# UEFI partition scheme for Clevo N950TP6 Partitions: - UEFI (syslinux boot) - NVMe SSD (Arch Linux file system) - HDD/SSD (user files + cache files) ## Table of Contents - [General overview](#general-overview) - [Getting started: backups & Arch Linux installation](#getting-started-backups--arch-linux-installation) - [Partition tables](#partition-tables) - [Storage roles](#storage-roles) - [Partition scheme overview](#partition-scheme-overview) - [Boot loader](#boot-loader) - [Boot partition structure](#boot-partition-structure) - [Boot partition permissions](#boot-partition-permissions) - [Filesystem structure](#filesystem-structure) - [Mount points overview](#mount-points-overview) - [/mnt location overview](#mnt-location-overview) - [fstab configuration file](#fstab-configuration-file) - [syslinux configuration file](#syslinux-configuration-file) - [mkinitcpio preset file](#mkinitcpio-preset-file) - [mkinitcpio configuration file](#mkinitcpio-configuration-file) - [Additional hints](#additional-hints) - [Retrieving UUIDs](#retrieving-uuids) - [Kernel updates may break the setup. How to avoid?](#kernel-updates-may-break-the-setup-how-to-avoid) - [RewriteFS](#rewritefs) - [RewriteFS - installation](#rewritefs---installation) - [RewriteFS - fstab example](#rewritefs---fstab-example) ## General overview - 3 partitions used in this scheme - Various parts of the file system, such as `/var`, exists in HDD/SSD in order to reduce redundant write operations on NVMe. - RAM used as a mounting point for `/tmp` - Swap is stored in a seperate file for modularity. It is located at `/swap/swapfile` (Yes, this is against [FHS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard)) - UEFI partition size is 256 MiB in this installation, rest of the SSD (~250 GiB) is reserved for the Arch Linux OS - This installation method takes advantage of [bind mounting feature](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EFI_system_partition#Using_bind_mount) - Only Arch Linux installed - No Windows or any other OSes installed - Uses `syslinux` bootloader. - **NOTE:** When you create UEFI-based boot partition, you don't need to run `extlinux --install` command (unlike on BIOS-based boot partition). Just put necessary boot files, set boot flags for the boot partition and you're good to go. - **NOTE:** You don't need to run `efibootmgr`, as referred on some websites. **NOTE:** In general, you can have `EFI` partition on HDD mass storage, too. I mean: NVMe is not mandatory requirement here. However, slightly different `/etc/fstab` configuration is required than presented in [fstab configuration file](#fstab-configuration-file) section. I have tested this custom setup on my spare HDD. -------------------------- ## Getting started: backups & Arch Linux installation **1)** Get an external mass storage & a Linux live USB & boot it **NOTE:** If you intend to use Linux desktop and can't access it, use additional kernel boot parameters `acpi_osi="!Windows 2015" acpi_osi=Linux` **2)** Mount your mass storage to `/mnt/backupstorage` ``` mkdir -p /mnt/backupstorage mount /dev/ /mnt/backupstorage ``` **2)** Backup your original NVMe partitions to another mass storage as a `.gz` archive (greatly reduces backup file size). Command: ``` dd if=/dev/nvme0n1 conv=sync,noerror status=progress | gzip -c > /mnt/backupstorage/clevo-nvme.img.gz ``` **NOTE:** You can restore the backed up partitions with command: ``` gunzip -c /mnt/backupstorage/clevo-nvme.img.gz | dd of=/dev/nvme0n1 conv=sync,noerror status=progress ``` **3)** Format NVMe drive (this follows partition scheme defined below): **WARNING:** Ensure you have proper partition backups before proceeding. ``` fdisk /dev/nvme0n1 d 1 delete partition 1 d .. delete partition N (all partitions must be deleted) g create a new GPT partition table n create a new partition 1 (boot partition) p primary partition default first sector +256M last sector: 256M n create a new partition 2 (filesystem partition) p primary partition default first sector default last sector (the whole disk. You can adjust this for your needs!) w mkfs.vfat /dev/nvme0n1p1 format NVMe boot partition to FAT32 mkfs.ext4 /dev/nvme0n1p2 format NVMe file system partition to Ext4 parted /dev/nvme0n1 toggle 1 boot toggle boot flag on boot partition toggle 1 esp toggle esp flag (EFI) on boot partition (unless already exists!) ``` **4)** Install Arch Linux: **4.1)** Mount `/dev/nvme0n1p2` to `/mnt/archsystem` (`mkdir -p /mnt/archsystem && mount /dev/nvme0n1p2 /mnt/archsystem`) **4.2)** Deploy Arch Linux system into `/mnt/archsystem`: A) If you use non-Arch Linux live USB distribution, use [arch-bootstrap](https://github.com/tokland/arch-bootstrap) shell script. B) On Arch Linux based live USB distribution, use `pacstrap` command which is supplied with [arch-install-scripts](https://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/arch-install-scripts/) package. **5)** Mount `/dev/nvme0n1p1` to `/mnt/archsystem/boot_efi` (`mkdir -p /mnt/archsystem/boot_efi && mount /dev/nvme0n1p1 /mnt/archsystem/boot_efi`) **6)** Access the Arch Linux system with `arch-chroot` command. **7)** In chrooted environment, install [syslinux](https://www.archlinux.org/packages/core/x86_64/syslinux/) & [intel-ucode](https://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/intel-ucode/). Follow file system scheme defined in the following sections: - [Boot partition structure](#boot-partition-structure) - [Filesystem structure](#filesystem-structure) - [fstab configuration file](#fstab-configuration-file) - [syslinux configuration file](#syslinux-configuration-file) - [mkinitcpio preset files](#mkinitcpio-preset-files) - [mkinitcpio configuration file](#mkinitcpio-configuration-file) **NOTE:** Use default `$HOME` locations for all users (root's home should point to `/root` and other users to `/home/`). Nothing special here, just use defaults. **8)** Once the system is configured, check your configuration: - Check basic settings, such as `hostname`, `localectl`, timedatectl`, `locale-gen`, and your user-specific configurations - Check you have properly set up boot files & configuration (EFI partition, `init` symbolic link, etc.) - Test that initial RAM disk images (`initramfs.img`, `initramfs-fallback.img`) & Linux kernel image are generated into `/boot_efi` instead of default `/boot` location. You can test this with `mkinitcpio -p linux` command. - In some rare cases, you may need to reinstall `systemd`. I once dropped into `rootfs` shell, and ultimately fixed this by reinstalling `systemd` -------------------------- ## Partition tables The following sheet represents the desired partition tables for various mass storage devides used in this setup. | Mass Storage | Partition table | |------------------|-----------------| | Internal NVMe | gpt * | | Internal HDD/SSD | gpt/dos | * GPT (`gpt`) partition table is required for `UEFI` support. GPT partition table should be applied to the mass storage you will install your `EFI` boot partition into. - DOS (`dos`) partition table is compatible with BIOS only. In UEFI setup, you can use DOS partition table on any mass storage you don't directly intended to use for booting process. - If you have DOS partition table on your mass storage which contains boot partition, the mass storage can only be used for BIOS-mode booting. - You can boot this laptop using either BIOS or UEFI mode. UEFI is recommended. - You can switch between BIOS & UEFI modes in [setup menu](images/bios/bios_4.jpg). ## Storage roles The following sheet represents a general overview of desired partition scheme. | Role | Location | Partition | Partition Size | Type | Flags | |-------------------|-------------------------|-----------|----------------|-------------|-------------| | Boot files | Internal NVMe | 1 | 256 MiB | FAT32, EFI | boot, esp * | | Operating System | Internal NVMe | 2 | Any | Ext4 | - | | User files & dirs | Internal HDD/SSD (2.5") | Any | Any | Ext4 ** | - | * `boot, esp` flags are available only for GPT partitioned mass storage. For DOS, only `boot` flag can be used. ** If you intended to store `$HOME` folders of system users, you should use a partition type which supports Unix-type permission scheme. Thus, NTFS and similar solutions are invalid options for this mass storage. Keep in mind that many Unix-like partition types may be incompatible on Microsoft Windows OSes. ## Partition scheme overview - Internal NVMe is referred as `/dev/nvme0n1` - Internal 1 TiB HDD is referred as `/dev/sda` ``` > fdisk -l Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 232.9 GiB, 250059350016 bytes, 488397168 sectors Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disklabel type: gpt Disk identifier: B4ED4BFE-7300-4B6E-8DE4-74D91681A89C Device Start End Sectors Size Type /dev/nvme0n1p1 