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This guide is a companion guide for the [https://nixos.org/nixos/manual/index.html#ch-installation official manual]. 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.
<languages/>
<translate>
<!--T:1-->
This guide serves as 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 instructions on installing [[Nix]] within an existing operating system, refer to the [[Nix Installation Guide]].


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.
<!--T:2-->
In addition to covering 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.


== Installation target ==
== Installation target == <!--T:4-->


NixOS can be installed on an increasing variety of hardware, including the usual x86-type hardware.
<!--T:5-->
NixOS can be installed on an increasing variety of hardware:


# A regular (Intel or AMD) desktop computer, laptop, or physically accessible server can follow the instructions in this page
<!--T:6-->
# [[NixOS on ARM|SBCs, like the Raspberry Pis, and other ARM boards can follow the instructions at ''NixOS on ARM'']]  
* regular (Intel or AMD) desktop computers, laptops or physically accessible servers, covered on this page
# [[NixOS friendly hosters|Cloud and remote servers will find various instructions at ''NixOS friendly hosters'']]
* SBCs (like the Raspberry Pis) and other ARM boards, see [[NixOS on ARM]]
* cloud and remote servers, see [[NixOS friendly hosters]]


== Installation method ==
== Installation method == <!--T:7-->


<!--T:8-->
NixOS, as with most Linux-based operating systems, can be installed in different ways.
NixOS, as with most Linux-based operating systems, can be installed in different ways.


# [[#Installing from the installation media|The classic way, booting from the installation media (described in this page)]]
<!--T:9-->
# The classic way, booting from the installation media. (Described below.)
# [[Installing from Linux|Booting the media from an existing Linux installation]]
# [[Installing from Linux|Booting the media from an existing Linux installation]]


== Making the installation media == <!--T:10-->


{{outdated|Starting from here, the installation guide haven't been revised yet.}}
<!--T:11-->
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.


=== Installing from the installation media ===
=== "Burning" to USB drive === <!--T:12-->


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 Mac* systems. Please read the [[#Hybrid image]] section on how to burn the ISO.
<!--T:13-->
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:


For NixOS 14.04 and earlier, please read [[#Using Unetbootin]] and the other sections below.
==== From Linux ==== <!--T:14-->


=== Hybrid image ===
<!--T:15-->
{{Note|This section applies to NixOS 14.11. For NixOS 14.04, please refer to [[#Using Unetbootin]].}}
# 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>


First, download a [http://nixos.org/nixos/download.html NixOS ISO image] or [[Creating a Nix OS live CD|create a custom ISO]]. Then plug in a USB stick large enough to accomodate the image. Then follow the platform instructions:
<!--T:16-->
{{note|do not use /dev/sdX1 or partitions of the disk, use the whole disk /dev/sdX.}}


On Linux:
<!--T:17-->
# Find the right device with <code>fdisk -l</code>, let's say <code>/dev/sdb</code>.
Writing the disk image with <code>dd if=nixos.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fdatasync</code> also works.
# Burn with: <code>cp nixos-xxx.iso /dev/sdb</code>
{{Note|do not use /dev/sdb1 or partitions of the disk, use the whole disk /dev/sdb.}}


On OS X:
==== From macOS ==== <!--T:18-->
# Find the right device with <code>diskutil list</code>, let's say <code>disk<b>2</b></code>.
# Unmount with <code>diskutil unmountDisk disk<b>2</b></code>.
# Burn with: <code>sudo dd if=<b>path_to_nixos.iso</b> of=/dev/<b>r</b>disk<b>2</b> bs=64k</code>
# Note the use of rdisk instead of disk, this makes a large speed difference. You can check the write speed with <code>iostat 2</code> in another terminal.


You could use Disk Utility to write the image but then you'd need to convert it first to a compatible format somehow.
<!--T:19-->
# 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>


On Windows:
<!--T:20-->
{{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.}}
 
==== From Windows ==== <!--T:21-->
 
<!--T:22-->
# Download [http://sourceforge.net/projects/usbwriter/ USBwriter].
# Download [http://sourceforge.net/projects/usbwriter/ USBwriter].
# Start USBwriter.
# Start USBwriter.
Line 53: Line 68:
# When USBwriter has finished writing, safely unplug the USB drive.
# When USBwriter has finished writing, safely unplug the USB drive.


This should suffice to boot the installer. Otherwise look for other alternatives below.
=== Alternative installation media instructions === <!--T:23-->
 
<!--T:24-->
The previous methods are the supported methods of making the USB installation media.
 
