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vGPU OS
Documentation: Installation

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Installation

Write the USB stick, boot from the menu and answer the installer.

Alpha

This documentation covers vGPU OS 0.1.2, in alpha. Screens and commands may change between versions; to see the installed version, use vgpu-os version.

Installation erases the chosen disk, takes a few minutes, and does not need internet. Before you start, check the requirements and have the ISO downloaded from the #vgpu-os channel.

Caution

Everything on the chosen disk will be erased, permanently. Back up anything important and, if you can, disconnect the disks that will not be used.

1. Write the ISO to the USB drive

The ISO is hybrid: it is written to the entire USB drive, byte by byte, not copied as a file. All contents of the USB drive are erased.

On Linux, find out which device is the USB drive with lsblk and write it with dd, using the whole device (/dev/sdX), not a partition (/dev/sdX1):

sudo dd if=vGPU-OS-0.1.2-amd64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

On Windows or macOS, use an image writer such as balenaEtcher. In Rufus, when it asks for the write mode, choose DD mode.

Tip

Verify the ISO before writing it, against the SHA-256 checksum shown on the download page: sha256sum vGPU-OS-0.1.2-amd64.iso on Linux, or shasum -a 256 vGPU-OS-0.1.2-amd64.iso on macOS, should show the same value.

2. Prepare the firmware

In the motherboard setup (BIOS/UEFI):

  • enable virtualization (Intel VT-x / Virtualization Technology or AMD-V / SVM Mode);
  • use UEFI boot mode — vGPU OS does not install in legacy mode (CSM);
  • if the USB drive does not appear or does not boot, disable Secure Boot.

3. Boot from the USB drive

Plug in the USB drive and choose it in the firmware boot menu (the key varies: F8, F11, F12, or Esc are common). The vGPU OS menu appears:

Option What it is for
Install vGPU OS The normal installation. It is selected automatically after 10 seconds
Install vGPU OS (safe graphics) The same installation, with basic video. Use it if the screen goes black or looks corrupted
Advanced / Rescue ... Rescue console, live system without the installer, USB drive check, and firmware access

Under Advanced / Rescue ..., the Check this medium for damage option checks whether the USB drive was written correctly.

4. Answer the installer

The installer is a text interface with blue windows, titled vGPU OS 0.1.2. Use the arrow keys, Tab, and Enter.

  1. Welcome. Explains that vGPU OS takes up an entire disk and that the first boot finishes the configuration over the wired network.
  2. Disk. Choose the target disk from the list, shown by size and model. The USB drive itself never appears. Disks smaller than 32 GB are rejected; below 128 GB, the installer warns you and asks whether to continue.
  3. Confirmation. To erase the disk, type the word ERASE (uppercase or lowercase). Leaving it blank goes back without changing anything.
  4. Computer name. The name on the network; the default is vgpu-os.
  5. Password. The password for the vgpu-user user, typed twice. It also grants administrator access (sudo) and is the password OSX-REIMS asks for when it needs one. It cannot be blank.

Warning

The installer does not ask for a language or keyboard layout. For the password, prefer unaccented letters and numbers, and avoid characters that change position between keyboards (such as ç, accents, and symbols), so you don't get a surprise when typing it later.

If you back out at any step, the installer asks what to do — answer again, open a terminal, or restart — and confirms that no disk was modified.

5. Installation and restart

A progress bar tracks the installation (Installing vGPU OS, please wait...). At the end, the installer asks you to remove the USB drive and confirm with Ok; the computer restarts.

On first boot, the first setup begins. Keep the network cable connected.

Note

SSH access is already enabled, with the vgpu-user user and the password you set. This lets you follow the first setup from another computer on the network with ssh vgpu-user@<ip-address>, using the address the router assigned to the computer.