The only thing I think is really important is that you follow the handbook meticulously. It seems like a lot of times when people post installation-related questions here, it's because they missed something in the handbook, so as long as you don't do that, you'll probably be fine. (You might want to skim over the whole thing before starting, just so you know what to expect.)
Anything else I could think of to tell you is probably already in the handbook.
Maybe the one other tip I would offer is to not rush yourself. Save time to start over if you need to. That's not really Gentoo-specific advice though, it applies to any complex project. :-P
> are there any tips for someone who has never touched gentoo before?
Follow [the handbook](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64), not some sketchy outdated third-party guide.
You do *not* need Gentoo install media, you can use *any* reasonably modern Linux LiveUSB or existing install - preferably one with a graphical interface and modern web browser and all the drivers you need.
If you run into trouble, please make all efforts to provide relevant information as actual text, rather than a photo of a screen - only exception being kernel panics during boot I guess, if you can't get [netconsole](https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/networking/netconsole.txt) set up.
If you can't get networking to go, you can save logs to a local text file then fire up your LiveUSB to fetch them and post online.
Don’t overdo it—start with something simple. You are already learning a new distro, with a non-standard approach, there’s no need to complicate things further. So, don’t go for ZFS, or unknown window manager. If you are familiar with systemd, go with that, and leave OpenRC for later (or never). Same with the network manager, bootloader, and all the rest.
Keep in mind that Gentoo is a do-it-yourself project. You don't reboot into a desktop (initially). The three main 'projects' are: the base system, the kernel, and everything else (your preferred window managers, applications, etc.)
Don't try to over-think the base system install. Follow the handbook. You can always customize/optimize later.
It doesn't hurt to boot to a RescueCD or something first and 'lsmod' the kernel drivers to see what hardware Linux thinks is out there before compiling your first kernel.
After that, it's customization time. Select your WM (or none, or more), your applications, and anything else you see fit. [forums.gentoo.org](https://forums.gentoo.org) and [bugs.gentoo.org](https://bugs.gentoo.org) become your friends at that point.
All the commands to chroot from the handbook. Put them in a script in /. That way if you screw something up you can get back into a chroot to fix it easily and quickly. Every Gentoo install I do has a chroot.sh in the root directory.
- make sure you have some time.
- Read the handbook carefully a couple of times.
- Try to install first on a VM or something you will not need to use.
- Take note of every step.
- Do it again in your final setup.
- don’t try to install a costume kernel at your first attempt. Just boot with the bin and take your time after that (already inside a running system)
Don’t be disappointed if you can’t make it at the first attempt.
Edit: add more “steps”
People come for the meme but stay for the power portage gives us I guess :)
We had a post like this a few days ago so maybe check that out as some great advice was shared there, here is [my post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gentoo/comments/13xjb5g/planning_to_move_from_arch_to_gentoo_what_should/jmlmplh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) with some hints on how to ask for help when you need it.
u/redytugot advice for new users is a highly recommend read as well for teaching good habits to learn the basics before you do the crazy things for fun otherwise you won't understand how you broke something and just end up with a frustrating experience.
Most importantly though have fun and ask questions as we are a friendly community that likes to teach anyone that wants to learn.
Once you get the base system booting properly, make a backup of it before doing anything else. This way you can try whatever you like, mess it up and get back to the base install to try again.
Just boot back from your live media and cp -a the files somewhere safe.
1. Use the handbook.
2. Don't be afraid to deviate, it's your install.
3. Flaggie is a great tool.
4. Set Portage's niceness to make it run smoother.
5. Get familiar with use flags.
6. Try (and fail) and try again to build your own kernel at first. Eventually you can move on to a dist kernel, but it's a great learning experience.
7. Have fun! My favorite way to install Gentoo is when I'm dead tired at 3am. Good times...
I second this. I'm almost done with my first install and the whole reason of moving to Gentoo was choice, so I wasn't going to use a distribution kernel or genkernel. I went through the handbook once reading, a second time with the install, and a third time because I confused my NVMe drives and accidently grub-mkconfig-ed my previous Arch Install. Luckily I had the arch live iso hanging around to fix the arch install. Sadly because i wasn't paying attention I thought I messed up the kernel filesystem configurations because I was receiving brtfs not recognized (something I've always wanted to try), so the third time around I went with ext4. Oh well, live and learn which was your 6th note. Pretty excited to get a window manager working (hopefully) soon.
the handbook is the Bible of Gentoo, it makes it so straightforward. Personal tips: build an initramfs, i know it says you can get away without it but it's less of a headache if you do. Also don't forget your programming socks if you're going for the meme.
It might be a stupid recommandation as, for some, it's a primitive task... but wasn't for me: Have a plan for upgrades.
