From 8b2219bfa2da36e7809588ef723a10483a6e137f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Francis Rowe Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 20:52:36 -0500 Subject: Documentation: *major* cleanup. Cleanup was long overdue. Old structure was messy and inefficient. --- (limited to 'docs/gnulinux') diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/cbfstool_libreboot5_strace b/docs/gnulinux/cbfstool_libreboot5_strace new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7e3794f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/cbfstool_libreboot5_strace @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +# strace ./cbfstool coreboot.rom add -n grub.cfg -f grub.cfg -t raw +execve("./cbfstool", ["./cbfstool", "coreboot.rom", "add", "-n", "grub.cfg", "-f", "grub.cfg", "-t", "raw"], [/* 25 vars */]) = 0 +brk(0) = 0x9577000 +access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) +mmap2(NULL, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb76f6000 +access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) +open("/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 +fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=94605, ...}) = 0 +mmap2(NULL, 94605, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0xb76de000 +close(3) = 0 +access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory) +open("/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libc.so.6", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 +read(3, "\177ELF\1\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0\3\0\1\0\0\0\220\232\1\0004\0\0\0"..., 512) = 512 +fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_size=1775080, ...}) = 0 +mmap2(NULL, 1784604, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) = 0xb752a000 +mmap2(0xb76d8000, 12288, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x1ae) = 0xb76d8000 +mmap2(0xb76db000, 11036, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb76db000 +close(3) = 0 +mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb7529000 +set_thread_area({entry_number:-1 -> 6, base_addr:0xb7529900, limit:1048575, seg_32bit:1, contents:0, read_exec_only:0, limit_in_pages:1, seg_not_present:0, useable:1}) = 0 +mprotect(0xb76d8000, 8192, PROT_READ) = 0 +mprotect(0x8067000, 4096, PROT_READ) = 0 +mprotect(0xb7719000, 4096, PROT_READ) = 0 +munmap(0xb76de000, 94605) = 0 +brk(0) = 0x9577000 +brk(0x9598000) = 0x9598000 +open("grub.cfg", O_RDONLY) = 3 +fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=810, ...}) = 0 +mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb76f5000 +fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=810, ...}) = 0 +_llseek(3, 0, [0], SEEK_SET) = 0 +read(3, "set default=\"0\"\nset timeout=1\nse"..., 810) = 810 +_llseek(3, 810, [810], SEEK_SET) = 0 +close(3) = 0 +munmap(0xb76f5000, 4096) = 0 +open("coreboot.rom", O_RDONLY) = 3 +fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=2097152, ...}) = 0 +mmap2(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb76f5000 +fstat64(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=2097152, ...}) = 0 +_llseek(3, 2097152, [2097152], SEEK_SET) = 0 +_llseek(3, 0, [0], SEEK_SET) = 0 +mmap2(NULL, 2101248, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0xb7328000 +read(3, "LARCHIVE\0\0\6\30\0\0\1\252\0\0\0\0\0\0\0(cmos_lay"..., 2097152) = 2097152 +close(3) = 0 +munmap(0xb76f5000, 4096) = 0 +--- SIGSEGV (Segmentation fault) @ 0 (0) --- ++++ killed by SIGSEGV +++ +Segmentation fault diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/configuring_parabola.html b/docs/gnulinux/configuring_parabola.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..270d2bb --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/configuring_parabola.html @@ -0,0 +1,776 @@ + + + + + + + + + Configuring Parabola (post-install) + + + +
+

Configuring Parabola (post-install)

+ +
+ +
+ +

Table of Contents

+ + +
+ +

+ While not strictly related to the libreboot project, this guide + is intended to be useful for those interested in installing + Parabola on their libreboot machine. This is also beneficial because development + is now being done on Parabola, where Trisquel is no longer used by the maintainer + at the time of writing. +

+ +

+ It details configuration steps that I took after installing the base system, + as a follow up to encrypted_parabola.html. + This guide is likely to become obsolete at a later date (due to the volatile + 'rolling-release' model that Arch/Parabola both use), but attempts will be made to maintain it. +

+ +

+ + This guide was valid on 2014-09-21. If you see any changes that should to be made at the present date, please get in touch + with the libreboot project! + +

+ +

+ You do not necessarily have to follow this guide word-for-word; parabola is extremely flexible. + The aim here is to provide a common setup that most users will be happy with. While Parabola + can seem daunting at first glance (especially for new GNU/Linux users), with a simple guide it can provide + all of the same usability as Trisquel, without hiding any details from the user. +

+ +

+ Paradoxically, as you get more advanced Parabola can actually become easier to use + when you want to setup your machine in a special way compared to what most distributions provide. + You will find over time that other distributions tend to get in your way. +

+ +

+ + This guide assumes that you already have Parabola installed. If you have not yet installed Parabola, + then this guide is highly recommended! + +

+ +

+ A lot of the steps in this guide will refer to the Arch wiki. Arch is the upstream distribution that Parabola uses. + Most of this guide will also tell you to read wiki articles, other pages, manuals, and so on. In general it tries + to cherry pick the most useful information but nonetheless you are encouraged to learn as much as possible. + It might take you a few days to fully install your system how you like, depending on how much you need to read. Patience is key, + especially for new users. +

+ +

+ The Arch wiki will sometimes use bad language, such as calling the whole system Linux, using the term open-source (or closed-source), + and it will sometimes recommend the use of proprietary software. You need to be careful about this when reading anything on the + Arch wiki. +

+ +

+ Some of these steps require internet access. I'll go into networking later but for now, I just connected + my machine to a switch and did:
+ # systemctl start dhcpcd.service
+ You can stop it later by running:
+ # systemctl stop dhcpcd.service
+ For most people this should be enough, but if you don't have DHCP on your network then you should setup your network connection first:
+ Setup network connection in Parabola +

+ +
+ +

Configure pacman

+

+ pacman (package manager) is the name of the package management system in Arch, which Parabola + (as a deblobbed parallel effort) also uses. Like with 'apt-get' on debian-based systems like Trisquel, + this can be used to add/remove and update the software on your computer. +

+

+ Based on https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Installation_Guide#Configure_pacman + and from reading https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman (make sure to read and understand this, + it's very important) and + https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Official_Repositories +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

Updating Parabola

+

+ In the end, I didn't change my configuration for pacman. When you are updating, resync with the latest package names/versions:
+ # pacman -Syy
+ (according to the wiki, -Syy is better than Sy because it refreshes the package list even if it appears to be up to date, + which can be useful when switching to another mirror).
+ Then, update the system:
+ # pacman -Syu +

+

+ + Before installing packages with 'pacman -S', always update first, using the notes above. + +

+

+ Keep an eye out on the output, or read it in /var/log/pacman.log. Sometimes, pacman will show messages + about maintenance steps that you will need to perform with certain files (typically configurations) + after the update. Also, you should check both the Parabola and Arch home pages to see if they mention any issues. + If a new kernel is installed, you should also update to be able to use it (the currently running kernel will + also be fine). It's generally good enough to update Parabola once every week, or maybe twice. As a + rolling release distribution, it's a good idea never to leave your install too outdated; update regularly. This + is simply because of the way the project works; old packages are deleted from the repositories quickly, once they are updated. + A system that hasn't been updated for quite a while will mean potentially more reading of previous posts through the website, + and more maintenance work. +

+

+ The Arch forum can also be useful, if others have the same issue as you (if you encounter issues, that is). Parabola's + IRC channel (#parabola on freenode) can also help you. +

