108 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
108 lines
4.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: post
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title: "Nice Looking Boot Screen Without Plymouth"
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---
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I was poking around with my Arch Linux installation and I learned that the
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initcpio was done using shell scripts that I could write myself, and I ended
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up trying to make my system boot process look decent without using Plymouth.
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## Custom initcpio hooks
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You can place custom shell scripts in `/etc/initcpio/hooks`, and have a script
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to install it to the initramfs in `/etc/initcpio/install`. This is more detailed
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in the [Arch Linux wiki page](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/mkinitcpio).
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You'll want to create a file named "welcome" or any other name you want in
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`/etc/initcpio/hooks`. It will contain a single function `run_hook`, and within
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it you can put `echo` or any other commands, as long as it's in the busybox
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environment that the initramfs uses. Here's what your welcome hook could look
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like:
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```
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#!/bin/sh
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run_hook() {
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echo -e "Welcome to YOUR_COMPUTER, YOUR_NAME."
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echo -e "Getting everything set up for you..."
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}
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```
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You'll also want to create a file with the same name in `/etc/initcpio/install`,
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and it will have two functions: `build` and `help`. The help function just
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outputs a message when you do `mkinitcpio -H welcome`, so it can contain any
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text you want. The build function will just contain `add_runscript`, to add the
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file we put in the hooks folder. Here's what yours could look like:
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```
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#!/bin/sh
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build() {
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add_runscript
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}
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help() {
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echo "welcoem mesage"
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}
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```
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When that's done, you can add the `welcome` hook somewhere early on in the hooks
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part of `/etc/mkinitcpio.conf`, and run `mkinitcpio -P` as root to regenerate
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the initramfs to contain your new script. Now when your computer boots, it
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should run our script.
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If your cool new message is quickly pushed up and off the screen by boot
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messages, you can add `quiet` to your
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[kernel parameters](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Kernel_parameters) to
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silence the extra messages that the kernel usually spits out while booting up.
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## Console font
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The default font for the console may not be your favorite. Thankfully, there are
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plenty of fonts you can try out, kept in `/usr/share/kbd/consolefonts/`, and can
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be [previewed using `setfont`](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Linux_console#Preview_and_temporary_changes).
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I use the `ter-c18n` font, and I have it
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[set persistently](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Linux_console#Persistent_configuration)
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in `/etc/vconsole.conf`. To have the console load your font early on in the boot
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process, you can just add `consolefont` somewhere in your mkinitcpio hooks
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array.
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## Custom colors
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Your console supports custom colors, and can be easily set using
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[linux-vt-setcolors](https://github.com/EvanPurkhiser/linux-vt-setcolors),
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available from the AUR as `setcolors-git`. Also install the
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[mkinitcpio-colors](https://github.com/EvanPurkhiser/mkinitcpio-colors) program
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from the AUR as `mkinitcpio-colors-git`. You can add your color scheme to
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`/etc/vconsole.conf` using the format specified on the project's
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[README](https://github.com/EvanPurkhiser/mkinitcpio-colors#configuration):
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```
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COLOR_0=000000 # black
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COLOR_1=550000 # darkred
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...
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COLOR_15=ffffff # white
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```
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You can use something like [terminal.sexy](https://terminal.sexy/) to get colors
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that you like, and then add the colors to the vconsole config matching the
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numbers 0-15 to the same colors. Once you're done with that, add the `colors`
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hook to that same hooks array we've been adding stuff to, run `mkinitcpio -P`,
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and reboot. You should be greeted with your welcome message, in your own font,
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with your own colors.
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## Extra
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I have an encrypted hard drive, so I'm able to put a message that appears only
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after I unlock my drive. I created a second, very similar hook in
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`/etc/initcpio/hooks` and created its `/etc/initcpio/install` counterpart, and
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put a funny warning in it, and in the `/etc/mkinitcpio.conf` hooks array, I put
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my new hook BEFORE the `encrypt` hook, and I put my `welcome` hook AFTER the
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`encrypt` hook. Since the hooks run in order, the warning is displayed, and if I
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type the correct password, I'm greeted by my laptop, and it loads everything up.
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I hope this has been helpful not only for making a cool boot screen without
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Plymouth, but I hope I also helped you learn more about how Arch Linux boots its
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system using an initramfs.
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