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How to Install Virtmanager in Arch Linux

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 14:59:15 +0200

Useful links
#

Arch Wiki entry: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Virt-manager

What is Virtmanager?
#

First of all: This will be a somewhat shorter guide, as it only covers the installation. You will need a few things for this. But now back to the question: What is Virtmanager? Virtmanager is a Type 2 hypervisor based on KVM. Technically, it could also be classified as a Type 1 hypervisor because it supports hardware passthrough. However, I went into more detail about this in the guide to virtualization and containerization.

https://xenoelectronics.com/posts/2025/virtualization-vs-containerization/

How do you install Virtmanager?
#

To install VirtManager, you need a few packages.

Let’s start with the packages.

Pacman packages
#

First, we should update, which can be done with this command.

sudo pacman -Syu

Then these packages must be installed:

sudo pacman -S virt-manager virt-viewer qemu-full vde2 ebtables dnsmasq bridge-utils libvirt openbsd-netcat ebtables iptables libguestfs

Start Libvirt
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Libvirt must be running in order to enable virtualization. To do this, simply enter the following commands:

sudo systemctl start libvirtd.service

sudo systemctl enable libvirtd.service

sudo systemctl start libvirtd.socket

sudo systemctl enable libvirtd.socket

Now you can use VirtManager, but you can do even more, such as hardware passthrough with GPU or PCIe devices. However, there will be another guide for this, as it deserves its own entry.

Services from XenoElectronics
#

If you need help with your projects or with open source software. Take a look at our contact page and let us know what you need. We will help you to realize your projects.

https://xenoelectronics.com/contact/

Open source support & coffee fund
#

Thank you for reading and for your time!

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Fedora KDE First Steps After Installation

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 17:58:34 +0200

Useful links
#

https://github.com/devangshekhawat/Fedora-42-Post-Install-Guide

First steps after the Fedora KDE installation
#

This guide takes you through the most important steps to equip your new Fedora KDE system with additional repositories, codecs and tools. Because after the installation some things are not installed or not activated, which can lead to problems.

Setting up RPM Fusion
#

RPM Fusion supplements the official Fedora repository with freely licensed and proprietary packages that you need for multimedia, gaming and special hardware.

Fedora follows a very radical open source approach and does not allow proprietary software by default. Exceptions are flatpaks, as these are isolated from the system.

I can understand that, but with things like Nvidia, Steam and drivers it can be really annoying. That’s why the RPM repository exists.

sudo dnf install https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

sudo dnf install https://mirrors.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

Install media codecs
#

These group installations provide support for common audio and video formats such as MP3, H.264 and HEVC.

As already mentioned, Fedora consistently uses open source. This includes codecs such as the Open H.264 codec from Cisco.

This also works well until you edit a video or audio file and the editor hangs and you cannot render to the formats.

The codecs that are installed with the bash command are simply missing.

sudo dnf group install multimedia

sudo dnf group install sound-and-video

Install Steam
#

In KDE Discover, you must activate the “Nonfree Steam” option under “Settings”. You can then install Steam with the command

sudo dnf install steam

Install NVIDIA
#

In this section, you install the proprietary NVIDIA drivers to achieve optimum graphics performance and compatibility.

Unlike AMD, the Nvidia driver is not embedded in the kernel. This means that it is installed and configured automatically.

This is the AMD Mesa driver, which is open source and works perfectly.

Nvidia is different, because the open source driver Nouvou is incredibly bad, so you need the proprietary driver.

