Installing Gentoo Linux

If you're performing a Stage 3 installation, your bootstrap process and base system installation is already complete.  I do, however, stronly advise that you follow the steps in 13 of the installation guide to ensure your packages are up-to-date.

Continuing Installation - Kernel and System Logger

At this point, the Stage 1 and Stage 3 installs are equal, so everyone should follow from here.  Before installing anything else, be sure to set your timezone and date information, as described in section 14 of the guide.

Gentoo allows you to choose which type of kernel you want to install.  Section 15 of the guide explains the most common choices, and you can see a list of even more options in /usr/portage/sys-kernel/.  The two most common choices are vanilla-sources and gentoo-sources.  vanilla-sources are the stock kernel source you would download from kernel.org, and as a result are the safest choice.  gentoo-sources have been optimized by the Gentoo developers for performance and extra functionality.  Either choice should be safe, but if you're not very confortable configuring a kernel, I'd suggest sticking with the vanilla sources.

Next you'll want to install a system logger.  You have several choices, but I'd recommend going with either syslog-ng (easy and powerful) or metalog (performance-oriented).

You'll also need to install a cron daemon.  Again, you have several choices available.  I've always used vixie-cron, and it works fine me.

Here's what I installed:

Installing Additional Necessary Packages

At this point you will want to install any additional packages you will need after restarting your machine.  In particular, you should install pcmcia-cs if you're using a laptop, and any necessary ppp software if you're using DSL or dial-up.

Here's what I installed:

Modifying Configuration Files

Next, you'll need to modify several system configuration files.  Be sure to read each relevant section in the installation guide, and I've included samples from my installation below.

Configuring Your Bootloader

Make sure you properly configure your bootloader.  Otherwise, your system will not be able to boot.

The default bootloader for Gentoo is grub, but I much prefer lilo.  See the install guide for configuration instructions for both grub and lilo.  If you'd also prefer to install lilo, remember that you need to install it and uninstall grub before continuing.

Please note that /etc/lilo.conf will not exist after installing lilo.  If you're unsure of what goes in the configuration file, copy /etc/lilo.conf.sample to /etc/lilo.conf and modify the well-commented sample file.  I also included my lilo.conf file below.

Here's my configuration:

Enabling Services and Modules

By default, most services and deaemons are disabled at boot.  Available services on your system can be found in /etc/init.d/.  Look through this directory and decide what you want to enable automatically at boot, then use 'rc-update add <name> default' to enable each of them.  Please note that this is particularly important for your system logger and cron daemon.&nbap; My recommended choices are listed below.

You'll also need to tell Gentoo which modules you want to load at boot.  Most modules should be automatically loaded when needed, but it is necessary to place some of them in /etc/modules.autoload to ensure they're loaded at boot.  I also included my modules.autoload file below.

Here's what I enabled:

Configuring Networking

You'll also want to make sure that your network interface is configured properly when you reboot.  First, make sure the proper module (if you didn't compile the driver directlry into the kernel) is in /etc/modules.autoload.  Next, edit /etc/conf.d/net to match your particular network environment.  Finally, make sure your network interface is enabled at boot.  See above section for details on that.

Here's my configuration:

Finishing Installation

Before proceeding any further, set your root password.  Please note that this is not what you already did at the beginning of the installation.  That command set the password for the installation; now you must set the password for your installed system.

Next, I recommend that you create a bootdisk.  See section 24 of the install guide for instructions on doing that.

Finally, exit the chroot environment, unmount all filesystems, and reboot.  Hopefully everything will work correctly, and you'll be brought to the Login: prompt for your shiny new Gentoo installation.  If you do have any problems, remember that you can use the installation CD as a resuce disk by booting it, chrooting yourself into your installation environment, then fixing any errors.  See the install guide for more information.

One last note.  I have, on a couple different occasions, had problems booting because no /proc directory was created during the installation.  After unmount /mnt/gentoo/proc/, but before unmounting /mnt/gentoo/, be sure to check that /mnt/gentoo/proc/ exists.  If not, create it.

