Install and Setup OpenBSD

Tested with OpenBSD 6.9.

Install

Download install69.img for USB flash drive and install69.iso for CD/DVD. Check to see if checksum matches with SHA512 file.

# From OpenBSD:
sha256 -C SHA256 install*.{img,iso}
# From GNU+Linux:
sha256sum -c --ignore-missing SHA256

Write image:

For USB:

# From OpenBSD:
dd if=install*.img of=/dev/rsdXc bs=1m; sync
# From GNU+Linux:
dd if=install69.img of=/dev/sdX bs=1M status=progress; sync

For CD/DVD:

# From OpenBSD:
doas cdio tao install*.iso

Refer to OpenBSD download page for instructions.

Install process:

The installer is mainly question based. After booting the medium, enter i to start the installer.

Keyboard layout: I enter "us". Enter ? for list and choose option for your keyboard.

Host and network:

Hostname: "bsd" or anything you wish
A bunch of network related questions: If you're on ethernet, just press enter to choose the defaults. If on wifi, read and the questions and answer as asked.
DNS domain name? "localhost" is ok for desktop use.

Basic setup questions:

Password for root account, confirm: enter a secure password
Start sshd: choose yes if you want to access this machine remotely from another machine, otherwise no
Do you expect to run X Win system? enter yes
Do you want X to started with xenodm? enter yes if you wish to have a GUI login screen

User setup:

Setup a user? enter username in lowercase letters, no space
Full name? Enter a friendly name with uppercase, lowercase and spaces
Enter password and confirm.
What timezone? press ? for help, or enter if you know already

Partitioning:

Available disks... will show you the disks that are present on the system currently. Remember the device id for install medium, we'll need it later.
Which disk is the root disk? enter ? details, then enter the device id for installation
Use (w)hole disk MBR, whole disk (G)PT.... or (E)? enter w to use the whole disk
Use (A)uto layout, (E)dit, (C)ustom layout? enter c for custom layout (auto creates a whole bunch of partitions which may be messy to manage)
- Enter ? for help, d [part] to delete part, d * to delete all part, a [part] to add a part, p m to see current layout
- Ignore the partition named c, it will always stay there, you can't change it.
- To create a basic system, enter a a. the first partition should always be mounted as /, otherwise openbsd bootloader will not be able to boot. When done, enter q to save all changes
Write new label? Press enter
Which disk do you want to init? Press enter for done

Install Set names:

To install from the medium itself (offline):

Location of sets? enter disk
Is the disk partition already mounted? enter n
Which disk contains the upgrade media? enter the id for install medium, e.g. sd2
Which sdX partition has the upgrade sets? enter to select a
Pathname to the sets... press enter
Set names?... press enter if not sure
Continue without verification? enter y

To install from internet:

Location of sets? enter http
HTTP proxy? enter for none, or enter as you need
HTTP Server? enter a host of a mirror without "http://" or "https://" and sub dirs. We will be given option to enter subdirs later. e.g. ftp.jaist.ac.jp, mirrors.dotsrc.org or enter ? or choose from https://www.openbsd.org/ftp.html
Server directory? default is fine, so you can press enter
Select sets by entering... If you don't now what you're doing, you can press enter. (~1.7G install)

To customize file sets:

This is not generally needed, but if a lightweight system is aimed for, enter -all to deselect all, then enter the name (e.g. base66.tgz) or pattern (e.g. base*) to select items. More info about the file sets are here: https://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#FilesNeeded

It may ask again to select set names. Just press enter to finish the install.

If you mess up and want to install any missing file sets: https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/openbsd-install-sets-after-install/

Then you will get option to reboot. Reboot and enjoy!

Further reading:
https://www.gabsoftware.com/tutorials/tutorial-how-to-install-openbsd-6-1-step-by-step/
https://linoxide.com/how-tos/install-openbsd-easiest-guide-ever/

`doas`

Do this to run commands as root. Login as root and enter:

vi /etc/doas.conf

permit persist :wheel

persist is so that it doesn't ask for password again for a while.

"Reordering libraries" step takes way too long at boot time

This is a security feature. But if you insist on disabling it:

doas rcctl disable library_aslr

Source: https://libredd.it/r/openbsd/comments/8vc9mh/reordering_libraries_at_boot_incredibly_slow/e1n5bd1/?context=3

How to connect to USB Ethernet from phone

ifconfig # to find out tethered interface name, usually urndis0
doas dhclient urndis0
# Auto connect on boot:
echo dhcp | doas tee /etc/hostname.urndis0

To set mirror

Mirrors can be found here.

Temporary way:

export PKG_PATH=ftp://your.ftp.mirror/pub/OpenBSD/`uname -r`/packages/`machine -a`/

e.g.

export PKG_PATH=https://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/OpenBSD/`uname -r`/packages/`machine -a`/
export PKG_PATH=https://mirrors.dotsrc.org/pub/OpenBSD/`uname -r`/packages/`machine -a`/

Permanent way:

doas vi /etc/installurl

#https://cdn.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD
https://ftp.jaist.ac.jp/pub/OpenBSD

Patching system

Run this after installing:

su
syspatch
pkg_add -Uu
sysmerge -d

`Premature end of archive in header` when installing or upgrading packages

Changing the mirror URL (as described above) should solve the issue.