1. check GPU model
#

Run this command to determine your exact NVIDIA model and make sure you are installing the correct driver:

lspci | grep -Ei 'VGA|3D'

2. update system
#

An up-to-date system ensures driver compatibility:

sudo dnf update --refresh

Then reboot so that all updates take effect:

reboot

3. check Secure Boot
#

Secure Boot can prevent the loading of unsigned modules. Check the status. If you do not want to sign the NVIDIA modules yourself, you can also deactivate Secure Boot in the BIOS/UEFI:

mokutil --sb-state

4. install dependencies
#

Kernel headers and build tools are required for the driver to be installed correctly:

sudo dnf install kernel-devel-matched kernel-headers

sudo dnf install gcc make dkms acpid libglvnd-glx libglvnd-opengl libglvnd-devel pkgconfig

5. install drivers
#

Install the akmod package for automatic module build and the CUDA variants for GPU computing:

sudo dnf install akmod-nvidia

sudo dnf install xorg-x11-drv-nvidia-cuda

After installation, wait at least 5 minutes before rebooting to allow the kernel module to finish building.

6. check installation
#

Verify that the NVIDIA module is loaded correctly:

modinfo -F version nvidia

7. reboot
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A reboot loads the new driver into the kernel:

reboot

8. post-installation
#

Enable power management services to make suspend and resume stable:

sudo systemctl enable nvidia-suspend.service

sudo systemctl enable nvidia-hibernate.service

sudo systemctl enable nvidia-resume.service

Flathub instead of Fedora flatpak
#

Flathub offers up-to-date flatpaks directly from the developer, while the Fedora repo is sometimes outdated. Especially with applications like OBS there can be problems with the Fedora version, therefore Flathub should preferably be used and the Fedora flatpaks should be switched off.

flatpak remote-delete --force fedora

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Replace browser
#

Replace Firefox with privacy-focused flatpaks like LibreWolf or Brave.

Firefox is not really secure out of the box and should be replaced by Brave or LibreWolf. You can also read about this in my browser guide.

https://xenoelectronics.com/posts/2025/the-best-starter-guide-for-browser-security/

sudo dnf remove firefox

flatpak install flathub io.gitlab.librewolf-community

flatpak install flathub com.brave.Browser

Practical Flatpak tools
#

I would like to introduce a few more Flatpak tools that I find very good for managing a Linux desktop. These are all graphical, so anyone can use them.

Mission Center
#

The dashboard provides system diagnostics on CPU and RAM usage and more. It’s like the task manager in Windows.

flatpak install flathub io.missioncenter.MissionCenter

BleachBit
#

Cleans cache and temporary files. A kind of CCleaner.

flatpak install flathub xfceorg.bleachbit

BoxBuddy
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GUI for Distrobox containers. This is handy if you need several distros at the same time. Sometimes there are programs that are only available for Debian or Arch, for example.

flatpak install flathub com.github.donadigo.boxbuddy

Flatseal
#

Manage flatpak permissions via the graphical user interface. Flatpaks can be limited like on iOS, Android and macOS. Management is easier with the GUI.

flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

Warehouse
#

A simple file manager for flatpak runtimes. Flatpaks can be annoying if you want to edit or delete them. With Warehouse this is easy.

flatpak install flathub io.github.johnfactotum.Warehouse

Gear Lever
#

Gear Lever is used to manage AppImages. Since AppImages cannot update themselves, Gear Lever comes into play.

flatpak install flathub org.gnome.GearLever

KeePassXC
#

Local password manager. More about this in the password manager guide:

https://xenoelectronics.com/posts/2025/password-managers-which-should-be-used/

flatpak install flathub org.keepassxc.KeePassXC

Haruna
#

Lightweight video player with Qt interface and hardware acceleration.

flatpak install flathub org.kde.haruna

Enable LVFS updates
#

Normally DNF updates the firmware of the hardware automatically, but after the installation it is not wrong to force this update once.

sudo fwupdmgr refresh

sudo fwupdmgr get-updates

Install VA-API
#

Hardware acceleration for video decoding.

sudo dnf install ffmpeg-libs

sudo dnf install libva libva-utils

Set hostname
#

For some reason, Fedora does not ask you for the name of your device during installation. You can set it yourself.

hostnamectl set-hostname YOUR_HOSTNAME

Create update file
#

I recommend creating a bash file that automatically performs all updates on the system.

