# Comprehensive Guide: Installing NixOS on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Virtual Machines **URL:** \ **Category:** Guides & Tutorials\ **Tags:** oracle-cloud-infrast, nixos\ **Created:** [August 10, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://forum.hhf.technology/t/comprehensive-guide-installing-nixos-on-oracle-cloud-infrastructure-oci-virtual-machines/387 "2024-08-10T20:02:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hhf.technoloy](https://forum.hhf.technology/user_avatar/forum.hhf.technology/hhf.technoloy/32/68_2.png) [@hhf.technoloy](https://forum.hhf.technology/u/hhf.technoloy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://forum.hhf.technology/t/comprehensive-guide-installing-nixos-on-oracle-cloud-infrastructure-oci-virtual-machines/387/1 "2024-08-10T20:02:00Z")
## Table of Contents 1. [Introduction](#introduction) 2. [Prerequisites](#prerequisites) 3. [Initial System Bootstrap](#initial-system-bootstrap) 4. [Storage Configuration](#storage-configuration) 5. [Base System Installation](#base-system-installation) 6. [Post-Installation Configuration](#post-installation-configuration) 7. [Advanced Configuration with Flakes](#advanced-configuration-with-flakes) 8. [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) ## Introduction This technical guide provides detailed instructions for installing NixOS on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) virtual machines. Since NixOS isn’t officially supported on OCI, we’ll use the `kexec` method to bootstrap the installation process. ## Prerequisites - Access to an Oracle Cloud Infrastructure account - A running VM instance (x86\_64 or aarch64 architecture) - Administrative (root) access to the VM - Basic understanding of Linux system administration - Familiarity with disk partitioning and SSH ## Initial System Bootstrap ### Step 1: Bootstrapping the NixOS Installer Choose the appropriate architecture and execute the following commands: ```bash # Gain root privileges sudo -i # For x86_64 systems curl -L https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-images/releases/download/nixos-unstable/nixos-kexec-installer-noninteractive-x86_64-linux.tar.gz | tar -xzf- -C /root # For aarch64 systems curl -L https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-images/releases/download/nixos-unstable/nixos-kexec-installer-noninteractive-aarch64-linux.tar.gz | tar -xzf- -C /root # Execute the installer /root/kexec/run ``` **Note** : Your SSH connection will be terminated during this process. Wait approximately 30 seconds before reconnecting. ## Storage Configuration ### Step 1: Disk Partitioning The following partition scheme is recommended for optimal performance: - 512MB EFI System Partition (ESP) - Root partition (adjustable size) - Swap partition (typically 1GB or matched to RAM) ```bash fdisk /dev/sda ``` Detailed partitioning commands: ```bash # Create new GPT partition table g # Create EFI System Partition (ESP) n 1 +512M # Create root partition n 2 -1G # Create swap partition n 3 # Mark ESP partition t 1 uefi # Verify partition layout p # Write changes w ``` ### Step 2: Filesystem Creation ```bash # Format ESP mkfs.fat -F 32 -n boot /dev/sda1 # Format root partition mkfs.ext4 -L nixos /dev/sda2 # Initialize swap mkswap -L swap /dev/sda3 ``` ### Step 3: Mount Filesystems ```bash # Mount root filesystem mkdir -p /mnt mount /dev/disk/by-label/nixos /mnt # Mount ESP mkdir -p /mnt/boot mount /dev/disk/by-label/boot /mnt/boot # Activate swap swapon /dev/sda3 ``` ## Base System Installation ### Step 1: Channel Configuration ```bash nix-channel --add https://nixos.org/channels/nixos-unstable nixpkgs nix-channel --update ``` ### Step 2: System Configuration Generate initial configuration: ```bash nixos-generate-config --root /mnt ``` Create `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`: ```nix { config, lib, pkgs, ... }: { imports = [./hardware-configuration.nix]; # Bootloader configuration boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = true; boot.loader.efi.canTouchEfiVariables = true; # Network configuration networking = { hostName = "nixos-oci"; networkmanager.enable = true; }; # System time configuration time.timeZone = "America/New_York"; # User management users.users.admin = { isNormalUser = true; extraGroups = ["wheel"]; }; # Essential packages environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [ curl git vim ]; # SSH configuration services.openssh = { enable = true; settings = { PermitRootLogin = "prohibit-password"; PasswordAuthentication = false; }; }; users.users.root.openssh.authorizedKeys.keys = [ "YOUR_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY" ]; system.stateVersion = "23.11"; } ``` ### Step 3: Installation ```bash # Install the system nixos-install # Set user password nixos-enter --root "/mnt" passwd admin # Reboot into the new system reboot ``` ## Post-Installation Configuration ### SSH Key Configuration ```bash # Generate SSH key ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "user@example.com" # Display public keys cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub cat /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub # Add GitHub to known hosts ssh git@github.com ``` ## Advanced Configuration with Flakes ### Step 1: Clone Configuration Repository ```bash git clone https://github.com/your-username/nixfiles cd nixfiles ``` ### Step 2: Apply Configuration ```bash nixos-rebuild switch --flake ".#hostname" ``` ## Troubleshooting Common issues and their solutions: 1. **Boot failures** : Verify ESP mounting and bootloader configuration 2. **Network connectivity** : Check NetworkManager status and configuration 3. **SSH access issues** : Verify authorized\_keys permissions and content ## Security Considerations 1. Always use SSH key authentication 2. Regularly update system packages 3. Configure firewall rules appropriately 4. Follow the principle of least privilege for user permissions ## Performance Optimization 1. Adjust swap size based on workload 2. Configure appropriate filesystem options 3. Optimize network settings for cloud environment * * * **Note** : This guide is maintained as a reference. Always refer to the official NixOS documentation for the most up-to-date information.