2048 526335 524288 256M EFI System /dev/nvme0n1p2 526336 488396799 487870464 232.7G Linux filesystem Disk /dev/sda: 931.5 GiB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors Disk model: WDC WD10JPVX-75J Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes Disklabel type: gpt Disk identifier: C4C74840-056F-4C6F-9351-728CB43B2E17 Device Start End Sectors Size Type /dev/sda1 2048 1953523711 1953521664 931.5G Linux filesystem ``` ``` > parted -l Model: ATA WDC WD10JPVX-75J (scsi) Disk /dev/sda: 1000GB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/4096B Partition Table: gpt Disk Flags: Number Start End Size File system Name Flags 1 1049kB 1000GB 1000GB ext4 Model: Unknown (unknown) Disk /dev/nvme0n1: 250GB Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B Partition Table: gpt Disk Flags: Number Start End Size File system Name Flags 1 1049kB 269MB 268MB fat32 boot, esp 2 269MB 233GB 232GB ext4 ``` -------------------------- ## Boot loader - Pretty simple to set up - Existing `syslinux` installation used ### Boot partition structure ``` . EFI partition mount point | └─────────────────────────────────────EFI───────────────────────────────────── | | | BOOT syslinux | ├── bootx64.efi * ├── syslinux.efi * ├── initramfs-linux-fallback.img (fallback initramfs image) ├── cat.c32 ├── cat.c32 ├── initramfs-linux.img (initramfs image) ├── chain.c32 ├── chain.c32 ├── vmlinuz-linux (kernel image) ├── cmd.c32 ├── cmd.c32 └── intel-ucode.img (from package `intel-ucode`) ├── cmenu.c32 ├── cmenu.c32 ├── config.c32 ├── config.c32 ├── cptime.c32 ├── cptime.c32 ├── cpu.c32 ├── cpu.c32 ├── cpuid.c32 ├── cpuid.c32 ├── cpuidtest.c32 ├── cpuidtest.c32 ├── debug.c32 ├── debug.c32 ├── dhcp.c32 ├── dhcp.c32 ├── dir.c32 ├── dir.c32 ├── dmi.c32 ├── dmi.c32 ├── dmitest.c32 ├── dmitest.c32 ├── gfxboot.c32 ├── gfxboot.c32 ├── hdt.c32 ├── hdt.c32 ├── hexdump.c32 ├── hexdump.c32 ├── host.c32 ├── host.c32 ├── ifcpu64.c32 ├── ifcpu64.c32 ├── ifcpu.c32 ├── ifcpu.c32 ├── ldlinux.e64 ├── ldlinux.e64 ├── lfs.c32 ├── lfs.c32 ├── libcom32.c32 ├── libcom32.c32 ├── libgpl.c32 ├── libgpl.c32 ├── liblua.c32 ├── liblua.c32 ├── libmenu.c32 ├── libmenu.c32 ├── libutil.c32 ├── libutil.c32 ├── linux.c32 ├── linux.c32 ├── ls.c32 ├── ls.c32 ├── lua.c32 ├── lua.c32 ├── mboot.c32 ├── mboot.c32 ├── meminfo.c32 ├── meminfo.c32 ├── menu.c32 ├── menu.c32 ├── pci.c32 ├── pci.c32 ├── pwd.c32 ├── pwd.c32 ├── reboot.c32 ├── reboot.c32 ├── rosh.c32 ├── rosh.c32 ├── sysdump.c32 ├── sysdump.c32 ├── syslinux.c32 ├── syslinux.c32 ├── syslinux.cfg * ├── syslinux.cfg * ├── vesa.c32 ├── vesa.c32 ├── vesamenu.c32 ├── vesamenu.c32 ├── vpdtest.c32 ├── vpdtest.c32 ├── whichsys.c32 ├── whichsys.c32 └── zzjson.c32 └── zzjson.c32 ``` * Duplicate files with equivalent contents. Although all files are duplicates, you should pay attention especially to these files. Basically, you need: - A) existing `syslinux` installation - B) Copy files from `/usr/lib/syslinux/efi64/` to the `EFI/BOOT/` and `EFI/syslinux/` subfolders presented above. Be aware: `.c32` files presented here may vary depending on version of your `syslinux` package. It should be fine, though. ### Boot partition permissions **NOTE:** You don't need to set these manually if you use proper `/etc/fstab` entry mask values as defined in [fstab configuration file](#fstab-configuration-file). These values are here so you can just check them. | Permissions | Owner (user:group) | Type | Item Name | |------------------|--------------------|-----------|------------------------------------| | rwxr-xr-x (0755) | root:root | Directory | ./EFI | | rwxr-xr-x (0755) | root:root | Directory | ./EFI/BOOT | | rwxr-xr-x (0755) | root:root | Directory | ./EFI/syslinux | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/initramfs-linux-fallback.img | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/initramfs-linux.img | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/vmlinuz-linux | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/intel-ucode.img | | ---------------- | --------- | --------- | ---------------------------------- | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/bootx64.efi | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cat.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/chain.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cmd.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cmenu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/config.