If that doesn't work, you can try something like doas sh -c 'until pkg_add -uU; do sync; done' until there are no more packages to be updated.

To install missing drivers + firmware

fw_update

Source:
https://www.openbsdhandbook.com/installation/
https://sohcahtoa.org.uk/openbsd.html

Upgrading all packages

doas pkg_add -u

Package management

# install
doas pkg_add package
# remove
doas pkg_delete package
# search
pkg_info -c -Q package

# reinstall
doas pkg_add -D installed -r packagenamehere
# ignore ambiguities and install the extact package name given
doas pkg_add packagenamehere--
# for example:
doas pkg_add openvpn--
# remove orphan packages (installed to satisfy dependencies but which are no longer needed)
doas pkg_delete -a

Further reading: https://cromwell-intl.com/open-source/package-management.html

Handling services

Example with xenodm service:

doas rcctl enable xenodm
doas rcctl disable xenodm
doas rcctl start xenodm
doas rcctl stop xenodm
doas rcctl restart xenodm

Starting a GUI DE/WM

touch .xession && chmod +x .xsession
vi ~/.xsession

# Start DBUS session bus:
if [ -x "$(command -v dbus-launch)" && -z $DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS ]; then
  eval `dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-x11`
fi
exec openbox-session

Then login from xenodm screen as user.

The exec line above is for Openbox. Adjust for your DE/WM.

Disable `.core` file creation

~/.profile

...
# on tty
ulimit -c 0

~/.xsession

...
# on xorg sessions
ulimit -c 0

Source: http://daemonforums.org/showthread.php?t=7149

Run shell commands on startup

touch ~/.kshrc && chmod +x ~/.kshrc vi ~/.xsession

[ -f $HOME/.kshrc ] && export ENV=$HOME/.kshrc
...

* Add the above code before exec session commands. Better to put it above every other command. Otherwise it will not work.

vi ~/.profile

[ -f $HOME/.kshrc ] && export ENV=$HOME/.kshrc
...

Example ~/.kshrc

# change shell prompt
PS1='\w \$ '

Remembering command history between sessions

By default, ksh doesn't store history between sessions. To store history:

vi ~/.kshrc

HISTFILE="$HOME/.ksh_history"
HISTSIZE=3000

List of previous commands will be stored in the file mentioned in HISTFILE. Number of commands to store is indicated by HISTSIZE. Adjust accordingly. Previous commands will be available with Ctrl+R search, up arrow or any other way to access history.

Since the file stores your last run commands, it is a better idea to do this on multi user system so that no other user can read this:

chmod 600 ~/.ksh_history

Using alises

Bash aliases are more or less compatible with ksh without edits. So any .bash_aliases may be used with it (such as bash/.bash_aliases in this repo).

~/.kshrc

[ -f $HOME/.bash_aliases ] && . $HOME/.bash_aliases

. ~/.kshrc # to update changes for current shell

Map ThinkPad back-next button to home-end

This is a way to map the back and next button (positioned left and right to the up arrow button) to home and end keys.

~/.xsession

# map thinkpad back-next button to home-end button
xmodmap -e 'keycode 234 = Home'
xmodmap -e 'keycode 233 = End'
...

Enable ThinkPad Trackpoint scrolling

~/.xsession

# enable scrolling with a combination of trackpoint and middle button
# remember to put this before exec session command
xinput set-prop "/dev/wsmouse" "WS Pointer Wheel Emulation" 1
xinput set-prop "/dev/wsmouse" "WS Pointer Wheel Emulation Button" 2
xinput set-prop "/dev/wsmouse" "WS Pointer Wheel Emulation Axes" 6 7 4 5
...

How to disable Emacs keybindings

By default, ctrl+a takes cursor to beginning, instead of select all and ctrl+/ selects all text. Emacs keyboard shortcut theme is set by default.

To fix:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-key-theme "Default"

If it doesn't work:

vi ~/.config/gtk-3.0/settings.ini

[Settings]
...
gtk-key-theme-name = Default

If it doesn't work for GTK 2 apps:

vi ~/.gtkrc-2.0

...
gtk-key-theme-name = "Default"

Ref:
https://askubuntu.com/questions/294953/gtk-key-theme-emacs-what-keystroke-is-for-select-all
https://askubuntu.com/questions/124815/how-do-i-enable-emacs-keybindings-in-apps-such-as-google-chrome

How to automount USB devices

doas -s
pkg_add hotplug-diskmount
/usr/local/libexec/hotplug-diskmount init
echo hotplugd_flags= >> /etc/rc.conf.local
cp /usr/local/share/doc/pkg-readmes/hotplug-diskmount /etc/hotplug/attach
chmod +x /etc/hotplug/attach

vi /etc/hotplug/attach

Now delete everything keeping only lines "#!/bin/sh" to "esac". Change "joeuser" in the LOGIN line to your normal username.

rcctl start hotplugd
exit

Plug your USB storage devices and it should show up in /vol/. If it doesn't work, reboot.

