User:Wizetek

https://www.wizetek.com

Medium creation

Different methods:

cp

$ cp archlinux.iso /dev/sdX

cat

$ cat archlinux.iso > /dev/sdX

redirection with sudo to avoid 'Permission denied'

$ cat archlinux.iso | sudo tee /dev/sdX > /dev/null

pv

$ pv archlinux.iso > /dev/sdX

tee: include < or the input file gets zeroed out!

$ tee < archlinux.iso > /dev/sdX

tail

$ tail -c +1 archlinux.iso > /dev/sdX

dd

$ dd if=archlinux.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M conv=fsync oflag=direct status=progress

Monitor with 'progress' or 'pv'

$ progress -m

$ pv -d $(pidof cp)

Installation

(as of 2020.03)

$ timedatectl set-ntp true
$ fdisk /dev/sda
$ mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1
$ mkswap /dev/sda2
$ swapon /dev/sda2
$ mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
$ vim /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
$ pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware
$ genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab
$ arch-chroot /mnt

$ pacman -S grub vim man networkmanager
$ ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Toronto /etc/localtime
$ hwclock --systohc
$ vim /etc/locale.gen
	...
	#en_BW ISO-8859-1
	en_CA.UTF-8 UTF-8
	#en_CA ISO-8859-1
	en_GB.UTF-8 UTF-8
	...

$ locale-gen
$ vim /etc/locale.conf
	LANG="en_CA.UTF-8"
	LC_TIME="en_GB.UTF-8"

$ hostnamectl set-hostname myhostname
$ vim /etc/hosts
	127.0.0.1	localhost
	::1		localhost
	127.0.1.1	myhostname.localdomain	myhostname

$ mkinitcpio --allpresets
$ grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda
$ grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
$ passwd
$ exit
$ umount /mnt

Eject installation medium. Reboot. Log in.

Configuration

Enable network

via NetworkManager:

$ systemctl --now enable NetworkManager.service

via systemd-networkd:

$ networkctl list

(DHCP)

$ vim /etc/systemd/network/20-wired.network

[Match]
Name=ens3

[Network]
DHCP=ipv4

(static IP)

$ vim /etc/systemd/network/20-wired.network

[Match]
Name=enp1s0

[Network]
Address=192.168.1.2/24
Gateway=192.168.1.1
DNS=192.168.1.1

$ systemctl --now enable systemd-networkd.service
$ systemctl --now enable systemd-resolved.service
$ networkctl status

NTP via systemd-timesyncd

$ timedatectl set-ntp true

or

$ systemctl --now enable systemd-timesyncd.service

Swap file

$ dd of=/swapfile if=/dev/zero bs=1G count=4
or
$ fallocate -l 4G /swapfile

$ chmod 600 /swapfile

$ mkswap /swapfile
or (also set label)
$ mkswap -L linux_swap /swapfile
or (unset UUID too)
$ mkswap -U clear -L linux_swap /swapfile

$ vim /etc/fstab

/swapfile none swap defaults 0 0

$ swapon /swapfile
or (activate all in /fstab)
$ swapon -a

Check:

$ swapon

zram swap

Install:

$ pacman -S zram-generator

Configure:

$ vim /etc/systemd/zram-generator.conf

[zram0]
zram-size = ram / 2
#zram-size = ram / 1.5
#zram-size = ram / 4096
#zram-size = min(ram / 2, 4096)
compression-algorithm = zstd
swap-priority = 100
fs-type = swap

Activate:

$ systemctl daemon-reload
$ systemctl start systemd-zram-setup@zram0.service

Check:

$ swapon

SSD optimizations: TRIM and swappiness

$ systemctl --now enable fstrim.timer

file_prio (default=200) minus vm.swappiness equals anon_prio
i.e. 200 - 100 = 100 [link]

Set immediately:

$ sysctl -w vm.swappiness=100

Set on boot:

$ vim /etc/sysctl.d/99-swappiness.conf

vm.swappiness=100

CPU microcode updates

$ pacman -S intel-ucode
or
$ pacman -S amd-ucode

$ grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
$ reboot

CFS ZEN tweaks

Set scheduler (CFS) to use settings like the linux-zen kernel rather than the defaults which are tweaked for high throughput.