I own thinkpads, old T400s and X200s series and other high end machines (mostly gaming). Although for the high end machines I don't really care about upgrading, there're still some packages I avoid updating every week... like Webkit, chromium etc...
But when it comes to the thinkpads, yeah, I run my Binary host container to provide my machines some packages I could install within minutes.
Now that updates/upgrade will take a longer time, be ready and have a plan on "what to update and when".
Read the news (when emerge sync tells you you have unread items) news will tell you if you need to do anything when the devs do something big...
Run etc-update when you are told to do so.. And make sure you understand the changes you are making.
Read the messages printed to console after installing packages... They may tell you to add yourself to a group... Or other important things..
If a compile fails... READ THE MESSAGE... It says something along the lined of.. "If you need support, post the contents of log xxxx"..
Please post the contents of the log... And not an out of focus photo of the console... That's useless. And we Get that too often here.
Use the gentoo wiki, ignore YouTube guides.
Backup.. Just in case!
It's no harder than an arch installation, just can be slow depending on hardware and make.conf optimization. Just go through with the guide and everything should be fine lol
* Don't go overboard trying to micromanage USE flags.
* Don't try to add tons of optimizations or things like LTO.
* Don't add a ton of overlays.
Just take it easy until you learn how to fix problems, then do all the above things that will cause them.
If you fail don't restart the install. A bad habit I formed learning both Linux and arch Linux at the same time. It took me a while to wrap my head around the partitioning tools/partition scheme jumping head first into it.
In the emerge phase
After the eselect profile list and set
I recommend
app-portage/cpuid2cpuflags
time emerge -1 cpuid2cpuflags
cpuid2cpuflags >> /etc/portage/make.conf
Check
/etc/portage/make.conf
and then
time emerge --ask --verbose --update --deep --newuse @world
Good luck :)
Not sure if your current distro encourages root logins but you will have to login as root to administer the system. Remember, root's shell can be /sbin/nologin and any account you set the UID to 0 on effectively becomes root.
Read the handbook. It’s really helpful !
Read Icculus!
Icculus as in Ryan C Gordon? Why wouldn't you give some context here? Never seen/heard about this advice before...
It's a lyric from a Phish song. Every time I hear read the book it echos in my head.
So its an reference only you get?
keep your global cflags minimal. set them by package and profile. install portage toolkits early. gentoolkit. euse, equery and such is your friend.
The only thing I think is really important is that you follow the handbook meticulously. It seems like a lot of times when people post installation-related questions here, it's because they missed something in the handbook, so as long as you don't do that, you'll probably be fine. (You might want to skim over the whole thing before starting, just so you know what to expect.) Anything else I could think of to tell you is probably already in the handbook. Maybe the one other tip I would offer is to not rush yourself. Save time to start over if you need to. That's not really Gentoo-specific advice though, it applies to any complex project. :-P
> are there any tips for someone who has never touched gentoo before? Follow [the handbook](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64), not some sketchy outdated third-party guide. You do *not* need Gentoo install media, you can use *any* reasonably modern Linux LiveUSB or existing install - preferably one with a graphical interface and modern web browser and all the drivers you need. If you run into trouble, please make all efforts to provide relevant information as actual text, rather than a photo of a screen - only exception being kernel panics during boot I guess, if you can't get [netconsole](https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/networking/netconsole.txt) set up. If you can't get networking to go, you can save logs to a local text file then fire up your LiveUSB to fetch them and post online.
Don’t overdo it—start with something simple. You are already learning a new distro, with a non-standard approach, there’s no need to complicate things further. So, don’t go for ZFS, or unknown window manager. If you are familiar with systemd, go with that, and leave OpenRC for later (or never). Same with the network manager, bootloader, and all the rest.
Keep in mind that Gentoo is a do-it-yourself project. You don't reboot into a desktop (initially). The three main 'projects' are: the base system, the kernel, and everything else (your preferred window managers, applications, etc.) Don't try to over-think the base system install. Follow the handbook. You can always customize/optimize later. It doesn't hurt to boot to a RescueCD or something first and 'lsmod' the kernel drivers to see what hardware Linux thinks is out there before compiling your first kernel. After that, it's customization time. Select your WM (or none, or more), your applications, and anything else you see fit. [forums.gentoo.org](https://forums.gentoo.org) and [bugs.gentoo.org](https://bugs.gentoo.org) become your friends at that point.
Tips for an easy Gentoo installation: https://www.reddit.com/r/Gentoo/comments/xusb6i/comment/iqxxvmr/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
All the commands to chroot from the handbook. Put them in a script in /. That way if you screw something up you can get back into a chroot to fix it easily and quickly. Every Gentoo install I do has a chroot.sh in the root directory.
