From 52caa0b75ffb62511e4f73317243258bfa24d701 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:49:14 +0100
Subject: Documentation: configuring_parabola.html
Shows some basic post-install configuration steps
for Parabola GNU/Linux-libre, as a follow up to
encrypted_parabola.html which showed how to
setup a fully encrypted Parabola system.
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+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html>
+<head>
+ <meta charset="utf-8">
+ <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
+
+ <style type="text/css">
+ body {
+ background:#fff;
+ color:#000;
+ font-family:sans-serif;
+ font-size:1em;
+ }
+ div.important {
+ background-color:#ccc;
+ }
+ </style>
+
+ <title>Configuring Parabola (post-install)</title>
+</head>
+
+<body>
+ <header>
+ <h1 id="pagetop">Configuring Parabola (post-install)</h1>
+ <aside>Or <a href="../index.html">back to main index</a></aside>
+ </header>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2>Table of Contents</h2>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ <a href="#pacman_configure">Configuring pacman</a>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#pacman_update">Updating Parabola</a></li>
+ <li>
+ <a href="#pacman_maintain">Maintaining Parabola during system updates</a>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#pacman_cacheclean">Clearing package cache after updating</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#pacman_commandequiv">Pacman command equivalents (compared to other package managers)</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li><a href="#yourfreedom">your-freedom</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li><a href="#useradd">Add a user account</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#systemd">System D</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#interesting_repos">Interesting repositories</a></li>
+ <li>
+ <a href="#network">Setup a network connection in Parabola</a>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#network_hostname">Setting hostname</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#network_status">Network status</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#network_devicenames">Network interface names</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#network_setup">Network setup</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ <li><a href="#system_maintain">System maintenance</a> - important!</li>
+ <li>
+ <a href="#desktop">Configuring the desktop</a>
+ <ul>
+ <li><a href="#desktop_xorg">Install Xorg</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#desktop_kblayout">Xorg keyboard layout</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#desktop_lxde">Install LXDE</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_clock">LXDE - clock</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_font">LXDE - font</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_screenlock">LXDE - screenlock</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_automount">LXDE - automounting</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_suspend">LXDE - disable suspend</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_battery">LXDE - battery monitor</a></li>
+ <li><a href="#lxde_network">LXDE - network manager</a></li>
+ </ul>
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <p>
+ While not strictly related to the libreboot project, this guide
+ is intended to be useful for those interested in installing
+ Parabola on their libreboot machine. This is also beneficial because development
+ is now being done on Parabola, where Trisquel is no longer used by the maintainer
+ at the time of writing.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ It details configuration steps that I took after installing the base system,
+ as a follow up to <a href="encrypted_parabola.html">encrypted_parabola.html</a>.
+ This guide is likely to become obsolete at a later date (due to the volatile
+ 'rolling-release' model that Arch/Parabola both use), but attempts will be made to maintain it.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ <b>
+ This guide was valid on 2014-09-21. If you see any changes that should to be made at the present date, please get in touch
+ with the libreboot project!
+ </b>
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ You do not necessarily have to follow this guide word-for-word; <i>parabola</i> is extremely flexible.
+ The aim here is to provide a common setup that most users will be happy with. While Parabola
+ can seem daunting at first glance (especially for new GNU/Linux users), with a simple guide it can provide
+ all of the same usability as Trisquel, without hiding any details from the user.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Paradoxically, as you get more advanced Parabola can actually become <i>easier to use</i>
+ when you want to setup your machine in a special way compared to what most distributions provide.
+ You will find over time that other distributions tend to <i>get in your way</i>.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ <b>
+ This guide assumes that you already have Parabola installed. If you have not yet installed Parabola,
+ then <a href="encrypted_parabola.html">this guide</a> is highly recommended!
+ </b>
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ A lot of the steps in this guide will refer to the Arch wiki. Arch is the upstream distribution that Parabola uses.
+ Most of this guide will also tell you to read wiki articles, other pages, manuals, and so on. In general it tries
+ to cherry pick the most useful information but nonetheless you are encouraged to learn as much as possible.