<!--T:25-->
Those methods are also documented, they can allow using the USB drive to boot multiple distributions. This is not supported, your mileage may vary.


=== UEFI note ===
<!--T:26-->
* [[NixOS_Installation_Guide/Unetbootin|Using Unetbootin]]
* [[NixOS_Installation_Guide/Manual USB Creation|Manual USB Creation]]
* [[NixOS_Installation_Guide/multibootusb|multibootusb]]


The below is for BIOS installation. For UEFI installation see [http://nixos.org/nixos/manual/#sec-uefi-installation the manual].
<!--T:27-->
== Booting the installation media ==
{{expansion|Troubleshooting steps, and details are lacking.}}


=== Using Unetbootin ===
<!--T:28-->
The installation media is hybrid and is capable of booting in both legacy BIOS mode and [[UEFI]] mode.


It is possible to install NixOS from a USB stick, rather than from a CD.  This is useful if you want to install NixOS on a machine that doesn't have a CD-ROM drive (such as most netbooks), or if you don't want to waste a blank CD. Here is how to do it:
<!--T:29-->
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.


<ol>
=== Legacy bios boot === <!--T:30-->


<li>Download a [http://nixos.org/nixos/download.html NixOS ISO image] or [[#Build a custom installation image]].</li>
<!--T:31-->
This is the only boot possible on machines lacking EFI/UEFI.


<li>Obtain a USB stick formatted with the VFAT/FAT32 filesystem with enough free disk space to hold the contents of the ISO image.  {{Note|It's not necessary to erase the USB stick.}}</li>
=== UEFI boot === <!--T:32-->


<li>Install [http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ UNetbootin], a tool that allows you to create a bootable USB stick from an ISO image.  UNetbootin runs on both Linux and Windows.  If you already have Nix/NixOS, you can install it by running <tt>nix-env -i unetbootin</tt>. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tools_to_create_Live_USB_systems Other tools] may also work.</li>
<!--T:33-->
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.


<li>Insert the USB stick, start UNetbootin, select the ISO file and target USB drive, and press Ok.  This copies the contents of the ISO to the USB stick and installs the GRUB boot loader.</li>
== Connecting to the internet == <!--T:34-->


<li>You should now be able to boot NixOS from the USB stick, and perform the installation as usual.</li>
<!--T:35-->
The installation will '''definitely''' need a working internet connection. It is possible to install without one, but the available set of packages is limited.


</ol>
=== Wired === <!--T:36-->


{{Note|For EFI support you may need to change the label of the FAT filesystem. You can do this on Linux with mlabel, and on OS X with diskutil: `sudo diskutil rename OLDNAME NIXOS_ISO`.}}
<!--T:37-->
For network interfaces supported by the kernel, DHCP resolution should already have happened once the shell is available.


=== Using syslinux ===
==Tethered (Internet Sharing)== <!--T:38-->


==== Using syslinux.cfg ====
<!--T:39-->
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.


If you have trouble booting from a USB drive or sdcard with Unetbootin (I just got a blinking cursor instead of a bootloader on an Asus eee 1000) the procedure described on http://knoppix.net/wiki/Bootable_USB_Key should work. After preparing the sdcard with mkdiskimage and syslinux you can mount it and copy all the content from the NixOS iso:
=== Wireless === <!--T:40-->
 
<!--T:41-->
[[NetworkManager]] 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.
 
<!--T:42-->
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.
 
<!--T:43-->
On the minimal ISO, or if you are more familiar with [[wpa_supplicant]] 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 == <!--T:44-->
 
<!--T:45-->
To partition the persistent storage run <code>sudo fdisk /dev/diskX</code> and follow instructions for MBR or (U)EFI. To determine which mode you are booted into, run:
</translate>


<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ mount -o loop ~/Downloads/nixos-graphical-0.1pre27337-i686-linux.iso /media/iso
$ [ -d /sys/firmware/efi/efivars ] && echo "UEFI" || echo "Legacy"
$ rsync -av --progress /media/iso/ /media/sd-card/
</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>


The syslinux.cfg needs to be created manually, but the details can easily be derived from the grub.cfg on the NixOS install cd.
<translate>
<!--T:63-->
A very simple example setup is given here.
 
