404 lines
17 KiB
XML
404 lines
17 KiB
XML
<chapter xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook"
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xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
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xmlns:xi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"
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version="5.0"
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xml:id="sec-installation">
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<title>Installing NixOS</title>
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<para>NixOS can be installed on BIOS or UEFI systems. The procedure
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for a UEFI installation is by and large the same as a BIOS installation. The differences are mentioned in the steps that follow.</para>
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<orderedlist>
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<listitem><para>Boot from the CD.</para>
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<variablelist>
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<varlistentry><term>UEFI systems</term>
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<listitem><para>You should boot the live CD in UEFI mode
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(consult your specific hardware's documentation for instructions).
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You may find the <link xlink:href="http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind">rEFInd boot
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manager</link> useful.</para></listitem></varlistentry></variablelist></listitem>
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<listitem><para>The CD contains a basic NixOS installation. (It
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also contains Memtest86+, useful if you want to test new hardware).
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When it’s finished booting, it should have detected most of your
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hardware.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>The NixOS manual is available on virtual console 8
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(press Alt+F8 to access) or by running <command>nixos-help</command>.
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>You get logged in as <literal>root</literal>
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(with empty password).</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>If you downloaded the graphical ISO image, you can
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run <command>systemctl start display-manager</command> to start KDE. If you
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want to continue on the terminal, you can use
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<command>loadkeys</command> to switch to your preferred keyboard layout.
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(We even provide neo2 via <command>loadkeys de neo</command>!)</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>The boot process should have brought up networking (check
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<command>ip a</command>). Networking is necessary for the
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installer, since it will download lots of stuff (such as source
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tarballs or Nixpkgs channel binaries). It’s best if you have a DHCP
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server on your network. Otherwise configure networking manually
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using <command>ifconfig</command>.</para>
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<para>To manually configure the network on the graphical installer,
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first disable network-manager with
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<command>systemctl stop network-manager</command>.</para>
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<para>To manually configure the wifi on the minimal installer, run
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<command>wpa_supplicant -B -i interface -c <(wpa_passphrase 'SSID' 'key')</command>.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>If you would like to continue the installation from a different
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machine you need to activate the SSH daemon via <literal>systemctl start sshd</literal>.
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In order to be able to login you also need to set a password for
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<literal>root</literal> using <literal>passwd</literal>.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>The NixOS installer doesn’t do any partitioning or
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formatting yet, so you need to do that yourself. Use the following
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commands:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem><para>For partitioning:
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<command>fdisk</command>.
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<screen>
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# fdisk /dev/sda # <lineannotation>(or whatever device you want to install on)</lineannotation>
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-- for UEFI systems only
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> n # <lineannotation>(create a new partition for /boot)</lineannotation>
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> 3 # <lineannotation>(make it a partition number 3)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default)</lineannotation>
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> +512M # <lineannotation>(the size of the UEFI boot partition)</lineannotation>
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> t # <lineannotation>(change the partition type ...)</lineannotation>
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> 3 # <lineannotation>(... of the boot partition ...)</lineannotation>
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> 1 # <lineannotation>(... to 'UEFI System')</lineannotation>
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-- for BIOS or UEFI systems
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> n # <lineannotation>(create a new partition for /swap)</lineannotation>
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> 2 # <lineannotation>(make it a partition number 2)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default)</lineannotation>
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> +8G # <lineannotation>(the size of the swap partition, set to whatever you like)</lineannotation>
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> n # <lineannotation>(create a new partition for /)</lineannotation>
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> 1 # <lineannotation>(make it a partition number 1)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default and use the rest of the remaining space)</lineannotation>
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> a # <lineannotation>(make the partition bootable)</lineannotation>
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> x # <lineannotation>(enter expert mode)</lineannotation>
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> f # <lineannotation>(fix up the partition ordering)</lineannotation>
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> r # <lineannotation>(exit expert mode)</lineannotation>
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> w # <lineannotation>(write the partition table to disk and exit)</lineannotation></screen></para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>For initialising Ext4 partitions:
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<command>mkfs.ext4</command>. It is recommended that you assign a
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unique symbolic label to the file system using the option
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<option>-L <replaceable>label</replaceable></option>, since this
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makes the file system configuration independent from device
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changes. For example:
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<screen>
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# mkfs.ext4 -L nixos /dev/sda1</screen>
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>For creating swap partitions:
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<command>mkswap</command>. Again it’s recommended to assign a
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label to the swap partition: <option>-L
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<replaceable>label</replaceable></option>. For example:
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<screen>
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# mkswap -L swap /dev/sda2</screen>
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem>
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<variablelist>
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<varlistentry><term>UEFI systems</term>
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<listitem><para>For creating boot partitions:
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<command>mkfs.fat</command>. Again it’s recommended to assign a
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label to the boot partition: <option>-n
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<replaceable>label</replaceable></option>. For example:
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<screen>
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# mkfs.fat -F 32 -n boot /dev/sda3</screen>
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</para></listitem></varlistentry></variablelist></listitem>
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<listitem><para>For creating LVM volumes, the LVM commands, e.g.,
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<command>pvcreate</command>, <command>vgcreate</command>, and
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<command>lvcreate</command>.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>For creating software RAID devices, use
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<command>mdadm</command>.</para></listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>Mount the target file system on which NixOS should
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be installed on <filename>/mnt</filename>, e.g.
