Gentoo 2007

[g8gatsby]

I am new to linux. I have started the gentoo 2007 cd installation and need the username and password in order to use the command line. Is there a generic user name and password for the livecd? I did not enter one when I booted up tried gentoo/gentoo and did not work. Also how do you put in a mount point when installing I cannot get past that.

Just to let you know I checked the install documentation for the generic login for the command prompt, have not found it yet. Still reading I am sure there is an explanation for a mount point but your help would be appreciated.


Thanks for your help in advance,

Gatsby

[saivin]

If you are really new to linux and do not have a strong reason to learn Gentoo, then you better choose a newuser friendly distros like Ubuntu or Mandriva.

That said, I guess Gentoo logs in automatically as root (or you may have to type 'root' and enter without any root password during installation.) You may create a regular user with 'useradd' command like

useradd -m -s /bin/bash gatsby
passwd gatsby

Read the Gentoo handbook between the lines. It has information about almost all the issues we may face.

[gruven]

Also, since you are new, I will give you this piece of advice: Do not use that old cd.

Gentoo only officially supports the new weekly builds of livecds. You can install Gentoo using any livecd, I prefer the System Rescue CD. Just search on google for it.

You need to use the handbook to install Gentoo. Do not use any automatic installers. You learn valuable things by installing per the handbook to maintain your install. If you do not learn these things, you will not be able to maintain your operating system correctly.

I would suggest starting with Fedora or Ubuntu.

[ursusca]

Hi, g8gatsby

Minimal CD is the best way to install Gentoo Linux. You may use 2008.0 releases or weekly builds of livecds. This link might be interesting:

Minimal Gentoo Installation | Top Web Solutions. Hosting Solutions, Linux, Bash, SSH, Operation Systems. cPanel Control Panel, Fantastico Autoinstaller, Apache Web server, Gentoo Linux

But handbook is your friend!!! You have to read it more carefully.

Gentoo is my first linux distro. I like it As Oracle DBA I work with RHEL 4 and 5 and I tryed CentOS 4 and 5, Ubuntu, Debian, Mandriva, Sabayon, OpenSuse, OpenSolaris but Gentoo is the best distro for me.

[g8gatsby]

Thanks for all the help. Nothing has worked so far. I am working with an older Compaq 600Mhz with 512 RAM that could be the problem.

Gatsby

[Segfault]

0. It really doesn't matter which Linux CD you use, I'm using GRML for instance.
1. Use stage tarball from funtoo.org.
2. 600 MHz is rather slow for all that compiling. I'd recommend setting up distcc as soon as possible and do only preprocessing locally.

... Gentoo is a framework to build your very own Linux. No offense, but if you have trouble logging in ... I'd say it's way too early for Gentoo.

[i92guboj]

Anything contained withing the 2007 cd is way too outdated, and most of the packages won't even be in portage any longer. Plus, if you use a stage file from 2007 you are going to suffer like 40 syndromes all at once, including the big expat issue that hit us some time ago, the migration to the new xorg branches with evdev/hal, and a few others that will make you wish Gentoo never existed.

First, pick *any* livecd of your choice, it needn't be Gentoo, or if you have another working distro installed, use it to install Gentoo from there while you confortably surf with firefox.

Second, the funtoo.org stuff suggested above should be safe, but it's completely unsupported, and not affiliated to the official gentoo team in any way. There might be also some differences with the standard gentoo stages that the official handbook will not contemplate. While it should be straightforward enough to figure out any problem for a Gentoo user, I wouldn't recommend unofficial images like funtoo's to a newcomer. Of course, you decide.

Third, the only supported way to install gentoo is the handbook, there it's perfectly described how to boot the livecd, how to setup, mount and chroot to your new gentoo partition(s) and how to set the root password, amongst a lot of other things. So, the info you are missing it's there... Don't know what your problem finding it is.

Pick an updated image for either x86 or i686 (since by the speed I guess your cpu is at least a pentium II). I'd go with official mirrors, as said above, for example, the livecd and the stage from here:

Index of /mirrors/gentoo/releases/x86/current

The portage snapshot:

http://mirror.usu.edu/mirrors/gentoo...latest.tar.bz2

The handbook:

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xmlç

That's all you should need.

[Segfault]

Yea right. Gentoo is intended to be fun. One is supposed to enjoy installing and upkeeping it. I know I do.
Funtoo site belongs to the creator of Gentoo, so I'd say it's slightly affiliated. Some USE flags are unusual in his tarball, right. What's the big deal here, one will rebuild system and world anyway. If you don't build Gentoo with your own flags then why Gentoo?
Gentoo handbook is a reference, not bible. Remember, you are building your own Linux! After all it describes only the beginning of Gentoo install, user has to know in his own what to put in the make.conf and what to do after. For instance, prelink and preload are not covered, just to name a few.
So, what are the chances someone who is unable to get root prompt will enjoy Gentoo?

[g8gatsby]

Ok, guys thanks for all the advice. This is my problem now, I have downloaded the new live cd and the GUI will not show up. I am going to take the advice of yours and try to build it from scratch, I have a K7 600mhz processor, 512mb of ram, will get graphics card info asap. I love a challenge.

Gatsby

[MikeTbob]

Ok, guys thanks for all the advice. This is my problem now, I have downloaded the new live cd and the GUI will not show up. I am going to take the advice of yours and try to build it from scratch, I have a K7 600mhz processor, 512mb of ram, will get graphics card info asap. I love a challenge.

Gatsby

The challenge with Gentoo, in my opinion is not installing it but to keep it updated amid all the errors and circular depends, screwed up ebuilds and a few other things.You had better get some Rogain now.