Merge pull request #89 from AerynOS/update-getting-started

Getting Started: Rework the Getting Started section to be clearer and up-to-date

Author: CookieSource

astro.config.mjs

@@ -100,12 +100,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
                 { slug: "users/getting-started" },
                 { slug: "users/getting-started/requirements" },
                 { slug: "users/getting-started/downloading" },
-                {
-                  slug: "users/getting-started/creating-the-live-enviroment",
-                },
-                {
-                  slug: "users/getting-started/booting-the-live-environment",
-                },
+                { slug: "users/getting-started/creating-the-live-enviroment" },
+                { slug: "users/getting-started/booting-the-live-environment" },
+                { slug: "users/getting-started/installing-aerynos" },
               ],
             },
             {

src/content/docs/Users/Getting Started/booting-the-live-environment.mdx

@@ -8,21 +8,19 @@ import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
 ## Booting from a USB Drive
 
-<Aside type="note">
-Ensure that your system is set to boot from the USB drive. You may need to access the boot menu to select the USB drive as the boot device.
-</Aside>
-
 <Aside type="caution">
 Currently NVIDIA Drivers are not implemented by the live environment and will fallback to nouveau drivers.
 </Aside>
 
 1. Insert the bootable USB drive into your system and boot from the USB drive.
-2. You should see the AerynOS boot process, and you will be presented with the live environment.
+2. Adjust or override your BIOS settings to boot from the USB drive.
+3. You should see the AerynOS boot process, and you will be presented with the live environment.
+4. **If utilizing Ventoy** select the AerynOS ISO file to boot from.
 
 ## Testing the Live Environment
 
 <Aside type="tip">
-The live environment may run slower than the installed system due to the limitations of running from a USB drive.
+For a representative experience, you will need to install AerynOS. The live environment will run slower than an installed system due to the limitations of running from a USB drive.
 </Aside>
 
 Once you have booted into the live environment, you can test AerynOS without installing it on your system.

src/content/docs/Users/Getting Started/creating-the-live-enviroment.mdx

@@ -4,67 +4,43 @@ lastUpdated: 2024-09-10T23:43:21+08:00
 description: Creating a live environment to boot into and run the AerynOS installer
 ---
 
-## Creating a Bootable USB Drive
-
 import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
-<Aside type="danger">
-Creating a bootable USB drive will erase all data on the USB drive. Make sure to back up any important data before proceeding.
-</Aside>
+# Creating a Bootable USB Drive
 
-<Aside type="caution">
-Ensure the USB drive is properly ejected after flashing the ISO to avoid data corruption.
-</Aside>
+## Prerequisites
 
-You'll need your USB drive and the ISO file downloaded from the [AerynOS download page](https://download.AerynOS.com).
+- Instructions for [Downloading AerynOS](/users/getting-started/downloading/).
+- You will need a spare USB drive that you don't mind wiping.
 
-### Linux
+## Option 1: Using Ventoy on a USB drive
 
-1. Insert your USB drive into an available USB port on your machine.
-2. Open a terminal window and navigate to the directory where the ISO file is located.
+Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drives that can boot multiple operating systems by placing their respective ISO files on the USB drive. This flexibility is particularly useful as it allows users to have a single USB drive for installation of multiple operating systems. Support for AerynOS was added in version [1.1.10](https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_news.html).
 
-```bash
-cd ~/Downloads
-```
+Ventoy has several options for creating a bootable USB drive. These instructions with vary depending on your current OS. You can find the instructions for creating a bootable Ventoy USB drive on the [Ventoy website](https://www.ventoy.net/en/doc_start.html).
 