+

+ Due to this and the volatile nature of Parabola/Arch, you should only update when you have at least a couple hours of spare time + in case of issues that need to be resolved. You should never update, for example, if you need your system for an important event, + like a presentation or sending an email to an important person before an allocated deadline, and so on. +

+

+ Relax - packages are well-tested regularly when new updates are made to the repositories. Separate 'testing' repositories + exist for this exact reason. Despite what many people will tell you, Parabola is fairly stable and trouble-free, + so long as you are aware of how to check for issues, and are willing to spend some time fixing issues in + the rare event that they do occur. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

Maintaining Parabola

+

+ Parabola is a very simple distro, in the sense that you are in full control + and everything is made transparent to you. One consequence is + that you also need to know what you are doing, and what you have done before. In general, keeping notes (such as what I have done + with this page) can be very useful as a reference in the future (if you wanted to re-install it or install the distro + on another computer, for example). +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

Cleaning the package cache

+

+ + The following is very important as you continue to use, update and maintain your Parabola system:
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman#Cleaning_the_package_cache. + Essentially, this guide talks about a directory that has to be cleaned once in a while, to prevent it from growing too big (it's a cache + of old package information, updated automatically when you do anything in pacman). + +

+

+ To clean out all old packages that are cached:
+ # pacman -Sc +

+

+ The wiki cautions that this should be used with care. For example, since older packages are deleted from the repo, + if you encounter issues and want to revert back to an older package then it's useful to have the caches available. + Only do this if you are sure that you won't need it. +

+

+ The wiki also mentions this method for removing everything from the cache, including currently installed packages that are cached:
+ # pacman -Scc
+ This is inadvisable, since it means re-downloading the package again if you wanted to quickly re-install it. This should only be used + when disk space is at a premium. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

pacman command equivalents

+

+ The following table lists other distro package manager commands, and their equivalent in pacman:
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pacman_Rosetta +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

your-freedom

+

+ your-freedom is a package specific to Parabola, and it is installed by default. What it does is conflict with packages + from Arch that are known to be non-free (proprietary) software. When migrating from Arch (there is a guide on the Parabola + wiki for migrating - converting - an existing Arch system to a Parabola system), installing + your-freedom will also fail if these packages are installed, citing them as conflicts; the recommended solution + is then to delete the offending packages, and continue installing your-freedom. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Add a user

+

+ Based on https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Users_and_Groups. +

+

+ It is important (for security reasons) to create and use a non-root (non-admin) user account for every day use. The default 'root' account is intended + only for critical administrative work, since it has complete access to the entire operating system. +

+

+ Read the entire document linked to above, and then continue. +

+

+ Add your user:
+ # useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash yourusername
+ Set a password:
+ # passwd yourusername +

+ +

Back to top of page

+ +
+ +

systemd

+

+ This is the name of the system used for managing services in Parabola. It is a good idea to become familiar with it. + Read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/systemd + and https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/systemd#Basic_systemctl_usage + to gain a full understanding. This is very important! Make sure to read them. +

+

+ An example of a 'service' could be a webserver (such as lighttpd), or sshd (openssh), dhcp, etc. There are countless others. +

+

+ https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1149530#p1149530 explains + the background behind the decision by Arch (Parabola's upstream supplier) to use systemd. +

+ +

+ The manpage should also help:
+ # man systemd
+ The section on 'unit types' is especially useful. +

+ +

+ According to the wiki, systemd 'journal' keeps logs of a size up to 10% of the total size your / partition takes up. + on a 60GB root this would mean 6GB. That's not exactly practical, and can have performance implications later when the + log gets too big. Based on instructions from the wiki, I will reduce the total size of the journal to 50MiB (the wiki + recommends 50MiB). +

+

+ Open /etc/systemd/journald.conf and find the line that says:
+ #SystemMaxUse=
+ Change it to say:
+ SystemMaxUse=50M +

+

+ The wiki also recommended a method for forwarding journal output to TTY 12 (accessible by pressing ctrl+alt+f12, + and you use ctrl+alt+[F1-F12] to switch between terminals). I decided not to enable it. +

+

+ Restart journald:
+ # systemctl restart systemd-journald +

+ +

+ The wiki recommends that if the journal gets too large, you can also simply delete (rm -rf) everything inside /var/log/journald/* + but recommends backing it up. This shouldn't be necessary, since you already set the size limit above and systemd will automatically + start to delete older records when the journal size reaches it's limit (according to systemd developers). +

+ +

+ Finally, the wiki mentions 'temporary' files and the utility for managing them.
+ # man systemd-tmpfiles
+ The command for 'clean' is:
+ # systemd-tmpfiles --clean
+ According to the manpage, this "cleans all files and directories with an age parameter". + According to the Arch wiki, this reads information in /etc/tmpfiles.d/ and /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/ + to know what actions to perform. Therefore, it is a good idea to read what's stored in these locations + to get a better understanding. +

+

+ I looked in /etc/tmpfiles.d/ and found that it was empty on my system. However, /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/ contained some files. + The first one was etc.conf, containing information and a reference to this manpage:
+ # man tmpfiles.d
+ Read that manpage, and then continue studying all of the files. +

+

+ The systemd developers tell me that it usually isn't necessary to touch the systemd-tmpfiles utility manually at all. +

+ +

Back to top of page

+ +
+ +

Interesting repositories

+

+ Parabola wiki at https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Repositories#kernels + mentions about a repository called [kernels] for custom kernels that aren't in the default base. It might be worth looking into what is available + there, depending on your use case. +

+

+ I enabled it on my system, to see what was in it. Edit /etc/pacman.conf and below the 'extra' section add:
+ + [kernels]
+ Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist + +

+

+ Now sync with the repository:
+ # pacman -Syy +

+

+ List all available packages in this repository:
+ # pacman -Sl kernels +

+

+ In the end, I decided not to install anything from it but I kept the repository enabled regardless. +

+

Back to top of page.

+ +
+ +

Setup a network connection in Parabola

+

+ Read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

Set the hostname

+

+ This should be the same as the hostname that you set in /etc/hostname when installing Parabola. You can also do it with systemd (do so now, if you like):
+ # hostnamectl set-hostname yourhostname
+ This writes the specified hostname to /etc/hostname. More information can be found in these manpages:
+ # man hostname
+ # info hostname
+ # man hostnamectl +

+

+ Add the same hostname to /etc/hosts, on each line. Example:
+ + 127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost myhostname
+ ::1 localhost.localdomain localhost myhostname + +

+

+ You'll note that I set both lines; the 2nd line is for IPv6. More and more ISP's are providing this now (mine does) + so it's good to be forward-thinking here. +

+

+ The hostname utility is part of the inetutils package and is in core/, installed by default (as part of base). +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

Network Status

+

+ According to the Arch wiki, udev should already detect the ethernet chipset + and load the driver for it automatically at boot time. You can check this in the "Ethernet controller" section + when running this command:
+ # lspci -v +

+

+ Look at the remaining sections 'Kernel driver in use' and 'Kernel modules'. In my case it was as follows:
+ + Kernel driver in use: e1000e
+ Kernel modules: e1000e + +

+

+ Check that the driver was loaded by issuing dmesg | grep module_name. In my case, I did:
+ # dmesg | grep e1000e +

+

Network device names

+

+ According to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network#Device_names, + it is important to note that the old interface names like eth0, wlan0, wwan0 and so on no longer apply. Instead, systemd + creates device names starting with en (for enternet), wl (for wifi) and ww (for wwan) with a fixed identifier that systemd automatically generates. + An example device name for your ethernet chipset would be enp0s25, where it is never supposed to change. +

