On Jul 25, 2012 9:22 PM, <brainworker@lavabit.com> wrote:
Hello, folks
Due to recent changes in arch linux, I have some qustion about new process of installation and configuration of arch linux.
I am really not computer geek, so I apologize if I express anything incorrectly.
First. About absence of core images. When I just read about it, I thought why they did it. But then I realize that arch is rolling release system after all. This fact means periodical and quite frequent updates, which are impossible without Internet connection. So if you would like to install Linux on computer without Internet, choose OS with fixed release cycle - all the system packages (as well as applications) will be on that distribution. So I am glad that now there is one universal iso-image instead of six.
Second. About absence of AIF. I really sorry about it. As I said I am not so geeky to install everything with closed eyes. AIF helped me a lot. It gives me tips what to do next and how to do it. Now, when burned CD finished loading, I just see prompt to enter commands and nothing else. But I just do not know what to do next. So if I do not have installation guide previously printed on paper, I just become consused what to do next. So, I really hope that to the moment when next iso snapshot will be released, AIF will be fixed and included in that release.
But for the present I would like at least to have installation guide included in installation iso (with a note where this guide resides) in order to switch to it during installation.
Third. About systemd. As I understand from installation guide on Wiki all the configuration now is made not in rc.conf but in several config files. I do not know yet whether it is good or bad. But in Wiki I can read the following:
1) instead of NETWORKING section I should specify hostname in /etc/hostname and /etc/hosts. Why should I duplicate information? The danger of need to duplicate information is that it have to be synchronized.
/etc/hosts was always needed. However, you can avoid configuring it if you use nss-myhostname (in extra).
2) instead of LOCALIZATION section I should specify locale in /etc/locale.conf and /etc/locale.gen. Again why should I duplicate information?
locale.gen was always needed. It decides which locales should be available on your system. You can enable lots of locales if you wish. Which one to use is configured in locale.conf.
3) instead of LOCALIZATION section I should specify timezone in /etc/timezone and /etc/localtime. And again the same question. Why?
/etc/timezone is not used by initscripts, don't know what the benefit of that one is. What matters is /etc/localtime.
Besides, where should I specify my network connection settings? In what systemd-specific file? As I understand in ... rc.conf. And what about daemons? Where to specify them? Again in rc.conf?
Both in rc.conf. See the various man pages for more details. It should be much clearer in the rc.conf man page in testing. If it is still unclear, let me know.
And now the main question. If new plan of reorganization of configuration files can not manage without rc.conf, why there is so need to split it?
rc.conf should now only contain what is necessary to configure the initscripts. See arch-dev-public for details. Tom