How To Install KDE Plasma on AlmaLinux 9

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install KDE Plasma on AlmaLinux 9. KDE Plasma is a powerful, customizable, and visually appealing desktop environment for Linux systems. It offers a wide range of features and customization options, making it a popular choice among Linux users. AlmaLinux 9, a community-driven and free enterprise-grade operating system, provides a stable and secure platform for running KDE Plasma.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the KDE Plasma on AlmaLinux 9. You can follow the same instructions for CentOS and Rocky Linux or RHEL-based.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: AlmaLinux 9.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• Our system should have at least 2GB of RAM, a dual-core processor, and a modern graphics card with OpenGL support.
• An active internet connection. You’ll need an internet connection to download the necessary packages and dependencies.
• You’ll need root or sudo privileges to install KDE Plasma and make system-wide changes. Make sure you have the necessary permissions before starting the installation process.

Install KDE Plasma on AlmaLinux 9

Step 1. Update Your System.

Before installing KDE Plasma, it is crucial to update your AlmaLinux 9 system to ensure you have the latest packages and security patches. Updating the system helps prevent potential compatibility issues and vulnerabilities. To update your system, follow these steps:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf update

This command will download and install any available updates for your system.

Step 2. Enable EPEL Repository.

The Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) repository provides additional packages that are not included in the default AlmaLinux repositories. To install KDE Plasma, you need to enable the EPEL repository on your AlmaLinux 9 system. Follow these steps:

sudo dnf install epel-release

Once the installation is complete, enable the CodeReady Linux Builder (CRB) repository:

sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb

To verify that the EPEL repository is successfully enabled, run the following command:

sudo dnf repolist | grep epel

Step 3. Installing KDE Plasma.

With the EPEL repository enabled and the system updated, you are now ready to install KDE Plasma on your AlmaLinux 9 system. The installation process involves using the dnf package manager to install the necessary packages and dependencies. Follow these steps:

sudo dnf groupinstall "KDE Plasma Workspaces" "base-x"

The installation process may take some time depending on your internet connection speed and system specifications. Be patient and wait for the installation to complete.

Step 4. Configure KDE Plasma.

After installing KDE Plasma on your AlmaLinux 9 system, you can perform some basic configuration to customize your desktop environment according to your preferences. Here are a few steps to get you started:

1. 1. Reboot your system to ensure that all the changes take effect and start using KDE Plasma.
   2. Upon the first login, you will be greeted with the KDE Plasma welcome screen. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your language, theme, and other basic preferences.
   3. Explore the various customization options available in KDE Plasma. You can change the desktop wallpaper, icons, widgets, and more by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting “Configure Desktop.”
   4. To optimize the performance of KDE Plasma, consider the following tweaks:
      • Disable unnecessary visual effects and animations in the “System Settings” > “Desktop Behavior” > “Desktop Effects” section.
      • Adjust the file indexing settings in the “System Settings” > “Search” section to exclude directories that don’t need to be indexed.
      • Fine-tune the power management settings in the “System Settings” > “Power Management” section to balance performance and energy efficiency.
   5. Configure the basic security settings in KDE Plasma by going to “System Settings” > “Security and Privacy.” Here, you can manage password policies, screen locking, and other security-related options.

Step 5. Make KDE Plasma the Default Desktop Environment.

If you want to make KDE Plasma your default desktop environment, follow these steps:

sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

This command sets the default target to the graphical interface, ensuring that KDE Plasma starts automatically on system boot.

To verify the change, reboot your system:

sudo reboot

After the reboot, you should be greeted by the KDE Plasma login screen. Select your user account and enter your password to log in.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed KDE Plasma. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the KDE Plasma on your AlmaLinux 9 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official KDE Plasma website.