+

+ If you want to enable the old names (eth0, wlan0, wwan0, etc), the Arch wiki recommends + adding net.ifnames=0 to your kernel parameters (in libreboot context, this would be accomplished by following the + instructions in grub_cbfs.html). +

+

+ For background information, + read Predictable Network Interface Names +

+

+ Show device names:
+ # ls /sys/class/net +

+

+ Changing the device names is possible (I chose not to do it):
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network#Change_device_name +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

Network setup

+

+ I actually chose to ignore most of Networking section on the wiki. Instead, I plan to setup LXDE desktop with the graphical + network-manager client. Here is a list of network managers:
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/List_of_applications/Internet#Network_managers. + If you need to, set a static IP address (temporarily) using the networking guide an the Arch wiki, or start the dhcpcd service in systemd. + NetworkManager will be setup later, after installing LXDE. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

System Maintenance

+

+ Read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/System_maintenance before continuing. + Also read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Enhance_system_stability. + This is important, so make sure to read them! +

+

+ Install smartmontools (can be used to check smart data - note: HDD's use non-free firmware inside, it's transparent to you + but the smart data comes from it. Therefore, don't rely on it too much):
+ # pacman -S smartmontools
+ Read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/S.M.A.R.T. to learn how to use it. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Configuring the desktop

+

+ Based on steps from + General Recommendations on the Arch wiki. + The plan is to use LXDE and LXDM/LightDM, along with everything else that you would expect on other distributions that provide LXDE + by default. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

Installing Xorg

+

+ Based on https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg. +

+

+ Firstly, install it!
+ # pacman -S xorg-server
+ I also recommend installing this (contains lots of useful tools, including xrandr):
+ # pacman -S xorg-server-utils +

+

+ Install the driver. For me this was xf86-video-intel on the ThinkPad X60. T60 and macbook11/21 should be the same.
+ # pacman -S xf86-video-intel
+ For other systems you can try:
+ # pacman -Ss xf86-video- | less
+ Combined with looking at your lspci output, you can determine which driver is needed. + By default, Xorg will revert to xf86-video-vesa which is a generic driver and doesn't provide true hardware acceleration. +

+

+ Other drivers (not just video) can be found by looking at the xorg-drivers group:
+ # pacman -Sg xorg-drivers
+

+

+ Mostly you will rely on a display manager, but in case you ever want to start X without one:
+ # pacman -S xorg-xinit +

+

+ <optional>
+    Arch wiki recommends installing these, for testing that X works:
+    # pacman -S xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm
+    Refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc. + and test X:
+    # startx
+    When you are satisfied, type exit in xterm, inside the X session.
+    Uninstall them (clutter. eww): # pacman -S xorg-xinit xorg-twm xorg-xclock xterm
+ </optional> +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

Xorg keyboard layout

+

+ Refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg. +

+

+ Xorg uses a different configuration method for keyboard layouts, so you will notice that the layout you + set in /etc/vconsole.conf earlier might not actually be the same in X. +

+

+ To see what layout you currently use, try this on a terminal emulator in X:
+ # setxkbmap -print -verbose 10 +

+

+ In my case, I wanted to use the Dvorak (UK) keyboard which is quite different from Xorg's default Qwerty (US) layout. +

+

+ I'll just say it now: XkbModel can be pc105 in this case (ThinkPad X60, with a 105-key UK keyboard). + If you use an American keyboard (typically 104 keys) you will want to use pc104. +

+

+ XkbLayout in my case would be gb, and XkbVariant would be dvorak. +

+

+ The Arch wiki recommends two different methods for setting the keyboard layout:
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg#Using_X_configuration_files and
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Keyboard_configuration_in_Xorg#Using_localectl. +

+

+ In my case, I chose to use the configuration file method:
+ Create the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-keyboard.conf and put this inside:
+ + Section "InputClass"
+         Identifier "system-keyboard"
+         MatchIsKeyboard "on"
+         Option "XkbLayout" "gb"
+         Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
+         Option "XkbVariant" "dvorak"
+ EndSection + +

+

+ For you, the steps above may differ if you have a different layout. If you use a US Qwerty keyboard, then + you don't even need to do anything (though it might help, for the sake of being explicit). +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

Install LXDE

+

+ Desktop choice isn't that important to me, so for simplicity I decided to use LXDE. It's lightweight + and does everything that I need. + If you would like to try something different, refer to + https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Desktop_environment +

+

+ Refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXDE. +

+

+ Install it, choosing 'all' when asked for the default package list:
+ # pacman -S lxde obconf +

+

+ I didn't want the following, so I removed them:
+ # pacman -R lxmusic lxtask +

+

+ I also lazily installed all fonts:
+ # pacman -S $(pacman -Ssq ttf-) +

+

+ LXDE comes with a terminal. You probably want a browser to go with that; I choose GNU IceCat, part of the GNU project:
+ # pacman -S icecat
+ And a mail client:
+ # pacman -S icedove +

+

+ In IceCat, go to Preferences :: Advanced and disable GNU IceCat Health Report. +

+

+ I also like to install these:
+ # pacman -S xsensors stress htop +

+

+ Enable LXDM (the default display manager, providing a graphical login):
+ # systemctl enable lxdm.service
+ It will start when you boot up the machine. To start it now, do:
+ # systemctl start lxdm.service +

+

+ Log in with your standard (non-root) user that you created earlier. + It is advisable to also create an xinitrc rule in case you ever want to start lxde without lxdm. + Read https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc. +

+

+ Open LXterminal:
+ $ cp /etc/skel/.xinitrc ~
+ Open .xinitrc and add the following plus a line break at the bottom of the file.
+ + # Probably not needed. The same locale info that we set before
+ # Based on advice from the LXDE wiki + export LC_ALL=en_GB.UTF-8
+ export LANGUAGE=en_GB.UTF-8
+ export LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
+
+ # Start lxde desktop
+ exec startlxde
+ + Now make sure that it is executable:
+ $ chmod +x .xinitrc +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

LXDE - clock

+

+ In Digital Clock Settings (right click the clock) I set the Clock Format to %Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

LXDE - font

+

+ NOTE TO SELF: come back to this later. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

LXDE - screenlock

+

+ Arch wiki recommends to use xscreensaver:
+ # pacman -S xscreensaver +

+

+ Under Preferences :: Screensaver in the LXDE menu, I chose Mode: Blank Screen Only, + setting Blank After, Cycle After and Lock Screen After (checked) to 10 minutes. +

+

+ You can now lock the screen with Logout :: Lock Screen in the LXDE menu. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +

LXDE - automounting

+

+ Refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/File_manager_functionality. +

+

+ I chose to ignore this for now. NOTE TO SELF: come back to this later. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

LXDE - disable suspend

+

+ When closing the laptop lid, the machine suspends. This is annoying at least to me. + NOTE TO SELF: disable it, then document the steps here. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

LXDE - battery monitor

+

+ Right click lxde panel and Add/Remove Panel Items. Click Add and select Battery Monitor, then click Add. + Close and then right-click the applet and go to Battery Monitor Settings, check the box that says Show Extended Information. + Now click Close. When you hover the cursor over it, it'll show information about the battery. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+

LXDE - Network Manager

+

+ Refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LXDE#Network_Management. + Then I read: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager. +

+

+ Install Network Manager:
+ # pacman -S networkmanager +

+

+ You will also want the graphical applet:
+ # pacman -S network-manager-applet
+ Arch wiki says that an autostart rule will be written at /etc/xdg/autostart/nm-applet.desktop +

+

+ I want to be able to use a VPN at some point, so the wiki tells me to do:
+ # pacman -S networkmanager-openvpn +

+

+ LXDE uses openbox, so I refer to:
+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NetworkManager#Openbox. +

