alpine-wiki/alpine/alpine-setup-install-script.md

Script setup-alpine

This script is the main install program for Alpine linux, only can run as root.

Table of Contents

• Script setup-alpine
  • Environment variables before run
  • Running setup alpine script
    • Select keyboard layout
    • Select keyboard variant
    • Enter system hostname
    • Initialize network cards
    • Initialize network DNS
    • Changing the root password
    • Which timezone to choose?
    • Proxy chooser
    • Enter mirror number
    • Which ssh server?
    • Which NTP client to run?
  • Script setup-disk choose the target device
• Setup scripts
• Licensing clarifications
• See also

Log in as root and press enter. No password will be asked for if you're running from the boot image.

Environment variables before run

At the bash prompt you can export those environment variables that the scripts will handle it automatically:

Note The followin variables are only handle by setup-disk and setup-bootable

• BOOTFS The filesystem to use on /boot, defaults to ext4, also allows ext2, ext3, (flat) btrfs, xfs.
• BOOTLOADER The bootloader to use. Defaults to syslinux until 3.12 and since 3.14 defaults to grub, unless UEFI is used wil be forced to.
• BOOTSIZE The size of /boot partition when the scripts try to automatically created, its handle in Megs only.
• DISKLABEL The type of partition table to use. Defaults to dos, unles grub and UEFI is used, in which case gpt is setup.
• ROOTFS The filesystem to use on /, defaults to ext4, also allows ext2, ext3, (flat) btrfs and xfs.
• USE_EFI Enable this to force using UEFI](alpine-boot-uefi-bios.md), so then automatically the bootloader will be grub and partition wil be gpt then.

Note The following variables one only supported by the setup-alpine and others

• KEYMAPOPTS setup the keymap layout pair for setup-keymap, by example ="us us"
• HOSTNAMEOPTS setup and parse for setup-hostname script, by example ="-n venenux"
• TIMEZONEOPTS setup the timezone for setup-timezone script like ="-z UTC"
• PROXYOPTS setup and parse option to setup-proxy script like ="http://webproxy:8080"
• DISKOPTS setup and parse option to setup-disk script like ="-m data /dev/sda"

Warning Check the complete support of scripts from Setup scripts section.

Running setup alpine script

Run the setup-alpine script as shown in the image:

The script interactively walks the user through executing several auxiliary setup-* scripts, in the order shown below.

The bracketed options represent example configuration choices, formatted as they may be supplied when manually calling the independing setup scripts, or using a setup-alpine "answerfile" using the variable environments prevously cited.

• -h Shows the up-to-date usage help message.
• -c <answerfile> Create new answerfile with default choices, you then edit and tune up.
• -f <answerfile> Use the new created answerfile, which may override some or all of the prompts.
• -q Run in "quick mode", will setup less question adn assumes defaults for rest.

Select keyboard layout

Choose your keyboard layout. If you don't know your keyboard layout, choose us. Typically, for a Latin American environment, es is enough. For Russian (and maybe Cyrilic) ru is sufficient.

Note check setup-keymap script at Setup scripts section.

Select keyboard variant

Choose your keyboard variant. If you don't know your keyboard variant, choose the default from the list. For example, the typical Latin American keymap is es-winkeys.

Note check setup-keymap script at Setup scripts section.

Enter system hostname

Host name, which will be the name of your computer. using localhost is enough and recommended for testing purposes because permits apply mostly to how-tos and tutorials on the wiki pages.

Note check setup-hotname script at Setup scripts section.

Initialize network cards

Choose your network card. Typically, you can just go with the default (press enter), a second question will ask about any other configuration. Type "no" then press enter to bypass the step to property set up after installation finished property.

IMPORTANT NOTE: mostly in x86 and x64 ISO images we can let configurations for later, cos at the most modern the network card, the lest supported or still not well tested. Just type done and press enter. If you configured the wired interface, another question will be asked, use dhcp? Most people will use DHCP, so press enter again. If you have Internet connection from ISP, most settings are just DHCP, so all will be configured automatically.

Note check setup-networking script at Setup scripts section.

Warning check ../tutorials/alpine-tutorial-wifi-routering.md

Initialize network DNS

The DNS will be automatically detected, if not, you will be asked ask for the server addresses. Type "" (empty string) for domain, then press enter. Later you can change it to 8.8.8.8 (or the DNS server address of your choice) as shown in the picture. Press enter to go to the next question:

Note check setup-dns script at Setup scripts section.

Changing the root password

Next a root password must be defined. You'll need to type it twice for confirmation as the picture shows. If it's too short you will get a warning, but your password will still work. Just retype it and go.
Note: when you type, NO chars will be shown.

Which timezone to choose?

Select a timezone, just press enter to use UTC when perform a single installation.

Note check setup-timezone script at Setup scripts section.

Proxy chooser

Then setup script will ask for proxy chooser.. just type none and then press enter

Note check setup-proxy script at Setup scripts section.

Enter mirror number

Then setup script will ask for repository mirror chooser.. just type done and then press enter, this will be configure many times later during usage of the system. Almost any tutorial of newbie pages will explain detailed so lest bypass using "done".

Note check setup-apkrepos script at Setup scripts section.

Which ssh server?

