Installing Arch with only Wirelss Network Interface
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Contents |
Introduction and Disclaimers
This guide will show you how to install Arch Linux if you have only a wireless network interface. It is useful because the ISO images currently available do not include certain wireless tools like madwifi or ndiswrapper. I have used this method to install Arch Linux on various PCs that have no immediate connection to hardwire Ethernet.
These notes are spartan. They aren't written to explain to you how to install or upgrade your Arch Linux system. Nor are they written to explain how to configure a wireless adapter. Other Arch wikis on installation and wireless configuration can help you with these things.
It assumes you know how to use the basic wireless tools like "iwconfig", and that you know which drivers or wireless packages you need to install. Madwifi is mentioned in my example, you may be using that, or ndiswrapper, or something else. Ndiswrapper ought to work, too, but you'll have to add the step to install the vendor drivers to the Arch base system hard drive somehow.
It uses a live Knoppix CD. I usually have one around for emergencies. You can do the same thing using any live CD that will recognize and allow you to configure your wireless adapter. I make reference to specific hard drive partitions for example. You may need to adjust for your circumstances.
Install Base System
Boot and install the base system from the Arch Linux installation CD. The base is all you should need to get started. Make note of the hard drive to which you install, in my case sda1. You should reboot following the installation, just to make sure you've got a stable installation.
Boot using Live CD
Now, reboot the computer again, this time using the Knoppix CD. Knoppix does a good job, usually, of identifying wireless adapters. It picks up mine and I've cards from 3 vendors in 4 configurations.
Other live CDs will work, if you know how or it will automatically detect your wireless interface.
Configure Wireless connection - Simple Knoppix Example
You can either use a su terminal session or the Knoppix wireless configuration tools to configure the network adapter. I usually use a super user command prompt. Knoppix doesn't seem to have a root password, so you get a root prompt by just entering "su":
su iwconfig ath0 essid MYESSID iwconfig ath0 key ... pump -i ath0
Knoppix uses "pump" to acquire an access point. My Arch systems typically use "dhcpcd". Ping www.google.com, or something, to test the network access. Don't continue until you have a good connection.
Mount Arch Linux Volume
Assuming you still have that super user terminal prompt open (if not, open one), mount the hard drive with the Arch base system. For example:
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1
Copy resolve.conf
Get an active copy of the domain name servers configuration file that Knoppix has created.
cp /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/sda1/etc/
Chroot into your system
Bind devices and establish root relative to the Arch Linux base installed system. This is the magic, well not magic so much, but fun nonetheless.
mount -t proc none /mnt/sda1/proc mount -o bind /dev /mnt/sda1/dev chroot /mnt/sda1 /bin/bash source /etc/profile
You should now be as if you'd booted to the Arch base system, and have access to all of the Arch utilities, read: pacman.
Check Wireless Connection
The cool thing is that the wireless connection you established above should still be active. Check it again by pinging google. If you have a problem, you may have skipped or did something wrong above (step 6 maybe?). No need to continue until you resolve it.
Install Necessary Wireless Tools
You may need to edit /etc/pacman.conf to include the "extra" repository. This is where madwifi and ndiswrapper packages are currently deposited. Synchronize and install the package you need.
pacman -Sy madwifi
Reboot!
Now reboot your computer and you should be all set. Make sure you take out the Knoppix or other live CD when you reboot. After booting to Arch, you should be able to configure your wireless connection using any of the other prescribed methods. Good luck!
References
Knoppix home page if you need to download
http://www.knoppix.org/