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pjp
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 3:26 am    Post subject: How are you using the Gentoo binary host? Reply with quote

I recently completed a test install and went with the binary host in part to reduce install time, but primarily to see how they worked.

The test install is on a laptop, so I'd rather it not build much. I'm testing in part to help define what "much" means in practical terms.

So far I've not added much. After uninstalling three EFI related programs, these are the only additional packages I've installed:
/var/lib/portage/world:
app-admin/sysklogd
app-editors/vim
app-shells/bash-completion
sys-apps/mlocate
sys-boot/grub
sys-fs/dosfstools
sys-fs/lvm2
sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin
sys-kernel/linux-firmware
sys-process/cronie
I know vim installed by binary. LVM and grub did not. Somewhat surprisingly to me, grub took more to compile than I expected. I didn't think to setup up logging, so I don't have any details. It was the only package that I noticed being a concern.

Regarding LVM, the binary that installs doesn't actually include LVM, only the parts other packages need (dm, ?...). I think there was a minor resolution conflict with --getbinpkg and trying to reinstall with a compiled version. If I had set --getbinpkg in FEATURES, that seems like it would block updates. I'll have to test again. I sort of get it, but it seemed kind of like a bug.

I'm currently leaning toward using the Gentoo binary host only for the large packages such as gcc, llvm/clang, ?. For others, I'll have to test using my own binhost as well, whcih I've been using for only a single system. I don't yet know if those binaries will work anywhere else (they should be generalized for amd64).

To do it that way though, I'd like to block everything provided by the Gentoo binary host except for the "big" packages. I don't know if that's possible.


Regarding install time, it didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but should improve for the next round. I also used the dist kernel, and by nature of it's module use, I had to figure out how to use dracut. That added some time. dracut doesn't necessarily seem like much of an improvement for inintramfs management to me. Also, sys-fs/lvm2 not including lvm support by default caused delays (I knew of but forgot about that change).


I'll add portage logging to my install notes and try again. My goal is to have an "install these configuration settings" and be done with the manual install process as much as possible.
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eschwartz
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 4:18 am    Post subject: Re: How are you using the Gentoo binary host? Reply with quote

pjp wrote:
Regarding LVM, the binary that installs doesn't actually include LVM, only the parts other packages need (dm, ?...). I think there was a minor resolution conflict with --getbinpkg and trying to reinstall with a compiled version. If I had set --getbinpkg in FEATURES, that seems like it would block updates. I'll have to test again. I sort of get it, but it seemed kind of like a bug.


The lvm2 package was once two packages, IIRC, one of which was "device-mapper" and one of which was the main lvm software.

Desktop profiles will drag in lvm2 via udisks (and thereby libblockdev -> cryptsetup -> lvm2) but most people don't actually need lvm, just device-mapper. So you need to enable USE=lvm to get lvm itself and the binhost doesn't provide USE=lvm.

Using getbinpkg will not block updates, as it says to use binaries if available. Using --getbinpkgonly (or --getbinpkg --usepkgonly) would block updates though, and and also ignores your USE flags in order to install whatever binary package is available.

pjp wrote:

I'm currently leaning toward using the Gentoo binary host only for the large packages such as gcc, llvm/clang, ?. For others, I'll have to test using my own binhost as well, whcih I've been using for only a single system. I don't yet know if those binaries will work anywhere else (they should be generalized for amd64).

To do it that way though, I'd like to block everything provided by the Gentoo binary host except for the "big" packages. I don't know if that's possible.


https://bugs.gentoo.org/337456 / https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=463964

It is not currently possible.

Note that your own binhost's binaries will, if generalized for -march=x86-64, work on any system. Don't use -march=native when sharing binaries.
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pjp
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the comments.

I was aware of lvm providing dm for other packages, I just forgot about it. I don't recall the separate packaging, only the change to not including lvm by default.

Regarding getbinpkg and friends, I'll try to reproduce. I may have been tired and misinterpreted, but I do recall thinking it seemed odd as I thought it wasn't supposed to block.

I thought I recalled something about not being able to use some binaries, so that saves me some time. Thanks :)

As far as using my binaries on multiple systems, I wasn't sure if I set everything correctly. From emerge --info:
Code:
CBUILD="x86_64-pc-linux-gnu"
CFLAGS="-mtune=generic -O2 -pipe"
CXXFLAGS="-mtune=generic -O2 -pipe"
FCFLAGS="-mtune=generic -O2 -pipe"
FFLAGS="-mtune=generic -O2 -pipe"
LDFLAGS="-Wl,-O1 -Wl,--as-needed"
CPU_FLAGS_X86="mmx mmxext sse sse2"
It doesn't appear that I set CPU_FLAGS_X86, so I think it should be OK. But until I actually test it :)
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