$ paru -S cfs-zen-tweaks
$ systemctl daemon-reload
$ systemctl enable --now set-cfs-tweaks.service

tty display power saving

$ vim /etc/default/grub

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="consoleblank=600"

$ grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
$ reboot

Hardware monitoring

$ pacman -S lm_sensors
$ sensors-detect
$ sensors

Vim configuration

~/.vimrc

" Comments start like this, not with #
source $VIMRUNTIME/defaults.vim

set background=dark
"colorscheme elflord

set paste
set nowrap
"set tabstop=4

"set number
"set title
set laststatus=2
"set showtabline=2

"set mouse=r
set mouse=
"set clipboard=unnamedplus

GNU Screen configuration

$ cp /etc/screenrc ~/.screenrc

~/.screenrc

# Mouse scroll up/down
termcapinfo xterm* ti@:te@

# Fix for residual editor text
altscreen on

GNU Readline

~/.inputrc

$include /etc/inputrc

# for PuTTY (letter O, not zero)
"\eOC": forward-word
"\eOD": backward-word

"\e[A":history-search-backward
"\e[B":history-search-forward

# Shift+up/down/right/left
"\e[1;2A":upcase-word
"\e[1;2B":downcase-word
"\e[1;2C":copy-forward-word
"\e[1;2D":copy-backward-word

set show-all-if-ambiguous on
set echo-control-characters off

# Color files by types
# Note that this may cause completion text blink in some terminals (e.g. xterm).
set colored-stats on
# Append char to indicate type
set visible-stats on
# Mark symlinked directories
set mark-symlinked-directories on
# Color the common prefix
set colored-completion-prefix on
# Color the common prefix in menu-complete
set menu-complete-display-prefix on

Add Ctrl+left and Ctrl+right to console keymap

$ vim /usr/local/share/kbd/keymaps/personal.map

control keycode 105 = Meta_b
control keycode 106 = Meta_f

Load for the current session:

$ loadkeys personal.map

Load on startup:

$ vim /etc/vconsole.conf

KEYMAP=/usr/local/share/kbd/keymaps/personal.map

Disable power button

$ vim /etc/systemd/logind.conf

HandlePowerKey=ignore

Disable Ctrl-Alt-Delete in console

$ systemctl mask ctrl-alt-del.target

Don't clear console on boot

$ mkdir /etc/systemd/system/getty@.service.d

$ vim /etc/systemd/system/getty@.service.d/dontclear.conf

[Service]
TTYVTDisallocate=no

$ systemctl daemon-reload

Enable reboot and more (REISUB) via Magic SysRq Key

$ vim /etc/sysctl.d/99-sysrq.conf

kernel.sysrq=1

Disable account lockout on authentication failure

$ vim /etc/security/faillock.conf

deny = 0

sudo

$ sudo visudo

Defaults editor=/usr/bin/vim
Defaults passwd_timeout=0
Defaults timestamp_timeout=10
Defaults timestamp_type=global
Defaults env_keep += "LANG DISPLAY XAUTHORITY"

root ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL
%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

@includedir /etc/sudoers.d

$ gpasswd -a myusername wheel

Keep aliases after switching user:

~/.bashrc

alias sudo='sudo '

pkexec auth for Xorg applications

$ vim ~/.bashrc

alias pkexec="pkexec env DISPLAY=$DISPLAY XAUTHORITY=$XAUTHORITY $@"

Polkit only allow local admin shutdown/reboot/sleep

If the polkit package is not installed, only admin can power cycle the system. Once polkit.service is active, the systemd owned org.freedesktop.login1.policy allows users to control power from tty (but not ssh).

$ grep 'action id' /usr/share/polkit-1/actions/org.freedesktop.login1.policy

Override (DO NOT put #comments in this JavaScript file):

$ vim /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/10-only-admin-shutdown.rules

polkit.addRule(function(action, subject) {
   if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.power-off" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.power-off-multiple-sessions" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.power-off-ignore-inhibit" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.reboot" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.reboot-multiple-sessions" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.reboot-ignore-inhibit" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend-multiple-sessions" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend-ignore-inhibit" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate-multiple-sessions" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate-ignore-inhibit" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.set-reboot-parameter" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.set-reboot-to-firmware-setup" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.set-reboot-to-boot-loader-menu" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.set-reboot-to-boot-loader-entry"
   ) {
       return polkit.Result.AUTH_ADMIN_KEEP;
   }
});

Edit/remove/replace to remove some restrictions:

$ systemctl restart polkit.service

// Allow suspending despite inhibitors
   if (action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend-multiple-sessions" ||
       action.id == "org.freedesktop.login1.suspend-ignore-inhibit"
   ) {
       return polkit.Result.YES;
   }

Udev device permissions

$ ls -l /dev/tty1
crw--w---- 1 root tty 4, 2 May 23 22:45 /dev/tty1

Check the default rules:

$ grep -m1 'tty\[' /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/50-udev-default.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="tty", KERNEL=="tty[0-9]*", GROUP="tty", MODE="0620"

Custom rules must be processed after the default 50- so name the file 51- or 55- or 99- or similar.