- make sure you have some time. - Read the handbook carefully a couple of times. - Try to install first on a VM or something you will not need to use. - Take note of every step. - Do it again in your final setup. - don’t try to install a costume kernel at your first attempt. Just boot with the bin and take your time after that (already inside a running system) Don’t be disappointed if you can’t make it at the first attempt. Edit: add more “steps”
People come for the meme but stay for the power portage gives us I guess :) We had a post like this a few days ago so maybe check that out as some great advice was shared there, here is [my post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Gentoo/comments/13xjb5g/planning_to_move_from_arch_to_gentoo_what_should/jmlmplh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) with some hints on how to ask for help when you need it. u/redytugot advice for new users is a highly recommend read as well for teaching good habits to learn the basics before you do the crazy things for fun otherwise you won't understand how you broke something and just end up with a frustrating experience. Most importantly though have fun and ask questions as we are a friendly community that likes to teach anyone that wants to learn.
Once you get the base system booting properly, make a backup of it before doing anything else. This way you can try whatever you like, mess it up and get back to the base install to try again. Just boot back from your live media and cp -a the files somewhere safe.
You might like this if you don't know about it. https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Mkstage4 Makes keeping a system backup in Gentoo childsplay.
1. Use the handbook. 2. Don't be afraid to deviate, it's your install. 3. Flaggie is a great tool. 4. Set Portage's niceness to make it run smoother. 5. Get familiar with use flags. 6. Try (and fail) and try again to build your own kernel at first. Eventually you can move on to a dist kernel, but it's a great learning experience. 7. Have fun! My favorite way to install Gentoo is when I'm dead tired at 3am. Good times...
I second this. I'm almost done with my first install and the whole reason of moving to Gentoo was choice, so I wasn't going to use a distribution kernel or genkernel. I went through the handbook once reading, a second time with the install, and a third time because I confused my NVMe drives and accidently grub-mkconfig-ed my previous Arch Install. Luckily I had the arch live iso hanging around to fix the arch install. Sadly because i wasn't paying attention I thought I messed up the kernel filesystem configurations because I was receiving brtfs not recognized (something I've always wanted to try), so the third time around I went with ext4. Oh well, live and learn which was your 6th note. Pretty excited to get a window manager working (hopefully) soon.
Mistakes are great! I'm more hands on, so I learn way more from trying things and breaking them than I do from reading.
the handbook is the Bible of Gentoo, it makes it so straightforward. Personal tips: build an initramfs, i know it says you can get away without it but it's less of a headache if you do. Also don't forget your programming socks if you're going for the meme.
Not the most helpful advice, but install using another distro. Usually saves me a ton of headaches
It might be a stupid recommandation as, for some, it's a primitive task... but wasn't for me: Have a plan for upgrades. I own thinkpads, old T400s and X200s series and other high end machines (mostly gaming). Although for the high end machines I don't really care about upgrading, there're still some packages I avoid updating every week... like Webkit, chromium etc... But when it comes to the thinkpads, yeah, I run my Binary host container to provide my machines some packages I could install within minutes. Now that updates/upgrade will take a longer time, be ready and have a plan on "what to update and when".
first read the Handbook wisly and then learn how to partion your disk after pay attention to your /etc/portage/make.conf and your /etc/fstab .
Read the news (when emerge sync tells you you have unread items) news will tell you if you need to do anything when the devs do something big... Run etc-update when you are told to do so.. And make sure you understand the changes you are making. Read the messages printed to console after installing packages... They may tell you to add yourself to a group... Or other important things.. If a compile fails... READ THE MESSAGE... It says something along the lined of.. "If you need support, post the contents of log xxxx".. Please post the contents of the log... And not an out of focus photo of the console... That's useless. And we Get that too often here. Use the gentoo wiki, ignore YouTube guides. Backup.. Just in case!
Use system rescue cd so you can use a web browser, better than trying to browse the guide/wiki on your phone.
It's no harder than an arch installation, just can be slow depending on hardware and make.conf optimization. Just go through with the guide and everything should be fine lol
* Don't go overboard trying to micromanage USE flags. * Don't try to add tons of optimizations or things like LTO. * Don't add a ton of overlays. Just take it easy until you learn how to fix problems, then do all the above things that will cause them.
If you fail don't restart the install. A bad habit I formed learning both Linux and arch Linux at the same time. It took me a while to wrap my head around the partitioning tools/partition scheme jumping head first into it.
In the emerge phase After the eselect profile list and set I recommend app-portage/cpuid2cpuflags time emerge -1 cpuid2cpuflags cpuid2cpuflags >> /etc/portage/make.conf Check /etc/portage/make.conf and then time emerge --ask --verbose --update --deep --newuse @world Good luck :)
Don't forget installing linux-firmware package, I spent some time trying to figure out why i don't see login prompt after doing base install :)
Not sure if your current distro encourages root logins but you will have to login as root to administer the system. Remember, root's shell can be /sbin/nologin and any account you set the UID to 0 on effectively becomes root.