Installer
Our installer image simplifies the process of performing remote installations.
Follow our step-by-step guide to create and transfer this image onto a bootable USB drive.
Info
If you already have a NixOS machine you can ssh into (in the cloud for example) you can skip this chapter and go directly to Configure Machines.
Step 0. Prerequisites
- A free USB Drive with at least 1.5GB (All data on it will be lost)
- Linux/NixOS Machine with Internet
Step 1. Identify the USB Flash Drive
-
Insert your USB flash drive into your computer.
-
Identify your flash drive with
lsblk
:NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS sdb 8:0 1 117,2G 0 disk └─sdb1 8:1 1 117,2G 0 part /run/media/qubasa/INTENSO nvme0n1 259:0 0 1,8T 0 disk ├─nvme0n1p1 259:1 0 512M 0 part /boot └─nvme0n1p2 259:2 0 1,8T 0 part └─luks-f7600028-9d83-4967-84bc-dd2f498bc486 254:0 0 1,8T 0 crypt /nix/store
In this case the USB device is
sdb
-
Ensure all partitions on the drive are unmounted. Replace
sdb1
in the command below with your device identifier (likesdc1
, etc.):
Step 2. Flash Custom Installer
Using clan flash enables the inclusion of ssh public keys. It also allows to set language and keymap currently in the installer image.
clan flash --flake git+https://git.clan.lol/clan/clan-core \
--ssh-pubkey $HOME/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub \
--keymap en \
--language en \
--disk main /dev/sd<X> \
flash-installer
The --ssh-pubkey
, --language
and --keymap
are optional.
Replace $HOME/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
with a path to your SSH public key.
If you do not have an ssh key yet, you can generate one with ssh-keygen -t ed25519
command.
Specifying the wrong device can lead to unrecoverable data loss.
The clan flash
utility will erase the disk. Make sure to specify the correct device
Step 2. Download Generic Installer
wget https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-images/releases/download/nixos-unstable/nixos-installer-x86_64-linux.iso
Step 3. Flash the Installer to the USB Drive
Specifying the wrong device can lead to unrecoverable data loss.
The dd
utility will erase the disk. Make sure to specify the correct device (of=...
)
For example if the USB device is sdb
use of=/dev/sdb
.
Use the dd
utility to write the NixOS installer image to your USB drive:
Step 4. Boot and Connect to your network
After writing the installer to the USB drive, use it to boot the target machine.
Info
Plug it into the target machine and select the USB drive as a temporary boot device.
Here you can find the key combinations for selection used by most vendors.
- Dell: F12 (Boot Menu), F2/Del (BIOS Setup)
- HP: F9 (Boot Menu), Esc (Startup Menu)
- Lenovo: F12 (ThinkPad Boot Menu), F2/Fn+F2/Novo Button (IdeaPad Boot Menu/BIOS Setup)
- Acer: F12 (Boot Menu), F2/Del (BIOS Setup)
- Asus: F8/Esc (Boot Menu), F2/Del (BIOS Setup)
- Toshiba: F12/F2 (Boot Menu), Esc then F12 (Alternate Method)
- Sony: F11/Assist Button (Boot Menu/Recovery Options)
- Samsung: F2/F12/Esc (Boot Menu), F2 (BIOS Setup)
- MSI: F11 (Boot Menu), Del (BIOS Setup)
- Apple: Option (Alt) Key (Boot Menu for Mac)
- If your hardware was not listed read the manufacturers instructions how to enter the boot Menu/BIOS Setup.
During Boot
Select NixOS
to boot into the clan installer.
After Booting
For deploying your configuration the machine needs to be connected via LAN (recommended).
(Optional) Connect to Wifi
If you don't have access via LAN the Installer offers support for connecting via Wifi.
This will enter iwd
Now run the following command to connect to your Wifi:
# Identify your network device.
device list
# Replace 'wlan0' with your wireless device name
# Find your Wifi SSID.
station wlan0 scan
station wlan0 get-networks
# Replace your_ssid with the Wifi SSID
# Connect to your network.
station wlan0 connect your_ssid
# Verify you are connected
station wlan0 show
If the connection was successful you should see something like this:
State connected
Connected network FRITZ!Box (Your router device)
IPv4 address 192.168.188.50 (Your new local ip)
Press Ctrl+D to exit IWD
.
Important
Press Ctrl+D again to update the displayed QR code and connection information.
You're all set up
Whats next?
- Configure Machines: Customize machine configuration