clan-core/docs/site/getting-started/configure.md

Configuration - How to configure clan with your own machines

Global configuration

In the flake.nix file:

• set a unique clanName.

=== "buildClan"

```nix title="clan-core.lib.buildClan"
buildClan {
    # Set a unique name
    clanName = "Lobsters";
    # Should usually point to the directory of flake.nix
    directory = ./.;

    machines = {
        jon = {
            # ...
        };
        # ...
    }
}
```

=== "flakeParts"

!!! info "See [Clan with flake-parts](./flake-parts.md) for help migrating to flake-parts."

```nix title="clan-core.flakeModules.default"
clan = {
    # Set a unique name
    clanName = "Lobsters";

    machines = {
        jon = {
            # ...
        };
        # ...
    }
};
```

Machine configuration

Adding or configuring a new machine requires two simple steps:

Step 1. Identify Target Disk-ID

1. Find the remote disk id by executing:

   ssh root@flash-installer.local lsblk --output NAME,ID-LINK,FSTYPE,SIZE,MOUNTPOINT
   

   !!! Note Replace flash-installer.local with the IP address of the machine if you don't have the avahi service running which resolves mDNS local domains.

   Which should show something like:

   NAME        ID-LINK                                         FSTYPE   SIZE MOUNTPOINT
   sda         usb-ST_16GB_AA6271026J1000000509-0:0                    14.9G
   ├─sda1      usb-ST_16GB_AA6271026J1000000509-0:0-part1                 1M
   ├─sda2      usb-ST_16GB_AA6271026J1000000509-0:0-part2      vfat     100M /boot
   └─sda3      usb-ST_16GB_AA6271026J1000000509-0:0-part3      ext4     2.9G /
   nvme0n1     nvme-eui.e8238fa6bf530001001b448b4aec2929              476.9G
   ├─nvme0n1p1 nvme-eui.e8238fa6bf530001001b448b4aec2929-part1 vfat     512M
   ├─nvme0n1p2 nvme-eui.e8238fa6bf530001001b448b4aec2929-part2 ext4   459.6G
   └─nvme0n1p3 nvme-eui.e8238fa6bf530001001b448b4aec2929-part3 swap    16.8G
   

2. Edit the following fields inside the flake.nix

   === "buildClan"

    ```nix title="clan-core.lib.buildClan" hl_lines="18 23"
    buildClan {
      # ...
      machines = {
        "jon" = {
          imports = [
            # ...
            ./modules/disko.nix
            ./machines/jon/configuration.nix
          ];
          # ...
   
          # Change this to the correct ip-address or hostname
          # The hostname is the machine name by default
          clan.networking.targetHost = pkgs.lib.mkDefault "root@jon"
   
          # Change this to the ID-LINK of the desired disk shown by 'lsblk'
          disko.devices.disk.main = {
            device = "/dev/disk/by-id/__CHANGE_ME__";
          }
   
          # e.g. > cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
          users.users.root.openssh.authorizedKeys.keys = [
              "<YOUR SSH_KEY>"
          ];
          # ...
        };
      };
    }
    ```
   

   === "flakeParts"

    ```nix title="clan-core.flakeModules.default" hl_lines="18 23"
    clan = {
      # ...
      machines = {
        "jon" = {
          imports = [
            # ...
            ./modules/disko.nix
            ./machines/jon/configuration.nix
          ];
          # ...
   
          # Change this to the correct ip-address or hostname
          # The hostname is the machine name by default
          clan.networking.targetHost = pkgs.lib.mkDefault "root@jon"
   
          # Change this to the ID-LINK of the desired disk shown by 'lsblk'
          disko.devices.disk.main = {
            device = "/dev/disk/by-id/__CHANGE_ME__";
          }
   
          # e.g. > cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
          users.users.root.openssh.authorizedKeys.keys = [
              "__YOUR_SSH_KEY__"
          ];
          # ...
        };
      };
    };
    ```
   

!!! Info "Replace __CHANGE_ME__ with the appropriate identifier, such as nvme-eui.e8238fa6bf530001001b448b4aec2929" !!! Info "Replace __YOUR_SSH_KEY__ with your personal key, like ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAILoMI0NC5eT9pHlQExrvR5ASV3iW9+BXwhfchq0smXUJ jon@jon-desktop"

These steps will allow you to update your machine later.

Step 2: Detect Drivers

Generate the hardware-configuration.nix file for your machine by executing the following command:

clan machines hw-generate [MACHINE_NAME] [HOSTNAME]

replace [MACHINE_NAME] with the name of the machine i.e. jon and [HOSTNAME] with the ip_adress or hostname of the machine within the network. i.e. flash-installer.local

!!! Example bash clan machines hw-generate jon flash-installer.local

This command connects to `flash-installer.local` as `root`, runs `nixos-generate-config` to detect hardware configurations (excluding filesystems), and writes them to `machines/jon/hardware-configuration.nix`.

Step 3: Custom Disk Formatting

In ./modules/disko.nix, a simple ext4 disk partitioning scheme is defined for the Disko module. For more complex disk partitioning setups, refer to the Disko examples.

Step 4: Custom Configuration

Modify ./machines/jon/configuration.nix to personalize the system settings according to your requirements.

Step 5: Check Configuration

Validate your configuration by running:

nix flake check

This command helps ensure that your system configuration is correct and free from errors.

!!! Note

Integrate this step into your [Continuous Integration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_integration) workflow to ensure that only valid Nix configurations are merged into your codebase. This practice helps maintain system stability and reduces integration issues.

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Whats next?

• Secrets & Facts: Setting up secrets with nix-sops

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