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Alright folks, first off, I would like to cover some information on the |
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proposed x86 stage releases for 2006.0, along with some information on |
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the release media. As you may or may not know, we are switching to |
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enabling nptl by default on all arches that support it. We have also |
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built out a set of no-nptl profiles for x86, to allow for people who |
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wish to stick with linuxthreads or 2.4 headers/kernels. Here is what I |
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plan on releasing for x86 (this does not include embedded or hardened): |
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|
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CDs: |
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Minimal InstallCD (same as before) |
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Installer LiveCD (CHOST=i686 and nptl) |
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|
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Stages: |
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x86 stage1 (CHOST=i386) |
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x86 stage3 (CHOST=i386, no-nptl, 2.4 headers/kernel) |
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i586 stage3 (CHOST=i586 and nptl) |
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i686 stage3 (CHOST=i686 and nptl) |
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|
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With this, a user should be able to build any system that they desire. |
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Using the stage1 tarball, they will be able to use any of the profiles |
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and build anything, as is currently possible. As you probably know, the |
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stage1 installation instructions have been moved to the Gentoo FAQ from |
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the Gentoo Handbook. This is due to the increased complexity of the |
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possibilities of a stage1 installation. I will be working with the GDP |
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to create an "Advanced Topics" document that covers the stage1 tarball, |
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along with bootstrapping from a stage3 tarball. This document may or |
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may not be completed by 2006.0, depending on time. |
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|
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The 3 stage3 tarballs will be usable to build any of the supported |
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system types easily. The i586 and i686 stages will be used for building |
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100% default-based systems for all i586 and i686 systems. While we have |
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dropped the additional stages, such as pentium3 and pentium4, this does |
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not mean that you're left in the dark. The main reason for this is it |
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reduces the number of stages that is required to be built and allows for |
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better testing to be done on these stages. This also brings x86 in line |
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with the rest of the distribution, which only produces more generic |
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stages for their specific architecture types without optimizations. The |
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purpose of a stage is to facilitate installation, not to give the user a |
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completely optimized system. Using a stage3 x86 tarball will also allow |
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the user to use either 2.4 or 2.6 headers/kernels, with the switch of a |
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profile. Once the Advanced Topics document is completed, it will also |
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allow for bootstrapping to any of the other configurations easily. |
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|
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Now, onto the CD images. The idea here is to have the Minimal InstallCD |
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be used for most stage-based installations. There will also be the |
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Installer LiveCD. There will be no GRP set (Universal InstallCD + |
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PackageCD) for x86 for 2006.0, but the Installer CD *is* capable of a |
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network-less installation using the binaries on the CD itself. The CD |
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will be compiled with CHOST=i686, so it will not work on machines that |
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are not i686-compatible. These machines will be required to use the |
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Minimal InstallCD and stages, no different than they would do prior to |
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2006.0's release. |
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|
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What other features would you guys like? |
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|
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-- |
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Chris Gianelloni |
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Release Engineering - Strategic Lead |
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x86 Architecture Team |
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Games - Developer |
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Gentoo Linux |
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