# Reference Manual: nixos-anywhere
**_Install NixOS everywhere via ssh_**
[Documentation Index](./INDEX.md)
TODO: Populate this guide properly
## Contents
[Command Line Usage](#command-line-usage)
[Explanation of known error messages](#explanation-of-known-error-messages)
## Command Line Usage
```
Usage: nixos-anywhere [options]
Options:
* -f, --flake
set the flake to install the system from.
* -i
selects which SSH private key file to use.
* -p, --ssh-port
set the ssh port to connect with
* --ssh-option
set an ssh option
* -L, --print-build-logs
print full build logs
* -s, --store-paths
set the store paths to the disko-script and nixos-system directly
if this is give, flake is not needed
* --no-reboot
do not reboot after installation, allowing further customization of the target installation.
* --kexec
use another kexec tarball to bootstrap NixOS
* --post-kexec-ssh-port
after kexec is executed, use a custom ssh port to connect. Defaults to 22
* --copy-host-keys
copy over existing /etc/ssh/ssh_host_* host keys to the installation
* --stop-after-disko
exit after disko formatting, you can then proceed to install manually or some other way
* --extra-files
files to copy into the new nixos installation
* --disk-encryption-keys
copy the contents of the file or pipe in local_path to remote_path in the installer environment,
after kexec but before installation. Can be repeated.
* --no-substitute-on-destination
disable passing --substitute-on-destination to nix-copy
* --debug
enable debug output
* --option
nix option to pass to every nix related command
* --from
URL of the source Nix store to copy the nixos and disko closure from
* --build-on-remote
build the closure on the remote machine instead of locally and copy-closuring it
* --vm-test
build the system and test the disk configuration inside a VM without installing it to the target.
```
## Explanation of known error messages
TODO: Add additional error messages and meanings. Fill in missing explanations
This section lists known error messages and their explanations. Some
explanations may refer to the following CLI syntax:
`nix run github:nix-community/nixos-anywhere -- --flake # root@`
This list is not comprehensive. It's possible you may encounter errors that
originate from the underlying operating system. These should be documented in
the relevant operating system manual.
| Id | Message | Explanation |
| -- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 1 | Failure unpacking initrd | You don't have enough RAM to hold `kexec` |
| 2 | Flake does not provide attirbute | The configuration name you specified in your flake URI is not defined as a NixOS configuration in your flake eg if your URI was mydir#myconfig, then myconfig should be included in the flake as `nixosConfigurations.myconfig` |
| 3 | Please specify the name of the NixOS configuration to be installed, as a URI fragment in the flake-uri. | As for error #2 |
| | For example, to use the output nixosConfigurations.foo from the flake.nix, append "#foo" to the flake-uri | |
| 4 | Retrieving host facts via ssh failed. Check with --debug for the root cause, unless you have done so already | TODO: Explain |
| 5 | ssh-host must be set | has not been supplied |
| 6 | and must be existing store-paths | This occurs if the -s switch has been used to specify the disko script and store path correctly, and the scripts cannot be found at the given URI |
| 7 | flake must be set | This occurs if both the -flake option (use a flake) and the -s option (specify paths directly) have been omitted. Either one or the other must be specified. |
| 8 | no tar command found, but required to unpack kexec tarball | The destination machine does not have a `tar` command available. This is needed to unpack the `kexec`. |
| 9 | no setsid command found, but required to run the kexec script under a new session | The destination machine does not have the `setsid` command available |
| 10 | This script requires Linux as the operating system, but got | The destination machine is not running Linux |
| 11 | The default kexec image only support x86_64 cpus. Checkout https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-anywhere/#using-your-own-kexec-image for more information. | By default, `nixos-anywhere` uses its own `kexec` image, which will only run on x86_64 CPUs. For other CPU types, you can use your own `kexec` image instead. Refer to the [How To Guide](./howtos#using-your-own-kexec-image) for instructions. |
| 12 | Please specify the name of the NixOS configuration to be installed, as a URI fragment in the flake-uri. | This is a `disko` error. As for Error #2 |
| | For example, to use the output diskoConfigurations.foo from the flake.nix, append \"#foo\" to the flake-uri. | |
| 13 | mode must be either create, mount or zap_create_mount | This is a `disko` error. The `disko` switches have not been used correctly. This could happen if you supplied your own `disko` script using the -s option |
| 14 | disko config must be an existing file or flake must be set | This is a `disko` error. This will happen if the `disko.devices` entry in your flake doesn't match the name of a file in the same location as your flake. |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |