Parabola GNU/Linux-libre Release Images and Installers

Just as with all software packages in the Parabola repositories, the Parabola GNU/Linux-libre release images are cryptographically signed by a member of the Parabola project. Check-sums are also provided to quickly verify that the downloaded file itself, is not corrupted; but the signature is most significant. Any of these files may be obtained from sources other than directly from the Parabola project or Parabola mirrors. Only a valid signature, confirms that the ISO file was received in the pristine state, as provided by the Parabola project.

The signature can be verified by importing the "Signing Key", noted beside each release image. Verifying signatures is beyond the scope of this article; but the Parabola developers signing keys are published on the Parabola website.

It is strongly recommended that you keep a Parabola LiveISO ready to use at all times. It will save you much time and trouble, if ever the system becomes un-bootable, or otherwise needs repair.

Notes on the different editions and variants:

• The 'Net Install' ISOs are fully usable "live" operating systems for system recovery, or for simply exploring a Parabola system before you install it. Installation from a 'Net Install' ISO requires an active connection to the internet.
• The 'Complete' ISOs are equivalent to their 'Net Install' counterparts, except that they contain everything necessary to install a complete Parabola system, very quickly, with or without a connection to the internet.
• The 'CLI' and 'Talking' ISOs boot into a command-line environment, and do not include an automated installer. Installation is entirely manual, and so requires some basic familiarity with using the command-line. Installation from a 'CLI' ISO requires 1GB of disk space.
• The 'LXDE' ISOs boot into the LXDE desktop environment and include the user-friendly Calamares installer. Installation from a 'LXDE' ISO requires 9GB of disk space.
• Parabola LXDE and the Parabola LXDE live environment requires 512MB RAM; but the graphical installer requires 1GB RAM (or swap space) during install. A command-line install script is included in the live user's home directory, that can install the same full desktop or command-line Parabola system on computers with less the 1GB RAM.
• All of the installers perform a full standard clean chroot install, just the same as running the low-level 'pacstrap' program manually. Unlike many distro installers, they will not reuse the frozen "Live" state; but will install a fresh pristine system, just as one might do on the command line. The ARM tarballs however, are the exception, in that they are not transient "live" environments, and do not include any installer. Those are intended to be cloned bit-for-bit, directly to the target system main storage. This is not the idiomatic "arch-way" of installation; but they are more practical for installing to most hobby/dev boards, which are typically lacking in peripherals.
• Note, that all Parabola LiveISOs are capable of installing any variant of Parabola system to the target disk, regardless of the init-system or graphical environment of the live system. For example, any of the Parabola SystemD LiveISOs can be used to install an OpenRC system and vice-versa; and any of the Parabola LiveISOs (CLI or graphical) can be used to install any WM/DE, such as Gnome, KDE, and many others, or none at all.

Migrating to Parabola from an existing Pacman-based Distro

If you are currently using another pacman-based distro (e.g. ArchLinux{,32,ARM}, Artix, Manjaro), there is no need to download a Parabola image. Simply follow one of the Migration Guides to set your running system "Free as in Freedom".

Download Parabola

Parabola images come in a variety of flavors. If you are not sure which to choose, the pre-selected options are suitable for the most common uses and computers. Feel free, of course, to flip some switches if you want something else.

Qemu Images

This section contains raw images (*.img), which are bootable by Qemu and possibly other virtual machines. They are very similar or identical Parabola systems as the standard releases for their respective architecture.

<% images_table @qemu_images %>

Preview/Experimental Images

This section is an exhibit of new features, software, and desktop environments currently in the experimental, testing, or pre-release development stages. Theses are works in progress; but most normal functionality is expected to behave properly.

Please do try them out and report any bugs that you may find to the Installation Media bug tracker.

<% images_table @preview_images %>

HTTP(S) Mirrors

All of the current Parabola release images and software packages are duplicated on each of the official mirror sites listed below. If ever there is a problem with the download sources noted above or the packages manager, you should be able to get what you need manually from one of these mirrors.

<% MIRRORS.each do | mirror | %> <% end %>

<%= mirror[:domain] %>

<%= mirror[:location] %>