(Bad) example:

$ vim /etc/udev/rules.d/51-udev-custom.rules

SUBSYSTEM=="tty", KERNEL=="tty[0-9]*", GROUP="tty", MODE="0660"

$ reboot
$ ls -l /dev/tty1
crw-rw---- 1 root tty 4, 2 May 23 22:50 /dev/tty1

NOTE: Ownership and permissions will change once login occurs on that tty.

Mount NTFS / SMB / SSHFS / systemd automount

/etc/fstab

/dev/sda2		/mnt/windows	ntfs-3g		uid=myuser,gid=mygroup,dmask=022,fmask=133	0 0

//192.168.1.1/music	/mnt/openwrt	cifs		_netdev,guest,vers=1.0,uid=myuser,gid=mygroup,dir_mode=0555,file_mode=0444,nounix,iocharset=utf8	0 0

pi@raspberrypi:/	/mnt/pi		fuse.sshfs	_netdev,reconnect,allow_other,default_permissions,ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3	0 0

root@192.168.1.2:/mnt/sda1	/mnt/openwrt	fuse.sshfs	noauto,_netdev,x-systemd.automount,x-systemd.mount-timeout=10,IdentityFile=/root/.ssh/id_rsa,allow_other,default_permissions	0 0

$ systemctl daemon-reload
$ systemctl restart remote-fs.target

udisksctl mount/unmount (removable) device partition

$ udisksctl status

Mount to /run/media/myusername/mydevicelabel:

$ udisksctl mount -b /dev/sdb1
or
$ udisksctl mount -b /dev/disk/by-label/mydevicelabel

Umount:

$ udisksctl unmount -b /dev/sdb1
or
$ udisksctl unmount -b /dev/disk/by-label/mydevicelabel

Eject:

$ udisksctl power-off -b /dev/sdb

locate DB and update via a cron job

$ pacman -S mlocate
$ updatedb
$ locate -S

$ pacman -S cronie

$ vim /etc/cron.daily/update_locate_db

/usr/bin/updatedb

$ chmod +x /etc/cron.daily/update_locate_db

$ systemctl enable --now cronie.service

Share files via SMB

$ pacman -S samba
$ wget -O /etc/samba/smb.conf 'https://git.samba.org/samba.git/?p=samba.git;a=blob_plain;f=examples/smb.conf.default'

$ vim /etc/samba/smb.conf

log file = /var/log/samba/%m.log
workgroup = MYWORKGROUP

[homes]
comment = Home Directories
browseable = no
writable = yes

$ smbpasswd -a myuser
$ systemctl --now enable smb.service
$ systemctl --now enable nmb.service

Xorg re-enable zap

For startx:

$ vim ~/.xinitrc

setxkbmap -option terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp &

For X login managers and others:

$ vim /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-zap.conf

Section "ServerFlags"
	Option			"DontZap" "false"
EndSection

Section "InputClass"
	Identifier		"Keyboard Defaults"
	MatchIsKeyboard	"yes"
	Option			"XkbOptions" "terminate:ctrl_alt_bksp"
EndSection

Xorg and Xfce desktop

$ pacman -S xorg-server
$ pacman -S xf86-video-amdgpu xf86-video-ati xf86-video-intel xf86-video-nouveau xf86-video-vesa

$ pacman -S xfce4 xfce4-goodies
$ pacman -S pulseaudio pulseaudio-alsa pavucontrol
$ pacman -S gvfs-smb ntfs-3g
$ pacman -S nm-applet

$ pacman -S xdg-user-dirs
$ xdg-user-dirs-update

$ pacman -S lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter lightdm-gtk-greeter-settings
$ pacman -S accountsservice
$ cp /path/to/myavatar_96x96.png ~/.face
$ systemctl --now enable lightdm.service

Xfce: hide Suspend and Hibernate from the logout dialog

$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-session -np '/shutdown/ShowSuspend' -t bool -s false
$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-session -np '/shutdown/ShowHibernate' -t bool -s false

Xfce: disable CSD (Client-Side Decorations)

$ xfconf-query -c xsettings -p /Gtk/DialogsUseHeader -s false

Ly - lightweight TUI display manager for console

$ pacman -S ly

$ vim /etc/ly/config.ini

# Doom fire
animate = true
# Focus on the session input field
default_input = 0
# Disable F1 shutdown & F2 reboot
restart_cmd = /usr/bin/ly-dm
shutdown_cmd = /usr/bin/ly-dm
# Switch to tty1
tty = 1

$ systemctl edit ly.service

[Service]
TTYPath=/dev/tty1

$ systemctl disable getty@tty1.service
$ systemctl enable ly.service

Qt apps theme appearance

$ pacman -S qt5ct

$ vim .xinitrc

export QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME=qt5ct

Fonts

DejaVu is modified Bitstream Vera with more Unicode stuff.