+ <b>It might take you a few days to fully install your system how you like, depending on how much you need to read. Patience is key,
+ especially for new users</b>.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ The Arch wiki will sometimes use bad language, such as calling the whole system Linux, using the term open-source (or closed-source),
+ and it will sometimes recommend the use of proprietary software. You need to be careful about this when reading anything on the
+ Arch wiki.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Some of these steps require internet access. I'll go into networking later but for now, I just connected
+ my machine to a switch and did:<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl start dhcpcd.service</b><br/>
+ You can stop it later by running:<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl stop dhcpcd.service</b><br/>
+ For most people this should be enough, but if you don't have DHCP on your network then you should setup your network connection first:<br/>
+ <a href="#network">Setup network connection in Parabola</a>
+ </p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="pacman_configure">Configure pacman</h2>
+ <p>
+ pacman (<b>pac</b>kage <b>man</b>ager) is the name of the package management system in Arch, which Parabola
+ (as a deblobbed parallel effort) also uses. Like with 'apt-get' on debian-based systems like Trisquel,
+ this can be used to add/remove and update the software on your computer.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Based on <a href="https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Installation_Guide#Configure_pacman">https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Installation_Guide#Configure_pacman</a>
+ and from reading <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman</a> (make sure to read and understand this,
+ it's very important) and
+ <a href="https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Official_Repositories">https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Official_Repositories</a>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="pacman_update">Updating Parabola</h3>
+ <p>
+ In the end, I didn't change my configuration for pacman. When you are updating, resync with the latest package names/versions:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Syy</b><br/>
+ (according to the wiki, -Syy is better than Sy because it refreshes the package list even if it appears to be up to date,
+ which can be useful when switching to another mirror).<br/>
+ Then, update the system:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Syu</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <b>
+ Before installing packages with 'pacman -S', always update first, using the notes above.
+ </b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Keep an eye out on the output, or read it in /var/log/pacman.log. Sometimes, pacman will show messages
+ about maintenance steps that you will need to perform with certain files (typically configurations)
+ after the update. Also, you should check both the Parabola and Arch home pages to see if they mention any issues.
+ If a new kernel is installed, you should also update to be able to use it (the currently running kernel will
+ also be fine). It's generally good enough to update Parabola once every week, or maybe twice. As a
+ rolling release distribution, it's a good idea never to leave your install too outdated; update regularly. This
+ is simply because of the way the project works; old packages are deleted from the repositories quickly, once they are updated.
+ A system that hasn't been updated for quite a while will mean potentially more reading of previous posts through the website,
+ and more maintenance work.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The Arch forum can also be useful, if others have the same issue as you (if you encounter issues, that is). Parabola's
+ IRC channel (#parabola on freenode) can also help you.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Due to this and the volatile nature of Parabola/Arch, you should only update when you have at least a couple hours of spare time
+ in case of issues that need to be resolved. You should never update, for example, if you need your system for an important event,
+ like a presentation or sending an email to an important person before an allocated deadline, and so on.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Relax - packages are well-tested regularly when new updates are made to the repositories. Separate 'testing' repositories
+ exist for this exact reason. Despite what many people will tell you, Parabola is fairly stable and trouble-free,
+ so long as you are aware of how to check for issues, and are willing to spend some time fixing issues in
+ the rare event that they do occur.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="pacman_maintain">Maintaining Parabola</h3>
+ <p>
+ Parabola is a very simple distro, in the sense that you are in full control
+ and everything is made transparent to you. One consequence is
+ that you also need to know what you are doing, and what you have done before. In general, keeping notes (such as what I have done
+ with this page) can be very useful as a reference in the future (if you wanted to re-install it or install the distro
+ on another computer, for example).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h4 id="pacman_cacheclean">Cleaning the package cache</h4>
+ <p>
+ <b>
+ The following is very important as you continue to use, update and maintain your Parabola system:<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman#Cleaning_the_package_cache">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman#Cleaning_the_package_cache</a>.
+ Essentially, this guide talks about a directory that has to be cleaned once in a while, to prevent it from growing too big (it's a cache
+ of old package information, updated automatically when you do anything in pacman).
+ </b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ To clean out all old packages that are cached:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Sc</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The wiki cautions that this should be used with care. For example, since older packages are deleted from the repo,
+ if you encounter issues and want to revert back to an older package then it's useful to have the caches available.
