Asahi Linux - OSTree Install Guide

atomic-asahi-guide.sh

# PLEASE READ ALL OF THE COMMENTS THROUGHOUT THIS COMMAND GUIDE. THANKS!

# This is a command guide to install OSTree / Bootc on Asahi Fedora.

# Compiled with inspiration from:
#   - https://github.com/fedora-asahi-remix-atomic-desktops/images/issues/1
#   - https://github.com/bshephar/fedora-bootc/tree/main/asahi

# Please reset Asahi from scratch as lingering standard install things will bloat. By the
#   same logic, install Asahi Minimal when you do reset, as to not bloat your install with
#   lingering packages and applications that won't be accessible once everything is set up.

# To reset Asahi means to delete its partitions on MacOS and reinstall from scratch.
#   Check out the oficial "Partitioning Cheatsheet" for more info.
#     - https://asahilinux.org/docs/sw/partitioning-cheatsheet
    
# Asahi Minimal installs do not provide a graphical setup interface for setting up user,
#   timezone, etc, but they do provide a CLI to do this config that auto-launches on first
#   boot. Follow the prompts like usual, creating a user etc, until you land in the
#   terminal.

# Once you've reached the terminal, login if needed, and first update as follows:

sudo dnf upgrade  -y
reboot

# Then when you're booted back up, login and follow the commands bellow.

# Please take close attention to the comments, do not simply copy and paste everything.
sudo -i

dnf install -y rpm-ostree

cp /boot/grub2/grub.cfg /boot/grub2/grub.cfg.backup

mkdir -p /ostree/repo
ostree init --repo=/ostree/repo --mode=bare
ostree config --repo=/ostree/repo set sysroot.bootloader none
ostree config --repo=/ostree/repo set sysroot.readonly true

mv /boot/loader /boot/loader.0
ln -snf loader.0 /boot/loader
mkdir -p /ostree/deploy
ostree admin os-init fedora --sysroot /

# The following will find the root UUID from /proc/cmdline. Its important for this to
#   be accurate for a successful boot. The command may not work for you, so please double
#   check it's output as I describe.
ROOT_UUID=$(cat /proc/cmdline | awk -F"root=UUID=" '{print $2}' | cut -d ' ' -f 1)

# To double check your root UUID against the found one run the following
echo $ROOT_UUID # This will show what was found that you need to check
blkid # This will show you all IDs. The UUID to look for is under the label "ROOT"
      #   or "fedora"

# If you find that the UUID is inaccurate, double check, then run the following
ROOT_UUID=PUT-YOUR-UUID-HERE
# Please comment too.

# The following may take a few minutes with no progress report. Please be patient as
#   it is downloading the image and doing other things, so depending on your situation
#   and internet speed the run time will vary.
# We use the base-atomic image because its the smallest and simplest. It's more important
#   to get everything working first than to use whatever final image you want and hope it
#   works first try. Feel free to switch to another image if everything boots successfully,
#   as I describe at the end.

# Quick tip: if you are on a MacBook and want Linux to use the full height of the display
#   including the notch, add (--karg apple_dcp.show_notch=1) to the end of the command.
ostree container image deploy \
    --imgref ostree-unverified-image:registry:quay.io/fedora-asahi-remix-atomic-desktops/base-atomic:42 \
    --target-imgref ostree-unverified-image:registry:quay.io/fedora-asahi-remix-atomic-desktops/base-atomic:42 \
    --stateroot fedora \
    --sysroot / \
    --karg root=UUID=$ROOT_UUID \
    --karg rw \
    --karg rootflags=subvol=root

# Be very careful to copy these next commands properly, as they are specific and may not
#   warn you even if there is a typo.
DEPLOY_PATH=/ostree/deploy/fedora/deploy/$(ls /ostree/deploy/fedora/deploy/ -rt1 | head -n1)

cp -f /etc/passwd /etc/shadow /etc/group /etc/gshadow /etc/fstab /etc/subuid /etc/subgid $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/

# Put your username here
MAIN_USER=insert_your_username_here

# Take even more extra care to do these ones correctly, they're very nuanced, and may not warn.
sed "s/\/home\/$MAIN_USER/\/var\/home\/$MAIN_USER/g" -i $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/passwd
sed "s/\/home/\/var\/home/g" -i $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/fstab

# To double check the above, run the following and check as desscribed.
cat $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/passwd # Look toward the end for your username, and ensure you see
#   /var/home/your-username instead of just /home/your-username. If not, manually edit
#   the file to be so with nano or vi.
cat $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/fstab # Similar story for this one, you want to ensure
#   you see /var/home instead of just /home

# If any of the manual checks have proven an automatic command was not successful, please
#   double check to ensure the command was copied accurately, and if so, comment so they
#   can be fixed.

# Continue here
chcon --reference=/etc/passwd $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/passwd
chcon --reference=/etc/fstab $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/fstab

# The initial setup should now be done, but it is not complete. Reboot now and you should
#   boot up fine, with everything looking exactly as it was before, but if you don't,
#   ensure you ran all of the steps correctly and comment.

reboot

# Once booted, login, and to test if everything worked, run the following.
sudo bootc status # It should show you that you are indeed booted onto an image.

# Now you can finally switch to whichever image you want to use. It is extremely important
#   that whatever image you choose is based off an Asahi image, otherwise it won't contain
#   the Asahi packages and patches and will fail to boot. If you build your own image, just
#   switch the base to be the asahi base-atomic image which in my experience can be treated
#   like a fedora-bootc / minimal image, essentially bare bones. Here I use silverblue.

sudo bootc switch quay.io/fedora-asahi-remix-atomic-desktops/silverblue:42

reboot

# In the future, to update to the latest version of your image, just run:
sudo bootc upgrade

# Thats it!

# Good luck, and enjoy! Feel free to add comments with your experience, or with questions/fixes
#   for issues you encounter. Hopefully one day Atomic Asahi will be officially supported.

# PS. I'm unsure how long this kind of install would last, as updating your image won't
#   also update the bootloader and other Asahi things that are beyond the scope of Atoimic
#   images as far as I can tell. There may be a need to manually run the Asahi scripts
#   to update the bootloader etc, but I don't really know, just something to be aware of
#   and to look into.