$ pacman -S gnu-free-fonts
$ pacman -S ttf-dejavu
$ pacman -S ttf-liberation
$ pacman -S ttf-ubuntu-font-family

Fixed-width/monospaced font for code:

$ pacman -S ttf-input

$ fc-conflist
$ cd /etc/fonts/conf.d
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.default/10-hinting-slight.conf
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.default/10-sub-pixel-rgb.conf
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.default/10-yes-antialias.conf
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.default/11-lcdfilter-default.conf
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.default/51-local.conf
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/70-no-bitmaps.conf

...or experiment for best appearance:

$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-hinting-full.conf
$ ln -s /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/10-sub-pixel-none.conf

BCI (Byte-Code Interpreter) hinting:

$ vim /etc/profile.d/freetype2.sh

#truetype:interpreter-version=35 (classic mode, emulates Windows 98; 2.6 default)
#truetype:interpreter-version=36 (classic Windows ClearType style)
#truetype:interpreter-version=38 ("Infinality" subpixel mode)
truetype:interpreter-version=40 (minimal subpixel mode; 2.7 default)

Font families fallback aliases for consistency across all apps:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <alias>
    <family>serif</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Serif</family>
      <family>Liberation Serif</family>
      <family>FreeSerif</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>sans-serif</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans</family>
      <family>Liberation Sans</family>
      <family>FreeSans</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>monospace</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans Mono</family>
      <family>Liberation Mono</family>
      <family>FreeMono</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Arial</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Courier</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans Mono</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Courier New</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans Mono</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Garamond</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Serif</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Georgia</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Serif</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Helvetica</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Lucida Console</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans Mono</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Tahoma</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Times</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Serif</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Times New Roman</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Serif</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <alias>
    <family>Trebuchet MS</family>
    <prefer>
      <family>DejaVu Sans</family>
    </prefer>
  </alias>
  <!-- Default font (no fc-match pattern) -->
  <match>
    <edit mode="append" name="family">
      <string>DejaVu Sans</string>
    </edit>
  </match>
</fontconfig>

Check:

$ fc-match
$ fc-match sans
$ fc-match serif
$ fc-match mono
$ fc-match "Times New Roman"
$ fc-match -a

Screensaver and lock

Power off display after 600 seconds (10 min).

$ xset dpms 0 0 600

Disable/enable DPMS.

$ xset -dpms
$ xset +dpms

Screensaver after 5 minutes, release grab after suspend, lock after 1200 seconds (20 min), display off after 600 seconds (10 min), different saver every 60 seconds, password timeout 5 seconds

$ pacman -S xlockmore xautolock

$ xautolock -time 5 -detectsleep -locker "xlock -lockdelay 1200 -dpmsoff 600 -mode random -duration 60 -erasedelay 0 -echokeys -echokey . -timeout 5"

Disable/enable autolock without terminating process.

$ xautolock -disable
$ xautolock -enable

Screensaver without lock

$ xautolock -time 5 -detectsleep -locker "xlock -nolock -mode random -duration 60 -erasedelay 0"

Picture slideshow without lock

$ pacman -S feh
$ xautolock -time 5 -detectsleep -locker "feh -z -D 5 -F --zoom=fill -Y -r /usr/share/backgrounds"

Xfce custom command to lock on sleep (read by xflock4)

$ pacman -S i3lock
$ xfconf-query --create -c xfce4-session -p /general/LockCommand -t string -s "i3lock -f -c 202020"

Check Xfce lock command.

$ xfconf-query -c xfce4-session -p /general/LockCommand

Reset Xfce lock command.

$ xfconf-query --reset -c xfce4-session -p /general/LockCommand

systemd unit to lock screen upon system sleep

$ vim /etc/systemd/system/lock-on-sleep@.service 

[Unit]
Description=Lock screen on sleep/suspend
Before=sleep.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=%i
Environment="DISPLAY=:0"
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/lock-on-sleep

# Wait for lock to prevent briefly showing desktop after resume
ExecStartPost=sleep 1

[Install]
WantedBy=sleep.target
#WantedBy=suspend.target

$ vim /usr/local/bin/lock-on-sleep

#!/bin/bash

xset dpms 0 0 120

# Release grab from 'xlock -nolock'
xautolock -unlocknow

#xlock -mode random -duration 60 -erasedelay 0 -echokeys -echokey . -timeout 5
i3lock -n -f -c 202020 -i $(shuf -n 1 -e /usr/local/backgrounds/*.png)

xset dpms 0 0 600

$ systemctl enable lock-on-sleep@myusername

Reload systemd after any changes to the unit.