-3. Identify the device name of your USB drive by running the following command:
+1. Follow the instructions for creating a bootable Ventoy USB drive.
+2. Copy the latest AerynOS ISO to the root directory of the "Ventoy" drive
 
-```bash
-lsblk
-```
-
-Look for the device name of your USB drive, it will be something like `/dev/sdX` where `X` is a letter representing the device.
-
-<Aside type="caution">
-Do not confuse this with the partition name, which will be something like `/dev/sdX1`.
-</Aside>
+## Option 2: Preparing an install medium using Etcher
 
-4. Now run the following command to write the ISO file to the USB drive:
+1. Download the latest version of [Balena Etcher](https://etcher.balena.io/) for your OS.
+2. Launch the application
+3. Select the latest AerynOS ISO you have already downloaded
+4. Select the inserted USB stick
+5. Flash!
+6. Ensure the USB drive is properly ejected after flashing the ISO to avoid data corruption.
 
-<Aside type="caution">
-Ensure you are using the correct device name for your USB drive to avoid data loss.
-</Aside>
-
-<Aside type="note">
-This may take some time to complete depending on the size of the ISO file and the speed of your USB drive.
+<Aside type="danger">
+Creating a bootable USB drive using Etcher will erase all data on the USB drive. Make sure to back up any important data before proceeding.
 </Aside>
 
-```bash
-sudo dd if=aerynos-<version>.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M conv=fsync oflag=direct status=progress
-```
-
-This command will write the ISO file to the USB drive and you'll see a progress indicator as it completes.
-
-5. To ensure the write process has completed successfully, run the following command:
-
-```bash
-sudo sync
-```
+### Alternative options
 
-Once the command has run, you can safely remove the USB drive from your machine.
+There are several alternative options that can be used for creating a bootable USB drive. These include, but are not limited to:
 
-### Windows
+- **Rufus**: A free and open-source tool for Windows that can create bootable USB drives.
+- **dd**: A Linux command-line utility that can be used to create bootable USB drives from the command line.
+- **GNOME Disks**: A graphical tool that can be used to create bootable USB drives on Linux.
 
-1. Insert your USB drive into an available USB port on your machine.
-2. Download and install [Rufus](https://rufus.ie/), a free and open-source tool for creating bootable USB drives.
-3. **TODO**: Add steps for using Rufus to create a bootable USB drive.
+You can find instructions for these various options online via your favorite search engine.

src/content/docs/Users/Getting Started/downloading.mdx

@@ -8,23 +8,16 @@ import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
 ## Downloading the ISO
 
-1. Visit the [AerynOS download page](https://download.aerynos.com).
-2. Look for the latest release available for download, the official ISO files are named `AerynOS-<version>-<desktop>-<architecture>.iso`.
-
-  <Aside>
-  There may be multiple versions available with different desktop environments denoted by `AerynOS-<version>-<desktop>-<architecture>.iso` where `<desktop>` is the desktop environment.
-  </Aside>
-
-3. Click on the download link to start downloading the ISO file and associated checksums denoted by `AerynOS-<version>-<desktop>-<architecture>.iso.sha256sum`.
-
-Once the download is complete, you can proceed with creating a bootable USB drive or burning the ISO to a DVD to install AerynOS on your machine.
+1. Visit the [AerynOS download page](https://aerynos.com/download/).
+2. Use the direct download or bittorrent option to get the latest release.
+3. Download the checksum file
 
 ## Verifying the Checksums
 
-Before creating a bootable USB drive or burning the ISO to a DVD, it's important to verify the checksums to ensure the integrity of the downloaded ISO file.
+Before creating a bootable USB drive, it's important to verify the checksums to ensure the integrity of the downloaded ISO file.
 
-<Aside type="caution">
-  Using the ISO file without verifying the checksums can lead to boot failures, installation issues, and potential security risks.
+<Aside type="tip">
+    AerynOS utilizes a GNOME based live environment for installation. Our installer `lichen` is a netinstaller that can be used to install GNOME, KDE Plasma, Cosmic or a terminal-only environment based on your requirements.
 </Aside>
 
 ### Linux
@@ -38,13 +31,12 @@ cd ~/Downloads
 2. Run the following command to verify the checksums:
 
 ```bash
-
 sha256sum -c <checksum_file>
 ```
 You should see a message indicating that the checksums match if the ISO file is valid.
 
 ```bash
-AerynOS-2025.03-GNOME-x86_64.iso: OK
+AerynOS-2026.01-GNOME-live-x86_64.iso: OK
 ```
 
