# 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](configure.md). ### Step 0. Prerequisites - [x] A free USB Drive with at least 1.5GB (All data on it will be lost) - [x] Linux/NixOS Machine with Internet ### Step 1. Identify the USB Flash Drive 1. Insert your USB flash drive into your computer. 2. Identify your flash drive with `lsblk`: ```shellSession lsblk ``` ```{.shellSession hl_lines="2" .no-copy} 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 ``` !!! Info "In this case the USB device is `sdb`" 3. Ensure all partitions on the drive are unmounted. Replace `sdb1` in the command below with your device identifier (like `sdc1`, etc.): ```shellSession sudo umount /dev/sdb1 ``` === "**Linux OS**" ### Step 2. Flash Custom Installer Using clan flash enables the inclusion of ssh public keys and wifi access points. It also allows to set language and keymap in the installer image. ```bash clan flash write --flake git+https://git.clan.lol/clan/clan-core \ --ssh-pubkey $HOME/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub \ --keymap us \ --language en_US.UTF-8 \ --disk main /dev/sd \ flash-installer ``` !!! Note Replace `$HOME/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub` with a path to your SSH public key. Replace `/dev/sd` with the drive path you want to flash !!! Danger "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 - **SSH-Pubkey Option**: To add an ssh public key into the installer image append the option: ``` --ssh-pubkey ``` If you do not have an ssh key yet, you can generate one with `ssh-keygen -t ed25519` command. This ssh key will be installed into the root user. - **Connect to the installer On boot, the installer will display on-screen the IP address it received from the network. If you need to configure Wi-Fi first, refer to the next section. If Multicast-DNS (Avahi) is enabled on your own machine, you can also access the installer using the `flash-installer.local` address. - **List Keymaps**: You can get a list of all keymaps with the following command: ``` clan flash list keymaps ``` - **List Languages**: You can get a list of all languages with the following command: ``` clan flash list languages ``` === "**Other OS**" ### Step 2. Download Generic Installer For x86_64: ```shellSession wget https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-images/releases/download/nixos-unstable/nixos-installer-x86_64-linux.iso ``` For generic arm64 / aarch64 (probably does not work on raspberry pi...) ```shellSession wget https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-images/releases/download/nixos-unstable/nixos-installer-aarch64-linux.iso ``` !!! Note If you don't have `wget` installed, you can use `curl --progress-bar -OL ` instead. ### Step 2.5 Flash the Installer to the USB Drive !!! Danger "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` (on macOS it will look more like /dev/disk1) On Linux, you can use the `lsblk` utility to identify the correct disko ``` lsblk --output NAME,ID-LINK,FSTYPE,SIZE,MOUNTPOINT ``` On macos use `diskutil`: ``` diskutil list ``` Use the `dd` utility to write the NixOS installer image to your USB drive. Replace `/dev/sd` with your external drive from above. ```shellSession sudo dd bs=4M conv=fsync status=progress if=./nixos-installer-x86_64-linux.iso of=/dev/sd ``` - **Connect to the installer On boot, the installer will display on-screen the IP address it received from the network. If you need to configure Wi-Fi first, refer to the next section. If Multicast-DNS (Avahi) is enabled on your own machine, you can also access the installer using the `nixos-installer.local` address. ### Step 3: Boot From USB Stick - To use, boot from the Clan USB drive with **secure boot turned off**. For step by step instructions go to [Disabling Secure Boot](../manual/secure-boot.md) ## (Optional) Connect to Wifi Manually If you don't have access via LAN the Installer offers support for connecting via Wifi. ```shellSession iwctl ``` This will enter `iwd` ```{.console, .no-copy} [iwd]# ``` Now run the following command to connect to your Wifi: ```{.shellSession .no-copy} # 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: ```{.console, .no-copy} 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 --- ## What's next? - [Configure Machines](configure.md): Customize machine configuration ---