<p><strong>WARNING 1:</strong> Using unofficial guides is not recommended, as they may be outdated, or unreliable. The official guide is located at https://www.everestlinux.org/install.</p>
<p><strong>WARNING 2:</strong> Simply copy and pasting commands from this guide won't cut it, and you'll likely end up with a broken installation. Ensure you know what each command does, and how to tailor it to your system, if necessary.</p>
<p><strong>WARNING 3:</strong> Everest is not for the faint of heart. There is absolutely no hand holding provided, you are on your own. If you have never touched Linux in your life, Everest is most certainly not for you. There are many distributions which provide a much better user experience for those new to Linux, we personally recommend Linux Mint.</p>
<p><strong>WARNING 4:</strong> Everest in its current state is highly experimental. Install at your own risk.</p>
<p>On the host system being used to install Everest, a properly set up environment containing certain programs and directories must be set up to ensure the installation can take place. This section will go into detail on how to set up this environment.</p>
<p>A system mountpoint is where the new system's root (<cil>/</cil>) will be. Where you put this doesn't matter, as the host system used to build the system won't be included in the final installation. In this example, we will use <cil>/mnt/everest</cil>.</p>
<p>Partitions must be created on the drive you wish to install Everest to. The typical partition layout on an Everest system may differ from other distributions.</p>
<p>An Everest system image provides an incomplete root filesystem which users can build a system off of. This includes system programs, libraries, Glacier, among others. Users should be careful of which image they choose, as switching in the future is arduous, time consuming, and requires rebuilding a lot of packages.</p>
<p>Make sure you're happy with the system image you choose. While migrating in the future is possible, it requires rebuilding the majority of the system, takes a substantial amount of time, and may present other issues.</p>
<p>Downloading a system image that is severely out of date is not recommended. Many programs, such as the kernel or SSL library will be vulnerable to attacks.</p>
<p>Since a Linux root filesystem is complex, and many different files need to be owned by certain users, or have certain permissions, simply running <cil>tar xf</cil> will result in a broken image, as the proper permissions are not carried over. A couple extra flags are needed to preserve these permissions in the unpacked image.</p>
<p>Although we have a relatively complete root filesystem at this point, many essential programs are still missing. These include the kernel and bootloader. Without these, the system is unable to boot. At this point, we must chroot into the new system. This will allow us to complete the system's build process without booting into it.</p>
<p>Any programs you wish to install, such as display servers, login managers, and desktop environments, should be installed now. The kernel can take multiple hours to compile on some hardware.</p>
<p>Glacier manages packages on the system, and it allows users to install, or 'merge' their own. It is recommended to get familiar with this system.</p>
<wikihead><strong>WIKI</strong>: <ahref="https://git.everestlinux.org/EverestLinux/wiki/wiki/Introduction-to-Glacier">Introduction to Glacier</a></wikihead>
<p>Glacier may not function correctly if the package database has not been downloaded. If <cil>gpkg</cil> outputs the following error: <cil>[x] Local package database does not exist.</cil>, run:</p>
<p>At this stage, you can decide which kernel you want to install. In Everest's package repository, many prebuilt kernels are available, as well as the source code, should you wish to compile your own.</p>
<p>Compiling a custom kernel is the recommended option for most users, as it allows the most control over what exactly is installed on your system.</p>
<p>For those who do not wish to configure a custom kernel, or likewise do not have the time or system resources to do so, a distribution kernel provides a binary kernel. However, there are a couple of pitfalls to this option:</p>
<p>Depending on your system, an initramfs may be required. For example, users of distribution kernels will ALWAYS need to build an initramfs, while those who configured and compiled their own will usually not need one.</p>
<p>Ensure your network is fully set up before proceeding with any other steps. It's better to get it right the first time, rather than trying to fix it later.</p>
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<p>First, ensure the desired network interface is not blocked by rfkill:</p>
<p>The root password is extremely important, as it controls access to the root user, the most powerful user on the system.</p>
<p>Ensure your chosen root password is strong enough where it cannot be guessed easily.</p>
<p>Set the root password:</p>
<code>(chroot)# passwd</code>
<p>If remote access is desired on the system, install sshd:</p>
<code>(chroot)# gpkg -f world/sshd</code>
<p>Using the root account for daily use is not recommended. Create an unprivileged user:</p>
<code>(chroot)# adduser USERNAME</code>
<p>A privilege elevation program is recommended for most users. The most popular choices are sudo and doas, with doas being recommended for most users.</p>
<p>Now that the system is correctly configured and the kernel is installed, the final step can proceed - installing the bootloader. Without a bootloader, the system will be unable to load the Linux kernel upon boot.</p>
<p>This guide only mentions GRUB, however note that other bootloaders are supported.</p>
<p>The GRUB package for certain system profiles compiles BIOS AND UEFI support. If you wish to remove UEFI support, you will have to manually patch the package file.</p>
<p>Unless you are using some obscure system profile, or simply want to make your system as small as possible, you definitely will not have to worry about this.</p>
<wikihead><strong>WIKI</strong>: <ahref="https://git.everestlinux.org/EverestLinux/wiki/wiki/Introduction-to-Glacier">Introduction to Glacier</a></wikihead>
<p> <*> Support for frame buffer devices ---></p>
<p> Console display driver support ---></p>
<p>Ensure the newly installed bootloader is first to boot, otherwise you will end up in your old system again. If you used a live USB to install Everest, make sure you remove it before rebooting.</p>