+

+ It tells me for the applet I need:
+ # pacman -S xfce4-notifyd gnome-icon-theme
+ Also, for storing authentication details (wifi) I need:
+ # pacman -S gnome-keyring +

+

+ I wanted to quickly enable networkmanager:
+ # systemctl stop dhcpcd
+ # systemctl start NetworkManager
+ Enable NetworkManager at boot time:
+ # systemctl enable NetworkManager +

+

+ Restart LXDE (log out, and then log back in). +

+

+ I added the volume control applet to the panel (right click panel, and add a new applet). + I also later changed the icons to use the gnome icon theme, in lxappearance. +

+

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. + A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt. +

+ +

+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information. +

+ + + diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/encrypted_parabola.html b/docs/gnulinux/encrypted_parabola.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ce49cbc --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/encrypted_parabola.html @@ -0,0 +1,569 @@ + + + + + + + + + Installing Parabola GNU/Linux with full disk encryption (including /boot) + + + +
+

Installing Parabola GNU/Linux with full disk encryption (including /boot)

+ +
+ +

+ Libreboot uses the GRUB payload + by default, which means that the GRUB configuration file + (where your GRUB menu comes from) is stored directly alongside libreboot + and it's GRUB payload executable, inside + the flash chip. In context, this means that installing distributions and managing them + is handled slightly differently compared to traditional BIOS systems. +

+ +

+ On most systems, the /boot partition has to be left unencrypted while the others are encrypted. + This is so that GRUB, and therefore the kernel, can be loaded and executed since the firmware + can't open a LUKS volume. Not so with libreboot! Since GRUB is already included directly as a + payload, even /boot can be encrypted. This protects /boot from tampering by someone with physical + access to the machine. +

+ +

+ Boot Parabola's install environment. How to boot a GNU/Linux installer. +

+ +

+ For this guide I used the 2013 09 01 image to boot the live installer and install the system. +

+ +

+ Parabola is much more flexible than Trisquel, but also more involved to setup. Use Parabola. It's 10 million times better than Trisquel. +

+ +

+ Firstly if you use an SSD, beware there are issues with TRIM (not enabled through luks) and security issues if you do enable it. + See this page + for more info. +

+ +

+ If you are using an SSD for this, make sure it's brand-new (or barely used). Or, otherwise, be sure that it never previously + contained plaintext copies of your data. +

+ +

+ Wipe the MBR (if you use MBR):
+ # lsblk
+ Your HDD is probably /dev/sda: + # dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=446 count=1; sync
+ Never use SeaBIOS! The MBR section can easily be changed with malicious code, which SeaBIOS will blindly execute. + This guide is for libreboot with GRUB-as-payload only. +

+ +

+ Securely wipe the drive:
+ # dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sda; sync
+ NOTE: If you have an SSD, only do this the first time. If it was already LUKS-encrypted before, + use the info below to wipe the LUKS header. Also, check online for your SSD what the recommended + erase block size is. For example if it was 2MiB:
+ # dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/sda bs=2M; sync +

+

+ If your drive was already LUKS encrypted (maybe you are re-installing your distro) then + it is already 'wiped'. You should just wipe the LUKS header. + https://www.lisenet.com/2013/luks-add-keys-backup-and-restore-volume-header/ + showed me how to do this. It recommends to do the first 3MiB. Now, that guide is recommending putting zero there. I'm doing to use urandom. Do this:
+ # head -c 3145728 /dev/urandom > /dev/sda; sync
+ (wiping the LUKS header is important, since it has hashed passphrases and so on. It's 'secure', but 'potentially' a risk). +

+

+ + If you do plan to use an SSD, make sure to read + https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Solid_State_Drives
+ Edit /etc/fstab later on when chrooted into your install. Also, read the whole article and keep all points in mind, adapting + them for this guide. + +

+ +

+ This guide will go through the installation steps taken at the time of writing, which may or may not change due to + the volatile nature of Parabola (it changes all the time). In general most of it should remain the same. If you spot mistakes, + please say so! This guide will be ported to the Parabola wiki at a later date. For up to date Parabola install guide, go to + the Parabola wiki. This guide essentially cherry picks the useful information (valid at the time of writing: 2014-09-15). +

+ +

+ Change keyboard layout +

+

+ Parabola live shell assumes US Qwerty. If you have something different, use:
+ # loadkeys LAYOUT
+ For me, LAYOUT would have been dvorak-uk. +

+ +

Getting started

+

+ The beginning is based on https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Installation_Guide. + Then I referred to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Partitioning at first. +

+ +

dm-mod

+

+ device-mapper will be used - a lot. Make sure that the kernel module is loaded:
+ # modprobe dm-mod +

+ +

Create LUKS partition

+

+ I am using MBR partitioning, so I use cfdisk:
+ # cfdisk /dev/sda +

+

+ I create a single large sda1 filling the whole drive, leaving it as the default type 'Linux' (83). +

+

+ Now I refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dm-crypt/Drive_preparation#Partitioning:
+ I am then directed to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dm-crypt/Device_encryption. +

+

+ Parabola forces you to RTFM. +

+

+ It tells me to run:
+ # cryptsetup benchmark (for making sure the list below is populated)
+ Then:
+ # cat /proc/crypto
+ This gives me crypto options that I can use. It also provides a representation of the best way to setup LUKS (in this case, security is a priority; speed, a distant second). + To gain a better understanding, I am also reading:
+ # man cryptsetup +

+

+ Following that page, based on my requirements, I do the following based on + based on https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dm-crypt/Device_encryption#Encryption_options_for_LUKS_mode. + Reading through, it seems like Serpent (encryption) and Whirlpool (hash) is the best option. +

+

+ I am initializing LUKS with the following:
+ # cryptsetup -v --cipher serpent-xts-plain64 --key-size 512 --hash whirlpool --use-random --verify-passphrase luksFormat /dev/sda1 + -- choose a secure passphrase here. Ideally lots of lowercase/uppercase numbers, letters, symbols etc all in a random pattern. The password + length should be as long as you are able to handle without writing it down or storing it anywhere. Ideally, 100 characters or more. + It might take you a while to memorize a long passphrase before beginning this step. +

+ +

Create LVM

+

+ Now I refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/LVM. +

+

+ Open the LUKS partition:
+ # cryptsetup open --type luks /dev/sda1 lvm
+ (it will be available at /dev/mapper/lvm)
+ I'm told that the above is old syntax, which is what I did anyway. You could also try:
+ # cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda1 lvm +

+

+ Create LVM partition:
+ # pvcreate /dev/mapper/lvm
+ Show that you just created it:
+ # pvdisplay +

+

+ Now I create the volume group, inside of which the logical volumes will be created:
+ # vgcreate matrix /dev/mapper/lvm (volume group name is 'matrix')
+ Show that you created it:
+ # vgdisplay +

+

+ Now create the logical volumes:
+ # lvcreate -L 2G matrix -n swapvol (2G swap partition, named swapvol)
+ # lvcreate -l +100%FREE matrix -n rootvol (single large partition in the rest of the space, named rootvol)
+ You can also be flexible here, for example you can specify a /boot, a /, a /home, a /var, a /usr, etc. For example, + if you will be running a web/mail server then you want /var in it's own partition (so that if it fills up with logs, it won't crash your system). + For a home/laptop system (typical use case), a root and a swap will do (really). +

+

+ Verify that the logical volumes were created, using the following command:
+ # lvdisplay +

+ +

Create / and swap partitions

+

+ For the swapvol LV I use:
+ # mkswap /dev/mapper/matrix-swapvol +

+

+ For the rootvol LV I use:
+ # mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/matrix-rootvol +