+ Only do this if you are sure that you won't need it.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The wiki also mentions this method for removing everything from the cache, including currently installed packages that are cached:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Scc</b><br/>
+ This is inadvisable, since it means re-downloading the package again if you wanted to quickly re-install it. This should only be used
+ when disk space is at a premium.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h4 id="pacman_commandequiv">pacman command equivalents</h4>
+ <p>
+ The following table lists other distro package manager commands, and their equivalent in pacman:<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman_Rosetta">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman_Rosetta</a>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="yourfreedom">your-freedom</h3>
+ <p>
+ your-freedom is a package specific to Parabola, and it is installed by default. What it does is conflict with packages
+ from Arch that are known to be non-free (proprietary) software. When migrating from Arch (there is a guide on the Parabola
+ wiki for migrating - converting - an existing Arch system to a Parabola system), installing
+ your-freedom will also fail if these packages are installed, citing them as conflicts; the recommended solution
+ is then to delete the offending packages, and continue installing <i>your-freedom</i>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="useradd">Add a user</h2>
+ <p>
+ Based on <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Users_and_Groups">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Users_and_Groups</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ It is important (for security reasons) to create and use a non-root (non-admin) user account for every day use. The default 'root' account is intended
+ only for critical administrative work, since it has complete access to the entire operating system.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Read the entire document linked to above, and then continue.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Add your user:<br/>
+ # <b>useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash <i>yourusername</i></b><br/>
+ Set a password:<br/>
+ # <b>passwd <i>yourusername</i></b>
+ </p>
+
+ <p><a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page</a></p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="systemd">systemd</h2>
+ <p>
+ This is the name of the system used for managing services in Parabola. It is a good idea to become familiar with it.
+ Read <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/systemd">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/systemd</a>
+ and <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/systemd#Basic_systemctl_usage">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/systemd#Basic_systemctl_usage</a>
+ to gain a full understanding. <b>This is very important! Make sure to read them.</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ An example of a 'service' could be a webserver (such as lighttpd), or sshd (openssh), dhcp, etc. There are countless others.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1149530#p1149530">https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1149530#p1149530</a> explains
+ the background behind the decision by Arch (Parabola's upstream supplier) to use systemd.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ The manpage should also help:<br/>
+ # <b>man systemd</b><br/>
+ The section on 'unit types' is especially useful.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ According to the wiki, systemd 'journal' keeps logs of a size up to 10% of the total size your / partition takes up.
+ on a 60GB root this would mean 6GB. That's not exactly practical, and can have performance implications later when the
+ log gets too big. Based on instructions from the wiki, I will reduce the total size of the journal to 50MiB (the wiki
+ recommends 50MiB).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Open /etc/systemd/journald.conf and find the line that says:<br/>
+ <i>#SystemMaxUse=</i><br/>
+ Change it to say:<br/>
+ <i>SystemMaxUse=50M</i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The wiki also recommended a method for forwarding journal output to TTY 12 (accessible by pressing ctrl+alt+f12,
+ and you use ctrl+alt+[F1-F12] to switch between terminals). I decided not to enable it.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Restart journald:<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl restart systemd-journald</b>
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ The wiki recommends that if the journal gets too large, you can also simply delete (rm -rf) everything inside /var/log/journald/*
+ but recommends backing it up. This shouldn't be necessary, since you already set the size limit above and systemd will automatically
+ start to delete older records when the journal size reaches it's limit (according to systemd developers).
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Finally, the wiki mentions 'temporary' files and the utility for managing them.<br/>
+ # <b>man systemd-tmpfiles</b><br/>
+ The command for 'clean' is:<br/>
+ # <b>systemd-tmpfiles --clean</b><br/>
+ According to the manpage, this <i>"cleans all files and directories with an age parameter"</i>.
+ According to the Arch wiki, this reads information in /etc/tmpfiles.d/ and /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/
+ to know what actions to perform. Therefore, it is a good idea to read what's stored in these locations
+ to get a better understanding.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I looked in /etc/tmpfiles.d/ and found that it was empty on my system. However, /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/ contained some files.
+ The first one was etc.conf, containing information and a reference to this manpage:<br/>
+ # <b>man tmpfiles.d</b><br/>
+ Read that manpage, and then continue studying all of the files.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The systemd developers tell me that it usually isn't necessary to touch the systemd-tmpfiles utility manually at all.
