HowtoFiveMinutesInstallGentoo

For debugging, I needed to install a Gentoo installation in a virtual machine. Here is a quick howto.

Create the virtual machine with some memory (1GB should be enough) and boot from the Gentoo Live CD (or any decent boot live cd like Ubuntu).

Disk Layout

• fdisk /dev/sda

n → 1 → primary partition (root partition) max - 2GB

n → 2 → primary partition (swap partition) remaining 2GB

Make FS, active SWAP and mount FS

• mke2fs /dev/sda1
• mkswap /dev/sda2
• mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/gentoo
• swapon /dev/sda2
• cd /mnt/gentoo/

Download latest autobuild stage3 in the mount point

• dhcpcd (to start the DHCP client - active DHCP in your virtual box session)
• change the nameserver (/etc/resolv.conf → nameserver 8.8.8.8)
• http://distfiles.gentoo.org/releases/amd64/autobuilds/current-stage3/

untar the latest stage3 into the gentoo mount point

• cd /mnt/gentoo/
• tar -xvjpf stage3-…..tar.bz2

chroot to the mount point

• chroot /mnt/gentoo/ /bin/bash
• env-update

mount /proc

• mount -t proc none /proc

update the Gentoo repo

• change the nameserver (/etc/resolv.conf → nameserver 8.8.8.8)
• emerge --sync (…make some tea…)
• emerge vim (or any of your favorite text editor)

compiling a kernel

(the fastest way especially if don't know exactly the hardware of your virtual machine)

• emerge genkernel
• zcat /proc/config.gz >/usr/share/genkernel/arch/x86_64/kernel-config (get the config for the existing booted kernel (livecd))
• emerge gentoo-sources
• genkernel all (go for a walk or do something else)

edit fstab

• vim /etc/fstab → 1 → root and → 2 → swap
• vim /etc/mtab
• emerge grub
• emerge tmux (yes, I need it ;-)
• update /boot/grub/grub.conf to add the kernel compiled with genkernel including the initrd
• grub-install /dev/sda

add DHCP client

• emerge dhcpcd

set a root password

• passwd

and you can reboot