[gentoo-user] Re: gentoo install on Dell restore partition... live?

[Nikos Chantziaras <realnc@arcor.de>]

Michael Higgins wrote:
> So, I finally got the OK to nuke another Dell winbox. My dream is to:
> 
> * Partition the restore partition (3.6 GB) for any small linux
> installation 
> 
> * make that partition active, bootable, with grub installed
> 
> * reboot and ssh into that linux machine to finish by toasting NTFS
> partition and making it my gentoo system '/' as per usual...
> 
> Can this be done without physical access to the machine which is
> currently running windows XP? I am administrator and get 'there' via
> RDP.

It is possible: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/altinstall.xml#doc_chap5

But not really recommended because if you do something wrong (wrong grub 
config, SSH misconfiguration, etc.) you'll need to go there and get 
physical access.

Also, instead of installing a downloaded tarball, you can just clone the 
existing Gentoo installation into the new partition and boot from it. 
This usually means:

'cp -a' your existing / to your target / (except /dev, /sys and /proc). 
   If you mounted your target / as /root/target, you do:

cp -a /usr /root/hd
(repeat this for all directories in your current / *EXCEPT* /dev, /proc, 
/sys and /lost+found)

mkdir /root/hd/dev
mkdir /root/hd/proc
mkdir /root/hd/sys
mknod /root/hd/dev/console c 5 1
mknod /root/hd/null c 1 3
touch /root/hd/dev/.keep
touch /root/hd/proc/.keep
touch /root/hd/sys/.keep

Now chroot into it:

mount -t proc none /root/mnt/proc
mount -o bind /dev /mnt/gentoo/dev
chroot /root/hd /bin/bash

Now edit /etc/fstab to use the new partitions, edit /boot/grub/grub.conf 
and reinstall grub:

grub
root (hd0,0)    <-- sustitute with what you really have/want
setup
quit

Now change your SSH config to allow for root login!  (Or add a normal 
user if you don't want that.)  In any case, check your SSH config.

You're ready.  Leave the chroot and unmount:

exit
umount /root/hd/dev
umount /root/hd/proc

If you've set up grub correctly while in the chroot, you can now reboot 
and the new system should come up.  If not, I hope it's not a long drive 
or walk to get physical access :P

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