a-legacy-bios-system/)
* [gutoandreollo](https://gist.github.com/gutoandreollo/e12455886149a6c85a70)
* [bparmentier](https://github.com/bparmentier/www/blob/master/posts/how-to-install-arch-linux-on-an-encrypted-btrfs-partition.md)
* [stafwag blog](http://stafwag.github.io/blog/blog/2016/08/30/arch-on-an-encrypted-btrfs-partition/)
* [BrainDump](https://mzanfardino.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/repairing-broken-arch-linux/)

## GPT partitioned SSD with BIOS
Based on the references, the SSD was formatted as shown below. For no particular reason, I wanted the `/` partition on *btrfs* and `/home` on *XFS*, as I read is done in openSUSE.
* BIOS boot: 1MiB, Code:EF02, Flags:bios_grub,
* boot: 512 MB,    Code:8300, Flags:None
* swap: 6 GB,      Code:8200, Flags:None
* root: 66 GB,     Code:8300, Flags:None, Attribute: 2 (in expert mode)
* home: rest,      Code:8300, Flags:None
* 1.00 MiB at the end of the disk

[Gparted](https://gparted.org/liveusb.php) live usb can be used for partitioning the harddisk. The instructions for creating a live usb can be found at their website. [tuxboot](http://tuxboot.org/download/) can be used to create the bootable usb. The squence of commands for partitioning in **gparted** commandline are presented below:

```
sudo gdisk /dev/sda
o, y
n, 1, [enter], +1M, ef02
n, 2, [enter], +512M, [enter]
n, 3, [enter], +6G, 8200
n, 4, [enter], +65G, [enter]
n, 5, [enter], -1M, [enter]
x, a, 4, 2, [enter]
w, Y
```

## File systems
* BIOS boot: unformatted, location: /dev/sda1
* boot: File system: ext4,        Label: boot  location: /dev/sda2
* swap: File system: linux-swap,  Label: swap  location: /dev/sda3
* root: File system: btrfs,       Label: root  location: /dev/sda4
* home: File system: xfs,         Label: home  location: /dev/sda5
The sequence of commands to create the file systems were:

```
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L "bios" /dev/sda2
sudo mkswap -L "swap" /dev/sda3
sudo mkfs.btrfs -L "root" /dev/sda4
sudo mkfs.xfs -L "home" /dev/sda5
```
These steps can be performed with the ARCH installation image, however using **gparted** gives the option of visualisation in the gui.

## Making Arch Live USB
Download the image from the website and write the image using [USBWriter](https://sourceforge.net/projects/usbwriter/). It is one of the recommended writers. Boot with Arch live usb.

## Steps from Arch Linux Installation Guide
Once again the **Installation Guide** is the correct document to follow.

### Internet connection
If the device has no wired connection, to get the wireless working follow [Wireless network configuration](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Wireless_network_configuration). These were the sequence of commands for inspection and setting up the wireless connection. Use `ip link` to determine wireless interface. The wireless interface was `wlp2s0`. If using wireless then stop the *dhcpcd* daemon for wired connection.

```
systemctl stop dhcpcd@ Tab
lspci -k
ip link
ip link set wlp2s0 up
iw dev wlp2s0 scan | less
wpa_supplicant -i wlp2s0 -c < (wpa_passphrase "SSID" "key")
```
*wlp2s0* was the wireless interface. If connection to wireless is successful use `Ctrl+c` to quit *wpa_supplicant* and add `-B` switch to run the command in background.

```
wpa_supplicant -B -i wlp2s0 -c <(wpa_passphrase "SSID" "key")
iw dev wlp2s0 link
dhcpcd wlp2s0
```
### Update system clock
```
timedatectl set-ntp true
timedatectl set-timezone America/Kentucky/Louisville
timedatectl set-local-rtc true
```

### Disk partition
Partition the disk as desired.

### Format partitions
Format each of the partitions as desired.

### Prepare encrypted partition
```
cryptsetup --cipher aes-xts-plain64 --hash sha512 --use-random --verify-passphrase luksFormat /dev/sda4
cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda4 cryptroot
mkfs.btrfs /dev/mapper/cryptroot
mount -o noatime,compress=lzo,discard,ssd,defaults /dev/mapper/cryptroot /mnt
```

Create btrfs subvolumes

```
cd /mnt
btrfs subvolume create __active
btrfs subvolume create __active/rootvol
btrfs subvolume create __active/var
btrfs subvolume create __snapshots
```

System configuration

```
cd
umount /mnt
mount -o subvol=__active/rootvol /dev/mapper/cryptroot /mnt
mkdir /mnt/{home,var}
mount -o inode64,nobarrier /dev/sda5 /mnt/home
mount -o subvol=__active/var /dev/mapper/cryptroot /mnt/var
mkdir /mnt/boot
mount /dev/sda2 /mnt/boot
sync
```
### Install System
```
pacstrap /mnt base base-devel btrfs-progs
```
### Generate fstab
```
genfstab -U -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
```
Chroot into the new System
```
arch-chroot /mnt
```
### Set time zone
```
ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Kentucky/Louisville /etc/localtime
hwclock --systohc
```
### Locale
Uncomment `en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8` in `/etc/locale.gen`
```
locale-gen
```
Set `LANG` variable in *locale.conf*
```
nano /etc/locale.conf
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
```
### Hostname
Create the *hostname* file
```
nano /etc/hostname
myhostname
```
Add a matching entry to *hosts*
```
nano /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1   localhost.localdomain   localhost
::1         localhost.localdomain   localhost
127.0.1.1   myhostname.localdomain  myhostname
```
### Network configuration
Install `iw` and `wpa_supplicant` for wireless configureation because these packages are not available after fresh install.