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cptime.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cpu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cpuid.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/cpuidtest.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/debug.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/dhcp.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/dir.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/dmi.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/dmitest.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/gfxboot.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/hdt.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/hexdump.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/host.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/ifcpu64.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/ifcpu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/ldlinux.e64 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/lfs.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/libcom32.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/libgpl.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/liblua.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/libmenu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/libutil.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/linux.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/ls.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/lua.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/mboot.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/meminfo.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/menu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/pci.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/pwd.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/reboot.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/rosh.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/sysdump.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/syslinux.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/syslinux.cfg | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/vesa.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/vesamenu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/vpdtest.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/whichsys.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/BOOT/zzjson.c32 | | ---------------- | --------- | --------- | ---------------------------------- | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cat.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/chain.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cmd.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cmenu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/config.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cptime.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cpu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cpuid.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/cpuidtest.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/debug.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/dhcp.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/dir.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/dmi.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/dmitest.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/gfxboot.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/hdt.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/hexdump.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/host.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/ifcpu64.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/ifcpu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/ldlinux.e64 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/lfs.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/libcom32.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/libgpl.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/liblua.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/libmenu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/libutil.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/linux.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/ls.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/lua.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/mboot.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/meminfo.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/menu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/pci.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/pwd.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/reboot.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/rosh.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/sysdump.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/syslinux.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/syslinux.cfg | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/syslinux.efi | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/vesa.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/vesamenu.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/vpdtest.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/whichsys.c32 | | rw-r--r-- (0644) | root:root | File | ./EFI/syslinux/zzjson.c32 | ## Filesystem structure ### Mount points overview | Item Name | Item Type | Partition | Partition format | |-------------|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------|------------------| | /bin | Symbolic link (to usr/bin) | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /boot ***** | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /boot_efi * | Directory | NVMe, 1 (Boot) | FAT32/EFI | | /dev | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /etc | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /home | Directory (bind) ** | HDD/SSD (User files) | Ext4 | | /init | Symbolic link (to `usr/lib/systemd/systemd`) | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /lib | Symbolic link (to `usr/lib`) | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /lib64 | Symbolic link (to `usr/lib`) | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /lost+found | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /mnt *** | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /opt | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /proc | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /root | Directory (bind) ** | HDD/SSD (User files) | Ext4 | | /run | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /sbin | Symbolic link (to `usr/bin`) | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /swap **** | Directory (bind) ** | HDD/SSD (Cache files) | Ext4 | | /srv | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /sys | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /tmp | Directory | RAM | tmpfs | | /usr | Directory | NVMe, 2 (OS) | Ext4 | | /var | Directory (bind) ** | HDD/SSD (Cache files) | Ext4 | * Mount point `/boot_efi` for UEFI boot partition is defined in `/etc/fstab`. Please see [fstab configuration file](#fstab-configuration file) for additional information. ** `bind` option is defined in `/etc/fstab`. Please see the following diagram. *** Directory `/mnt` contains directories existing on HDD/SSD (User files). Please see the following diagram. **** Optional: non-standard location for a SWAP file. Please see [Arch Wiki - Swap file](https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Swap#Swap_file) for additional information. ***** `/boot` folder contains only `intel-ucode.img` file, provided by Arch Linux package `intel-ucode`. Otherwise, `/boot` folder is empty and all necessary boot files are in `/boot_efi` ### `/mnt` location overview | Item Name | Item Type | Partition | Partition format | |----------------------|-------------------------------|-----------|------------------| | /mnt/hdd | Directory | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | | /mnt/hdd/home | Directory (binded to `/home`) | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | | /mnt/hdd/home/ | Directory | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | | /mnt/hdd/home/root | Directory (binded to `/root`) | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | | /mnt/hdd/var | Directory (binded to `/var`) | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | | /mnt/hdd/lost+found | Directory | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | | /mnt/hdd/swap | Directory (binded to `/swap`) | HDD/SSD | Ext4 | `` refers to your Linux file system user account(s). ## fstab configuration file The following `/etc/fstab` configuration corresponds to the file system structure explained above. Please configure `UUID` values for your setup. You must use