Omarchy/Install/Log/26/02/15 Sun

• Arch Linux Install Log - Intel MacBook Pro

  • Public note: sensitive identifiers have been redacted for sharing.

  • Goal

    • Install Arch (manual Omarchy method) on an Intel MacBook Pro with a full disk wipe.

  • Quick Run Log

    • Trying Omarchy/Install/Manual another time with Omarchy/v/3/3/0.
    • download raw Arch ISO archlinux-2026.02.01-x86_64.iso from an official Arch mirror.
    • verify downloaded archlinux-2026.02.01-x86_64.iso against archlinux-2026.02.01-x86_64.iso.sig using gpg --keyserver-options auto-key-retrieve --verify archlinux-2026.02.01-x86_64.iso.sig.

      • gpg --keyserver-options auto-key-retrieve --verify archlinux-2026.02.01-x86_64.iso.sig
        gpg: assuming signed data in 'archlinux-2026.02.01-x86_64.iso'
        gpg: Signature made Sun Feb  1 03:08:03 2026 EST
        gpg:                using EDDSA key 3E80CA1A8B89F69CBA57D98A76A5EF9054449A5C
        gpg:                issuer "pierre@archlinux.org"
        gpg: key 76A5EF9054449A5C: public key "Pierre Schmitz <pierre@archlinux.org>" imported
        gpg: key 7F2D434B9741E8AC: public key "Pierre Schmitz <pierre@archlinux.org>" imported
        gpg: key 76A5EF9054449A5C: "Pierre Schmitz <pierre@archlinux.org>" not changed
        gpg: key 7F2D434B9741E8AC: "Pierre Schmitz <pierre@archlinux.org>" not changed
        gpg: Total number processed: 4
        gpg:               imported: 2
        gpg:              unchanged: 2
        gpg: no ultimately trusted keys found
        gpg: Good signature from "Pierre Schmitz <pierre@archlinux.org>" [unknown]
        gpg: WARNING: The key's User ID is not certified with a trusted signature!
        gpg:          There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.
        Primary key fingerprint: 3E80 CA1A 8B89 F69C BA57  D98A 76A5 EF90 5444 9A5C

      • Result: Good signature confirms the .sig matches the ISO bytes.
      • Note: trust warning means local Web of Trust trust is not established yet; it is not a signature failure.
      • Verified fingerprint 3E80 CA1A 8B89 F69C BA57 D98A 76A5 EF90 5444 9A5C against official Arch sources:
        • Arch Linux Downloads
        • Arch Linux Master Keys
    • use balenaEtcher to write the ISO to a USB drive.
    • insert USB and power on while holding the Option key.
    • select Wi-Fi and then choose EFI Boot.
    • boot the Arch ISO in UEFI mode.
    • confirm wireless hardware with lspci | grep -i network.
      • Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM43602 802.11ac Wireless LAN SoC (rev 01)
    • try iwctl.

      • device list
        station wlan0 scan
        station wlan0 get-networks
        station wlan0 connect YOUR_SSID

  • 1) Boot and Initial Setup

    • Burned Arch ISO to USB.
    • Booted while holding Option.
    • Selected EFI Boot.
    • Verified UEFI mode.

  • 2) Disk Partitioning (Full Wipe)

    • Used cfdisk /dev/sda.
    • Final GPT layout:
      • /dev/sda1 - 512M - EFI System
      • /dev/sda2 - ~465G - Linux filesystem
    • Formatted:

      • mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1
        mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda2

    • Mounted:

      • mount /dev/sda2 /mnt
        mkdir /mnt/boot
        mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot

  • 3) Base Install

    • pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware networkmanager sudo vim

    • Generated fstab:

      • genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab

    • Entered chroot:

      • arch-chroot /mnt

  • 4) System Configuration

    • Timezone

      • ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/<local-timezone> /etc/localtime
        hwclock --systohc

    • Locale

      • Uncommented en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8 in /etc/locale.gen.