+ +

Continue with Parabola installation

+

+ Mount the root (/) partition:
+ # mount /dev/matrix/rootvol /mnt
+

+

+ This guide is really about GRUB, Parabola and cryptomount. I have to show how to install Parabola + so that the guide can continue. +

+

+ Now I am following the rest of https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/Installation_Guide. + I also also cross referencing https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide. +

+

+ Create /home and /boot on rootvol mountpoint:
+ # mkdir /mnt/home
+ # mkdir /mnt/boot +

+

+ The wiki says to enable the swap so that it can be detected by 'genfstab':
+ # swapon /dev/matrix/swapvol +

+

+ DHCP was already working for me, so I had internet during the install. Therefore, I ignore the 'Connect to the Internet' section of the install guide. + I also ignore wifi, since I can set that up after the install. For now, I am just using ethernet. + Otherwise, refer to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Configuring_Network. + You can test to see if internet is already working by pinging a few domains. +

+ +

+ I commented out all lines except the Server line for the UK Parabola server (main server) in /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist and then did:
+ # pacman -Syy
+ # pacman -Syu
+ # pacman -Sy pacman (and then I did the other 2 steps above, again)
+ In my case I did the steps in the next paragraph, and followed the steps in this paragraph again. +

+

+ <troubleshooting>
+    The following is based on 'Verification of package signatures' in the Parabola install guide.
+    Check there first to see if steps differ by now.
+    Now you have to update the default Parabola keyring. This is used for signing and verifying packages:
+    # pacman -Sy parabola-keyring
+    It says that you you get GPG errors, it's probably an expired key so do:
+    # pacman-key --populate parabola
+    # pacman-key --refresh-keys
+    # pacman -Sy parabola-keyring
+    To be honest, you should do the above anyway. Parabola has a lot of maintainers, and a lot of keys. Really!
+    Also, it says that if the clock is set incorrectly then you have to manually set the correct time
+    (if keys are listed as expired because of it):
+    # date MMDDhhmm[[CC]YY][.ss]
+    I also had to install:
+    # pacman -S archlinux-keyring
+    # pacman-key --populate archlinux
+    In my case I saw some conflicting files reported in pacman, stopping me from using it.
+    I deleted the files that it mentioned + and then it worked. Specifically, I had this error:
+    licenses: /usr/share/licenses/common/MPS exists in filesystem
+    I rm -rf'd the file and then pacman worked. I'm told that the following would have also made it work:
+    # pacman -Sf licenses
+ </troubleshooting>
+

+

+ I also like to install other packages (base-devel, compilers and so on) and wpa_supplicant/dialog are needed for wireless after the install:
+ # pacstrap /mnt base base-devel wpa_supplicant dialog +

+ +

Configure the system

+

+ From the Parabola installation guide (Arch's one was identical):
+ # genfstab -p /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab +

+

+ Chroot into new system:
+ # arch-chroot /mnt +

+

+ It's a good idea to have this installed:
+ # pacman -S linux-libre-lts +

+

+ It was also suggested that you should install this kernel (read up on what GRSEC is):
+ # pacman -S linux-libre-grsec +

+

+ This is another kernel that sits inside /boot, which you can use. LTS means 'long-term support'. These are so-called 'stable' kernels + that can be used as a fallback during updates, if a bad kernel causes issues for you. +

+

+ Parabola does not have wget. This is sinister. Install it:
+ # pacman -S wget +

+ + +

Set a root password

+

+ At the time of writing, Parabola used SHA512 by default for it's password hashing. +

+

+ I referred to https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/SHA_password_hashes. +

+

+ Open /etc/pam.d/passwd and add rounds=65536 at the end of the uncommented 'password' line. +

+

+ # passwd root
+ Make sure to set a secure password! Also, it must never be the same as your LUKS password. +

+ +

Extra security tweaks

+

+ Based on https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Security. +

+

+ Restrict access to important directories:
+ # chmod 700 /boot /etc/{iptables,arptables} +

+

+ Lockout user after three failed login attempts:
+ Edit the file /etc/pam.d/system-login and comment out that line:
+ # auth required pam_tally.so onerr=succeed file=/var/log/faillog
+ Or just delete it. Above it, put:
+ auth required pam_tally.so deny=2 unlock_time=600 onerr=succeed file=/var/log/faillog
+ To unlock a user manually (if a password attempt is failed 3 times), do:
+ # pam_tally --user theusername --reset + What the above configuration does is lock the user out for 10 minutes, if they make 3 failed login attempts. +

+

+ Configure sudo - not covered here. Will be covered post-installation in another tutorial, at a later date. + If this is a single-user system, you don't really need sudo. +

+ +

Unmount, reboot!

+

+ Exit from chroot:
+ # exit +

+

+ unmount:
+ # umount /mnt
+ # swapoff -a +

+

+ deactivate the lvm lv's:
+ # lvchange -an /dev/matrix/rootvol
+ # lvchange -an /dev/matrix/swapvol
+

+

+ Lock the encrypted partition (close it):
+ # cryptsetup luksClose lvm +

+

+ # shutdown -h now
+ Then boot up again. +

+ +

Booting from GRUB

+

+ Initially you will have to boot manually. Press C to get to the GRUB command line. The underlined parts are optional + (using those 2 underlines will boot lts kernel instead of normal). +

+

+ grub> cryptomount -a (ahci0,msdos1)
+ grub> set root='lvm/matrix-rootvol'
+ grub> linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux-libre-lts root=/dev/matrix/rootvol cryptdevice=/dev/sda1:root
+ grub> initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-libre-lts.img
+ grub> boot
+

+

+ You could also make it load /boot/vmlinuz-linux-libre-grsec and /boot/initramfs-linux-libre-grsec.img +

+ +
+ +

Modify grub.cfg inside the ROM

+ +

+ Now you need to modify the ROM, so that Parabola can boot automatically with this configuration. + grub_cbfs.html shows you how. Follow that guide, using the configuration details below. +

+

+ Inside the 'Load Operating System' menu entry, change the contents to:
+ + cryptomount -a (ahci0,msdos1)
+ set root='lvm/matrix-rootvol'
+ linux /boot/vmlinuz-linux-libre-lts root=/dev/matrix/rootvol cryptdevice=/dev/sda1:root
+ initrd /boot/initramfs-linux-libre-lts.img + +

+ +

+ Note: the underlined parts above (-lts) can also be removed, to boot the latest kernel instead of LTS (long-term support) kernels. + You could also copy the menu entry and in one have -lts, and without in the other menuentry. + You could also create a menu entry to load /boot/vmlinuz-linux-libre-grsec and /boot/initramfs-linux-libre-grsec.img +

+ +

+ Personally, I opted to have the entry for linux-libre-grsec at the top, so that it would load by default. +

+ +

+ Above the 'Load Operating System' menu entry you should also add a GRUB password, like so: +

+
set superusers="root"
+password_pbkdf2 root grub.pbkdf2.sha512.10000.711F186347156BC105CD83A2ED7AF1EB971AA2B1EB2640172F34B0DEFFC97E654AF48E5F0C3B7622502B76458DA494270CC0EA6504411D676E6752FD1651E749.8DD11178EB8D1F633308FD8FCC64D0B243F949B9B99CCEADE2ECA11657A757D22025986B0FA116F1D5191E0A22677674C994EDBFADE62240E9D161688266A711
+
+ +

+ Note that the above entry specifies user 'root'; this is just a username for GRUB. You don't even need to use root. + Change root on both of those 2 lines to whatever you want. +