Tip: You can right click /vol directory on your file manager and bookmark it or send to > sidepane or anything equivalent to get easier access to mounted drives.

Ref:
https://libredd.it/r/openbsd/comments/fvmy29/looking_to_set_up_automount_for_usb_sticks/fmmsj0m/?context=3
https://www.tumfatig.net/20110903/automount-usb-stick-on-openbsd/
https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/417571

Man pages missing?

Install manXX.tgz from file sets.

No sound

sndioctl # lists all options
sndioctl output.mute=0 # to unmute main output
# if still having problems:
sndioctl output.level=1

You can also do doas pkg_add cmixer and solve the issue by running cmixer then adjusting manually.

Details: https://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq13.html

Install TOR Browser

doas pkg_add tor-browser

Firefox troubleshooting

Firefox video playback issue

On Firefox, if there is an error message showing saying "No compatible source was found for this media." in the video area, this may fix it:

doas pkg_add ffmpeg gstreamer1-plugins-libav

Firefox is slow

Below are suggested around the internet and pkg-readmes. Depending on your setup, some of them might (or might not) work.

Try running a compositor such as xcompmgr
Set layers.acceleration.force-enable to true on about:config
If still doesn't work, set gfx.webrender.enabled to true on about:config
sysctl hw.smt=1 (it is a security risk though)
usermod -G wheel,staff yourusername
add ,softdeps or ,noatime after rw on your /etc/fstab (you may have to experiment which one works best on your system)
Use a lightweight window manager (such as openbox, jwm etc.)
Configure your video driver for TearFree (intel) or glamor (radeon)
Use a ramdisk for disk caching in Iridium or Firefox (man mount_mfs)
Increasing maxfiles: doas sysctl kern.maxfiles=16000; echo "kern.maxfiles=16000" | doas tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf

Ref:

Check /usr/local/share/doc/pkg-readmes/firefox for more information.
https://old.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/9iyqfb/firefox_unbearably_slow/e6oi3fq/
https://old.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/q0il9q/slow_gui/
https://old.reddit.com/r/openbsd/comments/ljwfe3/is_openbsd_actually_slow_or_inefficient/

Upgrade from OpenBSD -stable or -release to -current

[ Moved to openbsd-current.md ]

Install and use OpenBSD ports

OpenBSD ports are sources for the packages available. Not to be confused with port accompanied by an IP address.

Setting up:

$ cd /tmp
$ ftp https://cdn.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/$(uname -r)/{ports.tar.gz,SHA256.sig}
$ signify -Cp /etc/signify/openbsd-$(uname -r | cut -c 1,3)-base.pub -x SHA256.sig ports.tar.gz

# cd /usr
# tar xvzf /tmp/ports.tar.gz
# rm /tmp/ports.tar.gz

Searching:

rsnapshot is shown as an example port in the commands below. Use your port name instead.

$ cd /usr/ports
$ doas pkg_add portslist
$ make search key=rsnapshot # change rsnapshot with query

To run builds as normal user:

doas nano /etc/mk.conf

WRKOBJDIR=/usr/obj/ports
DISTDIR=/usr/distfiles
PACKAGE_REPOSITORY=/usr/packages

$ doas mkdir -p /usr/{obj/ports,distfiles,packages}
$ doas chown -R $USER:$USER /usr/{obj,distfiles,packages} # whole /usr/obj!!

Installing a port:

$ cd /usr/ports/net/rsnapshot
$ make install # if it doesn't work, run with doas

Cleaning build leftovers:

$ cd /usr/ports/net/rsnapshot
$ make clean
$ doas pkg_delete -a
$ make clean=dist
$ make clean=flavors

Uninstalling a port:

$ cd /usr/ports/net/rsnapshot
$ make uninstall
$ make clean=packages

Ref:
https://www.openbsd.org/faq/ports/ports.html
https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/openbsd-install-ports-collection/

install-openbsd.md 15 KB Permalink History Raw

Install and Setup OpenBSD

Install

Write image:

Install process:

doas

"Reordering libraries" step takes way too long at boot time

How to connect to USB Ethernet from phone

To set mirror

Patching system

Premature end of archive in header when installing or upgrading packages

To install missing drivers + firmware

Upgrading all packages

Package management

Handling services

Starting a GUI DE/WM

Disable .core file creation

Run shell commands on startup

Remembering command history between sessions

Using alises

Map ThinkPad back-next button to home-end

Enable ThinkPad Trackpoint scrolling

How to disable Emacs keybindings

How to automount USB devices

Man pages missing?

No sound

Install TOR Browser

Firefox troubleshooting

Firefox video playback issue

Firefox is slow

Upgrade from OpenBSD -stable or -release to -current

Install and use OpenBSD ports

Further reading

install-openbsd.md 15 KB

Permalink History Raw

`doas`

`Premature end of archive in header` when installing or upgrading packages

Disable `.core` file creation