Installation Handbook

This guide is the official installation handbook for Everest Linux.

Using unofficial guides is not recommended, as they may be outdated, or unreliable. The official guide is located at https://www.everestlinux.org/install.

Simply copy and pasting commands from this guide won't cut it, and you'll most likely end up with a broken installation. Ensure you know what each command does.

If you need assistance, reach out to us on IRC (libera.chat, #everestlinux) or Discord.

Prerequisites

The following steps are required to complete an installation:

1. Set up the build environment
2. Download a system image
3. Unpack the system image
4. Change root into the new system
5. Install programs
6. Install the Linux kernel
7. Set up init scripts and services
8. Install the bootloader
9. Reboot the system

Note that Everest is highly flexible. That being said, it is up to you to make modifications yourself.

Run commands prefixed with (user)$ as an unprivileged user.

Run commands prefixed with (root)# as the root user.

Run commands prefixed with (chroot)# inside the chroot environment.

Set up the environment

Everest needs a proper environment set up in order to install correctly.

A system mountpoint is where the new system's root (/) 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 /mnt/everest.

Create a system mountpoint:

(root)# mkdir -pv /mnt/everest

A variable pointing to the system mountpoint may be useful in the future, as it will save you a bit of typing.

Create a variable for the system mountpoint:

(root)# SYS_MNT=/mnt/everest

Partitions must be created on the drive you wish to install Everest to. The typical partition layout on an Everest system may differ from othet distributions.

The typical layout is:

Mount point	Type	Suggested size
/mnt/everest/boot	EFI system partition (esp)	No smaller than 256 MB, no larger than 1 GB
/mnt/everest/usr	/usr	No smaller than 25 GB
/mnt/everest	Root filesystem	Remainder of the drive

Partition the target drive:

(root)# cfdisk /dev/sdX

A valid filesystem is required on the drive.

Most filesystems should work, however ensure the system has the corresponding package for whatever filesystem you choose.

For example, if XFS is used, when installing the system:

(chroot)# gpkg -f world/xfsprogs

In this example, Ext4 will be used.

Create a filesystem:

(root)# mkfs.ext4 /dev/root

(root)# mkfs.ext4 /dev/usr

The EFI system partition (esp) must be formatted as FAT32.

(root)# mkfs.vfat -F32 /dev/boot

Some additional directories may need to be created.

Create extra needed directories:

(root)# mkdir /mnt/everest/boot

(root)# mkdir /mnt/everest/usr

(root)# mkdir /mnt/everest/usr/{bin,sbin,lib,include,local,share,src,man}

(root)# mkdir /mnt/everest/usr/local/{bin,etc,include,lib,man,sbin,share,src}

If on an x86_64 system, create a symlink to /usr/lib:

(root)# ln -sv /mnt/everest/usr/lib /mnt/everest/usr/lib64