+ +

+ Start dhcp on ethernet:
+ # systemctl start dhcpcd.service + This is just for the step below. I won't cover network configuration here. That is for another Parabola article. +

+ +

+ The password hash (it's password, by the way) after 'password_pbkdf2 root' should be changed and is created by the grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 utility, which you need to install or otherwise compile, + like so:
+ # pacman -S grub +

+ +

+ GRUB isn't needed for booting, since it's already included as a payload in libreboot. This is only so that the utility needed becomes available. Get your hash + by entering your chosen password at the prompt, when running this command:
+ # grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 +

+ +

+ It will output the hash for the password that you entered. Make sure to specify a password that is different from both your LUKS *and* your root/user password. + Use it to replace the default hash mentioned above. +

+ +

+ With this setup, you will have to enter a password at boot time, in GRUB, before being able to use any of the menu entries or switch to the terminal. + This protects your system from an attacker simply booting a live usb distro and re-flashing the boot firmware. +

+ +

+ You probably only need base-devel (compilers and so on) to build and use cbfstool. It was already installed if you followed this tutorial, but here it is:
+ # pacman -S base-devel +

+ +

+ For flashing the modified ROM, I just used flashrom from the Parabola repo's:
+ # pacman -S flashrom
+ I also installed dmidecode:
+ # pacman -S dmidecode +

+ +

+ When done, deleted GRUB (remember, we only needed it for the grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 utility; + GRUB is already part of libreboot, flashed alongside it as a payload):
+ # pacman -R grub +

+ +
+ +

+ If you followed all that correctly, you should now have a fully encrypted Parabola installation. + This is a very barebones Parabola install (the default one). Refer to the wiki for how to do the rest + (desktop, etc). +

+ +
+ +

Further security tips

+

+ https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Security.
+ https://wiki.parabolagnulinux.org/User:GNUtoo/laptop +

+ +
+ +

Follow-up tutorial: configuring Parabola

+

+ configuring_parabola.html shows my own notes post-installation. Using these, you can get a basic + system similar to the one that I chose for myself. You can also cherry pick useful notes and come up with your own system. + Parabola is user-centric, which means that you are in control. For more information, read The Arch Way + (Parabola also follows it). +

+ +
+ +

+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. + A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt. +

+ +

+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information. +

+ + + diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/encrypted_trisquel.html b/docs/gnulinux/encrypted_trisquel.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5becddc --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/encrypted_trisquel.html @@ -0,0 +1,308 @@ + + + + + + + + + Installing Trisquel GNU/Linux with full disk encryption (including /boot) + + + +
+

Installing Trisquel GNU/Linux with full disk encryption (including /boot)

+ +
+ +

+ Libreboot uses the GRUB payload + by default, which means that the GRUB configuration file + (where your GRUB menu comes from) is stored directly alongside libreboot + and it's GRUB payload executable, inside + the flash chip. In context, this means that installing distributions and managing them + is handled slightly differently compared to traditional BIOS systems. +

+ +

+ On most systems, the /boot partition has to be left unencrypted while the others are encrypted. + This is so that GRUB, and therefore the kernel, can be loaded and executed since the firmware + can't open a LUKS volume. Not so with libreboot! Since GRUB is already included directly as a + payload, even /boot can be encrypted. This protects /boot from tampering by someone with physical + access to the machine. +

+ +

+ This works in Trisquel 7, and probably Trisquel 6. Boot the 'net installer' (Install Trisquel in Text Mode). How to boot a GNU/Linux installer. +

+ +

+ Set a strong user password (ideally above 40 characters, of lowercase/uppercase, numbers and symbols). +

+ +

+ when the installer asks you to setup + encryption (ecryptfs) for your home directory, select 'Yes' if you want to: LUKS is already secure and performs well. Having ecryptfs on top of it + will add noticeable performance penalty, for little security gain in most use cases. This is therefore optional, and not recommended. + Choose 'no'. +

+ +

+ + Your user password should be different than the LUKS password which you will set later on. + Your LUKS password should, like the user password, be secure. + +

+ +

Partitioning

+ +

Choose 'Manual' partitioning:

+ + +

Further partitioning

+ +

+ Now you are back at the main partitioning screen. You will simply set mountpoints and filesystems to use. +

+ + +

Kernel

+ +

+ Installation will ask what kernel you want to use. linux-generic is fine. +

+ +

Tasksel

+ +

+ Choose "Trisquel Desktop Environment" if you want GNOME, + "Trisquel-mini Desktop Environment" if you + want LXDE or "Triskel Desktop Environment" if you want KDE. + If you want to have no desktop (just a basic shell) + when you boot or if you want to create your own custom setup, then choose nothing here (don't select anything). + You might also want to choose some of the other package groups; it's up to you. +

+ +

Postfix configuration

+ +

+ If asked, choose "No Configuration" here (or maybe you want to select something else. It's up to you.) +

+ +

Install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record

+ +

+ Choose 'Yes'. It will fail, but don't worry. Then at the main menu, choose 'Continue without a bootloader'. + You could also choose 'No'. Choice is irrelevant here. +

+ +

+ You do not need to install GRUB at all, since in libreboot you are using the GRUB payload (for libreboot) to boot your system directly. +

+ +

Clock UTC

+ +

+ Just say 'Yes'. +

+ +

+ Booting your system +

+ +

+ At this point, you will have finished the installation. At your GRUB payload, press C to get to the command line. +

+ +

+ Do that:
+ grub> cryptomount -a (ahci0,msdos1)
+ grub> set root='lvm/buzz-distro'
+ grub> linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/buzz-distro cryptdevice=/dev/mapper/buzz-distro:root
+ grub> initrd /initrd.img
+ grub> boot +

+ +

+ ecryptfs +

+ +

+ If you didn't encrypted your home directory, then you can safely ignore this section. +

+ +

+ Immediately after logging in, do that:
+ $ sudo ecryptfs-unwrap-passphrase +

+ +

+ This will be needed in the future if you ever need to recover your home directory from another system, so write it down and keep the note + somewhere secret. Ideally, you should memorize it and then burn the note (or not even write it down, and memorize it still)> +

+ +

+ Modify grub.cfg (CBFS) +

+ +

+ Now you need to set it up so that the system will automatically boot, without having to type a bunch of commands. +

+ +

+ Modify your grub.cfg (in the firmware) using this tutorial; + just change the default menu entry 'Load Operating System' to say this inside: +

+ +

+ cryptomount -a (ahci0,msdos1)
+ set root='lvm/buzz-distro'
+ linux /vmlinuz root=/dev/mapper/buzz-distro cryptdevice=/dev/mapper/buzz-distro:root
+ initrd /initrd.img +

+ +

+ Additionally, you should set a GRUB password. This is not your LUKS password, but it's a password that you have to enter to see + GRUB. This protects your system from an attacker simply booting a live USB and re-flashing your firmware. This should be different than your LUKS passphrase and user password. +

+ +

+ The GRUB utility can be used like so:
+ $ grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2 +

+ +

+ Give it a password (remember, it has to be secure) and it'll output something like:
+ grub.pbkdf2.sha512.10000.711F186347156BC105CD83A2ED7AF1EB971AA2B1EB2640172F34B0DEFFC97E654AF48E5F0C3B7622502B76458DA494270CC0EA6504411D676E6752FD1651E749.8DD11178EB8D1F633308FD8FCC64D0B243F949B9B99CCEADE2ECA11657A757D22025986B0FA116F1D5191E0A22677674C994EDBFADE62240E9D161688266A711 +

+ +

+ Put that in the grub.cfg (the one for CBFS inside the ROM) before the 'Load Operating System' menu entry like so (example):
+