=== Legacy Boot (MBR) === <!--T:46-->
 
<!--T:47-->
* 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)


I specified the root device by UUID, to get the UUID:
=== UEFI === <!--T:48-->


<pre>
<!--T:49-->
blkid /dev/mmcblk0p1
* g (gpt disk label)
</pre>
* 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)


The relevant section from the live cd: /media/sd-card/boot/grub/grub.cfg
=== Format partitions === <!--T:50-->


<pre>
<!--T:64-->
menuentry "NixOS Installer / Rescue" {
The example below uses the [[ext4]] filesystem format. If you wish to use other filesystem formats such as [[Btrfs]] or [[ZFS]]:
  linux /boot/bzImage init=/nix/store/r7xhnzymi1ll49r4glf1dwr5y1alx0bl-system/init root=LABEL=NIXOS_INSTALL_CD_0.1pre27337 splash=verbose vga=0x317
  initrd /boot/initrd
}
</pre>


can be used in the syslinux config file: /media/sd-card/syslinux.cfg (you should just need to update the init path and the root UUID / LABEL or device path)
<!--T:65-->
* [[Bcachefs#NixOS installation on bcachefs]]
* [[Btrfs#Installation of NixOS on btrfs]]
* [[LVM#Basic Setup]]
* [[ZFS#Simple NixOS ZFS on root installation]]


<pre>
<!--T:51-->
DEFAULT linux
This is useful for having multiple setups and makes partitions easier to handle
LABEL linux
</translate>
  SAY Now booting the kernel from SYSLINUX...
  KERNEL /boot/bzImage
  APPEND init=/nix/store/r7xhnzymi1ll49r4glf1dwr5y1alx0bl-system/init root=UUID=509C-63E2 ro initrd=/boot/initrd splash=verbose
</pre>


'''Note''': in place of using mkdiskimage, you can simply format your SDCard as a fat32 system and install syslinux on it:
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ lsblk # lists current system block devices
# mkfs.fat -F 32 -n boot /dev/sdX1
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX2 -L nixos
# mount /dev/disk/by-label/nixos /mnt
# mkdir -p /mnt/boot
# mount /dev/disk/by-label/boot /mnt/boot
</syntaxhighlight>


<pre>
<translate>
mkdosfs -F32 /dev/mmcblk0p1
== NixOS configuration == <!--T:53-->
syslinux -s /dev/mmcblk0p1
</pre>


=== Using Command-line Tools ===
<!--T:66-->
NixOS is configured through a [[Overview of the NixOS Linux distribution#Declarative Configuration|declarative configuration]] file. To generate a default config file, run [[nixos-generate-config]]:
</translate>


<ol>
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
<li>Download the ISO image from http://nixos.org/nixos/download.html.</li>
# nixos-generate-config --root /mnt
# nano /mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix
</syntaxhighlight>


<li>Prepare your USB stick. If it isn't yet partitioned to your liking, create a bootable partition on <code>/dev/sdb1</code>:
<translate>
<!--T:67-->
For information on working with a system configuration, see [[NixOS system configuration]]. For desktop-specific configurations, see [[NixOS as a desktop]].


<pre>
<!--T:68-->
fdisk /dev/sdb
Most essential changes:
</pre>


And format it with:
<!--T:54-->
* keyboard layout, ie <code>[[Keyboard Layout Customization|services.xserver.xkb.layout]]</code>
* [[networking]] (wifi), see below for fix if it breaks
* install [[:Category:Text Editor|editor]] to edit the configuration


<pre>
<!--T:55-->
mkdosfs /dev/sdb1
The self-documenting NixOS options can be searched with [https://search.nixos.org/options NixOS options search].
</pre>


Add ext2 partitions if you like. If you want both 32-bit and 64-bit NixOS, you need at least two partitions.  You can directly use the entire disk without partition if that's what you like.  Once you have your VFAT (dosfs) block device, you should give it a label, within a 11-character limit, e.g.:
=== Swap file === <!--T:52-->


<pre>
<!--T:69-->
dosfslabel /dev/sdb1 NIXBOOT
For additional methods of configuring swap, see [[Swap]]. The following example demonstrates how to create and enable a [[Swap#Swap file|swap file]]:
</pre>
</translate>
</li>


<li>Mount the bootable USB partition with:
{{file|/mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
  swapDevices = [{
    device = "/var/lib/swapfile";
    size = 16*1024; # 16 GB
  }];
</nowiki>
}}


<pre>
<translate>
mkdir -p /media/NIXBOOT
=== Bootloader === <!--T:70-->
mount /dev/sdb1 /media/NIXBOOT
</pre>
</li>


<li>Mount the ISO image with:
<!--T:71-->
NixOS supports multiple [[Bootloader|bootloaders]] such as [[GNU GRUB]] and [[Systemd/boot]].


