RaspArch Build 200304 especially for the new Raspberry Pi 4 released 190624
This version (200304) is especially made for the new Raspberry Pi 4, but it can of course also be used on a Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Raspberry Pi 2 Model B.

RaspArch is a “remaster” of Arch Linux ARM. The original compressed system is of about 230 MB. After I have added the LXDE Desktop environment, PulseAudio, Firefox, Yaourt and NetworkManager the system has increased a lot. RaspArch is a “ready-to-go” ARM system. It must be installed on a Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B or Raspberry Pi 2 Model B computer.

Most important change in version 200304: Use Rufus 3.9 to install  RaspArch to the SD card
This version can be installed in Windows using Rufus 3.9, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher. Previous versions could only be installed when running a Linux system. Using Rufus or Win32 Disk Imager has one disadvantage though. Only about 300MB can be used as data storage no matter which card you use. The system is of 4GB and the system partition of 3.8GB. If you use a card of 128GB about 124GB will be unused. A few month ago a member on this site wrote about how to get rid of the 300MB limit after Rufus, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher has been used:
– write the image with Rufus 3.9
– start up Ubuntu or another Linux system – you can also use a Linux Live CD/USB stick
– start GParted – screenshot before resizing
– screenshot during resizing
– resize the DATA (/dev/sdb2 ext4) partition – screenshot after resizing
– done!
This screenshot shows that RaspArch now has about 113GB free storage. NOTE (very important): You should do the resizing directly after you have transferred the image to your SD card. If you run RaspArch without resizing you can’t install new packages etc..

Writing the image using Rufus 3.9. See the screenshot below.

UPGRADE RaspArch
If you have downloaded and installed one of my previous versions of RaspArch before you can still use the Micro SD Card with RaspArch on the new Raspberry Pi 4 after a full upgrade of the system. Commands: pacman -Sy followed by pacman -Syu. Most important the old kernel will automatically be replaced by kernel 4.19.106-1-ARCH. NOTE (very very important): After a full upgrade you must install the kernel once more. The kernel installed the first time is not for Raspberry Pi 4. Run this command before you reboot your Raspberry Pi 4: Pacman -S linux-raspberrypi4
If you forget to run this command your Raspberry Pi 4 can’t boot (with RaspArch).
To get sound you must also add dtparam=audio=on to /boot/config.txt.

NEWS in RaspArch Build 200304
A new kernel – 4.19.106-1-ARCH. All included packages have been updated to the latest version as of 200304. I have added support for Yaourt – a Pacman Fronted. I have also installed PulseAudio. Finally the sound works very well in RaspArch. Nice if you like YouTube. I’ve also replaced Wicd with NetworkManager. It works better. Note1: To be able to install Yaourt I had to install a lot of development tools. Note2: Some people say that Yaourt is outdated. It should be replaced by Yay – yet another Yaourt.

Compatibility :: March 2020
Unfortunately not all systems made for Raspberry Pi 3 and 2 will run on the new Raspberry Pi 4 computer. They need to be upgraded with a new kernel. I therefore have to upgrade the systems I distribute. I.e. RaspEX, RaspEX with OpenCPN, RaspEX BunsenLabs, RaspEX Kodi, RaspAnd Marshmallow, RaspAnd Nougat 7.1.2, RaspAnd Oreo 8.1, RaspAnd Pie, EXTON OpSuS Rpi, FedEX Rpi3 and RaspArch. I have until now (200304) only upgraded RaspEX, RaspEX Kodi, RaspArch and RaspEX with OpenCPN. Read about the new Raspberry Pi 4.

What is Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. It is a capable little device that enables people of all ages to explore computing, and to learn how to program in languages like Scratch and Python. It’s capable of doing everything you’d expect a desktop computer to do, from browsing the internet and playing high-definition video, to making spreadsheets, word-processing, and playing games.
Read more about Raspberry Pi…

The Raspberry Pi 4 made in June 2019. It has:

• • • 2x USB 3.0 ports
    • 2x USB 2.0 ports
    • Gigabit Ethernet
    • Power-over-Ethernet (this will require a PoE HAT)
    • 40-pin GPIO header
    • 2× micro-HDMI ports (up to 4Kp60 supported)
    • H.265 (4Kp60 decode)
    • H.264 (1080p60 decode, 1080p30 encode)
    • OpenGL ES, 3.0 graphics
    • DSI display port
    • CSI camera port
    • Combined 3.5mm analog audio and composite video jack
    • Micro-SD card slot
    • USB-C power
    • 4GB RAM

    Raspberry Pi 4: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+?

    Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 2? Raspberry Pi 3 is performing 10 times faster than that of the Pi 1 and around 50 percent better than that of the Pi 2 according to testers.

    Raspberry Pi 3 Model 3 B+: How much better is it than the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B? The tiny computer is supposed to be faster and better in every way, including upgraded processor speed, wireless internet, and Ethernet connections.

    More about RaspArch
    When you have installed RaspArch to your Micro SD Card you can use the system like any other Arch Linux system. I.e. install new programs etc. Arch motto is KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). RaspArch uses kernel 4.19.106-1-ARCH and the LXDE Desktop environment.