 If the checksums do not match, download the ISO file again and repeat the verification process.

src/content/docs/Users/Getting Started/installing-aerynos.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+title: 'Installing AerynOS'
+lastUpdated: 2024-09-10T23:57:02+08:00
+description: "Installing AerynOS on your system"
+---
+
+import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
+
+## Create your partition layout
+
+For the easiest experience, we recommend using gparted which is included in the live environment.
+
+1. Load up gparted from the live environment.
+2. Create a gpt partition table on the drive you want to install AerynOS on.
+3. Create a >=256mb FAT32 partition for ESP with the boot and esp flags
+4. Create a 4gb FAT32 partition for XBOOTLDR with the bls_boot flag
+5. Utilize the rest of the space for a xfs root partition
+
+Once you have finished, your partition layout should look like this:
+
+![gparted](src/images/getting-started/gparted.png)
+
+## Install AerynOS
+
+From the app menu, select the "Install AerynOS" option. This is a shortcut to opening a terminal and running the following command:
+
+```bash
+sudo lichen
+```
+
+Follow the instructions on the screen to complete your installation. You will be prompted to select your:
+
+1. Location
+2. Timezone
+3. Partition for ESP (and optionally XBOOTLDR)
+4. Partition for root
+5. Admin password
+6. User name
+7. User password
+8. Filesystem type for root partition
+9. Desktop environment
+
+If you follow all the steps above, `lichen` will download the packages from our repository and install the latest version of AerynOS onto your system. Once completed, you can reboot your system and enjoy your new AerynOS installation!

src/content/docs/Users/Getting Started/requirements.mdx

@@ -8,15 +8,11 @@ import { Aside } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
 
 ## Minimum System Requirements
 
-<Aside type="caution">
-  BIOS/CSM mode is not supported. Please ensure that your system is set to UEFI mode.
-</Aside>
-
 - **Architecture:** x86_64-v2
 - **Firmware:** UEFI (CSM Support must be disabled)
 - **Processor (CPU):** Quad-core processor with a minimum clock speed of 2GHz
 - **System Memory (RAM):** 4GB or more
-- **Storage:** Minimum of 40GB available space
+- **Storage:** Minimum of 40GB available space; SSD highly recommended
 
 ## Installer Requirements
 
@@ -25,18 +21,10 @@ To successfully create a bootable USB drive for installing AerynOS, the followin
 - **Network:** An active internet connection is required for installation
 - **USB Flash Drive:** Ensure you have a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of free space.
 
-  <Aside type="danger">
-    The process of flashing the ISO will completely erase all existing data on the drive.
-  </Aside>
-
-  <Aside>
-    It is advisable to use a high-quality USB drive to avoid potential issues during the installation process.
-  </Aside>
-
 - **Image Flashing Software:** Utilize one of the following recommended tools to flash the AerynOS ISO image onto the USB drive:
-  - **dd:** A command-line utility available on most Linux distributions for creating bootable USB drives.
-  - **Fedora Media Writer:** A reliable and user-friendly tool for creating bootable USB drives.
-  - **Rufus:** A widely-used utility that provides advanced options for creating bootable USB drives.
+  - **Ventoy:** A versatile tool that allows you to create a multi-boot USB drive.
   - **Balena Etcher:** A simple and user-friendly tool for creating bootable USB drives.
-
+  - **dd:** A Linux command-line utility available on most Linux distributions for creating bootable USB drives.
+  - **Rufus:** A widely-used utility that provides advanced options for creating bootable USB drives.
+  - **Fedora Media Writer:** A reliable and user-friendly tool for creating bootable USB drives.
 - **Additional Hardware:** A physical keyboard, mouse, and monitor (or screen) are required to interact with the installation process. Ensure that all these peripherals are properly connected to the system before starting the installation.