Arch Linux on arm64

Stage 1 builders for non-x86 targets. Currently ARM (Arch Linux ARM).

Note

UEFI spec'd boards can install using guided mode. But need to point servers to ARM.

https://archlinuxarm.org/about/mirrors. You will either need to bootstrap from a tarball or find an ISO that can run archinstoo C.f Alpine; https://github.com/h8d13/archinstoo/tree/master/distros

For non-standard SBCs; Keep reading bellow.

architecture/
  ARM         entry script: generic stage 1 (partition, extract, base setup)
  boards/     one profile per device, sourced by ARM

Intro

This method is more advanced. A stage 1 usually involves:

• Extracted tarball onto a storage device. Tarballs
• Format/mount
• Replaced kernel with appropriate for hardware
• (Hw specifics in config.txt or boot.txt)
• (Setup /etc/fstab and cmdline.txt)

At this stage you should have a minimal install with only kernel/and bootloader/FS.

This involves using qemu-user-static qemu-user-static-binfmt from an x86 Arch host (runs the ARM chroot emulated; not needed from an ARM host).

Usage

List available boards, then build onto a target device:

./architecture/ARM list
sudo ./architecture/ARM rpi5 /dev/sdX

The script needs the board's tarball and finds it one of three ways:

1. Already downloaded, sitting next to the script or in cwd:

   curl -LO http://os.archlinuxarm.org/os/ArchLinuxARM-rpi-aarch64-latest.tar.gz
   

2. Anywhere else, passed as explicit path:

   sudo ./architecture/ARM rpi5 /dev/sdX ~/Downloads/ArchLinuxARM-rpi-aarch64-latest.tar.gz
   

3. Not downloaded at all, let the script fetch it:

   sudo FETCH=1 ./architecture/ARM rpi5 /dev/sdX
   

The core does everything generic: msdos label, fat32 boot + ext4 root, tarball extract with dirty-page progress, keyring init, locale, fstab by PARTUUID, wired DHCP, getty/sshd/networkd/resolved enabled. The board profile handles what differs per device: kernel/bootloader swap, cmdline.txt, firmware config. rpi5 (Pi 5 Model B) swaps the generic linux-aarch64 kernel for linux-rpi + foundation firmware.

Default credentials after boot: - root:root - alarm:alarm

Once in, passwd && passwd alarm, or better yet create a new user.

Adding a board

Copy boards/rpi5, adjust. A board file is sourced by ARM and can set:

What	Required	Purpose
ARCHIVE	yes	tarball filename
TARBALL_URL	no	enables FETCH=1 and the download hint
BOARD_CHROOT	no	shell run inside the chroot (kernel/bootloader swap)
board_finish()	no	after chroot: cmdline, firmware config, boot cleanup. $MNT, $BOOT_PARTUUID, $ROOT_PARTUUID, $DEVICE in scope
board_partition()	no	replaces default partitioning entirely (exotic layouts, U-Boot at raw offsets)

Boards whose tarball boots as shipped (generic linux-aarch64 + working U-Boot) need only ARCHIVE and TARBALL_URL.

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Using the live script

At this point we assume you have a working boot setup and a tty or access to terminal.

This is a reduced version of guided that only aims to setup certain stuff.

Removes bootloaders and more things that are not needed for a running system.

Then ./RUN --script live will bring you to a minimal menu that is aimed to run on a live system.

Through this you can set-up server usecases or desktops and more utilities you might need.