From 74551af08ab767315dc66af02bee6662792e0d82 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: UGA Innovation Factory <engr-ugaif@uga.edu>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2025 13:38:50 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] update readme for how to build artifacts

---
 README.md | 34 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 flake.nix | 19 ++++++++++++++-----
 2 files changed, 48 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 59be60b..e3e31f7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -50,6 +50,40 @@ To update the lockfile (nixpkgs, home-manager versions, etc.):
 nix flake update
 ```
 
+## Building Artifacts (ISOs, LXC, Proxmox)
+
+You can generate installation media and virtual machine images directly from this flake.
+
+### Installer ISOs
+
+To build an auto-install ISO for a specific host (e.g., `nix-laptop1`):
+
+```bash
+nix build .#installer-iso-nix-laptop1
+```
+
+The resulting ISO will be in `result/iso/`.
+
+### LXC / Proxmox Images
+
+For hosts configured as containers (e.g., `nix-lxc1`), you can build LXC tarballs or Proxmox VMA archives:
+
+```bash
+# Build LXC tarball
+nix build .#lxc-nix-lxc1
+
+# Build Proxmox VMA
+nix build .#proxmox-nix-lxc1
+```
+
+### Using Remote Builders
+
+If you are building on a low-power device (like a Surface tablet) or want to speed up the build, you can offload the build to a powerful remote builder (e.g., `nix-builder`):
+
+```bash
+nix build .#installer-iso-nix-laptop1 --builders 'ssh:engr-ugaif@nix-builder'
+```
+
 ## Configuration Guide
 
 ### Adding a New User
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 7239249..628e57d 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -58,17 +58,26 @@
     }:
     let
       hosts = import ./hosts { inherit inputs; };
-      system = "x86_64-linux";
+      linuxSystem = "x86_64-linux";
+      artifacts = import ./artifacts.nix {
+        inherit inputs hosts self;
+        system = linuxSystem;
+      };
+      forAllSystems = nixpkgs.lib.genAttrs [
+        "x86_64-linux"
+        "aarch64-linux"
+        "x86_64-darwin"
+        "aarch64-darwin"
+      ];
     in
     {
       # Formatter for 'nix fmt'
-      formatter.x86_64-linux = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.nixfmt-rfc-style;
+      formatter = forAllSystems (system: nixpkgs.legacyPackages.${system}.nixfmt-rfc-style);
 
       # Generate NixOS configurations from hosts/default.nix
       nixosConfigurations = hosts.nixosConfigurations;
 
-      packages.${system} = import ./artifacts.nix {
-        inherit inputs hosts self system;
-      };
+      # Expose artifacts to all systems, but they are always built for x86_64-linux
+      packages = forAllSystems (_: artifacts);
     };
 }