The file should then be stored in the “/usr/bin” directory. However, it must first be marked as executable with chmod +x.

This should be the content of the file:

#!/bin/bash
sudo dnf upgrade -y
flatpak update -y
distrobox-upgrade --all

Make the update file executable:

(Here the name of the file is update)

sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/update

Services from XenoElectronics
#

If you need help with your projects or with open source software. Take a look at our contact page and let us know what you need. We will help you to realize your projects.

https://xenoelectronics.com/contact/

Open source support & coffee fund
#

Thank you for reading and for your time!

https://cyberpanel.net/blog/6-types-of-shells-in-linux

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You Should Learn How to use the Terminal in Linux

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 13:10:31 +0100

Useful Links
#

Learning Bash

Learning Bash: https://linuxhandbook.com/bash/

What dose this bash Code: https://explainshell.com/

Basics about Terminals: https://linuxcommand.org/lc3_learning_the_shell.php

Bash Youtube Series for Beginers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXohpTNNP8A&list=PL3cu45aM3C2A-hhXVkOSXxKku1IgPdL6L

Terminal Emulator examples

https://konsole.kde.org/

https://gnome-terminator.org/

https://sw.kovidgoyal.net/kitty/

https://gnunn1.github.io/tilix-web/

https://www.waveterm.dev/

Terminal Shells

https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/

https://fishshell.com/

https://linux.die.net/man/1/dash

https://www.zsh.org/

Forewords
#

This will be less of a guide and more of a collection of tips where you can learn how to use a Terminal. Bash or programming itself is not something that you simply explain, you only learn it if you actually work with it. So I can explain as much as I want, if you don’t use it you will never learn it.

Nevertheless, I will roughly explain the basics of what a CLI is, what a shell is and also what a terminal emulator is.

The three questions I want to explain
#

What is an Terminal Emulator?
#

Let’s start with what we see directly when we talk about a terminal. This black window with text inside is the so-called terminal interface, it is also called a terminal emulator because it is a program that behaves like a terminal but is a GUI. I will explain what a GUI is when I get to the CLI question.

The purpose of a terminal is to provide a text-based interface that allows users to interact with their computer’s operating system by typing commands. These are used when an OS does not have a desktop but you still need to interact with the OS.

This is often the case with servers to save resources and allow them to be managed remotely without having to transfer a desktop over the Network. This is done via SSH. Which in turn saves bandwidth.

In linux, these terminals are often preferred to graphical programs if you need to make settings on the OS that go beyond graphical menus. Since these commands are identical for all Linux distros, it is also easier to write scripts or solve problems. This is why you often see solutions in forums that are solved with a terminal.

Windows and Mac OS also use terminals and they are often used when you need to make settings on the OS.

As you can see, the terminal is very powerful and should not be seen as an annoyance but as a powerful tool that can help you.

What is a CLI?
#

Now that we know what exactly a terminal is, let’s move on to the CLI, the command line interface. It can be partly derived from before but a CLI is pure text there are no graphics that visualize anything. That’s what a GUI is for, the graphical user interface. This displays everything with images, text etc. That would be e.g. browsers or games.

What is a Shell?
#

The shell has not been mentioned yet, except for Bash but not the fact that it is a shell, so what is a shell?

In Bash we enter commands, e.g. pwd to display the current directory we are in. Of course the command pwd itself tells a PC nothing because it thinks in machine language. In other words, the shell translates the command for the PC. That is not 100% accurate but is better to understand what a shell even is.

It is therefore like a programming language, which is why there are several shells, for example bash, dash, fish or zsh.

They all work very similarly but have different advantages and disadvantages. Which you can read about here.

However, I recommend using bash as it is the standard.

How do you learn bash and so on?
#

As mentioned at the beginning, just use it and read up on it if you get stuck.

Good commands to find out what a command does are:

tldr

man

for example:

man pwd

tldr pwd

These commands show you exactly what pwd does or how to use it. man is more detailed while tldr shows a short summary of commands that are useful.