    Login and passwords
    After the boot process is ready you will end up at LightDM‘s login page – see the screenshot below. Log in as the ordinary user archpi with password raspberry or as root (“other”) with password root. While logged in as archpi you can use Sudo to become root. Example commands: sudo su and sudo pcmanfm.

    
    
    Program Management in Arch Linux
    Arch Linux uses a proprietary system called Pacman. It is similar to that found in CRUX Linux. Read about Pacman.
    You can also read all the documentation on Arch Linux. Seven commands are basically the only ones you need to use:
    1) pacman -Sy (update the packages database)
    2) pacman-key –refresh-keys
    3) pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring
    4) pacman -Syu (upgrading the whole system)
    5) pacman -S MyUsefulProgram (the package installation command)
    6) pacman -R UnnecessaryProgram (uninstall a package).
    7) pacman -S –overwrite MyUsefulProgram (in case you get an error about “conflicting packages”)
    Very simple!
    Note1: You can also use Yaourt – see below.
    Note2: When running RaspArch on a Rpi4: Don’t forget to run the command Pacman -S linux-raspberrypi4 after a full upgrade.

  • Using Yaourt – a Pacman Frontend
    Yaourt is also very simple to use. Yaourt is a command line interface program which complete pacman for installing software on Archlinux. You should normally use Pacman as described above. If, however, you want to install a special program which can’t be found using Pacman you can try Yaourt. The command is yaourt MyUsefulProgram. Normally you will get a lot of alternatives. Install the one you want. Watch this screenshot when I wanted to install Geany using Yaourt. In the first place I installed Yaourt to be able to install Google Chrome (only to learn that Google Chrome isn’t available for the ARM architecture). NOTE: To be able to use Yaourt you’ll have to log in to LXDE as the ordinary user archpi. (You can’t use Yaourt as root for security reasons).How do I install RaspArch?
    Use Rufus 3.9, Win32 Disk Imager or Etcher – see above. Unzip the downloaded file rasparch-rpi4-exton-1240mb-200304.zip. You will get the image file rasparch-rpi4-exton-4300mb-200304.img which is the file you shall install to your micro SD card.
    
    Different Micro SD Cards
    For best performance you should use SD Cards of good quality. I can recommend Samsung MicroSD Pro Plus 32GB Class 10. Write speed up to 95 MB/s. Also SanDisk MicroSD Ultra 128GB Class 10. Write speed up to 100 MB/s. NOTE: If you can’t run RaspArch at all you should try with a new “better” card.

    Wireless connections
    Just use NetworkManager, add your password and connect.

    Installing/using Samba
    A way to reach your Windows computers in your home network is to install Samba. Command: pacman -S samba gvfs gvfs-smb sshfs
    Then start Samba with the command systemctl start smb.service nmb.service
    After that you can connect to your Windows computers via PCManFM – watch this screenshot. (My Raspberry Pi 4 running RaspArch is connected to one of my computers in my home network). NOTE: Samba is already installed and configured in RaspArch Build 200304. Just run the command sudo systemctl enable smb.service nmb.service. You may have to reboot your Rpi before you can use Samba.
    
    Sound in RaspArch
    In Build 200304 I’ve installed alsa-utils, PulseAudio and Pavucontrol. The sound works alright now. From Arch Linux for Raspberry Pi Wiki I learned this. If you want/need sound in RaspArch you should follow the instruction below.Run the following command: amixer cset numid=3 X
    Where X corresponds to:
    0 for Auto
    1 for Analog out
    2 for HDMIAdd the following lines to /boot/config.txt

    dtparam=audio=on

    and

    audio_pwm_mode=2 (if you use the 3.5mm analogue output)

    WHO should run Arch Linux/RaspArch?
    My answer: The system fits the “advanced” Linux user/enthusiast, who would be willing to run an occasional command from time to time.

    

    BENEFITS of Arch Linux/RaspArch
    “Cutting Edge”-software and speed. A member on this site recently wrote this about RaspArch: I’ve used Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, Ubuntu & Arch. I prefer Arch. Ubuntu is easier to install, Arch is easier to keep up to date. You do not go through big, painful, changes every year instead you just update, once in a while, make changes if instructed. Arch has most of the benefits of Gentoo without the pain of recompiling _everything_. When you do need to build a package in Arch its painless especially if you use one of the tools that support AUR (I like Yaourt). Arch avoids the politics of Debian and Ubuntu and delivers a great Linux distribution. RaspArch now brings these advantages to the Pi 2.

    Study all installed packages in RaspArch

    SCREENSHOTS
    Screenshot 1 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as archpi
    Screenshot 2 of RaspArch’s Desktop – YouTube running
    Screenshot 3 – Yaourt running (while installing Geany)
    Screenshot 4 of RaspArch’s Desktop – logged in as root
    Screenshot 5 – Samba connection to a Windows computer
    Screenshot 6 – some system INFO when running RaspArch
    Screenshot 7 – showing that you can watch 4K videos using Firefox

  • DOWNLOAD (rasparch-rpi4-exton-1240mb-200304.zip) for free from SourceForge.net.

You can also download RaspArch from the Swedish Linux Society.

md5sum

andex.exton.net – latest is AndEX 10 (with GAPPS) and AndEX Pie 9.0 (also with GAPPS)!
and
about my Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 3/2 at
raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd Pie 9.0 (without GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (with GAPPS)!