$ systemctl daemon-reload

DPI

Warning: !!! 96 DPI is not standard !!!

Calculate proper DPI for specific hardware at https://www.pxcalc.com/

Example: 27" 2560x1440 display

DPI: 108.79
Dot Pitch: 0.2335 mm
Size: 23.53" × 13.24" (59.77 cm × 33.62 cm)

$ pacman -S xorg-xrandr
$ xrandr --dpi 109
$ xdpyinfo | grep dots

Login/Desktop Managers in general:

$ vim /etc/xprofile

xrandr --dpi 109

or

$ vim ~/.xprofile

xrandr --dpi 109

LightDM specifically:

$ vim /etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf

xft-dpi = 109

X Server:

$ vim /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc

exec /usr/bin/X -dpi 109 -nolisten tcp "$@"

or

$ vim ~/.xserverrc

exec /usr/bin/X -dpi 109 -nolisten tcp "$@"

X Resources (if not set by Desktop Environment):

$ vim ~/.Xresources

Xft.dpi: 109
Xft.autohint: 0
Xft.lcdfilter: lcddefault
Xft.hintstyle: hintfull
Xft.hinting: 1
Xft.antialias: 1
Xft.rgba: rgb

Firefox:

Note: Web pages appearance

Default DPI is 96. Change it in about:config by setting:

layout.css.devPixelsPerPx = x

...where x = DPI / 96

Example: 27" 2560x1440 display, x = 108.79 / 96 = 1.133229167

Note: Application window and menus appearance

Default DPI is 96. System DPI is only used if system DPI > 96. Force using lower system DPI by setting in about:config layout.css.dpi = 0
Default font scale in about:config is font.size.systemFontScale = 100
Do not increase Default zoom in Preferences

x11vnc

$ pacman -S x11vnc
$ x11vnc -storepasswd
$ x11vnc -usepw -shared -forever -reopen -nolookup

Drop current client connection when new client connects: -nevershared

Ignore options in rc file: -norc

$ vim ~/.x11vncrc

desktop My Desktop
rfbport 5900
display :0
usepw
shared
forever
reopen
nolookup

Run X apps without real X

$ pacman -S xorg-server-xvfb

Virtual framebuffer X -screen num WxHxD (color depth)

$ Xvfb :1 -screen 0 1x1x8
$ DISPLAY=:1 myxapp

xbindkeys

$ pacman -S xbindkeys
$ xbindkeys -d > ~/.xbindkeysrc
$ vim ~/.xbindkeysrc

# Volume up/down via Super + mouse wheel
"pamixer -i 5"
  Mod2+Mod4 + b:4

"pamixer -d 5"
  Mod2+Mod4 + b:5

# Volume up/down via Super + Keypad +/-
"pamixer -i 5"
  Mod2+Mod4 + KP_Add

"pamixer -d 5"
  Mod2+Mod4 + KP_Subtract

# Toggle mute via Super + Keypad *
"pamixer -t"
  Mod2+Mod4 + KP_Multiply

# Set volume to 50% via Super + Keypad /
"pamixer --set-volume 50"
  Mod2+Mod4 + KP_Divide

# Toggle Play/Pause in active player via Super + Pause/Break
"playerctl play-pause"
  Mod2+Mod4 + Pause

Identify multi key pressed:

$ xbindkeys -mk

Run in foreground first to check if rc file is valid:

$ xbindkeys -n

Intel hardware video acceleration

$ pacman -S intel-media-driver libva-intel-driver libvdpau-va-gl
$ pacman -S libva-utils vdpauinfo

Pro audio

CPU frequency governor

$ pacman -S cpupower

$ cpupower frequency-set -g performance
$ cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor

$ cpupower frequency-info
...
hardware limits: 800 MHz - 3.00 GHz
...(max 2.4 with turbo boost to 3.0)

$ cpupower frequency-set -d 2.4GHz
$ cpupower frequency-set -u 3.0GHz

$ vim /etc/default/cpupower
$ systemctl enable cpupower.service

Low-latency kernel

Warning: !!! realtime preemption (PREEMPT) ≠ realtime scheduling (PREEMPT_RT) !!!

Check:

$ uname -v
#1 SMP PREEMPT Wed, 18 May 2022 17:30:11 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Threaded IRQs non-realtime kernel (optional)

Check:

$ zgrep "CONFIG_IRQ_FORCED_THREADING" /proc/config.gz
CONFIG_IRQ_FORCED_THREADING=y

Enable:

$ vim /etc/default/grub
...
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="... ... threadirqs"
...

