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Snal Linux
Snal Linux is a live linux distribution based on Arch Linux, the i3 window manager, and Firefox web browser. It is intended to be used as a live USB image to troubleshoot hard disk, system, and network problems.
The name Snal comes from the phrase "Simple, Networked, and Live," as Snal is intended to be. Documentation is available on this wiki. There is also a dedicated page on the developer's website.
Current Release
Snal 1.38 was released July 6, 2025. It is available for download here.
Checksums for recent releases.
Burning a DVD
The Snal ISO can be burned to a DVD using standard software. The Snal image is approximately 2 GB.
Copying to USB
The Snal ISO can also be transferred directly to a USB drive (at least 2 GB) using dd or similar software. See the Arch Wiki for more information.
After bootup
After Snal boots, user snal is logged in automatically. The user is asked if she wants to run startx. Pressing enter will run the default: starting XWindows with i3 as the window manager. The options are as follows:
- Entering "y" or just pressing enter will run startx with i3 as the window manager.
- Entering "n" will run a bash shell.
- Entering "s" will attach an existing tmux session or start a new one.
- Entering "x" will join an existing tmux session.
Graphical Interface
The default Snal interface is the i3 window manager. Key bindings are shown on the background image and can be changed by editing /home/snal/.config/i3/config.
More information on the i3 window manager is available in 'man i3' and at https://i3wm.org.
A terminal emulator can be opened using super+enter. To see what other applications are available, press super+d to run rofi, which is a program launcher.
Command Line Interface
Snal features the tmux terminal multiplexer. When a new terminal is opened, the user is asked if they wants to run tmux. Pressing enter will run the default: attach or start. If a tmux session exists, attach it here. If a session doesn't exist, start a new session. The options are as follows:
- Entering "y" or just pressing enter will attach an existing tmux session or start a new one.
- Entering "n" will run a bash shell.
- Entering "x" will join an existing tmux session.
Keybindings in tmux consist of control+a followed by one additional character. For example, to detach from the terminal where it is running, press control+a control+d. These settings can be changed by editing /home/snal/.tmux.config.
More information on tmux is available in 'man tmux' and at the Arch Wiki.
Credentials
The normal user is snal. The initial password is snal. Change it by running passwd.
The root password is root. Change it by running passwd as root.
Networking
NetworkManager is used to manage network interfaces. nmtui is a simple text user interface for both wired and wireless network management.
'sudo nmtui'
More information about nmtui is available in 'man nmtui'.
(Not) Installing
Snal is intended to be used as a Live distro running from removable media. It is possible to install Arch Linux from a running Snal, but this is not recommended, and it is not supported. Do not ask about it in Arch support fora. The Arch Code of Conduct explicitly states that "community technical support shall only be provided for the Arch Linux distribution and the Arch User Repository. Posting issues with, and requesting support for, derivative distributions or operating systems other than Arch Linux are prohibited."
If you're looking for an Arch like distro to install on an internal drive, Snal isn't your best option. Use Arch! Or, use one of the many Arch-based distributions!.
Related
Wiki: checksums
Wiki: snal_1.27
Wiki: snal_1.28
Wiki: snal_1.29
Wiki: snal_1.30
Wiki: snal_1.31
Wiki: snal_1.32
Wiki: snal_1.33
Wiki: snal_1.34
Wiki: snal_1.35
Wiki: snal_1.36
Wiki: snal_1.37
Wiki: snal_1.38
Hello, I am playing with snal live at moment and I might install it with abinstall to my hard disk to maintain snal as it is. I like snal , it is good for learning i3 for me.
Ok so my experiment of installing Snal Linux from live session to hard disk completed successfully with abinstall , had to do some minor tweaks to boot it and adding a user and installing kernel. Posting this from installed Snal Linux
Snal 0.9 and 1.0 fails to connect to my wireless network through wifi-menu . I tried all tricks I could find from Arch wiki. Can you help me in this issue?
With my test computer, I am able to run wifi-menu, but it fails to connect to a choosen network unless I stop the interface first. Try running "ip link set wlan0 down" and then running wifi-menu.
Thanks , this worked instantly . Would be great to add README of Snal for
others to benefit if they face the same problem
On Sun, Nov 1, 2020, 2:42 AM Jeremy Wakeman jeremywakeman@users.sourceforge.net wrote:
really fun and friendly! I love as I am fan from ratpoison and xfce4 but very difficult to follow as normal user! and no future as there is no way immediately to save some settings or changes. the key map is wrong, the clock is wrong, the mozilla is wrong (I am using Seamonkey of course), no connection with the wire, what is more simple? why so much doubles (browser, consoles, files manager)? are really saving app's (photorec etc. ...) present?
.
for arch fans is that all possibly no problem. I did install only one unique time arch on my pc! it was using "makeiso", it is / was about the same: xorg present, ratpoison on top, and 2 windows open: the script to install arch left, and the console to do that right! it was great, fast and after that, the "base installation" for arch did really success! but after that? nothing more....
arch is a very bad distro: for the boss of arch, arch is more than the humans!
but bad did only copy other distros...
poor arch, victim of his "follie des grandeurs!" (yes, I'm French: the reason of my difficulties in Amerlock (mix of GB- and American English)).
.
I am interesting to see if schallinux continues and offers more (see above) and wish it's creator success. The use is fun!