<pre>
<!--T:72-->
mkdir -p /media/iso
Systemd-boot is the recommended bootloader. The following example demonstrates how to enable systemd-boot in your configuration:
mount -o loop ~/Downloads/nixos-graphical-0.2pre4463_5e88e9b-c877f45-x86_64-linux.iso /media/iso
</translate>
</pre>
</li>


<li>Copy the contents of the NixOS ISO (<code>/media/iso</code>) to your USB stick (<code>/media/NIXBOOT</code>) with:
{{file|/mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
  boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = true;
</nowiki>
}}


<pre>
<translate>
rsync -av --progress /media/iso/ /media/NIXBOOT/
<!--T:73-->
</pre>
You may also wish to configure [[Secure Boot]].
</li>


<li>Install a complete and recent GRUB to the USB stick with:
=== Users === <!--T:74-->


<pre>
<!--T:75-->
grub-install /dev/sdb --root-directory=/media/NIXBOOT/
For information on creating and managing users, see [[User management]] and the {{NixOS Manual|name=NixOS Manual: Chapter - Package Management|anchor=#sec-user-management}}. See an example below:
</pre>
</translate>
</li>


<li>Edit the file <code>/media/NIXBOOT/boot/grub/grub.cfg</code>. Start from an existing grub.cfg, say from your hard drive or from another working bootable USB stick (e.g., from GRML.org). Then, merge in the entry for NixOS from <code>/media/iso/boot/grub/grub.cfg</code>, modifying the LABEL to be that of your VFAT partition:
{{file|/mnt/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|
<nowiki>
  users.users.alice = {
    isNormalUser = true;
    initialPassword = "pw123";
  };
</nowiki>
}}


<pre>
<translate>
menuentry "NixOS Installer / Rescue" {
== NixOS installation == <!--T:56-->
  linux /boot/bzImage init=/nix/store/p94ckcksmhj90cr868cpcajrqgzwy57w-nixos-0.2pre4463_5e88e9b-c877f45/init root=LABEL=NIXBOOT
</translate>
  initrd /boot/initrd
}
</pre>
</li>


<li>To share your USB stick with other distributions (e.g., GRML, or both 32- and 64- bit NixOS), you can move NixOS's bzImage and initrd to different location (e.g., <code>/boot/nix32/</code> and <code>/boot/nix64/</code>), and you appropriately edit the entries in your grub.cfg. If you have both nix32 and nix64, only one can have its <code>nix-store.squashfs</code> in the root of any given partition.  That's where you can use a second partition, for the second one.  For instance, copy the contents of your 64-bit NixOS to the first partition, with label <code>NIX64</code>, and copy the nix-store.squashfs of your 32-bit NixOS to the second partition with label <code>NIX32</code> (and create an empty nix/store). Copy the 32-bit kernel and initrd to <code>/boot/nix32/</code> on the bootable partition, and edit the grub.cfg of the bootable partition accordingly.</li>
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
# cd /mnt
# nixos-install
</syntaxhighlight>


<li>There you go: you have a bootable NixOS USB drive, possibly allowing you to boot NixOS 64-bit, NixOS 32-bit, GRML 64-bit, GRML 32-bit, FreeBSD, FreeDOS, boot-sector-tetris, etc. Just you convince your BIOS to let you boot off it.</li>
<translate>
</ol>
<!--T:76-->
after installation: Run <code>passwd</code> to change user password.


== Build a custom installation image ==
<!--T:57-->
if internet broke/breaks, try one of the following:
</translate>


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
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
This is explained in [[Creating a NixOS live CD]].
# nixos-rebuild switch --option substitute false # no downloads
# nixos-rebuild switch --option binary-caches "" # no downloads
</syntaxhighlight>


== Installing on VPS & Cloud Providers ==
<translate>
<!--T:58-->
* wpa_supplicant flags to connect to wifi
</translate>


→ See [[NixOS friendly hosters]]
<hr />


== Special hardware ==
<translate>
== Additional notes for specific hardware == <!--T:59-->


<!--T:60-->
These are collected notes or links for specific hardware issues.
<!--T:61-->
* 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.
* 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.
 


<!--T:62-->
[[Category:Guide]]
[[Category:Guide]]
 
[[Category:Deployment]]
[[Category:Installation]]
[[Category:NixOS]]
</translate>
Retrieved from "https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/NixOS_Installation_Guide"