Realtime priority

$ pacman -S realtime-privileges

$ vim /etc/security/limits.d/99-realtime-privileges.conf

@realtime - rtprio 98
@realtime - memlock unlimited
@realtime - nice -11

(nice uses SCHED_OTHER so it is not applicable to low-latency real-time audio using SCHED_FIFO / SCHED_RR)

$ gpasswd -a myusername realtime

If not using a login manager, configure PAM too:

$ vim /etc/pam.d/su

session required pam_limits.so

Log out, log back in.

Check:

$ ulimit -r
$ ulimit -a
$ chrt -m

Test:

(should not return: Operation not permitted)

$ chrt -v 90 true

MIDI & JACK

$ pacman -S jack2 python-dbus qjackctl a2jmidid alsa-utils

QjackCtl

- Driver: alsa
- Realtime: ✓ (if using linux-rt)
- MIDI Driver: seq
- Output Device: myoutputdevice
- Enable D-Bus interface: ✓
- Enable JACK D-Bus interface: ✓

(Soon to be replaced by PipeWire)

PipeWire

(soon...)

$ pacman -S pipewire
$ pacman -S pipewire-alsa pipewire-pulse pipewire-jack

$ pacman -S helvum
$ pacman -S easyeffects

DAW, plugin hosts & softsynths

~/.bashrc

# VST3 in ~/.vst3
# VST/VST2
export VST_PATH=/usr/lib/vst:/usr/local/lib/vst:~/.vst
# uncommon, only used by Ardour and Qtractor
export LXVST_PATH=/usr/lib/lxvst:/usr/local/lib/lxvst:~/.lxvst
# current Linux-only native container
export LV2_PATH=/usr/lib/lv2:/usr/local/lib/lv2:~/.lv2
# old precursor to LV2
export LADSPA_PATH=/usr/lib/ladspa:/usr/local/lib/ladspa:~/.ladspa
# old LADSPA successor
export DSSI_PATH=/usr/lib/dssi:/usr/local/lib/dssi:~/.dssi

$ pacman -Sgq vst-plugins | pacman -Si -
$ pacman -Si $(pacman -Sgq lv2-plugins)

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

renoise
reaper
bitwig
tracktion-waveform
qtractor (sequencer with DAW features)
ardour
sunvox

Host

carla

VST / VST2 / VST3 / lxvst (.so)

surge
helm-synth
vital
dexed
odin2
zynaddsubfx
obxd [old] [new]
xhip
tunefish4
amsynth
digitsvst-git
tal-plugins
uhe-podolski-vst
uhe-triplecheese-vst
uhe-tyrellN6

LV2 (.so)

yoshimi
bristol (+ pybristol GUI)
calf (various stuff) [1]
synthv1
padthv1
samplv1
drumkv1

Windows© VST (.dll) plugin bridge

$ pacman -S wine-staging winetricks
$ pacman -S yabridge yabridgectl

$ wine vst1_installer.exe
$ wine vst2_installer.exe
...

$ yabridgectl sync
$ yabridgectl status

$ yabridgectl add /custom/path/to/windows/vst
$ yabridgectl list
$ yabridgectl sync
$ yabridgectl status

http://www.linuxsynths.com/index.html
https://distrho.sourceforge.io/ports.php

pacman

package Groups vs Meta packages

- group name alone is not installed; group members are individual packages being installed explicitly
- meta package is installed explicitly; meta depends are individual packages being installed as dependencies

Sync package database from remote repos and install package(s) along with dependencies:

$ pacman -S ttf-dejavu

Refresh the syncdb and update all packages (-w only download, don't install):

$ pacman -Syu

Best practice: Run within a terminal multiplexer to avoid interruptions due to X/Wayland/desktop/WM/terminal crashes or other issues

alias Syu="screen -DRq Syu bash -c 'sudo pacman -Syu; bash'"

Ignore updates for specified packages:

(This time only)

$ pacman -Syu --ignore linux

(Every time)

/etc/pacman.conf

IgnorePkg = linux linux-headers systemd xorg-server

Update the previously ignored packages:

$ pacman -S linux linux-headers

Update and skip dependency checks (e.g. due to conflicts caused by AUR packages):

$ paru -Sd package1-that-couldnt-be-updated
$ pacman -S package2

Don't touch/upgrade certain files during update:

/etc/pacman.conf

NoUpgrade = etc/passwd etc/group etc/shadow

Search for a string in the package syncdb (-q quiet):

$ pacman -Ss ttf font

Show info about a package:

$ pacman -Si kodi

List groups:

$ pacman -Sg

List members of group:

$ pacman -Sg kodi-addons

List all dependencies of a package (formatted):

$ pacman -Sp --print-format %n-%v plasma-meta

List packages in a given repository:

$ pacman -Sl core
$ pacman -Sl extra
$ pacman -Sl community
$ pacman -Sl multilib