      • locale-gen
        echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf

    • Hostname

      • echo "<host-name>" > /etc/hostname

      • Created /etc/hosts.

    • Root Password

      • passwd

    • Enable NetworkManager

      • systemctl enable NetworkManager

  • 5) Bootloader (systemd-boot)

    • Installed:

      • bootctl install

    • Created /boot/loader/loader.conf:

      • default arch
        timeout 3
        editor no
        console-mode keep

    • Created /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf.
    • Used PARTUUID instead of /dev/sda2:

      • blkid -s PARTUUID -o value /dev/sda2

    • Entry file:

      • title   Arch Linux
        linux   /vmlinuz-linux
        initrd  /initramfs-linux.img
        options root=PARTUUID=<value> rw

  • 6) First Boot

    • Rebooted.
    • Held Option.
    • Selected EFI Boot.
    • Reached <host-name> login: prompt.
    • System successfully booted from internal disk.

  • 7) Wi-Fi Debugging (Broadcom BCM43602)

    • Initial attempts:
      • Installed broadcom-wl.
      • modprobe wl succeeded.
      • No network interface appeared.
      • dmesg showed NULL ieee80211 pointer error.
    • Conclusion:
      • wl driver is unstable on the current kernel.

  • 8) Temporary Networking Attempts

    • Attempt 1: iPhone USB Tethering (successful on ISO)

      • During live ISO phase:
        • Loaded ipheth.
        • USB device detected correctly.
        • Kernel message observed:

          • ipheth 1-5:1.2: Apple iPhone USB Ethernet device attached
            ipheth 1-5:1.2 enp0s20u5i2: renamed from eth0

        • Interface enp0s20u5i2 appeared in ip link.
        • Ran:

          • dhcpcd enp0s20u5i2

        • Successfully obtained DHCP lease (172.20.10.x).
        • Verified connectivity with:

          • ping archlinux.org

      • This provided temporary working internet during installation.

    • Attempt 2: iPhone USB Tethering (post-install failure)

      • After reboot into installed system:
        • ipheth module loaded.
        • USB device detected.
        • Repeated USB connect/disconnect loops.
        • No network interface created.
        • No blue hotspot banner on iPhone.
        • Possible Lightning port instability or USB negotiation issue (hypothesis, not confirmed).
      • Conclusion:
        • USB tethering is unreliable post-install.
        • Root cause is undetermined and may be Lightning port instability, USB cable behavior, iOS policy differences, or kernel behavior differences between live ISO and installed system.

    • Attempt 3: Continue Without Network

      • pacman failed (no internet).

  • 9) Get Internet to Finish Installation

    • Use another computer as internet bridge.
    • Hardware required:
      • USB-A to Gigabit Ethernet adapter (for MacBook)
      • Existing Ethernet cable
    • Topology:
      • Internet (Wi-Fi) -> Internet Sharing -> Ethernet -> USB-A to Ethernet adapter -> Arch MacBook
    • Windows steps:
      • ncpa.cpl
      • Wi-Fi adapter -> Properties -> Sharing
      • Enable Internet Sharing
      • Share to Ethernet
    • Arch steps:

      • ip link
        dhcpcd <ethernet-interface>
        ping archlinux.org

  • Current State

    • [x] Arch installed
    • [x] Bootloader working
    • [x] System boots cleanly
    • [x] NetworkManager enabled
    • [ ] Wi-Fi not yet functional
    • [ ] Temporary network pending via Ethernet bridge

  • Next Steps After Ethernet Is Live

    • Remove unstable broadcom-wl.
    • Use in-kernel brcmfmac + firmware.
    • Possibly install linux-lts.
    • Confirm Wi-Fi device appears.

  • Summary

    • Installation succeeded cleanly.
    • The only blocker is reliable network access for firmware and driver stabilization.
    • Once Ethernet bridge is connected, system finalization should take about 10 minutes.