+ </p>
+
+ <p><a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page</a></p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="interesting_repos">Interesting repositories</h2>
+ <p>
+ Parabola wiki at <a href="https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Repositories#kernels">https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Repositories#kernels</a>
+ mentions about a repository called [kernels] for custom kernels that aren't in the default base. It might be worth looking into what is available
+ there, depending on your use case.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I enabled it on my system, to see what was in it. Edit /etc/pacman.conf and below the 'extra' section add:<br/>
+ <i>
+ [kernels]<br/>
+ Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
+ </i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Now sync with the repository:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Syy</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ List all available packages in this repository:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Sl kernels</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ In the end, I decided not to install anything from it but I kept the repository enabled regardless.
+ </p>
+ <p><a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a></p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="network">Setup a network connection in Parabola</h2>
+ <p>
+ Read <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="network_hostname">Set the hostname</h3>
+ <p>
+ This should be the same as the hostname that you set in /etc/hostname when installing Parabola. You can also do it with systemd (do so now, if you like):<br/>
+ # <b>hostnamectl set-hostname <i>yourhostname</i></b><br/>
+ This writes the specified hostname to /etc/hostname. More information can be found in these manpages:<br/>
+ # <b>man hostname</b><br/>
+ # <b>info hostname</b><br/>
+ # <b>man hostnamectl</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Add the same hostname to /etc/hosts, on each line. Example:<br/>
+ <i>
+ 127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost <u>myhostname</u><br/>
+ ::1 localhost.localdomain localhost <u>myhostname</u>
+ </i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ You'll note that I set both lines; the 2nd line is for IPv6. More and more ISP's are providing this now (mine does)
+ so it's good to be forward-thinking here.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The <i>hostname</i> utility is part of the <i>inetutils</i> package and is in core/, installed by default (as part of <i>base</i>).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="network_status">Network Status</h3>
+ <p>
+ According to the Arch wiki, <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Udev">udev</a> should already detect the ethernet chipset
+ and load the driver for it automatically at boot time. You can check this in the <i>"Ethernet controller"</i> section
+ when running this command:<br/>
+ # <b>lspci -v</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Look at the remaining sections <i>'Kernel driver in use'</i> and <i>'Kernel modules'</i>. In my case it was as follows:<br/>
+ <i>
+ Kernel driver in use: e1000e<br/>
+ Kernel modules: e1000e
+ </i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Check that the driver was loaded by issuing <i>dmesg | grep module_name</i>. In my case, I did:<br/>
+ # <b>dmesg | grep e1000e</b>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="network_devicenames">Network device names</h3>
+ <p>
+ According to <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network#Device_names">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network#Device_names</a>,
+ it is important to note that the old interface names like eth0, wlan0, wwan0 and so on no longer apply. Instead, <i>systemd</i>
+ creates device names starting with en (for enternet), wl (for wifi) and ww (for wwan) with a fixed identifier that systemd automatically generates.
+ An example device name for your ethernet chipset would be <i>enp0s25</i>, where it is never supposed to change.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ If you want to enable the old names (eth0, wlan0, wwan0, etc), the Arch wiki recommends
+ adding <i>net.ifnames=0</i> to your kernel parameters (in libreboot context, this would be accomplished by following the
+ instructions in <a href="grub_cbfs.html">grub_cbfs.html</a>).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ For background information,
+ read <a href="http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/PredictableNetworkInterfaceNames/">Predictable Network Interface Names</a>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Show device names:<br/>
+ # <b>ls /sys/class/net</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Changing the device names is possible (I chose not to do it):<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network#Change_device_name">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network#Change_device_name</a>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="network_setup">Network setup</h3>
+ <p>
+ I actually chose to ignore most of Networking section on the wiki. Instead, I plan to setup LXDE desktop with the graphical
+ network-manager client. Here is a list of network managers:<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/List_of_applications/Internet#Network_managers">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/List_of_applications/Internet#Network_managers</a>.
+ If you need to, set a static IP address (temporarily) using the networking guide an the Arch wiki, or start the dhcpcd service in systemd.
+ NetworkManager will be setup later, after installing LXDE.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="system_maintain">System Maintenance</h2>
+ <p>
+ Read <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/System_maintenance">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/System_maintenance</a> before continuing.
+ Also read <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Enhance_system_stability">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Enhance_system_stability</a>.
+ <b>This is important, so make sure to read them!</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Install smartmontools (can be used to check smart data - note: HDD's use non-free firmware inside, it's transparent to you
+ but the smart data comes from it. Therefore, don't rely on it too much):<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S smartmontools</b><br/>
+ Read <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/S.M.A.R.T.">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/S.M.A.R.T.</a> to learn how to use it.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <h2 id="desktop">Configuring the desktop</h2>
+ <p>
+ Based on steps from
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/General_recommendations#Graphical_user_interface">General Recommendations</a> on the Arch wiki.