proper `UUID` values instead of the ones presented below (see [Retrieving UUIDs](#retrieving-uuids)). Additionally, use proper username string for ``. ``` > cat /etc/fstab # # /etc/fstab: static file system information # # # ######################################### # NVMe: M.2 - FILE SYSTEM PARTITION # Root system UUID=9148225b-d661-4e4a-801c-f5bdc48f509e / ext4 defaults,noatime,discard 0 1 ######################################### # Boot files - FAT32 partition, needs mask values UUID=927D-38E4 /boot_efi vfat defaults,dmask=0022,fmask=0133 0 0 ######################################### # RAM & SWAP # temporary folders tmpfs /tmp tmpfs nodev,nosuid,size=20480M,nr_inodes=500k 0 0 # Swap memory file (optional) /mnt/hdd/swap /swap none bind 0 0 /swap/swapfile none swap defaults 0 0 ######################################### # HDD: SATA - USER FILES PARTITION UUID=fba31569-c25c-4e30-b117-9ea83c41a8bd /mnt/hdd ext4 defaults,discard 0 2 ######################################### # Bind folders # /var folder /mnt/hdd/var /var none bind 0 0 # Home folders /mnt/hdd/home/root /root none bind 0 0 /root /home/root none bind 0 0 ######################################### # Optional: mount your cache folders to RAM #tmpfs /home//.cache tmpfs size=15%,mode=0777,uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0 ``` ## syslinux configuration file This configuration applies to the files `EFI/BOOT/syslinux.cfg` & `EFI/syslinux/syslinux.cfg` on NVMe partition 1 (Boot). Please configure `APPEND` kernel parameters properly for your setup. At least, you must use proper `UUID` values instead of the ones presented below (see [Retrieving UUIDs](#retrieving-uuids)). ``` # Config file for Syslinux - # /boot/syslinux/syslinux.cfg # # Comboot modules: # * menu.c32 - provides a text menu # * vesamenu.c32 - provides a graphical menu # * chain.c32 - chainload MBRs, partition boot sectors, Windows bootloaders # * hdt.c32 - hardware detection tool # * reboot.c32 - reboots the system # # To Use: Copy the respective files from /usr/lib/syslinux to /boot/syslinux. # If /usr and /boot are on the same file system, symlink the files instead # of copying them. # # If you do not use a menu, a 'boot:' prompt will be shown and the system # will boot automatically after 5 seconds. # # Please review the wiki: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Syslinux # The wiki provides further configuration examples DEFAULT arch PROMPT 0 # Set to 1 if you always want to display the boot: prompt TIMEOUT 5 # You can create syslinux keymaps with the keytab-lilo tool #KBDMAP de.ktl # Menu Configuration # Either menu.c32 or vesamenu32.c32 must be copied to /boot/syslinux UI menu.c32 #UI vesamenu.c32 # Refer to http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/Doc/menu MENU TITLE Boot Menu #MENU BACKGROUND splash.jpg MENU COLOR border 30;44 #40ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR title 1;36;44 #9033ccff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR sel 7;37;40 #e0ffffff #20ffffff all MENU COLOR unsel 37;44 #50ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR help 37;40 #c0ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR timeout_msg 37;40 #80ffffff #00000000 std MENU COLOR timeout 1;37;40 #c0ffffff #00000000 std MENU COLOR msg07 37;40 #90ffffff #a0000000 std MENU COLOR tabmsg 31;40 #30ffffff #00000000 std #MENU RESOLUTION 1920 1080 #Clear the screen when exiting the menu MENU CLEAR # boot sections follow # # TIP: If you want a 1024x768 framebuffer, add "vga=773" to your kernel line. # 895 = 1920x1080x32 framebuffer # LABEL arch MENU LABEL Arch Linux LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img APPEND root=UUID=9148225b-d661-4e4a-801c-f5bdc48f509e rw vga=895 acpi_osi="!Windows 2015" acpi_osi=Linux nowatchdog nogpumanager rd.udev.log-priority=3 vm.swappiness=10 net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 cgroup_no_v1=all LABEL archshell MENU LABEL Arch Linux (shell) LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux INITRD ../initramfs-linux.img APPEND root=UUID=9148225b-d661-4e4a-801c-f5bdc48f509e rw vga=895 systemd.unit=multi-user.target nowatchdog vm.swappiness=10 net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 cgroup_no_v1=all LABEL archfallback MENU LABEL Arch Linux Fallback LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux INITRD ../initramfs-linux-fallback.img APPEND