+ 
+set superusers="root"
+password_pbkdf2 root grub.pbkdf2.sha512.10000.711F186347156BC105CD83A2ED7AF1EB971AA2B1EB2640172F34B0DEFFC97E654AF48E5F0C3B7622502B76458DA494270CC0EA6504411D676E6752FD1651E749.8DD11178EB8D1F633308FD8FCC64D0B243F949B9B99CCEADE2ECA11657A757D22025986B0FA116F1D5191E0A22677674C994EDBFADE62240E9D161688266A711
+
+ +

+ Obviously, replace it with the correct hash that you actually got for the password that you entered. Meaning, not the hash that you see above! +

+ +

+ After this, you will have a modified ROM with the menu entry for cryptomount, and the entry before that for the GRUB password. Flash the modified ROM + using this tutorial. +

+ +

+ Update Trisquel +

+ +

+ $ sudo apt-get update
+ $ sudo apt-get upgrade +

+ +

+ Conclusion +

+ +

+ If you followed all that correctly, you should now have a fully encrypted system. +

+ +
+ +

+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. + A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt. +

+ +

+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information. +

+ + + diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/grub_boot_installer.html b/docs/gnulinux/grub_boot_installer.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6853680 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/grub_boot_installer.html @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ + + + + + + + + + Libreboot documentation: installing GNU/Linux + + + +
+

Boot a GNU/Linux installer on USB

+ +
+ +

Prepare the USB drive (in GNU/Linux)

+ +

+ Connect the USB drive. Check dmesg:
+ $ dmesg
+ + Check lsblk to confirm which drive it is:
+ $ lsblk +

+ +

+ Check that it wasn't automatically mounted. If it was, unmount it. For example:
+ $ sudo umount /dev/sdb*
+ # umount /dev/sdb* +

+ +

+ dmesg told you what device it is. Overwrite the drive, writing your distro ISO to it with dd. For example:
+ $ sudo dd if=gnulinux.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=8M; sync
+ # dd if=gnulinux.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=8M; sync +

+ +

Booting the USB drive (in GRUB)

+ +

+ Boot it in GRUB using the Parse ISOLINUX config (USB) option (it's in default libreboot grub.cfg, at least). + + A new menu should appear in GRUB, showing the boot options for that distro; this is a GRUB menu, converted from the usual + ISOLINUX menu provided by that distro. +

+ +

+ If the ISOLINUX parser won't work, then press C to get to GRUB command line.
+ grub> ls
+ + Get the device from above output, eg (usb0). Example:
+ grub> cat (usb0)/isolinux/isolinux.cfg
+ + Either this will show the ISOLINUX menuentries for that ISO, or link to other .cfg files, for example /isolinux/foo.cfg.
+ + If it did that, then you do:
+ grub> cat (usb0)/isolinux/foo.cfg
+ + And so on, until you find the correct menuentries for ISOLINUX. +

+ +

+ Now look at the ISOLINUX menuentry. It'll look like:
+ + kernel /path/to/kernel
+ append PARAMETERS initrd=/path/to/initrd MAYBE_MORE_PARAMETERS
+ + + GRUB works the same way, but in it's own way. Example GRUB commands:
+ grub> linux (usb0)/path/to/kernel PARAMETERS MAYBE_MORE_PARAMETERS
+ grub> initrd (usb0)/path/to/initrd
+ grub> boot
+ + Of course this will vary from distro to distro. If you did all that correctly, it should now be booting the ISO + the way you specified. +

+ +

Troubleshooting

+ +

+ Most of these issues occur when using libreboot with coreboot's 'text mode' instead of the coreboot framebuffer. + This mode is useful for booting payloads like memtest86+ which expect text-mode, but for GNU/Linux distributions + it can be problematic when they are trying to switch to a framebuffer because it doesn't exist. +

+ +

+ In most cases, you should use the vesafb ROM's. Example filename: libreboot_ukdvorak_vesafb.rom. +

+ +

parabola won't boot in text-mode

+ +

+ Use one of the ROM images with vesafb in the filename (uses coreboot framebuffer instead of text-mode). +

+ +

debian-installer (trisquel net install) graphical corruption in text-mode

+

+ When using the ROM images that use coreboot's "text mode" instead of the coreboot framebuffer, + booting the Trisquel net installer results in graphical corruption because it is trying to switch to a framebuffer which doesn't + exist. Use that kernel parameter on the 'linux' line when booting it:
+ vga=normal fb=false +

+ +

+ Tested in Trisquel 6 (and 7). This forces debian-installer to start in text-mode, instead of trying to switch to a framebuffer. +

+ +

+ If selecting text-mode from a GRUB menu created using the ISOLINUX parser, you can press E on the menu entry to add this. + Or, if you are booting manually (from GRUB terminal) then just add the parameters. +

+ +

+ This workaround was found on the page: https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/i386/ch05s04.html. + It should also work for gNewSense, Debian and any other apt-get distro that provides debian-installer (text mode) net install method. +

+ +
+ +

+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. + A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt. +

+ +

+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information. +

+ + + diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/grub_cbfs.html b/docs/gnulinux/grub_cbfs.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c9a0f45 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/grub_cbfs.html @@ -0,0 +1,400 @@ + + + + + + + + + Libreboot documentation: GRUB menu + + + +
+

How to change your default GRUB menu

+ +
+ +

+ Libreboot uses the GRUB payload + by default, which means that the GRUB configuration file + (where your GRUB menu comes from) is stored directly alongside libreboot + and it's GRUB payload executable, inside + the flash chip. In context, this means that installing distributions and managing them + is handled slightly differently compared to traditional BIOS systems. +

+ +

+ A libreboot (or coreboot) ROM image is not simply "flat"; there is an actual + filesystem inside called CBFS (coreboot filesystem). A utility called 'cbfstool' + allows you to change the contents of the ROM image. In this case, libreboot is configured + such that the 'grub.cfg' and 'grubtest.cfg' files exists directly inside CBFS instead of + inside the GRUB payload's 'memdisk' (which is itself stored in CBFS). +

+ +

+ Here is an excellent writeup about CBFS (coreboot filesystem): + http://lennartb.home.xs4all.nl/coreboot/col5.html. +

+ +
+ +

Table of Contents

+ + + +
+ +

Getting started

+ +

+ Download the latest release from + http://libreboot.org/ +
If you downloaded from git, refer to + ../git/index.html#build_meta before continuing. +

+ +

+ Install the build dependencies. +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Build 'cbfstool' from source

+ +

+ If you are working with libreboot_src, then you can run make command in + libreboot_src/coreboot/util/cbfstool to build the cbfstool and rmodtool + executable. +

+

+ Alternatively if you are working with libreboot_bin, then you can run ./builddeps-cbfstool + command inside libreboot_bin/; a cbfstool and rmodtool + executable will appear under libreboot_bin/ +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Which ROM image should I use?