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<screen>
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# mount /dev/disk/by-label/nixos /mnt
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</screen>
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem>
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<variablelist>
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<varlistentry><term>UEFI systems</term>
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<listitem><para>Mount the boot file system on <filename>/mnt/boot</filename>, e.g.
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<screen>
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# mkdir -p /mnt/boot
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# mount /dev/disk/by-label/boot /mnt/boot
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</screen>
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</para></listitem></varlistentry></variablelist></listitem>
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<listitem><para>If your machine has a limited amount of memory, you
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may want to activate swap devices now (<command>swapon
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<replaceable>device</replaceable></command>). The installer (or
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rather, the build actions that it may spawn) may need quite a bit of
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RAM, depending on your configuration.
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<screen>
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# swapon /dev/sda2</screen>
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>You now need to create a file
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<filename>/mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</filename> that
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specifies the intended configuration of the system. This is
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because NixOS has a <emphasis>declarative</emphasis> configuration
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model: you create or edit a description of the desired
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configuration of your system, and then NixOS takes care of making
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it happen. The syntax of the NixOS configuration file is
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described in <xref linkend="sec-configuration-syntax"/>, while a
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list of available configuration options appears in <xref
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linkend="ch-options"/>. A minimal example is shown in <xref
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linkend="ex-config"/>.</para>
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<para>The command <command>nixos-generate-config</command> can
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generate an initial configuration file for you:
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<screen>
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# nixos-generate-config --root /mnt</screen>
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You should then edit
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<filename>/mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</filename> to suit your
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needs:
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<screen>
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# nano /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix
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</screen>
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If you’re using the graphical ISO image, other editors may be
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available (such as <command>vim</command>). If you have network
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access, you can also install other editors — for instance, you can
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install Emacs by running <literal>nix-env -i
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emacs</literal>.</para>
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<variablelist>
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<varlistentry><term>BIOS systems</term>
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<listitem><para>You <emphasis>must</emphasis> set the option
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<xref linkend="opt-boot.loader.grub.device"/> to specify on which disk
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the GRUB boot loader is to be installed. Without it, NixOS cannot
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boot.</para></listitem></varlistentry>
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<varlistentry><term>UEFI systems</term>
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<listitem><para>You <emphasis>must</emphasis> set the option
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<xref linkend="opt-boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable"/> to <literal>true</literal>.
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<command>nixos-generate-config</command> should do this automatically for new
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configurations when booted in
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UEFI mode.</para>
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<para>You may want to look at the options starting with
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<option><link linkend="opt-boot.loader.efi.canTouchEfiVariables">boot.loader.efi</link></option> and
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<option><link linkend="opt-boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable">boot.loader.systemd</link></option> as well.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</varlistentry>
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</variablelist>
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<para>If there are other operating systems running on the machine before
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installing NixOS, the
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<xref linkend="opt-boot.loader.grub.useOSProber"/> option can be set to
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<literal>true</literal> to automatically add them to the grub menu.</para>
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<para>Another critical option is <option>fileSystems</option>,
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specifying the file systems that need to be mounted by NixOS.
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However, you typically don’t need to set it yourself, because
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<command>nixos-generate-config</command> sets it automatically in
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<filename>/mnt/etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix</filename>
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from your currently mounted file systems. (The configuration file
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<filename>hardware-configuration.nix</filename> is included from
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<filename>configuration.nix</filename> and will be overwritten by
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future invocations of <command>nixos-generate-config</command>;
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thus, you generally should not modify it.)</para>
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<note><para>Depending on your hardware configuration or type of
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file system, you may need to set the option
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<option>boot.initrd.kernelModules</option> to include the kernel
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modules that are necessary for mounting the root file system,
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otherwise the installed system will not be able to boot. (If this
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happens, boot from the CD again, mount the target file system on
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<filename>/mnt</filename>, fix
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<filename>/mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix</filename> and rerun
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<filename>nixos-install</filename>.) In most cases,
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<command>nixos-generate-config</command> will figure out the
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required modules.</para></note>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Do the installation:
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<screen>
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# nixos-install</screen>
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Cross fingers. If this fails due to a temporary problem (such as
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a network issue while downloading binaries from the NixOS binary
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cache), you can just re-run <command>nixos-install</command>.
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Otherwise, fix your <filename>configuration.nix</filename> and
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then re-run <command>nixos-install</command>.</para>
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<para>As the last step, <command>nixos-install</command> will ask
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you to set the password for the <literal>root</literal> user, e.g.
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<screen>
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setting root password...