Install (update) a package from a local file:

$ pacman -U redshifter-20200404-1-any.pkg.tar.xz

Refresh the files syncdb:

$ pacman -Fy

Find files inside packages in syncdb:

$ pacman -F lsusb

Find files inside packages by regex:

$ pacman -Fx "panel.*png"

List all files owned by a package (installed or not, search syncdb):

$ pacman -Fl usbutils

Query installed packages by a string in localdb (empty string = list all):

$ pacman -Qs ttf
$ pacman -Qs

List upgradeable (outdated/held) packages:

$ pacman -Qu

List explicitly installed packages:

$ pacman -Qe

List packages installed as dependencies:

$ pacman -Qd

List installed packages not directly required and not optionally required:

$ pacman -Qt

List installed packages optionally required but not directly required:

$ pacman -Qtt

List installed packages that are unrequired dependencies (orphans):

$ pacman -Qtd

List installed native packages:

$ pacman -Qn

List installed foreign packages (e.g. from AUR):

$ pacman -Qm

Show info about an installed package:

$ pacman -Qi usbutils

List files owned by an installed package:

$ pacman -Ql usbutils

Query localdb which installed package owns a file:

$ pacman -Qo /usr/bin/pactl

Work with a local package file (-p) instead of localdb:

(-i display info, -l list files)

$ pacman -Qp redshifter-20200404-1-any.pkg.tar.xz
$ pacman -Qip redshifter-20200404-1-any.pkg.tar.xz
$ pacman -Qlp redshifter-20200404-1-any.pkg.tar.xz

Remove package only:

$ pacman -R usbutils

Recursively remove a package, its dependencies (if not needed by other packages), and saved files:

$ pacman -Rsn usbutils

(-ss force remove ALL dependencies)

Warning: !!! DANGEROUS !!! Will break other packages

$ pacman -Rssn usbutils

Cascade remove package and all packages that depend on it:

Warning: !!! CAUTION !!! Will remove other needed packages

$ pacman -Rc exo

Maintenance

Install pacdiff:

$ pacman -S pacman-contrib

Scan for .pacorig, .pacnew, .pacsave files:

$ pacdiff -o

or

$ pacdiff -o -l    # use locate
$ pacdiff -o -f    # use find

Merge or delete .pacorig, .pacnew, .pacsave files:

$ pacdiff

or

$ pacdiff -l
$ pacdiff -f
$ pacdiff -s    # use sudo

Install pacutils:

$ pacman -S pacutils

Find files not owned by any package:

$ pacreport --unowned-files > /root/pacreport.log

Find wrong permissions by checking package files against MTREE data:

$ paccheck --file-properties --quiet > /root/paccheck.log

Remove orphans (unused packages):

$ pacman -Rsn $(pacman -Qtdq)

Clean uninstalled packages cache and syncdb (-cc also installed packages cache):

$ pacman -Sc
$ pacman -Scc

Check integrity of installed packages (all / specific / filter by missing files):

$ pacman -Qk
$ pacman -Qk fontconfig
$ pacman -Qk | grep -v '0 missing'

Display modified files:

$ pacman -Qii | awk '/^MODIFIED/ {print $2}'

IF EVER NEEDED, reinstall all native packages:

$ pacman -S $(pacman -Qnq)

Generate mirror list:

$ pacman -S reflector
$ reflector --country CA,US --protocol http,https --latest 200 --fastest 5 --sort score --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

AUR helpers / wrappers

aurget: written in Bash (no longer maintained)

$ wget -O PKGBUILD https://aur.archlinux.org/cgit/aur.git/plain/PKGBUILD?h=aurget
$ makepkg -si

aurget configuration:

$ cp /usr/share/doc/aurget/samples/aurgetrc ~/.config/aurgetrc

$ vim ~/.config/aurgetrc

build_directory="$HOME/Builds"
edit_pkgbuilds='never'

paru: written in Rust (pre-made bin package)

$ git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru-bin.git
$ cd paru-bin
$ makepkg -si

paru configuration:

$ cp /etc/paru.conf ~/.config/paru/paru.conf

$ vim ~/.config/paru/paru.conf

[options]
AurOnly
BatchInstall
#SkipReview
SortBy=popularity

Others:

yay: written in Go
aura: written in Haskell
pikaur: written in Python

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/AUR_helpers

AUR make a package

Set packager name:

$ vim /etc/makepkg.conf

PACKAGER="Your Name <your@email.dom>"

makepkg common options:

$ makepkg -si    # build and install

$ makepkg -fs    # force rebuild

$ makepkg -fsi    # force rebuild and install

Optional validation tool:

$ pacman -S namcap

Build steps:

