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For commodity PC hardware the [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#ch-installation official manual] should covers the most use cases.
This guide is a companion guide for the [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#ch-installation official manual]. It describes installation of [[NixOS]] as a complete operating system. For installation of [[Nix]] within an existing operating system, see [[Nix Installation Guide]].


== Build a custom installation image ==
In addition to describing the steps from the official manual, it provides known good instructions for common use cases. When there is a discrepancy between the manual and this guide, the supported case is the one described in the manual.


NixOS provides an easy way to build a custom variant of the installation image. This might be useful to embed your own ssh key or enable additional features like zfs support. It allows to specify a custom <code>configuration.nix</code> which is used to build the image
Use this guide as a step-by-step guide, choices will be presented, use only the selected section, and continue at the section it tells you to at the end.


<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">
== Installation target ==
# myiso.nix
{ config, lib, pkgs, modulesPath, ... }:
{
  imports = [
    <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/installer/cd-dvd/installation-cd-minimal.nix>
  ];
  # enable zfs support
  #boot.supportedFilesystems = [ "zfs" ];


  # enable sshd on boot
NixOS can be installed on an increasing variety of hardware:
  services.openssh = {
    enable = true;
    startWhenNeeded = true;
  };
  # the following allows to embed your own ssh key into the image
  users.extraUsers.root.openssh.authorizedKeys.keys = [
    "ssh-ed25519 AaAeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee username@host"
  ];


  ## The following snippet is useful, when static ip addresses are required,
* regular (Intel or AMD) desktop computers, laptops or physically accessible servers, covered on this page
  ## e.g. for VPS installation
* SBCs (like the Raspberry Pis) and other ARM boards, see [[NixOS on ARM]]
  #
* cloud and remote servers, see [[NixOS friendly hosters]]
  #networking = {
  #  usePredictableInterfaceNames = false;
  #  interfaces.eth0.ip4 = [{
  #    address = "64.137.201.46";
  #    prefixLength = 24;
  #  }];
  #  defaultGateway = "64.137.201.1";
  #  nameServers = [ "8.8.8.8" ];
  #};


}</syntaxhighlight>
== Installation method ==
The '''full path''' of the file needs to be passed to <code>nix-build</code>.


<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">$ nix-build '<nixpkgs/nixos>' -A config.system.build.isoImage -I nixos-config=/etc/nixos/myiso.nix</syntaxhighlight>
NixOS, as with most Linux-based operating systems, can be installed in different ways.
The resulting image can be found in <code>result</code>:


<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">$ ls result/iso/
# The classic way, booting from the installation media. (Described below.)
nixos-17.09.git.158ec57-x86_64-linux.iso</syntaxhighlight>
# [[Installing from Linux|Booting the media from an existing Linux installation]]


== Install Nixos on VPS/Cloud-Provider ==
== Making the installation media ==


Not all providers allow to upload own images or provide NixOS images for installation. However there are a few ways to install NixOS anyhow.
Since NixOS 14.11 the installer ISO is hybrid. This means it is bootable on both CD and USB drives. It also boots on EFI systems, like most modern motherboards and apple systems. The following instructions will assume the standard way of copying the image to a USB drive. When using a CD or DVD, the usual methods to burn to disk should work with the iso.


[https://github.com/jeaye/nixos-in-place nixos-in-place] and [https://github.com/elitak/nixos-infect nixos-infect] are generic approaches to install NixOS from an existing Linux.
=== "Burning" to USB drive ===


A different approach is to build an kexec-based image to start the installer from an booted linux as shown in this [https://github.com/cleverca22/nix-tests/tree/master/kexec repo]
First, download a [https://nixos.org/download.html#nixos-iso NixOS ISO image] or [[Creating a NixOS live CD|create a custom ISO]]. Then plug in a USB stick large enough to accommodate the image. Then follow the platform instructions:


=== Installation Stories ===
==== From Linux ====


Add the code you needed to run in order to deploy NixOS at $provider .
# Find the right device with <code>lsblk</code> or <code>fdisk -l</code>. Replace <code><i>/dev/sdX</i></code> with the proper device in the following steps.
# Copy to device: <code>cp nixos-xxx.iso <em>/dev/sdX</em></code>


==== Hetzner ====
{{note|do not use /dev/sdX1 or partitions of the disk, use the whole disk /dev/sdX.}}


Hetzner provides an [https://wiki.hetzner.de/index.php/LARA/en#Installing_an_OS interface] to upload your own ISO-images. However you may want to build your own iso-image, which has openssh with ssh keys due the lack of a remote console. An easier method to install NixOS on Hetzner, is to use the existing integration into [https://nixos.org/nixops/manual/#idm140737318364240 NixOps]
Writing the disk image with <code>dd if=nixos.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fdatasync</code> also works.