Here are my final installation steps:

System Configuration

Now that you're system is installed and running (you did reboot, right?), it's time to start configuring it.

Enabling PCMCIA support

If you're installing Gentoo on a laptop and you need PCMCIA support, you MUST rebuild pcmcia-cs at this point.  Even if you already built and installed it during the installation phase, it must be rebuilt to support your current kernel.

Here's how I rebuilt mine:

Adding Users

The process of adding and configuring users under Gentoo isn't quite the same as what I'm used to from other distributions (which can be good or bad, I guess).  I've added some more information to this section than is probably necessary, but it should hopefully ensure that nothing was overlooked.

First, make sure your skel files are correct.  These files, found in /etc/skel/ (they're hidden, so use ls -l to see them), are copied to a user's home directory when a new account is created, and basically set that the default environment.  You can customize the ones that are currently in /etc/skel/ to incorporate any default settings you might like (for example, I like to set my history size to 1000, rather than the default 500), or you can add any additional files to this directory, so that all users will be preconfigured (for example, you can add an .xinitrc file to set the user's default desktop environment).  My config files are included at the end for your reference.

Next up is to create the user account.  You can do this with the useradd command; however, there is a catch.  By default, this version of useradd will not create the user's home directory, and it also assumes you want all users to belong to the 'users' group.  I prefer to have a unique group for each user, and I certainly want to create the directory.  So, you can use the groupadd command to create the new group first, and then useradd -m to create the home directory.  I also explicitly specify all information to ensure the accounts get created properly.  Finally, don't forget to set the user's password.

Here's my user configuration:

And here's how I created my users:

Configuring Your Editor

The only editor included by default on your new system is nano, a basic GNU pico-like editor.  If you like pico, this should work fine for you - skip this section.  If, however, you demand more power from your editor, you'll want to install either vim or emacs.  I prefer vim, so I'll use vim in my examples here, but configuring emacs should work in much the same way.

The first thing you'll need to do is install vim.  Use 'emerge -s vim' to see which packages are available for vim.  The command-line version will always be installed no matter what you choose, you but may also install a graphical version of vim based on either QT (kvim) or GTK (gvim).

After installing vim, you'll need to uninstall nano and set vim as your default editor.  To do this, edit /etc/csh.env, /etc/env.d/00basic, and /etc/profile.env and each occurance of /bin/nano to /usr/bin/vim.  If you're used to typing vi instead of vim, I'd also recommend creating a symbolic link for /usr/bin/vi that points to /usr/bin/vim.

Finally, you'll want to configure your editing environment.  Edit /etc/vim/vimrc and make any changes you'd like.  I've included my file below as a reference.

Here's how I configured vim:

Configuring Your Mouse

If you spend any amount of time using the console, you'll definitely want to configure your mouse for it (to configure it under X, see below).  The process is similar for both PS/2 and USB mice - install gpm, configure /etc/conf.d/gpm, and start the gpm service.  The only difference between a USB and PS/2 installation is the config file.

Here's my configuration:

Configuring Audio

Your kernel must be configured for support for your sound card.  If you already enabled this during installation, you're good to go.  Otherwise, reconfigure your kernel settings, compile again, and install the new kernel and modules.  If you compiled the driver directly into your kernel, just reset and you should be good to go.  If you compiled it as a module, add the module to your /etc/modules.autoload file and run 'update-modules'.

Now that your audio is working, I'd highly recommend installing aumix.  This is a console mixer that will allow you to set various volume levels for your sound card, as well as remember your default settings when rebooting.

Here's how I setup my systems:

Desktop Configuration

Configuring XFree86

Unless you only want to use the console, it's time to configure X.  Be warned, though - X configuration under Gentoo is difficult, due to the lack of any "wizards" used by some other distributions.  Before proceeding any further, make sure you have your kernel configured properly.  If you missed anything there, X will simply not run.  Also, X was probably already compiled and installed during installation (it's in the default USE flags, so you'd have to explicitely disable it to make it not install).  If, however, this is not the case, 'emerge xfree' will install it.