root=UUID=9148225b-d661-4e4a-801c-f5bdc48f509e rw vga=895 acpi_osi="!Windows 2015" acpi_osi=Linux nowatchdog vm.swappiness=10 net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 LABEL archfallback-rescue MENU LABEL Arch Linux Fallback (rescue mode) LINUX ../vmlinuz-linux INITRD ../initramfs-linux-fallback.img APPEND root=UUID=9148225b-d661-4e4a-801c-f5bdc48f509e vga=895 systemd.unit=multi-user.target nowatchdog vm.swappiness=10 net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 #LABEL windows # MENU LABEL Windows # COM32 chain.c32 # APPEND hd0 1 ## These do not work with UEFI #LABEL hdt # MENU LABEL HDT (Hardware Detection Tool) # COM32 hdt.c32 #LABEL reboot # MENU LABEL Reboot # COM32 reboot.c32 #LABEL poweroff # MENU LABEL Poweroff # COM32 poweroff.c32 ``` ## mkinitcpio preset files Custom `/etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset` file is recommended for this setup. Each time you run `mkinitcpio -p linux` or update Linux kernel or systemd configuration, proper initrd and kernel files are automatically generated in proper location (`/boot_efi/` in this setup) without additional hassle. ``` > cat /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset # mkinitcpio preset file for the 'linux' package ESP_DIR="/boot_efi/EFI" # Get kernel version directly from the generated kernel image file # Avoid misleading detection from the running kernel # KERNELIMG="/boot/vmlinuz-linux" ALL_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf" ALL_kver="${ESP_DIR}/vmlinuz-linux" PRESETS=('default' 'fallback') #default_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf" default_image="${ESP_DIR}/initramfs-linux.img" default_options="-A esp-update-linux -k ${KERNELIMG}" #fallback_config="/etc/mkinitcpio.conf" fallback_image="${ESP_DIR}/initramfs-linux-fallback.img" fallback_options="-S autodetect -k ${KERNELIMG}" ``` Additionally, add the following file which ensures that Linux kernel image & `intel-ucode` files are correctly installed when issuing `mkinitcpio -p linux` command. ``` > cat /etc/initcpio/install/esp-update-linux ESP_DIR="/boot_efi/EFI" build() { cp -af /boot/intel-ucode.img "${ESP_DIR}"/ cp -af /boot/vmlinuz-linux "${ESP_DIR}"/ } ``` ## mkinitcpio configuration file The following `/etc/mkinitcpio.conf` file works in this setup. The file is used to configure initial RAM disk files (`initramfs.img`, `initramfs-fallback.img`). Not all modules listed in `MODULES` array are required, but they have been left for [Optimus/Intel GPU passthrough setup](https://gist.github.com/agentsim/e89beb42ede85714a24529b2a6798bb8) I once had. ``` # vim:set ft=sh # MODULES # The following modules are loaded before any boot hooks are # run. Advanced users may wish to specify all system modules # in this array. For instance: # MODULES=(piix ide_disk reiserfs) MODULES=(vfio vfio_iommu_type1 vfio_pci vfio_virqfd vhost-net pci-stub) # BINARIES # This setting includes any additional binaries a given user may # wish into the CPIO image. This is run last, so it may be used to # override the actual binaries included by a given hook # BINARIES are dependency parsed, so you may safely ignore libraries BINARIES=() # FILES # This setting is similar to BINARIES above, however, files are added # as-is and are not parsed in any way. This is useful for config files. FILES=() # HOOKS # This is the most important setting in this file. The HOOKS control the # modules and scripts added to the image, and what happens at boot time. # Order is important, and it is recommended that you do not change the # order in which HOOKS are added. Run 'mkinitcpio -H ' for # help on a given hook. # 'base' is _required_ unless you know precisely what you are doing. # 'udev' is _required_ in order to automatically load modules # 'filesystems' is _required_ unless you specify your fs modules in MODULES # Examples: ## This setup specifies all modules in the MODULES setting above. ## No raid, lvm2, or encrypted root is needed. # HOOKS=(base) # ## This setup will autodetect all modules for your system and should ## work as a sane default # HOOKS=(base udev autodetect block filesystems) # ## This setup will generate a 'full' image which supports most systems. ## No autodetection is done. # HOOKS=(base udev block filesystems) # ## This setup assembles a pata mdadm array with an encrypted root FS. ## Note: See 'mkinitcpio -H mdadm' for more information on raid