Asahi Linux - OSTree Install Guide

atomic-asahi-guide.sh

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# Unofficial guide to install Atomic Fedora / OSTree / Bootc on Apple Silicon.

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

                                                           

# ** THIS IS NOT A SCRIPT, DO NOT TRY TO RUN IN BASH OR SIMILAR. **
# ** PLEASE READ ALL OF THE COMMENTS THROUGHOUT THIS COMMAND GUIDE AND DO NOT SKIP. **



# ** PREREQUISITE CHECKLIST **


# 1. Please reset Asahi from scratch as lingering standard install data 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 Atomic is set up anyway.

# 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
    
# 2. 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.

# 3. Ensure you're system is up-to-date. A fresh install of Asahi does not mean
#  your packages are up-to-date.



# ** GUIDE STARTS HERE. DO NOT COPY AND PASTE BLINDLY, AND READ ALL COMMENTS.


# Reboot and login to the tty console. Run the following commands.

sudo -i  # This sets your entire terminal as root, so be very careful what you run.

dnf install -y rpm-ostree

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 /

ROOT_UUID=$(findmnt / -o UUID -n)

# We use the base-atomic image because its the smallest and simplest. It's more important
#   to get everything working first than to use your desired final image and hope it
#   works first try. Feel free to switch to another image if everything boots successfully,
#   as is described at the end.

IMG_REF="ostree-unverified-image:registry:quay.io/fedora-asahi-remix-atomic-desktops/base-atomic:43"

# 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.

ostree container image deploy \
    --imgref $IMG_REF \
    --target-imgref $IMG_REF \
    --stateroot fedora \
    --sysroot / \
    --karg root=UUID=$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 if there is a typo.

DEPLOY_PATH=$(ls -rdt /ostree/deploy/fedora/deploy/* | head -n1)

# We use /bin/cp to avoid any alias for 'cp' that would insert any override protection flags.
/bin/cp -f /etc/passwd /etc/shadow /etc/group /etc/gshadow /etc/fstab /etc/subuid /etc/subgid $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/

chcon --reference=/etc/passwd $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/passwd
chcon --reference=/etc/fstab $DEPLOY_PATH/etc/fstab

# This ensures update-m1n1 uses device tree provided by the Atomic image, not the (now static) device tree in /boot.
sed -i 's|^DTBS=.*|DTBS="/usr/lib/modules/$(uname -r)/dtb"|' /etc/sysconfig/update-m1n1

# The initial setup should now be done, but it is not complete. Reboot now and you should
#   boot fine, with everything looking exactly as it had before. If you don't, ensure you went
#   through all of the steps correctly, try again from scratch, and if it still fails, comment bellow.

reboot

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

sudo bootc status

# 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 kernel and will fail to boot. If you build your own image, just
#   switch it to base off of the asahi base-atomic image, which in my experience can be treated
#   like a fedora-bootc / minimal image, essentially bare bones. Here I use Asahi Silverblue.

sudo bootc switch quay.io/fedora-asahi-remix-atomic-desktops/silverblue:43

reboot


# That's it for the actual installation. However, it is imperative that you understand the information bellow.
#   Additionally, check out the "Tips and Tricks" section at the end of the document for some extra tips.



# ** IMPORTANT INFORMATION POST-INSTALL **

# 1. Sometimes, Asahi pushes new updates that change m1n1 (an essential component for booting). On standard
#   Asahi installs, the new m1n1 is "applied" automatically as you update the system, but on Atomic, it is not. Therefore,
#   it is generally recommended to manually "apply" m1n1 updates every time you update your image. The general procedure
#   (as-commands) would look as follows:

sudo bootc upgrade  # This downloads and applies the latest image; it is the same as updating the system in a settings app.

reboot  # In order for the m1n1 updater to apply the updates, you must be booted onto the updated system, so reboot.

sudo update-m1n1  # This command will finally "apply" the updated m1n1.

reboot  # Now that m1n1 is updated, reboot for its changes to take affect.


# 2. This is all still very unoficial and not "supported", so while it does work, things may change in the future. Please
#   do not report bugs specific to Atmoic Fedora to the Asahi devs. Instead, post a comment here, on the Asahi subreddit,
#   or wherever else makes sense to you. Hopefully this will all be officially supported in the near future.



# ** TIPS AND TRICKS **

# By default, Asahi configures the display to hide the notch by cropping out the entire top section of the display.
#   If you would like to reclaim that vertical space, even though it would reveal the notch, run the following command:

sudo rpm-ostree kargs --append-if-missing appledrm.show_notch=true

# Then reboot.