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Installation Overview

tuinix ships as an ISO image that includes the installer, system configuration, and all packages needed for a complete offline installation.

Supported Architectures

Architecture Image Type Target Devices
x86_64 ISO Standard PCs, laptops, servers
aarch64 ISO ARM64 devices with UEFI boot

Installation Modes

Offline Installation (Default)

The ISO includes the complete system closure - all packages required for installation are pre-cached. No internet connection needed for standard configurations.

Fully Offline

The tuinix ISO can install a complete system without any network access. This is ideal for air-gapped environments or locations with poor connectivity.

Online Installation

If your configuration adds packages beyond the standard set, an internet connection may be required to fetch additional packages.

Get the ISO

Download the latest ISO from the releases page, or build it yourself:

git clone https://github.com/timlinux/tuinix.git
cd tuinix

# Build for x86_64 (default)
./scripts/build-iso.sh

# Build for aarch64 (ARM64)
./scripts/build-iso.sh aarch64

# Build both architectures
./scripts/build-iso.sh both

Choose your target

Target Guide
Physical machine Bare Metal Installation
QEMU, virt-manager, VirtualBox VM Installation

Requirements

Resource Minimum Recommended
CPU x86_64 or aarch64 Modern multi-core
RAM 4 GB 8 GB+
Storage 20 GB 50 GB+ SSD
Boot mode UEFI UEFI

UEFI required

tuinix requires UEFI boot mode. Legacy BIOS is not supported. Secure Boot must be disabled because ZFS kernel modules are unsigned.

Default Packages

Every tuinix installation includes:

Networking:

  • NetworkManager with nmtui for easy WiFi/network configuration
  • iPhone USB tethering support (libimobiledevice, usbmuxd)
  • bluetui for Bluetooth management

Core Tools:

  • vim, git, curl, wget, htop, tree, tmux
  • yazi file manager (alias f)
  • wiremix PipeWire mixer (default sound app)
  • brightnessctl screen backlight control
  • tuinix-menu — drill-down launcher for all installed TUI apps

Optional collections (chosen during install): TUI productivity suite, pentest tools, terminal games, Sound and Music studio, and an Emergency GUI (sandboxed Brave kiosk). See Software Collections.

ZFS Features (x86_64):

  • Full ZFS support with encryption, compression, and snapshots