==== Digitalocean ====
==== From macOS ====


On Digitalocean the project [https://github.com/elitak/nixos-infect nixos-infect] can be used to transform an existing installation into NixOS. This method will be also used in [https://nixos.org/nixops/manual/#sec-deploying-to-digital-ocean NixOps].
# Find the right device with <code>diskutil list</code>, let's say <code><i>diskX</i></code>.
# Unmount with <code>diskutil unmountDisk <i>diskX</i></code>.
# Burn with: <code>sudo dd if=<b>path_to_nixos.iso</b> of=/dev/<i>diskX</i></code>


==== Netcup ====
{{tip|Using <code>rdiskX</code> instead of <code>diskX</code> can makes a large speed difference. You can check the write speed with <code>iostat 2</code> in another terminal.}}


You can mount your own images similar to hetzner, see the [https://www.netcup-wiki.de/wiki/Server_Control_Panel_%28SCP%29#Eigene_DVDs official netcup documentation].
==== From Windows ====


==== Linode ====
# Download [http://sourceforge.net/projects/usbwriter/ USBwriter].
# Start USBwriter.
# Choose the downloaded ISO as 'Source'
# Choose the USB drive as 'Target'
# Click 'Write'
# When USBwriter has finished writing, safely unplug the USB drive.


NixOS is official supported by Linode. Up to date documentation can be obtained from their [https://www.linode.com/docs/tools-reference/custom-kernels-distros/install-nixos-on-linode manual]
=== Alternative installation media instructions ===


==== CloudAtCost ====
The previous methods are the supported methods of making the USB installation media.


==== Scaleway ====
Those methods are also documented, they can allow using the USB drive to boot multiple distributions. This is not supported, your mileage may vary.


The <code>kexec</code> method above works well, but bear in mind it only works with the 'virtual' class of servers, as they run under a hypervisor which attaches the disks before the kernel boots. The 'bare-metal' servers rely on a special Linux kernel booting to attach network <code>/dev/nbdX</code> drives which works only with Scaleway supplied images.
* [[NixOS_Installation_Guide/Unetbootin|Using Unetbootin]]
* [[NixOS_Installation_Guide/Manual USB Creation|Manual USB Creation]]
* [[NixOS_Installation_Guide/multibootusb|multibootusb]]


==== <your vps provider here> ====
== Booting the installation media ==
{{expansion|Troubleshooting steps, and details are lacking.}}


== Special hardware ==
Since the installation media is hybrid, it will boot both in legacy bios mode and UEFI mode.
 
Whatever mode is used to boot the installation media, your motherboard or computer's configuration may need to be changed to allow booting from a Optical Disk Drive (for CD/DVD) or an external USB drive.
 
=== Legacy bios boot ===
 
This is the only boot possible on machines lacking EFI/UEFI.
 
=== UEFI boot ===
 
The EFI bootloader of the installation media is not signed and is not using a signed shim to boot. This means that Secure Boot will need to be disabled to boot.
 
== Connecting to the internet ==
 
The installation will '''definitely''' need a working internet connection. It is possible to install without one, but the available set of packages is limited.
 
=== Wired ===
 
For network interfaces supported by the kernel, DHCP resolution should already have happened once the shell is available.
 
==Tethered (Internet Sharing)==
 
If you can not connect to the internet via cable or wifi, you may use smartphone's tethering capability to share internet. Depending on your smartphones capabilities, only stock kernel drivers may be required which can help providing a working network connection.
 
=== Wireless ===
 
Network Manager is installed on the graphical ISO, meaning that it is possible to use <code>nmtui</code> on the command line to connect to a network.
 
Using the "Applications" tab at top
left or the launcher bar at bottom, choose a terminal application and from there launch <code>nmtui</code>. This will allow you to 'activate' a (wireless) connection - your local SSIDs should be visible in the list, else you can add a new connection.  When the wireless connection is active and you have tested it, it is likely the install app which launched on startup has not detected the new connection.  Close down the install app, and reopen it from the launcher bar at the bottom of the screen.  This should then find the new connection and proceed.
 
On the minimal ISO, or if you are more familiar with <code>wpa_supplicant</code> then you can also run <code>wpa_passphrase ESSID | sudo tee /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf</code>, then enter your password and <code>systemctl restart wpa_supplicant</code>.
 
== Partitioning ==
 
To partition the persistent storage run <code>sudo fdisk /dev/diskX</code> and follow instructions for DOS or (U)EFI.
A very simple example setup is given here.
 