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Enter new UNIX password: ***
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Retype new UNIX password: ***
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</screen>
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<note>
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<para>
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To prevent the password prompt, set <code><xref linkend="opt-users.mutableUsers"/> = false;</code> in
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<filename>configuration.nix</filename>, which allows unattended installation
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necessary in automation.
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</para>
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</note>
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>If everything went well:
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<screen>
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# reboot</screen>
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</para></listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>You should now be able to boot into the installed NixOS. The
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GRUB boot menu shows a list of <emphasis>available
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configurations</emphasis> (initially just one). Every time you
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change the NixOS configuration (see <link
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linkend="sec-changing-config">Changing Configuration</link> ), a
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new item is added to the menu. This allows you to easily roll back
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to a previous configuration if something goes wrong.</para>
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<para>You should log in and change the <literal>root</literal>
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password with <command>passwd</command>.</para>
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<para>You’ll probably want to create some user accounts as well,
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which can be done with <command>useradd</command>:
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<screen>
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$ useradd -c 'Eelco Dolstra' -m eelco
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$ passwd eelco</screen>
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</para>
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<para>You may also want to install some software. For instance,
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<screen>
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$ nix-env -qa \*</screen>
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shows what packages are available, and
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<screen>
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$ nix-env -i w3m</screen>
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install the <literal>w3m</literal> browser.</para>
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</listitem>
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</orderedlist>
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<para>To summarise, <xref linkend="ex-install-sequence" /> shows a
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typical sequence of commands for installing NixOS on an empty hard
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drive (here <filename>/dev/sda</filename>). <xref linkend="ex-config"
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/> shows a corresponding configuration Nix expression.</para>
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<example xml:id='ex-install-sequence'><title>Commands for Installing NixOS on <filename>/dev/sda</filename></title>
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<screen>
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# fdisk /dev/sda # <lineannotation>(or whatever device you want to install on)</lineannotation>
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-- for UEFI systems only
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> n # <lineannotation>(create a new partition for /boot)</lineannotation>
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> 3 # <lineannotation>(make it a partition number 3)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default)</lineannotation>
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> +512M # <lineannotation>(the size of the UEFI boot partition)</lineannotation>
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> t # <lineannotation>(change the partition type ...)</lineannotation>
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> 3 # <lineannotation>(... of the boot partition ...)</lineannotation>
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> 1 # <lineannotation>(... to 'UEFI System')</lineannotation>
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-- for BIOS or UEFI systems
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> n # <lineannotation>(create a new partition for /swap)</lineannotation>
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> 2 # <lineannotation>(make it a partition number 2)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default)</lineannotation>
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> +8G # <lineannotation>(the size of the swap partition)</lineannotation>
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> n # <lineannotation>(create a new partition for /)</lineannotation>
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> 1 # <lineannotation>(make it a partition number 1)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default)</lineannotation>
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> # <lineannotation>(press enter to accept the default and use the rest of the remaining space)</lineannotation>
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> a # <lineannotation>(make the partition bootable)</lineannotation>
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> x # <lineannotation>(enter expert mode)</lineannotation>
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> f # <lineannotation>(fix up the partition ordering)</lineannotation>
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> r # <lineannotation>(exit expert mode)</lineannotation>
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> w # <lineannotation>(write the partition table to disk and exit)</lineannotation>
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# mkfs.ext4 -L nixos /dev/sda1
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# mkswap -L swap /dev/sda2
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# swapon /dev/sda2
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# mkfs.fat -F 32 -n boot /dev/sda3 # <lineannotation>(for UEFI systems only)</lineannotation>
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# mount /dev/disk/by-label/nixos /mnt
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# mkdir -p /mnt/boot # <lineannotation>(for UEFI systems only)</lineannotation>
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# mount /dev/disk/by-label/boot /mnt/boot # <lineannotation>(for UEFI systems only)</lineannotation>
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# nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
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# nano /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix
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# nixos-install
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# reboot</screen>
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</example>
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<example xml:id='ex-config'><title>NixOS Configuration</title>
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<screen>
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{ config, pkgs, ... }: {
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imports = [
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# Include the results of the hardware scan.
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./hardware-configuration.nix
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];
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<xref linkend="opt-boot.loader.grub.device"/> = "/dev/sda"; # <lineannotation>(for BIOS systems only)</lineannotation>
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<xref linkend="opt-boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable"/> = true; # <lineannotation>(for UEFI systems only)</lineannotation>
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# Note: setting fileSystems is generally not
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# necessary, since nixos-generate-config figures them out
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# automatically in hardware-configuration.nix.
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#<link linkend="opt-fileSystems._name__.device">fileSystems."/".device</link> = "/dev/disk/by-label/nixos";
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# Enable the OpenSSH server.
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services.sshd.enable = true;
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}
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</screen>
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</example>
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<xi:include href="installing-usb.xml" />
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<xi:include href="installing-pxe.xml" />
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<xi:include href="installing-virtualbox-guest.xml" />
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<xi:include href="installing-from-other-distro.xml" />
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</chapter>
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