Re: [gentoo-user] Reconstructing a Gentoo Installer Computer

[Daniel da Veiga]

On 5/31/06, Timothy A. Holmes <tholmes@×××××××××.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Neil Bothwick [mailto:neil@××××××××××.uk]
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 11:57 AM
> > To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
> > Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Reconstructing a Gentoo Installer Computer
> >
> > On Wed, 31 May 2006 10:46:18 -0400, Timothy A. Holmes wrote:
> >
> > > I was hoping to
> > > rescue the additional time for the snort install etc by being able
> to
> > > just recompile stuff rather than have to start over from the
> beginning,
> > > the system is currently running, so I may just end up putting off
> the
> > > rebuild till this summer when I have a bit more time -- I was hoping
> to
> > > be able to change the use flags, build a new kernel and be done with
> it,
> > > but that doesn't look to be the case
> >
> > It should be the case. it's not much different from doing a stage 3
> > install then changing USE flags etc. I've done that with no problems.
> > What went wrong when you tried this before, or was it a case of
> changing
> > too much at once so you couldn't find the source of the problem?
> >
> > However, Michael's point about starting afresh with a hardened setup
> is a
> > good one. It sounds much safer for a security box.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Neil Bothwick
> >
> > "getting performance from an Amiga is like getting water from a
> sponge,
> > getting performance from Windows is like getting blood from a stone -
> > after banging my head against the stone several times I got some
> blood"
> >     Author of Lightwave 3D
> [Timothy A. Holmes]
>
> Neil:
>
> the problem before was an incomplete understanding of how the USE Flags
> worked, and a mis-understanding of some advice that I was given.  The
> procedure that I used last time was:
>
> rebuild the kernel
> Set use to USE="-*"
> Emerge -e world
>

I broke my system this way once...

> That procedure with the USE flags is what killed me.  What I should have
> done -- it now appears was to set use to blank (or comment it out) and
> allow it to use the base flags from the profile.  But trying to
> recompile from base with all use flags specifically excluded is what
> began to break stuff

When you leave the USE empty or commented, portage gets default set to
compile, this set has options that work most of the time. But when you
set it to "-*", it simply disable all optional (and sometimes most
necessary) stuff for all packages.

So, unless you have the time to take a full "emerge -epv" list, join
it with a "emerge -epv system", put "-*" at USE and start setting each
and every package at package.use or putting global configs at the USE
flag, its not a good way to do it (but you would get a super fine
tuned gentoo system, after a few days of configuration and a few weeks
of debuging like: "why this package don't work, oh, it was because
that other package needed that flag"), you should leave it empty and
add/remove flags after the system is up and after knowing exactly what
you'll be doying with that package.

Gentoo is so flexible that it becomes a little difficult to configure
(and I mean fine tunning at maximum) sometimes. For my desktops, I
just leave USE empty.

-- 
Daniel da Veiga
Computer Operator - RS - Brazil
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