devices. # HOOKS=(base udev block mdadm encrypt filesystems) # ## This setup loads an lvm2 volume group on a usb device. # HOOKS=(base udev block lvm2 filesystems) # ## NOTE: If you have /usr on a separate partition, you MUST include the # usr, fsck and shutdown hooks. HOOKS=(base udev autodetect modconf block filesystems keyboard fsck) # COMPRESSION # Use this to compress the initramfs image. By default, gzip compression # is used. Use 'cat' to create an uncompressed image. #COMPRESSION="gzip" #COMPRESSION="bzip2" #COMPRESSION="lzma" #COMPRESSION="xz" #COMPRESSION="lzop" #COMPRESSION="lz4" # COMPRESSION_OPTIONS # Additional options for the compressor #COMPRESSION_OPTIONS=() ``` -------------------------- ## Additional hints ### Retrieving UUIDs Run `blkid` command as root or with `sudo`. -------------------------- ## RewriteFS RewriteFS is a solution to force writing of all hidden [dot files]() into `$HOME/.config` location. Of course, this is just a default setup and can be configured further. RewriteFS is available in AUR as [rewritefs-git](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rewritefs-git/) package. **WARNING:** Using `rewritefs` may increase your HDD usage in heavy file operations. ### RewriteFS - installation **1)** Install RewriteFS (AUR: [rewritefs-git](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rewritefs-git/)) **2)** Move all your dotfiles and dotfolders from `$HOME` to `$HOME/.config/` folder (excluding `.config`, `.cache` & `.local` folders). Remove the dot prefix from the names of those moved dotfiles/folders. You should end up of having only three dotfolders in your `$HOME` directory: `.cache`, `.config` and `.local` (and no dotfiles at all). All your previous dotfiles/folders are now in `$HOME/.config`, without the dot prefix in their name. Right? Good. Go ahead. **3)** Add file `/etc/rewritefs.conf` with the following contents: ``` m#^(?!\.)# . m#^\.(cache|config|local)# . m#^\.# .config/ ``` **4)** Uncomment `user_allow_other` in `/etc/fuse.conf`. According to the rewritefs author, you must do it: ``` The files are owned by the user of the process that create them, which is rewritefs, not your applications. You have to run rewritefs as [user], not root. ``` **5)** Configure your fstab. Use `/etc/fstab` example below as a configuration reference. **NOTE:** It is important to set `` UID and `` GID bits in `/etc/fstab`. Otherwise you may end up creating new files which belong to group root instead of your actual primary group in `$HOME`. **6)** Log out, switch to another TTY and login as another user or alternatively unmount the partition where your `$HOME` locates at. **7)** Reboot the system ### RewriteFS - fstab example ``` > cat /etc/fstab # # /etc/fstab: static file system information # # # ######################################### # NVMe: M.2 - FILE SYSTEM PARTITION # Root system UUID=9148225b-d661-4e4a-801c-f5bdc48f509e / ext4 defaults,noatime,discard 0 1 ######################################### # Boot files - FAT32 partition, needs mask values UUID=927D-38E4 /boot_efi vfat defaults,dmask=0022,fmask=0133 0 0 ######################################### # RAM & SWAP # temporary folders tmpfs /tmp tmpfs nodev,nosuid,size=20480M,nr_inodes=500k 0 0 # Swap memory file (optional) /mnt/hdd/swap /swap none bind 0 0 /swap/swapfile none swap defaults 0 0 ######################################### # HDD: SATA - USER FILES PARTITION UUID=fba31569-c25c-4e30-b117-9ea83c41a8bd /mnt/hdd ext4 defaults,discard 0 2 ######################################### # Bind folders # /var folder /mnt/hdd/var /var none bind 0 0 # Home folders /mnt/hdd/home/root /root none bind 0 0 /root /home/root none bind 0 0 /mnt/hdd/home/ /home/ rewritefs config=/etc/rewritefs.conf,allow_other,uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0 ######################################### # Optional: mount your cache folders to RAM NOTE: When rewritefs is being used, mount order must be /tmp and then /home folders. This is because contents of user's .cache folder is written to /tmp/user_cache folder #tmpfs /home//.cache tmpfs size=15%,mode=0777,uid=1000,gid=1000 0 0 ``` ``` > stat -c "%A %G:%U %n" /etc/rewritefs.conf -rw-r--r-- root:root /etc/rewritefs.conf ``` Common syntax for RewriteFS fstab entry is as follows (not related to this setup): ``` /mnt/home/ /home/ rewritefs config=/etc/rewritefs.conf,allow_other,uid=,gid= 0 0 ```