=== DOS ===
 
* o (dos disk label)
* n new
* p primary (4 primary in total)
* 1 (partition number [1/4])
* 2048 first sector (alignment for performance)
* +500M last sector (boot sector size)
* rm signature (Y), if ex. => warning of overwriting existing system, could use wipefs
* n
* p
* 2
* default (fill up partition)
* default (fill up partition)
* w (write)
 
=== UEFI ===
 
* g (gpt disk label)
* n
* 1 (partition number [1/128])
* 2048 first sector
* +500M last sector (boot sector size)
* t
* 1 (EFI System)
* n
* 2
* default (fill up partition)
* default (fill up partition)
* w (write)
 
== Label partitions ==
 
This is useful for having multiple setups and makes partitions easier to handle<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ lsblk
$ sudo mkfs.fat -F 32 /dev/sdX1
$ sudo fatlabel /dev/sdX1 NIXBOOT
$ sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX2 -L NIXROOT
$ sudo mount /dev/disk/by-label/NIXROOT /mnt
$ sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot
$ sudo mount /dev/disk/by-label/NIXBOOT /mnt/boot
</syntaxhighlight>
 
== Swap file ==
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/.swapfile bs=1024 count=2097152 (2GB size)
$ sudo chmod 600 /mnt/.swapfile
$ sudo mkswap /mnt/.swapfile
$ sudo swapon /mnt/.swapfile
</syntaxhighlight>
 
== NixOS config ==
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ sudo nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
$ cd /mnt/etc/nixos/
$ sudo vim configuration.nix
</syntaxhighlight>Most essential changes:
 
* keyboard layout, ie <code>[[Keyboard Layout Customization|services.xserver.xkb.layout]]</code>
* <code>users.users.user</code> with adding entry <code>initialPassword = "pw123";</code>
* [[networking]] (wifi), see below for fix if it breaks
* <code>boot.loader.grub.device = "/dev/sda"; #or "nodev" for efi only</code>
* install editor to edit the configuration
* change hardware config to use labels
 
The self-documenting NixOS options can be searched with [https://search.nixos.org/options NixOS options search].
 
== NixOS installation ==
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ cd /mnt
$ sudo nixos-install
</syntaxhighlight>after installation: Run <code>passwd</code> to change user password.
 
if internet broke/breaks, try one of the following:<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ nixos-rebuild switch --option substitute false # no downloads
$ nixos-rebuild switch --option binary-caches "" # no downloads
</syntaxhighlight>
* wpa_supplicant flags to connect to wifi
 
<hr />
 
== Additional notes for specific hardware ==
 
These are collected notes or links for specific hardware issues.


* Blog post how to install NixOS on a [http://grahamc.com/blog/nixos-on-dell-9560 Dell 9560]
* Blog post how to install NixOS on a [http://grahamc.com/blog/nixos-on-dell-9560 Dell 9560]
* for embedded Hardware like the Raspberry Pi2 see [[NixOS on ARM]]
* Brand servers may require extra kernel modules be included into initrd (<code>boot.initrd.extraKernelModules</code> in configuration.nix) For example HP Proliant needs "hpsa" module to see the disk drive.
 
[[Category:Guide]][[Category:Deployment]]

Latest revision as of 16:00, 25 June 2024

This guide is a companion guide for the official manual. It describes installation of NixOS as a complete operating system. For installation of Nix within an existing operating system, see Nix Installation Guide.

In addition to describing the steps from the official manual, it provides known good instructions for common use cases. When there is a discrepancy between the manual and this guide, the supported case is the one described in the manual.

Use this guide as a step-by-step guide, choices will be presented, use only the selected section, and continue at the section it tells you to at the end.

Installation target

NixOS can be installed on an increasing variety of hardware:

  • regular (Intel or AMD) desktop computers, laptops or physically accessible servers, covered on this page
  • SBCs (like the Raspberry Pis) and other ARM boards, see NixOS on ARM
  • cloud and remote servers, see NixOS friendly hosters

Installation method

NixOS, as with most Linux-based operating systems, can be installed in different ways.

  1. The classic way, booting from the installation media. (Described below.)
  2. Booting the media from an existing Linux installation

Making the installation media

Since NixOS 14.11 the installer ISO is hybrid. This means it is bootable on both CD and USB drives. It also boots on EFI systems, like most modern motherboards and apple systems. The following instructions will assume the standard way of copying the image to a USB drive. When using a CD or DVD, the usual methods to burn to disk should work with the iso.

"Burning" to USB drive

First, download a NixOS ISO image or create a custom ISO. Then plug in a USB stick large enough to accommodate the image. Then follow the platform instructions:

From Linux

  1. Find the right device with lsblk or fdisk -l. Replace /dev/sdX with the proper device in the following steps.
  2. Copy to device: cp nixos-xxx.iso /dev/sdX
Note: do not use /dev/sdX1 or partitions of the disk, use the whole disk /dev/sdX.

Writing the disk image with dd if=nixos.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fdatasync also works.

