swift 05/11/26 16:23:25 Added: xml/htdocs/doc/en/draft bootstrapping-guide.xml Log: Adding framework for bootstrapping guide Revision Changes Path 1.1 xml/htdocs/doc/en/draft/bootstrapping-guide.xml file : http://www.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xml/htdocs/doc/en/draft/bootstrapping-guide.xml?rev=1.1&content-type=text/x-cvsweb-markup&cvsroot=gentoo plain: http://www.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/xml/htdocs/doc/en/draft/bootstrapping-guide.xml?rev=1.1&content-type=text/plain&cvsroot=gentoo Index: bootstrapping-guide.xml =================================================================== Gentoo Bootstrapping Guide Sven Vermeulen Bootstrapping means to build a toolchain so that it is ready to build the rest of your system. Gentoo is a perfect operating system to perform such installation while retaining support from the software management system, Portage. 0.1 2005-07-25 What is Bootstrapping?
Definition Not only is this guide still in its early stage, it is also built on theoretical information found on the Internet and not from experience. It should be taken with a big grain of salt until the steps in it are verified and accepted by more experienced people.

If we were to believe the stories, bootstrapping - the term - originates from a German legend about Baron Münchhausen who was able to save himself from drowning in a swamp by pulling himself up by his hairs.

In computer theory, bootstrapping has several meanings. All of them boil down to building more complex systems from simple ones. This document will discuss bootstrapping a toolchain: building a full cross-compilation environment able to build software for the target system.

Toolchain Bootstrapping

The process of bootstrapping a toolchain is two-fold.

At first, you use an existing toolchain to create a cross-compilation environment, a toolchain capable of running on one system but building software for a different one. The second step is to use the cross-compilation toolchain to rebuild itself so that it builds code native to the system it is booted on.

There are three important terms we use in this definition:

  • the host system is the system on which the programs are ran,
  • the build system is the system on which a particular package is being built, and
  • the target system is the system for which the software generates output (like the compiler)

After the toolchain is bootstrapped, the third stage is to build the rest of the system using the native toolchain.

Installing Gentoo on an Unsupported Platform
Creating the Cross-Compilation Environment
Filling the Environment
Bootstrapping the Toolchain
Building the Core System Packages
Porting Portage
Creating a Stage1 Tarball
Creating a Bootable Environment
Finishing Off
Bootstrapping the System
Installing Gentoo
Using the Bootstrap Script
Building the Core System
Finishing the Installation
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I bootstrap when I want my entire system to use changed CFLAGS, CXXFLAGS, USE settings and profile changes?
Should I bootstrap when I want my entire system to use changed CHOST settings?
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