Installing an SSH server enables you to manage your machine remotely. OpenSSH is what the big distros use. Dropbear is a tiny SSH replacement. Recommended to type openssh and then press enter, because you able to connect using command line from Unix-like systems also is the offline available in all alpine installer images.

Note check setup-sshd script at Setup scripts section.

Which NTP client to run?

This is for time sync. Press enter to use the image offline. It can be changed after installation.

Note check setup-ntp script at Setup scripts section.

Script setup-disk choose the target device

This script its called at last from setup-alpine, it will mount a target device, wil try to partitioned and copy the data to the target device. Those are the questions that wil be prompt if you just invoke by default:

• disk to use "setup-disk" first question is to choose the disk destination .. commonly sda (/dev/sda) are the hard disk and sdb the USB boot or CD/DVD image.
• mode to use to choose the mode to install, sys for desktop/server, data for live mixed mode, for more information check data modes section.
• erase the disk This question will be promtp only if the disk already have partitions, if you choose y will erase hole device and make new partitions.
• formatin and coping later the script will copy all the data to the target device, and the if you invoke from setup-alpine will call setup-bootable too.

Check the setup disk next section for specific script options

After a while the installation will finish and alpine can be booted

Setup scripts

setup-hostname

setup-hostname [-h] [-n hostname]

setup-interfaces

setup-interfaces [-i < interfaces-file]

setup-dns

setup-dns [-h] [-d domain name] [-n name server]

setup-disk

This script its invoked by setup-alpine and as the same it support the following enviroment variables:

• DEFAULT_DISK The device disk to use as target installation, default to =none
• BOOTFS The filesystem to use on /boot, defaults to ext4, also allows ext2, ext3, (flat) btrfs, xfs.
• BOOTLOADER The bootloader to use. Defaults to syslinux until 3.12 and since 3.14 defaults to grub, unless UEFI is used wil be forced to.
• BOOTSIZE The size of /boot partition when the scripts try to automatically created, its handle in Megs only.
• DISKLABEL The type of partition table to use. Defaults to dos, unles grub and UEFI is used, in which case gpt is setup.
• ROOTFS The filesystem to use on /, defaults to ext4, also allows ext2, ext3, (flat) btrfs and xfs.
• USE_EFI Enable this to force using UEFI](alpine-boot-uefi-bios.md), so then automatically the bootloader will be grub and partition wil be gpt then.

Those are the most working options to parse to the script, only supported if you runs directly, not if you parse it to setup-alpine script:

• -m data | sys set the install mode target; check the data modes section
• -q Exit quietly if no disks are found
• -v Verbose mode

Data modes

In "sys" mode, it's an installer, it permanently installs Alpine on the hole target partition, in "data" mode, it provides a larger and persistent /var volume on the hole target partition.

data - Data Disk Mode

This mode runs OS from system RAM install media, but using swap and /var persistent.

If this mode is selected, script creates two partitions on the selected storage device asked by setup-disk firts question, /var and swap respectivelly. this setup is used for special server deploys or minimal devices deploys like ARM devices.

sys - System Disk Mode

This is a traditional hard-disk install.

If this mode is selected, script creates three partitions on the selected storage device asked by setup-disk firts question, /boot, / and swap respectivelly. this setup is used for generic desktop and development machines, or server bare metal deploys.

ram - Diskless Mode

This means the entire operating system with all applications are first loaded into RAM and then only run from there. This is the method already used to boot the .iso installation images, however setup-alpine can also configure the installed system to continue to boot like this if "disk=none" is specified.

Custom configurations and package installations may optionally still be preserved or "persist" across reboots by using the Alpine local backup tool lbu.

setup-timezone

setup-timezone [-z UTC | -z America/New_York | -p EST+5]

setup-proxy

setup-proxy [-hq] [PROXYURL]

setup-apkrepos

setup-apkrepos [-fhr] [REPO...]

setup-sshd

setup-sshd [-h] [-c dropbear|openssh|none]

setup-ntp

setup-ntp [-h] [busybox|openntpd|chrony|none]

setup-bootable

Setup boot loaders, it's not invoked directly by setup-alpine but it triggers by setup-disk if you choose sys or data mode.

setup-bootable [-usfk] source [dest]

• The argument source can be a directory or an ISO (will be mounted to MNT or /mnt) or a URL (will be downloaded with WGET or wget).
• The argument dest can be a directory mountpoint, or will default to /media/usb if not supplied.

Those are the options:

• -k Keep alpine_dev in syslinux.cfg; otherwise, replace with UUID.
• -u Upgrade mode: keep existing syslinux.cfg and don't run syslinux
• -f Overwrite syslinux.cfg even if -u was specified.
• -s Force the running of syslinux even if -u was specified.
• -v Verbose mode

Licensing clarifications

CC BY-NC-SA: the project allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creators involved. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms, includes the following elements:

• BY – Credit must be given to the creator of each content respectivelly, starting at the first contributor.
• NC – Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted, with exceptions if you fill an issue here!
• SA – Adaptations must be shared under the same terms, you must obey this terms and do not change it.

https://codeberg.org/alpine/alpine-wiki/src/branch/main#license

See also

• README.md
• alpine-boot-uefi-bios.md