# Initializing a New Clan Project ## Create a new Clan flake 1. To start a new project, execute the following command to add the clan cli to your shell: ```shellSession $ nix shell git+https://git.clan.lol/clan/clan-core ``` 2. Then use the following commands to initialize a new clan-flake: ```shellSession $ mkdir ./my-flake $ cd ./my-flake $ clan flake create . ``` This action will generate two primary files: `flake.nix` and `.clan-flake`. ```shellSession $ ls -la drwx------ joerg users 5 B a minute ago ./ drwxrwxrwt root root 139 B 12 seconds ago ../ .rw-r--r-- joerg users 77 B a minute ago .clan-flake .rw-r--r-- joerg users 4.8 KB a minute ago flake.lock .rw-r--r-- joerg users 242 B a minute ago flake.nix ``` ### Understanding the .clan-flake Marker File The `.clan-flake` marker file serves an optional purpose: it helps the `clan-cli` utility locate the project's root directory. If `.clan-flake` is missing, `clan-cli` will instead search for other indicators like `.git`, `.hg`, `.svn`, or `flake.nix` to identify the project root. ## Add your first machine ```shellSession $ clan machines create my-machine $ clan machines list my-machine ``` ## Configure your machine In this example we crate a user named `my-user` that is allowed to login to the machine ```shellSession # create a new user $ clan config --machine my-machine users.users.my-user.isNormalUser true # set some password $ clan config --machine my-machine users.users.my-user.hashedPassword $(mkpasswd) ``` ## Test your machine config inside a VM ```shellSession $ nix build .#nixosConfigurations.my-machine.config.system.build.vm ... $ ./result/bin/run-nixos-vm ``` --- # Migrating Existing NixOS Configuration Flake Absolutely, let's break down the migration step by step, explaining each action in detail: #### Before You Begin 1. **Backup Your Current Configuration**: Always start by making a backup of your current NixOS configuration to ensure you can revert if needed. ```shellSession $ cp -r /etc/nixos ~/nixos-backup ``` 2. **Update Flake Inputs**: Add a new input for the `clan-core` dependency: ```nix inputs.clan-core = { url = "git+https://git.clan.lol/clan/clan-core"; # Don't do this if your machines are on nixpkgs stable. inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs"; }; ``` - `url`: Specifies the Git repository URL for Clan Core. - `inputs.nixpkgs.follows`: Tells Nix to use the same `nixpkgs` input as your main input (in this case, it follows `nixpkgs`). 3. **Update Outputs**: Then modify the `outputs` section of your `flake.nix` to adapt to Clan Core's new provisioning method. The key changes are as follows: Add `clan-core` to the output ```diff - outputs = { self, nixpkgs, }: + outputs = { self, nixpkgs, clan-core }: ``` Previous configuration: ```nix { nixosConfigurations.example-desktop = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem { system = "x86_64-linux"; modules = [ ./configuration.nix ]; [...] }; } ``` After change: ```nix let clan = clan-core.lib.buildClan { # this needs to point at the repository root directory = self; specialArgs = {}; machines = { example-desktop = { nixpkgs.hostPlatform = "x86_64-linux"; imports = [ ./configuration.nix ]; }; }; }; in { inherit (clan) nixosConfigurations clanInternals; } ``` - `nixosConfigurations`: Defines NixOS configurations, using Clan Core’s `buildClan` function to manage the machines. - Inside `machines`, a new machine configuration is defined (in this case, `example-desktop`). - Inside `example-desktop` which is the target machine hostname, `nixpkgs.hostPlatform` specifies the host platform as `x86_64-linux`. - `clanInternals`: Is required to enable evaluation of the secret generation/upload script on every architecture 4. **Rebuild and Switch**: Rebuild your NixOS configuration using the updated flake: ```shellSession $ sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake . ``` - This command rebuilds and switches to the new configuration. Make sure to include the `--flake .` argument to use the current directory as the flake source. 5. **Test Configuration**: Before rebooting, verify that your new configuration builds without errors or warnings. 6. **Reboot**: If everything is fine, you can reboot your system to apply the changes: ```shellSession $ sudo reboot ``` 7. **Verify**: After the reboot, confirm that your system is running with the new configuration, and all services and applications are functioning as expected. By following these steps, you've successfully migrated your NixOS Flake configuration to include the `clan-core` input and adapted the `outputs` section to work with Clan Core's new machine provisioning method.