Snal Linux is a live linux distribution based on Arch Linux, the i3 window manager, and Firefox web browser. It is intended to be used as a live USB image to troubleshoot hard disk, system, and network problems.

The name Snal comes from the phrase "Simple, Networked, and Live," as Snal is intended to be.

Design Goals

Initially, my goal was to create a live Linux USB that used i3 window manager and Firefox web browser. Over time, the goals have evolved somewhat; the most significant shifts have been to get "copy to RAM" enabled by default, and to add specific applications.

• The output should be a hybrid .iso that can be used as a live USB image or a live DVD.
• The boot process should copy the ISO to RAM by default, but have a simple option to not do so (for computers with low RAM).
• The login process should load a graphical environment, but have a simple option to not do so (for computers with poor graphics cards).
• The following software should be available:
  • bash shell
  • i3 window manager
  • firefox web browser
  • lxterminal terminal emulator
  • gnu screen terminal multiplexer
  • neovim text editor
  • jwscripts custom bash scripts

Current Release

The latest release is available here. The code used to build it is derived from archiso and is available here

The sha256 checksums for recent releases are listed here:

51f850d9ea67e3490fdc86e2a43fedb2a3e998ca4f1a7870ba863c7d08270877  snallinux-1.28-x86_64.iso
e34602ababa5529fd2eb68732eb401efcded9c22ebb85c9dadebac4aa3391912  snallinux-1.29-x86_64.iso
81cba924840f0f79296fd0f95e5ed4baca68a8b3d082cb87b61f8cd103db634d  snallinux-1.30-x86_64.iso
e6065afdc1a902428cda386bc3a0c9e1889879076ac4b6c337cf33166cea8070  snallinux-1.31-x86_64.iso
9497640483754ae3a33556a4d6c624ede37daa815b00909138a0dbdc8f629719  snallinux-1.32-x86_64.iso
2aa4f3eb4481603b6ff74079cf96964f0e700c56b1a9c2554dd3743d94fd02d3  snallinux-1.33-x86_64.iso
1456f543cf64e5195a33e169b28e3ff0b4ff84f194441a908a6c208abf98a6c6  snallinux-1.34-x86_64.iso

These should be identical to the checksums page on the wiki.

Burning a DVD

The Snal ISO can be burned to a DVD using standard software. The Snal image is approximately 2 GB.

Copying to USB

The Snal ISO can also be transferred directly to a USB drive (at least 2 GB) using dd or similar software. See the Arch Wiki for more information.

After bootup

After Snal boots, user snal is logged in automatically. The user is asked if she wants to run startx. Pressing enter will run the default: starting XWindows with i3 as the window manager. The options are as follows:

• Entering "y" or just pressing enter will run startx with i3 as the window manager.
• Entering "n" will run a bash shell.
• Entering "s" will attach an existing screen session or start a new one.
• Entering "x" will join an existing screen session.

Graphical Interface

The default Snal interface is the i3 window manager. Key bindings are shown on the background image and can be changed by editing /home/snal/.config/i3/config.

More information on the i3 window manager is available in 'man i3' and at https://i3wm.org.

A terminal emulator can be opened using super+enter. To see what other applications are available, press super+d to run rofi, which is a program launcher.

Command Line Interface

Snal features the GNU Screen terminal multiplexer. When a new terminal is opened, the user is asked if she wants to run screen. Pressing enter will run the default: attach or start. If a screen session exists, attach it here. If a screen session doesn't exist, start a new session. The options are as follows:

• Entering "y" or just pressing enter will attach an existing screen session or start a new one.
• Entering "n" will run a bash shell.
• Entering "x" will join an existing screen session.

Keybindings in GNU Screen consist of control+a followed by one additional character. For example, to detach screen from the terminal where it is running, press control+a control+d. These settings can be changed by editing /home/snal/.screenrc.

More information on GNU Screen is available in 'man screen' and at the Arch Wiki.

Credentials

The normal user is snal. The initial password is snal. Change it by running passwd.

The root password is root. Change it by running passwd as root.

Networking

NetworkManager is used to manage network interfaces. nmtui is a simple text user interface for both wired and wireless network management.

'sudo nmtui'

More information about nmtui is available in 'man nmtui'.

(Not) Installing

Snal is intended to be used as a Live distro running from removable media. It is possible to install Arch Linux from a running Snal, but this is not recommended, and it is not supported. Do not ask about it in Arch support fora. The Arch Code of Conduct explicitly states that "community technical support shall only be provided for the Arch Linux distribution and the Arch User Repository. Posting issues with, and requesting support for, derivative distributions or operating systems other than Arch Linux are prohibited."

If you're looking for an Arch like distro to install on an internal drive, Snal isn't your best option. Use Arch! Or, use one of the many Arch-based distributions!