From 503ef7051ace13516413949cd6c5c96839741b40 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: DannyDannyDanny Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:35:59 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] server-quickstart: suggest graphical installer when Ethernet not available Made-with: Cursor --- server-quickstart.md | 8 ++++++-- 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/server-quickstart.md b/server-quickstart.md index 8839d6c..f535ef3 100644 --- a/server-quickstart.md +++ b/server-quickstart.md @@ -2,10 +2,14 @@ Get a new NixOS machine online as a server: hostname, user, SSH, and key-based login. +## 0. Installer choice + +You can't always assume the machine has an Ethernet port (e.g. some laptops, thin clients). The **minimal** ISO has no GUI and Wi‑Fi on the live system is fiddly (wpa_supplicant, dhcpcd, no NetworkManager). For machines without Ethernet, prefer the **graphical** NixOS installer: it includes NetworkManager and a desktop, so you can join Wi‑Fi in the GUI, then open a terminal and follow the same config steps below. Download the graphical ISO from the same NixOS channel (e.g. `nixos-graphical-*-x86_64-linux.iso` instead of `nixos-minimal-*`). + ## 1. Prerequisites -- NixOS installed -- Machine on the network +- NixOS installed (minimal or graphical ISO) +- Machine on the network (Ethernet or Wi‑Fi) - Console or existing SSH access ## 2. Hostname