Re: [gentoo-user] Creating a LFS system with Portage

["Richard Fish" <bigfish@asmallpond.org>]

On 9/19/06, Alon Keren <alon.keren@gmail.com> wrote:
> My aim is to have the ability to regularly build and maintain
> completely customized Linux systems.

This should be possible by using your own local portage tree (probably
based initially on Gentoo's tree) that you update somewhat manually
with ebuilds and eclasses as you want.  Combined with pre-built binary
packages, and a 'golden' portage configuration and world file, it
should be relatively simple & quick to stage a new system.

If Gentoo's minimal installation CD and a stage1 install doesn't work
for you, you can build your own release media with catalyst (no, it
isn't just for rebuilding the toolchain).

This _is_ going to require a solid understanding of how Gentoo/Portage
works, but not necessarily how to write ebuilds/eclasses.  You need to
understand what we mean by "portage tree", "world file", "use flags",
"profile", "binary packages", etc.  The best way to acquire this
knowledge is to install and use Gentoo, daily, for something
significant (like your desktop!).

> The ROOT variable is probably a major part of the solution, but is it
> enough? I've also found '/usr/portage/scripts/bootstrap.sh', which
> seems suspiciously relevant, but comes with little external
> documentation.

bootstrap.sh _is_ for only rebuilding the toolchain.  Probably not
what you want at all....

The ROOT variable is used to install packages into a different (fex
chroot) directory.  It is usually used for things like
cross-compilation environments where one wants to build binary
packages for another system, although not always.

The normal way of installing a new system in a chroot from a live
system is to use the "Knoppix Installation" instructions [1].

-Richard

[1] http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/altinstall.xml#doc_chap3

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