Now, you basically have three choices for configuring X - by hand (hopefully using a backed-up copy of a working configuration on your hardware), using xf86cfg, or using xf86config.  If you already have a working copy of your XF86Config file, I'd strongly suggest the first option.  Just modify it as necessary.  Otherwise, use either xf86cfg or xf86config to do the job.  xf86cfg will start a framebuffered X and allow you to configure it using a GUI, but I've always had more luck with the command-line based xf86config.  Either way, your milage may vary.

I've included my XF86Config file below.  You should be able to use most of it in your own, but you will need to know your video card and monitor information, and you also may need to change the mouse configuration (this is for a 2-button PS/2 mouse).

Once you think you have it right, test it with 'startx'.  If anything fails, read the screen output from X and look for any lines starting with (EE) or (WW).  Also, check the log file in /var/log/XFree86.0.log.  Edit your XF86Config and try again.

**NOTE**  If you have 'exec startkde' in your ~/.xinitrc, or 'XSESSION=kde-3.1' in your /etc/rc.conf (as I have in my examples), X WILL NOT WORK.  Even if it's configured properly, it will try to load KDE and fail because it's not installed.  To fix this for temporary testing, edit (or create) ~/.xinitrc and add two lines: 'exec xterm' followed by 'exec twm'.  This will give you a rudimentary desktop environment in which to make sure X works.  When you're happy with it, delete ~/.xinitc (or change it back to 'exec startkde').

I've included my commands below for configuring X.  Please note that I also included a few extra commands for compiling a special driver not included in the kernel.  This is for my reference, and you hopefully should not have to do anything similar.

Configuring KDE

Way back at the beginning of this article I mentioned how great Gentoo is, how great Portage is, etc.  By now, you're probably asking yourself if I'm insane.  Well, here is where we finally get to let Portage shine.  Note, this section is obviosly about installing KDE.  If you would prefer to install GNOME, the process is very similar (basically, replace 'emerge kde' with 'emerge gnome').

To get started, type 'emerge -p kde'.  Portage will automatically resolve all dependencies needed to install KDE, then show you a list of what it will install.  This list shows everything KDE needs, as well as whatever optional programs and components are enabled through your USE flags.  My list had about 80 packages in it, so needless to say, installing this will take a long time.  Start the installation with 'emerge kde' and then go to sleep, wake up and go to work, go out to dinner later that night, and then it might be done.  Hopefully, everything will compile without any problems, and you'll be left with the very beautiful KDE 3.1 installed, all done with one simple command.  Now, how great is that?

Here's how I installed it on my systems:

Miscellany

Now that both your base system and your desktop is configured, you're ready to start using your shiny new Gentoo system productively.  There are a few more things you may want to consider doing, though.

Updating Your Portage Tree

Before proceeding, I suggest you update your portage tree.  This ensures that anything you install will be the most current version available.  Additionally, this would be a good time to update any existing packages that are already installed, just in case any updates have been released.

Here's how I updated my systems:

Installing Additional Packages

As I mentioned before, Gentoo's approach is to install only what you tell it, either explicitely or through USE flags.  As a result, some applications that you would usually assume are installed (because they're installed by default with other distributions) are not.  You may want to jot down a list of apps that you regularly use in Linux, and then use portage to isntall them before proceeding.  You can see everything that's available by browsing the /usr/portage/ tree.

Some suggestions of app packages you may want:

• Database - mysql
• Development - kdevelop, blackdown-jdk, quanta
• Encryption - gnupg
• File/Print Server - samba, nfs-utils, autofs
• FTP Client - gftp, ncftp
• FTP Server - pure-ftpd
• Instant Messenging - gaim
• Mail Client - mozilla
• Mail Server - sendmail
• Multimedia - xmms, xine-lib, xine-ui, xine-dvdnav
• Office Suite - openoffice-bin
• System - gentoolkit, gkrellm, eject, tcpdump
• Web Browser - mozilla, lynx, links
• Web Server - apache, mod_php, mod_ssl

Remember, due to your USE flags, some of these apps may already be installed.  To check, use either 'emerge -p app' or 'emerge -s app'.