Re: [gentoo-user] Reproducible Installation Lists?

[Ramces Tampo-og Red]

Wols Lists <antlists@××××××××××××.uk> writes:
> On 26/02/2022 11:07, Dale wrote:
>> Ramces Tampo-og Red wrote:
>>> Hello list,
>>>
>>> I'm a sort-of  newbie gentoo user and  I just wanted to ask  if what I'm
>>> thinking is possible or if I'm just  being stupid. But either way, I was
>>> wondering if it  is possible to export a list  of all installed software
>>> in emerge and use that to recreate on another gentoo install.
>>>
>>> I have  a bunch of PCs  that are all  similarly specced and I  wanted to
>>> create a minimal install "template" for all of them. If not, would it be
>>> possible to pipe-in to emerge from stdin an output of all of the package
>>> names that I wanted it to emerge?
>>>
>>> I'm really sorry if this might  be a stupid question. I'd appreciate any
>>> guidance in the matter.
>>>
>>> Cheers!
>>>
>>
>> There is a file that contains all the packages you have installed.  It
>> is located here:
>>
>> /var/lib/portage/world
>>
>> One could copy that file to another system and do a emerge @world to
>> install the same list of packages.  Depending on what all you have
>> installed, it could confuse emerge and not be doable.  In the past, I
>> had a copy of the file and I emerged them a few at a time.  It's worth
>> trying by just coping the file tho.  It just might work.
>
> Someone a while ago gave me a tip along the lines of
>
> emerge < /var/lib/portage/world
>
> I was building a new system and they said this was a good way of getting
> the new system to have the same packages as the old one. Mind you, I
> think I'd now rather just print off @world and be choosy in what I
> re-emerge.
>

After reading the responses in the thread, this appears to be one way to
do it. Though I think adding it to a set could be a cleaner way? I
haven't tried all of the suggestions yet.

> Oh - and for quite a while I used the -b -k flags a lot, mostly emerging
> on the slower system actually then installing the binary on the fast
> one. Sounds odd, but the faster, newer system had a habit of crashing
> during an emerge ... Both systems now gone to the Computer Centre in the
> Sky :-)
>

That is certainly odd. You would assume that the faster system would be
the one compiling stuff for the slower one. I've been thinking of buying
a couple of old desktops for the sole purpose of being distcc slaves but
I don't know how much that would improve the compile times.

> Cheers,
> Wol
>

Cheers!

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