+ +

+ You can work directly with one of the ROM's already included in the libreboot ROM archives. For the purpose of + this tutorial it is assumed that your ROM is named libreboot.rom so please make sure to adapt. +

+ +

+ If you want to re-use the ROM that you currently have flashed (and running) then see + ../git/index.html#build_flashrom + and then run:
+ $ sudo ./flashrom -p internal -r libreboot.rom
+ Notice that this is using "-r" (read) instead of "-w" (write). + This will create a dump (copy) of your current firmware and name it libreboot.rom. + You need to take ownership of the file. For example:
+ $ sudo chown yourusername:yourusername libreboot.rom
+ # chown yourusername:yourusername libreboot.rom +

+ +

+ If you currently have flashed a ROM image from an older version, it is recommended to update first: + basically, modify one of the latest ROM's and then flash it. +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Extract grubtest.cfg from the ROM image

+ +

+ Display contents of ROM:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom print +

+ +

+ The libreboot.rom file contains your grub.cfg and grubtest.cfg files. + You should extract, modify and re-insert the copy first. grub.cfg will load first, + but it has a menu entry for switching to the copy (grubtest.cfg). + This reduces your chance of making a mistake that could make your machine unbootable (or very hard to boot). +

+ +

+ Extract grubtest.cfg from the ROM image:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom extract -n grubtest.cfg -f grubtest.cfg +

+ +

+ Now you have a grubtest.cfg in cbfstool directory. Edit it however you wish. +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +
+ +

Example modifications for grubtest.cfg

+ +

+ These are some common examples of ways in which the grubtest.cfg file can be modified. +

+ +

Trisquel GNU/Linux-libre

+ +

+ As an example, on my test system in /boot/grub/grub.cfg (on the HDD/SSD) I see for the main menu entry: +

+ + +

+ ro, quiet, splash, crashkernel=384M-2G:64M,2G-:128M and + $vt_handoff can be safely ignored. +

+ +

+ I use this to get my partition layout:
+ $ lsblk +

+ +

+ In my case, I have no /boot partition, instead /boot is on the same partition as / on sda1. + Yours might be different. In GRUB terms, sda means ahci0. 1 means msdos1, or gpt1, depending + on whether I am using MBR or GPT partitioning. Thus, /dev/sda1 is GRUB is (ahci0,msdos1) or + (ahci0,gpt1). In my case, I use MBR partitioning so it's (ahci0,msdos1). + 'msdos' is GRUB's name simply because this partitioning type is traditionally used by MS-DOS. + It doesn't mean you have a proprietary OS. +

+ +

+ Trisquel doesn't keep the filenames of kernels consistent, instead it keeps old kernels and + new kernel updates are provided with the version in the filename. This can make GRUB payload + a bit tricky. Fortunately, there are symlinks /vmlinuz and /initrd.img + so if your /boot and / are on the same partition, you can set GRUB to boot from that. + These are also updated automatically when installing kernel updates from your distributions + apt-get repositories. + + Note: when using jxself kernel releases, + these are not updated at all and you have to update them manually. + +

+ +

+ For the GRUB payload's grubtest.cfg (in the 'Load Operating System' menu entry), we therefore have (in this example):
+ set root='ahci0,msdos1'
+ linux /vmlinuz root=UUID=3a008e14-4871-497b-95e5-fb180f277951
+ initrd /initrd.img +

+ +

+ Optionally, you can convert the UUID to it's real device name, for example /dev/sda1 in this case. + sdX naming isn't very reliable, though, which is why UUID is used for most distributions. +

+ +

+ Alternatively, if your /boot is on a separate partition then you cannot rely on the /vmlinuz and /initrd.img symlinks. + Instead, go into /boot and create your own symlinks (update them manually when you install a new kernel update).
+ $ sudo -s
+ # cd /boot/
+ # rm -rf vmlinuz initrd.img
+ # ln -s kernel ksym
+ # ln -s initrd isym
+ # exit +

+ +

+ Replace the underlined kernel and initrd filenames above with the actual filenames, of course. +

+ +

+ Then your grubtest.cfg menu entry (for payload) becomes like that, for example if / was on sda2 and /boot was on sda1:
+ set root='ahci0,msdos1'
+ linux /ksym root=/dev/sda2
+ initrd /isym +

+ +

+ There are lots of possible variations so please try to adapt. +

+ +

Parabola GNU/Linux-libre

+ +

+ You can basically adapt the above. Note however that Parabola does not keep old kernels still installed, and the file names + are always consistent, so you don't need to boot from symlinks, you can just use the real thing directly. +

+ +
+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Re-insert the modified grubtest.cfg into the ROM image

+ +

+ Delete the grubtest.cfg that remained inside the ROM:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom remove -n grubtest.cfg +

+ +

+ Display ROM contents and now you see grubtest.cfg no longer exists there:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom print +

+ +

+ Add the modified version that you just made:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom add -n grubtest.cfg -f grubtest.cfg -t raw +

+ +

+ Now display ROM contents again and see that it exists again:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom print +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Test it!

+ +

+ + Now you have a modified ROM. Refer back to ../install/index.html#flashrom for information + on how to flash it. Once you have done that, shut down and then boot up with your new test configuration. + +

+ +

+ Choose (in GRUB) the menu entry that switches to grubtest.cfg. If it works, then your config is safe and you can continue below. +

+ +

+ + If it does not work like you want it to, if you are unsure or sceptical in any way, + then re-do the steps above until you get it right! Do *not* proceed past this point + unless you are 100% sure that your new configuration is safe (or desirable) to use. + +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Final steps

+ +

+ Create a copy of grubtest.cfg, called grub.cfg, which is the same except for one difference: + change the menuentry 'Switch to grub.cfg' to 'Switch to grubtest.cfg' and inside it, + change all instances of grub.cfg to grubtest.cfg. This is so that the main config still + links (in the menu) to grubtest.cfg, so that you don't have to manually switch to it, in + case you ever want to follow this guide again in the future (modifying the already modified config)
+ $ sed -e 's:(cbfsdisk)/grub.cfg:(cbfsdisk)/grubtest.cfg:g' -e 's:Switch to grub.cfg:Switch to grubtest.cfg:g' < grubtest.cfg > grub.cfg
+

+ +

+ Delete the grub.cfg that remained inside the ROM:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom remove -n grub.cfg +

+ +

+ Display ROM contents and now you see grub.cfg no longer exists there:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom print +

+ +

+ Add the modified version that you just made:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom add -n grub.cfg -f grub.cfg -t raw +

+ +

+ Now display ROM contents again and see that it exists again:
+ $ ./cbfstool libreboot.rom print +

+ +

+ + Now you have a modified ROM. Refer back to ../install/index.html#flashrom for information + on how to flash it. Once you have done that, shut down and then boot up with your new configuration. + +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

Troubleshooting

+ +

+ A user reported that segmentation faults occur with cbfstool + when using this procedure depending on the size of the grub.cfg being re-insterted. + In his case, a minimum size of 857 bytes was required. This could (at the time of + this release) be a bug in cbfstool that should be investigated with the coreboot + community. If cbfstool segfaults, then keep this in mind. 'strace' (or gdb? clang?) + could be used for debugging. This was in libreboot 5th release (based on coreboot + from late 2013), and I'm not sure if the issue perists in the current releases. + I have not been able to reproduce it. strace (from that user) is here: + cbfstool_libreboot5_strace. + The issue has been reported by a few users, so it does not happen all the time: + this bug (if it still exists) could (should) be reproduced. +

+ +

+ Back to top of page. +

+ +
+ +

+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. + A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt. +

+ +

+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information. +

+ + + diff --git a/docs/gnulinux/index.html b/docs/gnulinux/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c384575 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/gnulinux/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,51 @@ + + + + + + + + + GNU/Linux distributions + + + + +

GNU/Linux distributions

+

+ This section relates to dealing with GNU/Linux distributions: preparing bootable USB drives, + changing the default GRUB menu and so on. +

+

+ Or Back to main index. +

+ + +
+ +

+ Copyright © 2014 Francis Rowe <info@gluglug.org.uk>
+ This document is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License and all future versions. + A copy of the license can be found at ../license.txt. +

+ +

+ This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, + but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of + MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See ../license.txt for more information. +

+ + + -- cgit v0.9.1