Good learning materials are described above, so my tip is to install Linux in a virtual machine, be it with Virtual Box, and simply test out the terminal.

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Services from XenoElectronics
#

If you need help with your projects or with open source software. Take a look at our contact page and let us know what you need. We will help you to realize your projects.

https://xenoelectronics.com/contact/

Open source support & coffee fund
#

Thank you for reading and for your time!

If you like to share this artikel click the icons below.

Which Linux Distro Should You Use

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:47:44 +0100

Recommended Distros
#

Desktop

Fedora: https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/download

Mint: https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=319

Arch: https://archlinux.org/download/

Gamming Desktop

Nobara: https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/

Bazzite: https://bazzite.gg/

Server

Proxmox VE: https://www.proxmox.com/en/downloads/proxmox-virtual-environment/iso

Debian: https://www.debian.org/

TrueNAS: https://www.truenas.com/download-truenas-scale/

Alpine: https://www.alpinelinux.org/downloads/

Ubuntu Server: https://ubuntu.com/download/server

Open Media Vault: https://www.openmediavault.org/download.html

What is a Linux Distro?
#

I don’t want to go into too much detail here, because it would only put off all new potential users.

As soon as you decide to use Linux, you will quickly realize that Linux does not have just one version, but far too many. A Version of Linux is what is called a Linux Distro.

But as I said, there are far too many. But should that interest you? No, because most distros are simply slightly modified versions of existing ones. It could be a different desktop, colors or something else.

What you should consider when deciding on a Distro?
#

I have already listed a few distros above, which I will discuss in a moment. Before that, I would like to clarify what you should generally pay attention to if you want to use a distro. Here are the most important points in my opinion

Is it popular?
#

This is more important than you think because when it’s popular it has a lot of development support and more documentation. There are also more people talking about their problems. This means that you will also find more solutions to your problems as many people report their problems and get them resolved.

Is it a difficult distro?
#

Difficult is of course always subjective, but there are still things that can clearly be interpreted as difficult.

Examples would be:

The installation should be graphical because not everyone can manage a terminal installation. Especially people who are not used to using a terminal.

If you have to install all kinds of things with a wiki because the distro doesn’t have everything important installed, it’s just too difficult for many people.

So take a close look at your distro choice to see if it is too difficult for you.

What is the distro intended for?
#

There are distros that are extremely specific. Be it for virtualization servers, storage servers etc.

You should therefore look at the purpose for which the distro was created.

The distros I recommend
#

Finally we come to the recommendations. I have sorted it into three categories. Desktop, Gamming and Server.

Desktop
#

Desktop Linux refers to distros that include a desktop. You can also use these as a server, but most people use them as a desktop OS.

Fedora Linux
#

Fedora is my desktop of choice. It offers a lot of software as a lot is developed directly for it. You notice this especially when something is not in a package manager but you can download it as a .deb or .rpm package. That means you have to use apt or dnf as package manager in order to use these files. Fedora uses dnf and it is the best package manager in my opinion for the simple reason that it is incredibly good at finding dependencies.

Also Fedora has a lot of desktops and Fedora uses very new kernels and very recent software versions.

It also uses a graphical installer and should therefore be easy to install.

Download link: https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/download

Linux Mint
#

Linux mint is the best distro for new Linux users. I don’t think there’s any debate about that. It also installs all the drivers you need directly during the system installation. Be it media drivers or the drivers for Nvidia. It also has excellent support for Chinese or Japanese keyboards. Which is important for some people. Also for me.

In addition, you pretty much never need the terminal for Mint, which is very good for people who don’t want to have anything to do with it.

Download link: https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=319

Arch Linux
#

Arch Linux is special because it is user centralized. Which means that the user friendliness of the Distro is not important. Arch allows you to customize everything, from the desktop to all the programs and kernels that run on your desktop.

