1. SYSCTL OPTIMIZATION LIMITS //
PhaethonOS ships with a custom performance sysctl configuration located at /etc/sysctl.d/99-phaethon.conf. It is optimized to secure extreme gaming stability and massive developer task execution:
vm.swappiness = 10
vm.max_map_count = 1048576
fs.file-max = 2097152
net.core.somaxconn = 8192
To apply changes after editing the file: sudo sysctl --system
2. COMPRESSED MEMORY SWAP CACHE //
PhaethonOS utilizes systemd-zram-generator to create dynamic in-RAM swap compressed modules. ZRAM partitions are automatically configured up to 50% of the host system's physical memory footprint under zstd compression. Check current ZRAM status with zramctl.
3. SECURITY & NETWORK POLICIES //
Firewalld is pre-activated globally using the Desktop profile to guarantee default secure networking, blocking unsolicited connections while permitting essential local services.
# Check firewalld status
sudo firewall-cmd --state
# Allow a service (e.g. SSH)
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
4. PACKAGE MANAGEMENT //
PhaethonOS includes pacman, yay, and paru for package management. The CachyOS repository provides optimized binaries for Intel and AMD hardware.
# Update all packages
sudo pacman -Syu
# Search for a package
pacman -Ss <keyword>
# Install from AUR
yay -S <package>
# Remove a package and its dependencies
sudo pacman -Rns <package>
# List explicitly installed packages
pacman -Qe
5. BTRFS SNAPSHOTS WITH SNAPPER //
Snapper is preconfigured to take automatic snapshots before and after pacman transactions. Snapshots are stored under /.snapshots.
# List snapshots
sudo snapper list
# View snapshot differences
sudo snapper diff 10..11
# Restore a snapshot
sudo snapper undochange 10..0
# Create a manual snapshot
sudo snapper create -d "before-update"
6. GRUB BOOTLOADER RECOVERY //
If the system fails to boot after an update, you can regenerate the GRUB configuration or reinstall the bootloader from the live ISO.
# Regenerate GRUB config
sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
# Reinstall GRUB (UEFI)
sudo grub-install --target=x86_64-efi --efi-directory=/boot --bootloader-id=PhaethonOS
7. NETWORK MANAGEMENT //
NetworkManager handles both wired and wireless connections. The KDE Plasma applet provides a GUI, or use the command line.
# List available networks
nmcli dev wifi list
# Connect to a Wi-Fi network
nmcli dev wifi connect "SSID" password "password"
# Show connection status
nmcli connection show
8. DISPLAY SERVER SWITCHING //
PhaethonOS defaults to Wayland, but you can switch to X11 if an application requires it.
# Switch to X11 for the current SDDM session
# Select "Plasma (X11)" from the session menu at login
# Set X11 as default
sudo sed -i 's/Wayland/X11/' /etc/sddm.conf.d/kde_settings.conf
9. CACHYOS KERNEL & SCHEDULER //
PhaethonOS uses the linux-cachyos kernel with the BORE scheduler by default. You can switch schedulers at boot by editing the kernel command line.
# Available schedulers (add to GRUB cmdline):
# sched=bore - BORE (default, gaming-optimized)
# sched=eevdf - EEVDF (fair scheduling)
# sched=cfs - CFS (legacy)
# Check current scheduler
cat /sys/kernel/debug/sched/preempt
10. SYSTEMD SERVICES & LOGS //
Essential commands for managing services and inspecting system logs.
# View service status
systemctl status <service>
# Enable a service at boot
sudo systemctl enable <service>
# Follow live logs
journalctl -f -u <service>
# View kernel ring buffer
dmesg -w