Install Archlinux onto a USB key using QEMU

Download the image

Download a mirror from https://www.archlinux.org/download/
Save it to $HOME

Launch the VM

$ diskutil list
	to find out where the USB key is on the system
	we will assume it is located on disk2
$ diskutil unmount /dev/disk2
	unmount the device so it is not busy when QEMU uses it
$ sudo qemu-system-x86_64 -m 1024 -boot d -smp 3 -net nic -net user -hda arch.img -cdrom archlinux-XXXXXX.iso -drive file=/dev/disk2,format=raw,cache=none,if=virtio
	open the QEMU VM using the ISO by the name of the file downloaded to $HOME

Bootstrap Arch

We are now in the QEMU VM, and will continue to be until the octothorps (#) become dollar signs ($)

# fdisk -l
	figure out where the device is located
	in this example, we assume it is located at vda

# parted /dev/vda
. mktable gpt
. mkpart primary fat32 1MiB 261MiB
. set 1 esp on
. mkpart primary ext4 261MiB 100%
. quit
	make the partition table, generate two partitions of filesystem FAT32 (260MiB) and ext4 (the rest) on a GPT partition table
	each line after parted should begin with (parted) but to avoid confusion we write this just as “.”
[ # parted /dev/vda print ]
	test to see if everything is good
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/vda2
	initialise proper ext4 filesystem on the root
# mount /dev/vda2 /mnt
	mount the root
# mkfs.fat-F32/dev/vda1
	initialise the proper FAT32 filesystem on the ESP
# mkdir /mnt/efi
	create the mount point for the ESP
# mount /dev/vda1 /mnt/efi
	mount the ESP
[ # vi /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
	move different URLs around based on geographical location ]
	for better response times
	automatically generated as well, but rectification sometimes required
# pacstrap /mnt base base-devel
	pacstrap the base and base-devel packages
	handle errors
        * If you get a key-signing issue: “Signature from Andreas Radke […] is invalid […] Errors occurred, no packages were upgraded,” try pacman-key --refresh-keys and re-run the pacstrap command

Configure Arch

# genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
	generate fstab, which is used to disk partitions mount onto the filesystem
	optionally check the resultant output if you can understand it
# arch-chroot /mnt
	temporarily set the mounted disk as the root
	all commands after this will not actually begin with an octothorp (#), however we will represent them as such
# ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles /etc/localtime
	Set timezone to local time (change as necessary)
# hwclock --systohc
	generate /etc/adjtime (specifics aren’t important, you’re dealing with time)
# vi /etc/locale.gen
	uncomment necessary lines (e.g. en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8, bi_VS UTF-8, en_GB.UTF-8 UTF-8, es_CR.UTF-8 UTF-8)
# locale-gen
	regenerate the locale (“write out” the previous file into use)
[ # locale -a ]
	check to see if everything is as it should be
# echo “LANG=en_US.UTF-8” > /etc/locale.conf
	set language
# echo “archenemy-beta” > /etc/hostname
	set your hostname—we will assume archenemy-beta as a hostname
	this is what will appear on servers and such
# vi /etc/hosts
	write the following:
127.0.0.1	localhost
::1		localhost
127.0.1.1	archenemy-beta.localdomain		archenemy-beta
	change 127.0.0.1 to the permanent IP if it exists
# passwd
	set the password

Install & Configure GRUB2

# pacman -S grub efibootmgr
	install grub, which is a package that helps install GRUB2, and efibootmgr, which is used by the GRUB installation script to write to NVRAM
# grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/efi --bootloader-id=GRUB
	this actually installs GRUB2 and all necessary packages
# grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
	make the config file for GRUB2

Bless EFI

# exit
	exit from the arch-chroot
[ # umount -R /mnt ]
	unmount all partitions
Exit into Terminal and ^C to stop QEMU
$ mkdir ~/efi
	create the new mount point ~/efi
$ sudo mount -w -t msdos /dev/disk2s1 ~/efi
	mount the EFI System partition onto the new mount point ~/efi
$ bless --folder ~/efi/EFI/GRUB --file ~/efi/EFI/GRUB/grubx64.efi
	bless the EFI System partition to make it bootable

Boot Arch

$ reboot
	hold Alt whilst the computer reboots
Click on Arch and hit enter


Bibliography
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EFI_system_partition
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Parted#UEFI/GPT_examples
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB#Installation_2
* https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=149229 (key signing error handling)
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/EFI_system_partition#Check_for_an_existing_partition
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Help:Reading#Installation_of_packages
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB#Generate_the_main_configuration_file
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#UEFI_variables
* https://bombich.com/kb/ccc4/what-makes-volume-bootable (bootability)
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Mount_efivarfs
* https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface#Mount_efivarfs
* https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/91620/efi-variables-are-not-supported-on-this-system (efivars)
* https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/EFI_stub_kernel