### Initramfs
Modify to *mkinitcpio.conf* to include:
* MODULES="aes_x86_64"
* BINARIES="/user/bin/btrfsck"
* HOOKS="...... encrypt filesystems ... btrfs"
Add the *encrypt* hook before *filesytems* and *btrfs* at the end and remove the *fsck* hook
```
nano /etc/mkinitcpio.conf
HOOKS="base udev autodetect modconf block encrypt filesystems keyboard btrfs"
```
Save the file and run
```
mkinitcpio -p linux
```
### Password
'root' password

```
passwd
```
### Bootloader
Install grub
```
pacman -Syu grub
grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda2
```
Create *grub.cfg*

Add encrypted root partition to *GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=* in '/etc/default/grub'
```
nano /etc/default/grub
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX=""crytpdevice=/dev/sda4:cryptroot""
```
Save the file and generate *grub.cfg*
```
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
```
Reboot

## Post installation
Log in as `root` with the root password from above.

### Configure network
Since I was using wireless network
```
ip link set wlp2s0 up
iw dev wlp2s0 scan | less
wpa_supplicant -B -i wlp2s0 -c <(wpa_passphrase "SSID" "key")
dhcpcd wlp2s0
```
### Add user
Add your username and password. If 'archie' is the desired username then:
```
useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash archie
passwd archie
```

### Sudo
Change the default editor from `visudo` to `nano`. Since the user was already added to the *wheel* group, `sudo` was configured to allow members of the *wheel* group sudo access.
```
EDITOR=nano visudo
```
Uncomment the line
```
%wheel All=(ALL) ALL
```
Logout and then login as *user* with *user password*. Test `sudo` with `pacman`

### Enable Multilib
Allows users to run 32-bit applications on 64-bit installation of Arch Linux.

Uncomment `[multilib]` section in `/etc/pacman.conf`
```
[multilib]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
```
### Wayland
```
sudo pacman -Syu weston
sudo pacman -S xorg-server-xwayland
```
### Display manager
Use GNOME display manager
```
sudo pacman -S gdm
sudo systemctl enable gdm.service
```
### Install GNOME DE
```
sudo pacman -S gnome gnome-extra
```

### Mircocode update
```
sudo pacman -S intel-ucode
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
```

### Network using netctl
Create a profile in `/etc/netctl` by copying and editing one of the examples in `/etc/netctl/examples/`. Also to obfuscate wireless passphrase use `wpa_passphrase` to compute the 256-bit PSK. An example from the [netctl](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Netctl) is given below. For example if the *essid* is *highway* and the *passphrase* is *alongandwindingroad*:
```
wpa_passphrase highway alongandwindingroad
```
The output will be as follows:
```
network={
	ssid="highway"
	#psk="alongandwindingroad"
	psk=b2faeec84b34a37f95cc4b4e5696d73eccc1821f4ea4f209606850fb90c3d427
}
```
Edit one of the example files as shown below for the example given above and save with an appropriate file name `wireless-wpa_highway`
```
Description='A simple WPA encrypted wireless connection using 256-bit PSK'
Interface=wlp2s2
Connection=wireless
Security=wpa
IP=dhcp
ESSID='highway'
Key=\"b2faeec84b34a37f95cc4b4e5696d73eccc1821f4ea4f209606850fb90c3d427
```
Test the created profile
```
sudo netctl start wireless-wpa_highway
```
If everything is working then enable the profile to start at boot.
```
netctl enable wireless-wpa_highway
```
If netctl keeps failing then one of the reasons could be that `dhcpcd.service` is enabled. Disalbe the `dhcpcd.service` as 'netctl' will handle *dhcp*
```
sudo systemctl disable dhcpcd.service
```

### Others
The Grub graphics was not very pleasant. Adjusted the framebuffer resolution in `/etc/default/grub`
```
GRUB_GFXMODE=1280x800x32,auto
GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=keep
```
After saving the changes
```
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
```
Changed Grub theme to [arch-silence](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/grub2-theme-archlinux/)

### Add and arrange the minimize, maximize and close button in Gnome
```
gsettings set org.gnome.shell.overrides button-layout close,minimize,maximize
```
### Roaming wireless using netctl
This needs verification.
* install *wpa_actiond*
```
# pacman -S wpa_actiond
```
* Enable the *interface*
```
sudo systemctl enable [email protected]
```