This is very good for people who like DIY desktops but absolutely not for anyone who just wants to use a desktop and enjoy their evening.

Arch has the best documentation in the Linux world. So if you want to build your own desktop be so free and install Arch you will love it.

Download link: https://archlinux.org/download/

Gamming
#

“Gamming distros” are actually not a thing that really exists. Because you can play on all desktop distros. However, there are distros that are special, two to be exact.

Nobara
#

Nobara is a fork of Fedora, it adds some patches that makes playing on Linux much easier. It also adds stuff for Davinci Resolve and OBS which makes streaming and Youtube video Production easier.

It is therefore a very good distro for streamers or youtubers. But also just people who want to play without having to fix Gamming specific problems all the time.

Download link: https://nobaraproject.org/download-nobara/

Bazzite
#

Bazzite is a fantastic distro for all these handheld consoles like the Steamdeck that are coming out.

It is very similar to Nobara with the difference that it is an Atomic Desktop. But I’ll explain the difference another time.

Download link: https://bazzite.gg/

Server
#

Server distros are distros that provide server services. Who would have thought.

Proxmox VE
#

Proxmox has a few things it can do, but I’m going to talk specifically about Proxmox VE. Proxmox is a hypervisor OS which is specifically made for virtualization. You can do very cool things with it. For example, I built a Cloud Gamming VM with it. I’ll explain how that works at some point.

Proxmox has many similar functions to VMware ESXI with the difference that it is open source and does not have prices that are so high that you can sell your organs if you want to use it.

You can even use it privately for free.

Download link: https://www.proxmox.com/en/downloads/proxmox-virtual-environment/iso

TrueNAS
#

TrueNAS is a storage OS that uses ZFS as a file system. ZFS is like Alien Technology it is ridiculous what this file system can do. So if you need an OS that is perfect for managing data, look no further.

I have also linked a video here if you want to learn what makes ZFS so special. Of course, I will also cover ZFS at some point.

What is ZFS: https://youtu.be/lsFDp-W1Ks0

Download link: https://www.truenas.com/download-truenas-scale/

Debian Linux
#

It may seem strange that I classify Debian as a server OS when you can also use it as a desktop. But I don’t advise anyone to use it as a desktop. Debian is very old when it comes to software and does not support new hardware for a very long time.

But it is also very robust and almost never crashes. Which makes it very good for servers. By the way, Proxmox and TrueNAS are Debian based for exactly this reason.

Download link: https://www.debian.org/

Alpine Linux
#

Alpine is special, it has hardly any packages, has virtually no desktop support, has no web UI or anything else. BUT it is only 240MB in size you read that right 240MB. Btw the VM version is only 60MB in size and that’s the special thing about Alpine. It is perfect for servers that should be as small as possible or as a base for Docker containers where Alpine is often used. It is also super Secure.

Download link: https://www.alpinelinux.org/downloads/

Ubuntu Server
#

I don’t like Ubuntu because of Canonical. Nevertheless, a lot of server based software is programmed for Ubuntu and Ubuntu Server is also very easy to use. It is the standard Linux server and is therefore a good choice for many people.

Download link: https://ubuntu.com/download/server

Open Media Vault
#

Open Media Vault is like TrueNAS only for small servers. Be it a Raspberry Pi or something else. It’s pretty good for people who want to build a NAS. Without having to buy one from Synology, for example.

Download link: https://www.openmediavault.org/download.html

Closing words
#

There is more you could recommend but I think the selection will satisfy most people. There will always be people who say that you should use this distro because. But that’s not my point, I just want to make the choice easier without scaring people away. The word Linux gatekeeper exists for a reason.

If you have questions you can also ask them directly in the forums. But most things you will learn by trying and reading.

Services from XenoElectronics
#

If you need help with your projects or with open source software. Take a look at our contact page and let us know what you need. We will help you to realize your projects.

https://xenoelectronics.com/contact/

Open source support & coffee fund
#

Thank you for reading and for your time!