Install Gentoo on a Linux box

niklas.uhrberg · n00b Joined: 19 Dec 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Sweden

I want to install Gentoo on a computer running FC3 and does not have a working CDROM.
Also, FC3 should remain on the computer which has three partitions /boot, /swap, and / on hda1, hda2 and hda3.

To install Gentoo, can I just start the computer as usual and use fdisk (or parted) to create a new partition for Gentoo. Mount it as /mnt/gentoo ( as stated in the intallation docs) and proceed from there?

Is there anything fundamentally different from this and to use traditional boot floppies, CDROM e.t.c. ?

Usually I do a network install to upgrade FC but for Gentoo I have found no documentation whatsoever on installling without a CD.

Thanks!

/Niklas

chromex · n00b Joined: 19 Dec 2004 Posts: 3

I have never done it but I did run accross this link on the install guide (http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/altinstall.xml) which sounds like it may have your answers. Good luck.

drzap · n00b Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 23

I did this, but I did have access to a floppy disk.
However I wanted to use the same partition that the system was allready installed on, which makes it a bit more complicated.

Create the dir /gentoo-install and /gentoo
In gentoo-install I put the cd-imaga, you can perhaps mount the iso there.

I then followed the install guide except of course using /gentoo and not /mnt/gentoo when I was done I removed the folders on the old system and replaced them with the ones in /gentoo

Don't delete the /bin dir, and whenever your system stops working

perhaps you should just do this first.. boot from the floppy and continue with the moving.

mattjgalloway · l33t Joined: 16 Mar 2004 Posts: 761 Location: Coventry, UK

Why don't you just install from FC3?

Just create your new partitions and then you'll just need to chroot into the new environment. Much like installing gentoo from Knoppix. See http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/altinstall.xml under the last section - Installing Gentoo from an existing Linux distribution - isn't that what you want?
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niklas.uhrberg · n00b Joined: 19 Dec 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Sweden

OK , that sounds reasonable. I went along that road but when I was to install parted on the floppy I was unable to create a minix file sstem on it. (Seems like there is no support for minix in my mkfs)

Anyway, suppose I decide to install Gentoo as the only OS on my computer and that I do not have a CDROM. What is the way to go then?

Can I for example use the tomsrt.. boot floppy and proceed from there by dowlloading the stage1 tarball?

/Niklas

Lennart Benschop · Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2004 9:05 pm Post subject: Re: Install Gentoo on a Linux box

niklas.uhrberg · n00b Joined: 19 Dec 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Sweden

racoontje · Veteran Joined: 19 Jul 2004 Posts: 1290

I thought ifup was some fancy wrapper around ifconfig?

dwblas · Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2004 1:10 am Post subject:

Here is a link to a topic titled Installing Gentoo Over Some Other System
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=125553&highlight=portage+rescue
Basically, you install the portage rescue system and start emerging. I haven't tried it, but it looks like the easiest way.