$ wget -O PKGBUILD https://gitlab.archlinux.org/pacman/pacman/raw/master/proto/PKGBUILD.proto
$ vim PKGBUILD
$ makepkg -g >> PKGBUILD
$ namcap PKGBUILD    # for information messages in addition to warnings: namcap -i PKGBUILD
$ makepkg -s
$ namcap yourpackagename-1.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz

AUR upload package

#    Generate keypair
$ ssh-keygen -f ~/.ssh/aur

#    Change/remove passphrase if needed
$ ssh-keygen -p -f ~/.ssh/aur

#    Change/remove comment if needed
$ ssh-keygen -c -f ~/.ssh/aur

#    Specify private key for AUR remote
$ vim ~/.ssh/config

Host aur.archlinux.org
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/aur
  User aur

Copy public key ~/.ssh/aur.pub to AURweb under My Account

#    Configure git

$ git config --global user.name "Your Name"
$ git config --global user.email "your@email.dom"

#    Method 1: clone empty git repo to create it

$ cd ~/Builds
$ git clone ssh://aur@aur.archlinux.org/redshifter.git
$ cd redshifter

$ vim PKGBUILD
$ makepkg --printsrcinfo > .SRCINFO

$ git add PKGBUILD .SRCINFO
$ git commit -m "your comment"
$ git push

#    Method 2: add empty remote repo to create it

$ cd ~/Builds/xhip
$ vim PKGBUILD
$ makepkg --printsrcinfo > .SRCINFO

$ git init
$ git add PKGBUILD .SRCINFO
$ git commit -m "your comment"

$ git remote add origin ssh://aur@aur.archlinux.org/xhip.git
$ git push -u origin master

#    Method 3a: pull from existing repo

$ cd ~/Builds/freepats-ydp-grand-piano
$ git init
$ git remote add origin ssh://aur@aur.archlinux.org/freepats-ydp-grand-piano.git
$ git pull origin master

$ vim PKGBUILD
$ makepkg --printsrcinfo > .SRCINFO

$ git add PKGBUILD .SRCINFO
$ git commit -m "your comment"
$ git push

#    Method 3b: fetch and branch from existing repo

$ cd ~/Builds/freepats-ydp-grand-piano
$ git init
$ git remote add origin ssh://aur@aur.archlinux.org/freepats-ydp-grand-piano.git
$ git fetch    # git fetch origin master
$ git checkout -tb master    # git checkout -tb master origin/master

$ vim PKGBUILD
$ makepkg --printsrcinfo > .SRCINFO

$ git add PKGBUILD .SRCINFO
$ git commit -m "your comment"
$ git push

#    More git commands

$ git remote -v    # See remotes
$ git branch -a    # See all branches (local and remote)
$ git branch -vv    # See hash and subject

$ git status
$ git log    # See commits log
$ git log -p    # See commits diffs (--patch)
$ git diff master origin/master
$ git diff master...origin/master

$ git commit -am "your comment"    # Commit all (-a) changed files

$ git reset    # Reset uncommitted changes
$ git revert HEAD    # Undo commits

Favorite essential packages

terminator
bash-completion
vim
mc
screen
nmap
htop
iftop
locate
wget
rsync
x11vnc
xbindkeys
redshift
xrandr
pamixer
playerctl
networkmanager-applet networkmanager-openconnect

Medium creation

Installation

Configuration

Enable network

NTP via systemd-timesyncd

Swap file

zram swap

SSD optimizations: TRIM and swappiness

CPU microcode updates

CFS ZEN tweaks

tty display power saving

Hardware monitoring

Vim configuration

GNU Screen configuration

GNU Readline

Add Ctrl+left and Ctrl+right to console keymap

Disable power button

Disable Ctrl-Alt-Delete in console

Don't clear console on boot

Enable reboot and more (REISUB) via Magic SysRq Key

Disable account lockout on authentication failure

sudo

pkexec auth for Xorg applications

Polkit only allow local admin shutdown/reboot/sleep

Udev device permissions

Mount NTFS / SMB / SSHFS / systemd automount

udisksctl mount/unmount (removable) device partition

locate DB and update via a cron job

Share files via SMB

Xorg re-enable zap

Xorg and Xfce desktop

Ly - lightweight TUI display manager for console

Qt apps theme appearance

Fonts

Screensaver and lock

DPI

x11vnc

Run X apps without real X

xbindkeys

Intel hardware video acceleration

Pro audio

CPU frequency governor

Low-latency kernel

Realtime priority

MIDI & JACK

PipeWire

DAW, plugin hosts & softsynths

Windows© VST (.dll) plugin bridge

pacman

Maintenance

AUR helpers / wrappers

AUR make a package

AUR upload package

Favorite essential packages

More info