I just got a new, cheap, fanless micro computer that advertises itself as running Linux, and I spent today looking at Arch-based distros; Cachy made my short list, although I’ve never run it.
Is it suitable for running a headless, fanless mini-PC that’s raspy just going to be a snapclient host?
Is there a “Server” option in the installer? Once I get this set up, it’s going to be running entirely headless and without any peripherals (except the AUX out), and I’d like to strip out all of the unneeded software.
I’ve installed bare Arch before, and it’s a PITA I’d rather avoid; it’s easier to just install Garuda or Endeavor and then uninstall X and Wayland, and everything that depends on them. I’m wondering how Cachy fares in this situation.
Before anyone suggest I use a different, non-Arch distro for this: no. I understand pacman and yay, and I know where Arch puts files that every distro has a different opinion on locating. I’ll play with other distributions and switch when I find one I like more, but this is a device I just want to set up and forget about except for periodic upgrades.
Anyway, what are your opinions on CachyOS? I’ve been pretty happy with Endeavor for desktops, but I wouldn’t put it on a headless server.
Also, if it’s somehow not already automated, be sure to select the right packages for your CPU level. For instance, if it’s older (AVX2), you want the v3 packages, but if it’s zen 4+ there are packages specifically for that.
Huh. I wonder who gave you a downvote for this. It looks like good advice, and TBH in all the years I’ve been using Linux, since I stopped building the kernels myself I haven’t messed with targeted builds or any of the newer power saving options.
Yeah, CachyOS is like all those custom builds and performance tweaks you used to do shipped by default, or offered as easy options.
Another good example is the kernels. You can choose between schedulers that prioritize responsiveness or not, opt for features like core compaction (which try to keep other cores asleep in light loads) or sharing core cache, among other things. They’re all precompiled for different architectures and officially supported.
I looked into it; it looks like they’ve got placeholders for server-oriented installs, but no ISOs yet; only for desktop and mobile at the moment. But it’s a cool project, and I’m keeping my eye on it - thanks!
Oh, yeah; I’m fine with a GUI boot USB, and a GUI installer… but if possible, having a target use is nice. Having a “server” target often means they skip installing X/Wayland, window managers, DE, and a bunch of applications - which means a far shorter installation and fewer post-install clean-up hoops of removing crap that’s not going to get used.
I like the convenience of the GUI installers; I just like the option of saying “don’t install a desktop GUI.”
I just got a new, cheap, fanless micro computer that advertises itself as running Linux, and I spent today looking at Arch-based distros; Cachy made my short list, although I’ve never run it.
Is it suitable for running a headless, fanless mini-PC that’s raspy just going to be a snapclient host?
Is there a “Server” option in the installer? Once I get this set up, it’s going to be running entirely headless and without any peripherals (except the AUX out), and I’d like to strip out all of the unneeded software.
I’ve installed bare Arch before, and it’s a PITA I’d rather avoid; it’s easier to just install Garuda or Endeavor and then uninstall X and Wayland, and everything that depends on them. I’m wondering how Cachy fares in this situation.
Before anyone suggest I use a different, non-Arch distro for this: no. I understand pacman and yay, and I know where Arch puts files that every distro has a different opinion on locating. I’ll play with other distributions and switch when I find one I like more, but this is a device I just want to set up and forget about except for periodic upgrades.
Anyway, what are your opinions on CachyOS? I’ve been pretty happy with Endeavor for desktops, but I wouldn’t put it on a headless server.
They have a CLI installer, but honestly I’ve never installed it headless before. There is also a “barebones” image that’s closer to stock arch.
The main tweaks I’d recommend for a minipc server are enabling the power saving mode and rcu lazy: https://wiki.cachyos.org/configuration/general_system_tweaks/#enable-rcu-lazy
Also, if it’s somehow not already automated, be sure to select the right packages for your CPU level. For instance, if it’s older (AVX2), you want the v3 packages, but if it’s zen 4+ there are packages specifically for that.
Huh. I wonder who gave you a downvote for this. It looks like good advice, and TBH in all the years I’ve been using Linux, since I stopped building the kernels myself I haven’t messed with targeted builds or any of the newer power saving options.
Good advice, thanks
Yeah, CachyOS is like all those custom builds and performance tweaks you used to do shipped by default, or offered as easy options.
Another good example is the kernels. You can choose between schedulers that prioritize responsiveness or not, opt for features like core compaction (which try to keep other cores asleep in light loads) or sharing core cache, among other things. They’re all precompiled for different architectures and officially supported.
That sounds pretty neat.
I looked into it; it looks like they’ve got placeholders for server-oriented installs, but no ISOs yet; only for desktop and mobile at the moment. But it’s a cool project, and I’m keeping my eye on it - thanks!
Ah, yeah, shows you how long its been since I looked at the ISOs. The CLI installer is ancient.
Looks like there’s a new one here, but is a WIP: https://github.com/CachyOS/New-Cli-Installer?tab=readme-ov-file
Oh, yeah; I’m fine with a GUI boot USB, and a GUI installer… but if possible, having a target use is nice. Having a “server” target often means they skip installing X/Wayland, window managers, DE, and a bunch of applications - which means a far shorter installation and fewer post-install clean-up hoops of removing crap that’s not going to get used.
I like the convenience of the GUI installers; I just like the option of saying “don’t install a desktop GUI.”