From macOS

  1. Find the right device with diskutil list, let's say diskX.
  2. Unmount with diskutil unmountDisk diskX.
  3. Burn with: sudo dd if=path_to_nixos.iso of=/dev/diskX

From Windows

  1. Download USBwriter.
  2. Start USBwriter.
  3. Choose the downloaded ISO as 'Source'
  4. Choose the USB drive as 'Target'
  5. Click 'Write'
  6. When USBwriter has finished writing, safely unplug the USB drive.

Alternative installation media instructions

The previous methods are the supported methods of making the USB installation media.

Those methods are also documented, they can allow using the USB drive to boot multiple distributions. This is not supported, your mileage may vary.

Booting the installation media

Since the installation media is hybrid, it will boot both in legacy bios mode and UEFI mode.

Whatever mode is used to boot the installation media, your motherboard or computer's configuration may need to be changed to allow booting from a Optical Disk Drive (for CD/DVD) or an external USB drive.

Legacy bios boot

This is the only boot possible on machines lacking EFI/UEFI.

UEFI boot

The EFI bootloader of the installation media is not signed and is not using a signed shim to boot. This means that Secure Boot will need to be disabled to boot.

Connecting to the internet

The installation will definitely need a working internet connection. It is possible to install without one, but the available set of packages is limited.

Wired

For network interfaces supported by the kernel, DHCP resolution should already have happened once the shell is available.

Tethered (Internet Sharing)

If you can not connect to the internet via cable or wifi, you may use smartphone's tethering capability to share internet. Depending on your smartphones capabilities, only stock kernel drivers may be required which can help providing a working network connection.

Wireless

Network Manager is installed on the graphical ISO, meaning that it is possible to use nmtui on the command line to connect to a network.

Using the "Applications" tab at top left or the launcher bar at bottom, choose a terminal application and from there launch nmtui. This will allow you to 'activate' a (wireless) connection - your local SSIDs should be visible in the list, else you can add a new connection. When the wireless connection is active and you have tested it, it is likely the install app which launched on startup has not detected the new connection. Close down the install app, and reopen it from the launcher bar at the bottom of the screen. This should then find the new connection and proceed.

On the minimal ISO, or if you are more familiar with wpa_supplicant then you can also run wpa_passphrase ESSID | sudo tee /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf, then enter your password and systemctl restart wpa_supplicant.

Partitioning

To partition the persistent storage run sudo fdisk /dev/diskX and follow instructions for DOS or (U)EFI. A very simple example setup is given here.

DOS

  • o (dos disk label)
  • n new
  • p primary (4 primary in total)
  • 1 (partition number [1/4])
  • 2048 first sector (alignment for performance)
  • +500M last sector (boot sector size)
  • rm signature (Y), if ex. => warning of overwriting existing system, could use wipefs
  • n
  • p
  • 2
  • default (fill up partition)
  • default (fill up partition)
  • w (write)

UEFI

  • g (gpt disk label)
  • n
  • 1 (partition number [1/128])
  • 2048 first sector
  • +500M last sector (boot sector size)
  • t
  • 1 (EFI System)
  • n
  • 2
  • default (fill up partition)
  • default (fill up partition)
  • w (write)

Label partitions

This is useful for having multiple setups and makes partitions easier to handle

$ lsblk
$ sudo mkfs.fat -F 32 /dev/sdX1
$ sudo fatlabel /dev/sdX1 NIXBOOT
$ sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX2 -L NIXROOT
$ sudo mount /dev/disk/by-label/NIXROOT /mnt
$ sudo mkdir -p /mnt/boot
$ sudo mount /dev/disk/by-label/NIXBOOT /mnt/boot

Swap file

$ sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/mnt/.swapfile bs=1024 count=2097152 (2GB size)
$ sudo chmod 600 /mnt/.swapfile
$ sudo mkswap /mnt/.swapfile
$ sudo swapon /mnt/.swapfile

NixOS config

$ sudo nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
$ cd /mnt/etc/nixos/
$ sudo vim configuration.nix

Most essential changes:

  • keyboard layout, ie services.xserver.xkb.layout
  • users.users.user with adding entry initialPassword = "pw123";
  • networking (wifi), see below for fix if it breaks
  • boot.loader.grub.device = "/dev/sda"; #or "nodev" for efi only
  • install editor to edit the configuration
  • change hardware config to use labels

The self-documenting NixOS options can be searched with NixOS options search.

NixOS installation

$ cd /mnt
$ sudo nixos-install

after installation: Run passwd to change user password. if internet broke/breaks, try one of the following:

$ nixos-rebuild switch --option substitute false # no downloads
$ nixos-rebuild switch --option binary-caches "" # no downloads
  • wpa_supplicant flags to connect to wifi

Additional notes for specific hardware

These are collected notes or links for specific hardware issues.

  • Blog post how to install NixOS on a Dell 9560
  • Brand servers may require extra kernel modules be included into initrd (boot.initrd.extraKernelModules in configuration.nix) For example HP Proliant needs "hpsa" module to see the disk drive.