archconfigs

Arch Linux automated installation configurations with netboot.xyz integration, optimized for Dell XPS 15 9500 with ZFS and Hyprland.

Overview

This repository provides:

• archinstall configurations: JSON configuration files for automated Arch Linux installations with ZFS
• netboot.xyz integration: Custom iPXE menus for network booting Arch Linux
• Dell XPS 15 9500 scripts: Pre-install and post-install setup scripts
• dotfiles: System configuration files for NVIDIA, Hyprland, touchpad, etc.

Directory Structure

├── archinstall/                          # Archinstall configuration files
│   ├── user_configuration.json           # System config (ZFS, Hyprland, packages)
│   └── user_credentials.json             # User accounts and passwords
├── dotfiles/                             # System configuration files
│   ├── hypr/
│   │   └── nvidia.conf                   # Hyprland NVIDIA environment vars
│   └── etc/
│       ├── modprobe.d/
│       │   ├── nvidia.conf               # NVIDIA kernel module options
│       │   └── audio.conf                # Audio fixes
│       ├── X11/xorg.conf.d/
│       │   └── 30-touchpad.conf          # Touchpad configuration
│       └── udev/rules.d/
│           ├── 80-nvidia-pm.rules        # NVIDIA power management
│           └── 99-i2c-touchpad.rules     # Touchpad power management
├── netboot/                              # Netboot.xyz files
│   ├── custom.ipxe                       # Custom iPXE menu for Arch Linux
│   └── boot.cfg                          # Boot configuration
├── scripts/                              # Helper scripts
│   ├── dell-xps-init.sh                  # ZFS pre-install script
│   ├── xps9500-hyprland-setup.sh         # Post-install driver setup
│   ├── validate-configs.sh               # Validate JSON configuration files
│   └── generate-config-url.sh            # Generate URLs for archinstall
└── README.md

Quick Start - Dell XPS 15 9500

Prerequisites

• Boot into Arch Linux ISO (USB or netboot)
• Connect to internet: iwctl station wlan0 connect <SSID>

If cloning the repo locally:

chmod +x scripts/*.sh

Step 1: ZFS Setup (⚠️ Run First!)

This must run BEFORE archinstall — it partitions the disk and creates the ZFS pool:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielbodnar/archconfigs/main/scripts/dell-xps-init.sh | bash

This script:

• Installs ZFS on archiso
• Partitions the disk (1GB EFI + ZFS)
• Creates ZFS pool with optimal settings
• Creates ZFS datasets (ROOT, home, var)
• Mounts filesystems at /mnt

Verify setup before continuing:

zpool list        # Should show 'zroot' pool
findmnt /mnt      # Should show ZFS mount

Step 2: Run archinstall

With filesystems already mounted at /mnt, archinstall will install to the existing layout:

archinstall --config https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielbodnar/archconfigs/main/archinstall/user_configuration.json

Step 3: Post-Install (After First Boot)

After rebooting into your new system, run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielbodnar/archconfigs/main/scripts/xps9500-hyprland-setup.sh | sudo bash

This script:

• Enables multilib repository (for 32-bit packages)
• Installs NVIDIA drivers (dkms)
• Configures hybrid graphics
• Sets up Hyprland for NVIDIA
• Configures touchpad, audio, Bluetooth
• Sets up power management

Step 4: Configure Hyprland

Add to ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf:

source = /etc/hypr/nvidia.conf

Network Boot Installation

Option 1: Network Boot with netboot.xyz

1. Set up a netboot.xyz server
2. Copy the netboot/ files to your server
3. Update the github_user and github_repo variables in netboot/boot.cfg
4. Boot your machine via PXE and select the custom menu

Option 2: Manual URL Installation

archinstall --config "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielbodnar/archconfigs/main/archinstall/user_configuration.json" \
            --creds "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielbodnar/archconfigs/main/archinstall/user_credentials.json"

Configuration Details

user_configuration.json

The main archinstall configuration includes:

• Hostname: xps
• Kernels: linux, linux-zen
• Bootloader: Systemd-boot
• Disk: Manual ZFS partitioning
• Desktop: Hyprland with sddm greeter
• Graphics: All open-source drivers
• Custom repos: archzfs for ZFS packages

Packages

The configuration installs a curated set of packages including:

• ZFS: zfs-linux, zfs-linux-zen, zfs-utils
• Terminal: ghostty, alacritty, nushell
• Editor: neovim, neovide, zed
• Rust tools: cargo-*, rustup
• Containers: podman, podman-compose, podman-desktop
• Fonts: nerd-fonts, ttf-firacode-nerd, ttf-hack-nerd

Dotfiles

System configuration files extracted for easy deployment:

File	Purpose
dotfiles/hypr/nvidia.conf	Hyprland NVIDIA environment variables
dotfiles/etc/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf	NVIDIA kernel module options
dotfiles/etc/modprobe.d/audio.conf	Intel HDA audio fixes
dotfiles/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/30-touchpad.conf	XWayland touchpad config
dotfiles/etc/udev/rules.d/80-nvidia-pm.rules	NVIDIA power management
dotfiles/etc/udev/rules.d/99-i2c-touchpad.rules	Touchpad power fixes

user_credentials.json

Contains user account information for automated installation.

⚠️ Important for Automated Installation: The netboot automated installation requires valid password hashes. Using null will cause the installation to hang waiting for input.

Generating password hashes:

# Generate a yescrypt hash (recommended for archinstall, produces $y$ format)
mkpasswd -m yescrypt 'your-password-here'

# Alternative: SHA-512 hash (produces $6$ format, also supported)
openssl passwd -6 'your-password-here'

Replace the example hashes in user_credentials.json with your generated hashes:

{
  "!root-password": "$y$j9T$YOUR_GENERATED_HASH_HERE$...",
  "!users": [
    {
      "!password": "$y$j9T$YOUR_GENERATED_HASH_HERE$...",
      "sudo": true,
      "username": "daniel"
    }
  ]
}

Security Note: Never commit real password hashes to public repositories. For private repos or local use, generate fresh hashes before installation.

Validation

chmod +x scripts/*.sh
./scripts/validate-configs.sh

Hardware Specifics

Dell XPS 15 9500

• CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1650 Ti + Intel UHD 630
• Wi-Fi: Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650
• Touchpad: ELAN (requires firmware updates)

Known Issues

• Fingerprint reader not supported on Linux
• Deep sleep (S3) may have issues - s2idle recommended
• Touchpad may be laggy without firmware update (update-touchpad-firmware)

Resources

• Archinstall Documentation
• ZFS on Arch Linux
• Hyprland Wiki
• netboot.xyz Documentation

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details