Arch Linux ARM Post-Installation Script

A minimal, idempotent post-installation script for Arch Linux ARM systems. Designed for Apple Silicon Macs running Asahi Linux, but works on any Arch Linux ARM installation.

Features

• Idempotent: Safe to run multiple times — skips already-configured operations
• Minimal setup: Configures essentials without bloat
• Desktop ready: Installs Xfce with LightDM display manager
• Apple Silicon support: Includes asahi-desktop-meta package

What it configures

Category	Settings
Timezone	Europe/Rome
Keymap	US
Hostname	owo
Locale	en_US.UTF-8 (also enables en_GB, it_IT)
User	pun with sudo access
Packages	base-devel, NetworkManager, Xfce4, LightDM, Firefox
Cleanup	Removes default alarm user

Requirements

• Arch Linux ARM installation (minimal or already configured)
• Root access (sudo)
• Active internet connection

Usage

Interactive mode

sudo ./arm.sh

The script will prompt for a password that's used for both root and the new user.

Non-interactive mode

sudo ./arm.sh --password "your_password"

Useful for automated installations or headless setups.

What happens

1. System configuration

   • Sets timezone, keymap, hostname, and locale
   • Configures /etc/hosts and /etc/hostname

2. User management

   • Sets root password
   • Creates user pun with sudo/wheel group access
   • Deletes the default alarm user (if present)

3. Package installation

   • Updates package database
   • Installs base-devel (gcc, make, git, etc.)
   • Installs and enables NetworkManager
   • Installs Xfce4 desktop environment
   • Installs LightDM display manager
   • Installs Firefox browser
   • Installs asahi-desktop-meta (Apple Silicon support)

4. Service setup

   • Enables NetworkManager
   • Enables LightDM (graphical login)

Post-installation

After the script completes:

# Log out from root
exit

# Log in as user 'pun'
# Cache sudo credentials
sudo -v

# Update the system
sudo pacman -Syu

Customization

Edit these variables at the top of the script:

readonly NEW_USERNAME="pun"      # Change to your preferred username
readonly TIMEZONE="Europe/Rome"  # Your timezone
readonly KEYMAP="us"             # Your keymap
readonly HOSTNAME="owo"          # Your hostname

Safety

• All operations check current state before making changes
• Sudoers configuration is validated with visudo -c
• Script exits immediately on errors (set -euo pipefail)
• Password minimum length warning (6 characters)

License

MIT License — see LICENSE

Author

ppowo