Installing and configuring Kodi on a fresh Arch Linux System

This script is a comprehensive setup tool for configuring an Arch Linux system specifically tailored for use with Kodi (formerly XBMC). It provides a menu-driven interface to install and configure various components needed for a media center setup.

Install Arch Linux as described in official instruction Download i.sh script and run it

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pfzim/xbmc-config/master/i.sh
chmod a+rx i.sh
sudo ./i.sh

Script Overview

The script performs the following main functions:

1. System Configuration

   • Sets timezone to Europe/Moscow
   • Updates Arch Linux packages (pacman -Syu)
   • Configures network interfaces (both wired and wireless)
   • Installs and configures console tools (Midnight Commander, bash completion)
   • Sets up Cyrillic support for console

2. Media Center Components

   • Installs Kodi along with its dependencies (XOrg, Fluxbox window manager, LXDM display manager)
   • Configures autologin and automatic Kodi startup
   • Sets up UPnP media sharing with MiniDLNA
   • Configures Transmission torrent client with customizable download directories

3. Network Services

   • Configures SSH server with customizable port
   • Sets up dynamic DNS (no-ip.com) for remote access
   • Configures firewall rules with QoS for torrent traffic
   • Implements email-based torrent control system

4. Additional Features

   • Bluetooth device configuration
   • Web browser installation (Firefox or Chromium)
   • On-screen keyboard setup
   • CD/DVD burning software (Brasero)
   • CCTV functionality with Motion

XBMC 13 post install configuration (old version)

Boot XBMCbuntu, CTRL+ALT+F1, login and run:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pfzim/xbmc-config/master/i-xbmcubuntu.sh
chmod a+rx i-xbmcubuntu.sh
sudo ./i-xbmcubuntu.sh

Installation

Install Arch Linux following the official wiki guide (alternative guide).

During installation, when running pacstrap, include additional packages (wpa_supplicant and libnewt) like this:

pacstrap /mnt base linux linux-firmware intel-ucode wpa_supplicant libnewt lvm2 ntfs-3g git grub vim mc

In arch-chroot /mnt environment download this script:

cd /root
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pfzim/xbmc-config/master/i.sh
chmod a+x i.sh

After complete installation and reboot, run this script:

cd /root
./i.sh

Description

Set timezone to Europe/Moscow

Update Arch (pacman -Syu)

Configure network (systemd-networkd, wpa_supplicant, systemd-resolved)

• Wired
• Wireless (WPA, WEP, Open)
• Static
• DHCP
• Enable Wake On LAN

Install Network Manager (only if skip previous systemd-networkd step)

• For configure run nmtui after installation

Install Midnight commander and console tools

• Install mc man bash-completion sudo cronie vim
• Configure .inputrc

Configure DDNS no-ip.com script

• Add to crontab one line curl or wget request to no-ip.com

Install XOrg, Kodi, Fluxbox, LXDM

• Install and configure autologin and autostart Kodi

Install XBMC plugins (Advanced Launcher)

• Nothing

Install transmission-daemon

• Setup download and watch directories

Install on screen keyboard (onboard)

Install Firefox

Install chromium browser

Configure bluetooth

• Install bluez
• Discover and pair bluetooth devices

Install cyrillic for console

• Setup console fonts and Russian keyboard

Install HTTP server Apache, PHP

iptables rules add

• Configure QoS for torrent traffic is low priority, other traffic is high priority

Install torrent control through mail

• Install FDM, nail, msmtp, munpack
• Configure mailbox
• Configure FDM for fetch mail every 15 minutes
• FDM accept incomming mail with subjects:
  • control: torrent add
    • Save attached .torrent file to transmission watch directory
  • control: torrent list
    • Reply to sender information of currently transmisstion downloads
  • control: torrent alt speed on
    • Enable tranmission alt speed mode
  • control: torrent alt speed off
    • Disable tranmission alt speed mode

Configure XOrg

• Configure XOrg for my old TV with resolution 1360x768 (99-screen.conf)
• Configure Russian keyboard (99-rukbd.conf)

Install burning CD/DVD software (Brasero)

Install SSHD

• Install SSHD and configure SSHD port

Install Motion (CCTV)

• Install motion, gstreamer, v4l2loopback
• Create systemd service for create virtual video device (/dev/video9). It allow use camera separately in motion and Skype
• Configure motion write video from webcam
• Add to crontab script for rotate motion records

Configure fonts (MS fonts w/o antialias)

• Install Microsoft fonts and disable antialias

Install MiniDLNA UPnP server

• Install and configure MiniDLNA to share directory with torrents

Technical Details

The script uses:

• whiptail for menu-driven interface
• Systemd for service management
• Networkd for network configuration (with optional NetworkManager)
• Crontab for scheduled tasks
• Various configuration files in /etc for persistent settings

The script maintains a backup of all modified configuration files in a timestamped archive before making changes.

Notes

• The script is designed to be run as root
• It checks for required dependencies before execution
• Each configuration section can be selected individually through the menu interface
• The script provides verification prompts for critical configuration items
• Network configuration requires internet access for package installation

This script provides a complete solution for setting up a feature-rich media center based on Arch Linux and Kodi, with particular attention to Russian language support and remote management capabilities.