+ The plan is to use LXDE and LXDM/LightDM, along with everything else that you would expect on other distributions that provide LXDE
+ by default.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="desktop_xorg">Installing Xorg</h3>
+ <p>
+ Based on <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Firstly, install it!<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xorg-server</b><br/>
+ I also recommend installing this (contains lots of useful tools, including <i>xrandr</i>):<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xorg-server-utils</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Install the driver. For me this was <i>xf86-video-intel</i> on the ThinkPad X60. T60 and macbook11/21 should be the same.<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xf86-video-intel</b><br/>
+ For other systems you can try:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Ss xf86-video- | less</b><br/>
+ Combined with looking at your <i>lspci</i> output, you can determine which driver is needed.
+ By default, Xorg will revert to xf86-video-vesa which is a generic driver and doesn't provide true hardware acceleration.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Other drivers (not just video) can be found by looking at the <i>xorg-drivers</i> group:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -Sg xorg-drivers</b><br/>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Mostly you will rely on a display manager, but in case you ever want to start X without one:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xorg-xinit</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <optional><br/>
+ Arch wiki recommends installing these, for testing that X works:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm</b><br/>
+ Refer to <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc</a>.
+ and test X:<br/>
+ # <b>startx</b><br/>
+ When you are satisfied, type <b><i>exit</i></b> in xterm, inside the X session.<br/>
+ Uninstall them (clutter. eww): # <b>pacman -S xorg-xinit xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm</b><br/>
+ </optional>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="desktop_kblayout">Xorg keyboard layout</h3>
+ <p>
+ Refer to <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Xorg uses a different configuration method for keyboard layouts, so you will notice that the layout you
+ set in /etc/vconsole.conf earlier might not actually be the same in X.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ To see what layout you currently use, try this on a terminal emulator in X:<br/>
+ # <b>setxkbmap -print -verbose 10</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ In my case, I wanted to use the Dvorak (UK) keyboard which is quite different from Xorg's default Qwerty (US) layout.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I'll just say it now: <i>XkbModel</i> can be <i>pc105</i> in this case (ThinkPad X60, with a 105-key UK keyboard).
+ If you use an American keyboard (typically 104 keys) you will want to use <i>pc104</i>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <i>XkbLayout</i> in my case would be <i>gb</i>, and <i>XkbVariant</i> would be <i>dvorak</i>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The Arch wiki recommends two different methods for setting the keyboard layout:<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg#Using_X_configuration_files">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg#Using_X_configuration_files</a> and<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg#Using_localectl">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg#Using_localectl</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ In my case, I chose to use the <i>configuration file</i> method:<br/>
+ Create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-keyboard.conf and put this inside:<br/>
+ <i>
+ Section "InputClass"<br/>
+ Identifier "system-keyboard"<br/>
+ MatchIsKeyboard "on"<br/>
+ Option "XkbLayout" "gb"<br/>
+ Option "XkbModel" "pc105"<br/>
+ Option "XkbVariant" "dvorak"<br/>
+ EndSection
+ </i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ For you, the steps above may differ if you have a different layout. If you use a US Qwerty keyboard, then
+ you don't even need to do anything (though it might help, for the sake of being explicit).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="desktop_lxde">Install LXDE</h3>
+ <p>
+ Desktop choice isn't that important to me, so for simplicity I decided to use LXDE. It's lightweight
+ and does everything that I need.
+ If you would like to try something different, refer to
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Desktop_environment">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Desktop_environment</a>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Refer to <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXDE">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXDE</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Install it, choosing 'all' when asked for the default package list:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S lxde obconf</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I didn't want the following, so I removed them:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -R lxmusic lxtask</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I also lazily installed all fonts:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S $(pacman -Ssq ttf-)</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ LXDE comes with a terminal. You probably want a browser to go with that; I choose GNU IceCat, part of the <i><a href="https://gnu.org/">GNU project</a></i>:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S icecat</b><br/>
+ And a mail client:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S icedove</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ In IceCat, go to <i>Preferences :: Advanced</i> and disable <i>GNU IceCat Health Report</i>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I also like to install these:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xsensors stress htop</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Enable LXDM (the default display manager, providing a graphical login):<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl enable lxdm.service</b><br/>
+ It will start when you boot up the machine. To start it now, do:<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl start lxdm.service</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Log in with your standard (non-root) user that you created earlier.
+ It is advisable to also create an xinitrc rule in case you ever want to start lxde without lxdm.
+ Read <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Open LXterminal:<br/>
+ $ <b>cp /etc/skel/.xinitrc ~</b><br/>
+ Open .xinitrc and add the following plus a line break at the bottom of the file.<br/>
+ <i>
+ # Probably not needed. The same locale info that we set before<br/>
+ # Based on advice from the LXDE wiki
+ export LC_ALL=en_GB.UTF-8<br/>
+ export LANGUAGE=en_GB.UTF-8<br/>
+ export LANG=en_GB.UTF-8<br/>
+ <br/>
+ # Start lxde desktop<br/>
+ exec startlxde<br/>
+ </i>
+ Now make sure that it is executable:<br/>
+ $ <b>chmod +x .xinitrc</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="lxde_clock">LXDE - clock</h3>
+ <p>
+ In <b>Digital Clock Settings</b> (right click the clock) I set the Clock Format to <i>%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S</i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="lxde_font">LXDE - font</h3>
+ <p>
+ NOTE TO SELF: come back to this later.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="lxde_screenlock">LXDE - screenlock</h3>
+ <p>
+ Arch wiki recommends to use <i>xscreensaver</i>:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xscreensaver</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Under <i>Preferences :: Screensaver</i> in the LXDE menu, I chose <i>Mode: Blank Screen Only</i>,
+ setting <i>Blank After</i>, <i>Cycle After</i> and <i>Lock Screen After</i> (checked) to 10 minutes.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ You can now lock the screen with <i>Logout :: Lock Screen</i> in the LXDE menu.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+ <h3 id="lxde_automount">LXDE - automounting</h3>
+ <p>
+ Refer to <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/File_manager_functionality">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/File_manager_functionality</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I chose to ignore this for now. NOTE TO SELF: come back to this later.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="lxde_suspend">LXDE - disable suspend</h3>
+ <p>
+ When closing the laptop lid, the machine suspends. This is annoying at least to me.
+ NOTE TO SELF: disable it, then document the steps here.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="lxde_battery">LXDE - battery monitor</h3>
+ <p>
+ Right click lxde panel and <i>Add/Remove Panel Items</i>. Click <i>Add</i> and select <i>Battery Monitor</i>, then click <i>Add</i>.
+ Close and then right-click the applet and go to <i>Battery Monitor Settings</i>, check the box that says <i>Show Extended Information</i>.
+ Now click <i>Close</i>. When you hover the cursor over it, it'll show information about the battery.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+ <h3 id="lxde_network">LXDE - Network Manager</h3>
+ <p>
+ Refer to <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXDE#Network_Management">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXDE#Network_Management</a>.
+ Then I read: <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Install Network Manager:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S networkmanager</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ You will also want the graphical applet:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S network-manager-applet</b><br/>
+ Arch wiki says that an autostart rule will be written at <i>/etc/xdg/autostart/nm-applet.desktop</i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I want to be able to use a VPN at some point, so the wiki tells me to do:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S networkmanager-openvpn</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ LXDE uses openbox, so I refer to:<br/>
+ <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager#Openbox">https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager#Openbox</a>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ It tells me for the applet I need:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S xfce4-notifyd gnome-icon-theme</b><br/>
+ Also, for storing authentication details (wifi) I need:<br/>
+ # <b>pacman -S gnome-keyring</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I wanted to quickly enable networkmanager:<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl stop dhcpcd</b><br/>
+ # <b>systemctl start NetworkManager</b><br/>
+ Enable NetworkManager at boot time:<br/>
+ # <b>systemctl enable NetworkManager</b>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Restart LXDE (log out, and then log back in).
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I added the volume control applet to the panel (right click panel, and add a new applet).
+ I also later changed the icons to use the gnome icon theme, in <i>lxappearance</i>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ <a href="#pagetop">Back to top of page.</a>
+ </p>
+
+<hr/>
+
+ <p>
+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk><br/>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions.
+ A copy of the license can be found at <a href="../license.txt">../license.txt</a>.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See <a href="../license.txt">../license.txt</a> for more information.
+ </p>
+
+</body>
+</html>
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