Learn Void Linux - Pre-Requisite Skills & Environment Setup

#Introduction

Welcome to the Learn Void Linux series! This series will take you through mastering Void Linux — an independent rolling release distro with the XBPS package manager, the runit init system, and a choice between the glibc and musl libc — from foundational concepts all the way to production-grade deployment. There are 23 episodes in total, organized into six phases.

But before touching any configuration, there are a few basic skills and software you must have. Why are these pre-requisites important? Because Void Linux does not use systemd like most modern distros. You will face runit as PID 1, services managed through symlinks, and the XBPS package manager, which may all feel unfamiliar. If your CLI fundamentals and init concepts aren't solid, troubleshooting later will feel heavy.

Episode 0 is your roadmap: we will make sure your basic skills are solid, prepare the official Void Linux ISO, create a VM as your lab, and verify the authenticity of the files. Once this episode is done, the whole series can be followed comfortably.

#Basic Skills You Must Master

#Linux CLI and Basic Administration

You must be comfortable with the terminal: directory navigation, file management, user and group management, and reading logs. Void does not provide GUI tools for administration, so almost all work is done through commands. Master ls, cp, mv, rm, chown, chmod, and tar before moving on.

Check these skills by running:

uname -a
id
cat /etc/os-release

The cat /etc/os-release command will show ID=void after you successfully install Void. That's the first sign that the system is really Void.

#Init System and Service Concepts

Void uses runit as its init system. The basic concept differs from systemd: a service is defined by a directory containing a run script, and it's enabled through a symlink. From now on, get used to the terms service directory and symlink, because those are the two main pillars of service management in Void.

As an early overview, check the running services:

sv status /var/service/*
ls /var/service/

Don't worry if the output doesn't mean much yet — episode 5 will dissect runit thoroughly.

#Partitioning, Bootloader, and Networking

You need to understand partitioning, filesystems, and bootloaders because void-installer asks about all of these during installation. Understand the difference between UEFI and BIOS/MBR, and how to choose mount points like / and /home. For networking, Void relies on dhcpcd as the default and NetworkManager as an option — you must master basic network commands such as ip addr and ping.

#Software to Prepare

#Official Void Linux ISO

Download the official ISO from the official Void Linux website at voidlinux.org/download. Two main flavors are available:

flavor glibc : prebuilt packages with glibc, broad compatibility
flavor musl  : small footprint, great for servers and containers

The supported architectures are x86_64, i686, aarch64, and armv7l. For this series, choose glibc x86_64 because it's the most widely used and the examples are the easiest to follow.

#Virtual Machine as Your Lab

The best recommendation for learning is a VM, not an installation on a physical machine. Prepare QEMU/KVM, VirtualBox, or Proxmox with at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB of RAM for experiments. A VM lab lets you break the installation without fear of damaging your main system, and it's easy to revert when an experiment fails.

#USB Media for a Live Install

If you really want to install on a physical machine, prepare a USB flash drive of at least 2 GB. Use dd to write the ISO to the USB:

sudo dd if=void-live-x86_64-20250216.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sudo sync

Replace void-live-x86_64-20250216.iso with the name of the ISO file you downloaded, and sdX with your USB device. Be careful, because this command erases the entire contents of the target device.

#Setting Up the Lab Environment

#Creating the Void Linux VM

Create a new VM with the Void ISO as the boot source. Make sure the firmware matches your needs — choose UEFI if your virtual machine supports it, or BIOS/MBR if not. Allocate 20 GB or more of disk so there's enough room for the installation and for experiments in the following episodes.

Before booting, verify the authenticity of the downloaded ISO using the checksum available on the official website:

sha256sum void-live-x86_64-20250216.iso

Compare the output with the value shown on the download page. If they match, the ISO isn't corrupted and is safe to use.

#Preparing Your Lab Notes

Prepare a small notes document with the following three items, since you'll keep using them throughout the series:

• IP address of the lab VM, whether DHCP or static.
• Username and password you create during installation.
• Partition and filesystem you choose during installation.

With these notes, you can return to any episode without having to guess your lab configuration.

#Conclusion

In episode 0 you laid the foundation for the whole series: you understood the Linux skills, init system, partitioning, and networking required, downloaded the Void Linux glibc ISO, created a lab VM, and verified the authenticity of the ISO file.

Key takeaways:

• Master the Linux CLI, init system concepts, and networking before moving on.
• Understand the difference between UEFI and BIOS/MBR for installation.
• Download the Void Linux glibc x86_64 ISO from the official website.
• Use a VM as your lab so experiments are safe and easy to revert.
• Verify the ISO checksum with sha256sum before installation.
• Note the IP address, user, and partition scheme for series reference.

In the next episode, episode 1, we will discuss history, background, and why Void — from the birth of Void Linux in 2008 by Juan Romero Pardines, the philosophy of stability and simplicity, to the reasons for choosing Void over other rolling distros. Make sure your VM and ISO are ready, because the Learn Void Linux journey is just beginning!