[PALUDIS] HOWTO get started with Paludis, Extras and hooks

[STEDevil]

v1.0 - 20070404
HOWTO use Paludis, Paludis-Extras overlay, hooks and automatically show ebuild warnings at end of compile.

This is a step by step guide to
* installing Paludis
* setting it up to use the Paludis-Extras overlay
* get important ebuild/elog warnings presented at the end of a compilation
* learning how to use eselect to manage hooks in Paludis instead of manual symlinking
* install a hook for eix to automatically update after a Paludis --sync

This HOWTO was written for Paludis 0.22.2. Future Paludis versions might not be 100% compatible with this HOWTO. At least make sure to read the changelog (http://paludis.pioto.org/news.html) if you use a newer version.

WARNING!

This HOWTO is meant for people that have a resonably good understanding of how Linux in general and Gentoo especially works and would like to try out Paludis. That means people that by them self can find the information and know how to do the things presented here but, like me, dont nessecarily want or have time to spend several hours reading manuals and setting up config files just to try out what Paludis can offer them. However, you ARE messing around with a CORE component of Gentoo, with high potential of breaking things badly if you just headlessly start trying out commands. Also remember Paludis is currently going through rapid development and things can (and likely will) break from one version to the next (especially going from a 0.x.y to a 0.(x+2).0 version). So be carefull and think about what you are doing!

Also, if you get yourself into a mess, please DO NOT bug the people behind Paludis. This goes double for any issues you might have with Paludis-Extras. Questions about such issues should be directed towards the Paludis-Extras people, not the main Paludis app devs.


*****************
Installing Paludis
*****************

If you havn't already, start with installing Paludis. If you are running ARCH this probably means you will need to add something like the following in /etc/portage/package.keywords
--------------------------
sys-apps/paludis ~x86
virtual/c++-tr1-memory ~x86
virtual/c++-tr1-functional ~x86
virtual/c++-tr1-type-traits ~x86
--------------------------

Then just emerge paludis -p

The Paludis migration guide (http://paludis.pioto.org/migration.html) has a very handy script that does a resonably good job of porting your current Portage config files, including any local or remote overlays you might have.
http://paludis.pioto.org/trac/browser/scratch/scripts/portage2paludis.bash?format=raw

Run it and check that the created files looks OK.


****************************
Setting up Paludis-Extras overlay
****************************
Next we need to install the Paludis-Extras overlay to get access to all the neat extra stuff for Paludis. However again, do note that what is available in the Paludis-Extras overlay is NOT supported by the Paludis devs, but are third party addons.

Create the file /etc/paludis/repositories/paludis-extras.conf

Here is an example paludis-extras.conf
------
# CHANGE THE BELOW LINE TO FIT YOUR SYSTEM AND UNCOMMENT IT
# location = ${ROOT}/usr/local/portage/paludis-extras
master_repository = gentoo
sync = rsync://drzile.dyndns.org/paludis-extras
format = ebuild
importance = 10
cache = /var/empty
write_cache = /var/cache/paludis/metadata
#Important, before turning on the below cache, read up on how it works!
#To enable names_cache comment /var/empty and uncomment next line
names_cache = /var/empty
#names_cache = ${location}/.cache/names
------

If you are unsure about what to enter as your location the default PORTDIR_OVERLAY is /usr/local/portage. If you already have overlays there or somewhere else, it might be most convenient to place paludis-extras in the same place. Other good suggestions are eg /var/paludis/repositories/paludis-extras, but you can put it any where you like, even /blueberry/jam/sandwich/paludis-extras if you feel like being very exotic. Just remember to manually create the directories if they don't exsist already since Paludis for security reasons can't create them for you.

Now do a paludis --sync to update the main gentoo ebuild tree and all overlays.


*********************
Installing Paludis-Extras
*********************
After we finished syncing we need to start installing the extras we will use.

First in /etc/paludis/use.conf add:
* PALUDIS_HOOKS: -* eselect update-eix

Then issue the following command:
paludis --dl-upgrade as-needed --dl-new-slots as-needed -i paludis-hooks -p

The reason we are using the two --dl-x options is becuase right now we want to avoid the risk of updating/installing a large ammount of packages if you dont have a fully updated system. You can do that later if you wish, after we have properly enabled the displaying of elog info at the end of the compile.

If you are not running ~ARCH you might also need to add something like the following in /etc/paludis/keywords.conf
app-paludis/paludis-hooks-update-eix ~x86
app-admin/eselect-paludis-hooks ~x86
app-paludis/paludis-hooks ~x86


******************
Setting up the Hooks
******************
After the installation is completed it's time to set up the hooks. If you are not already familiar with the tool eselect write the following commands one by one and read the output. That should be enough to get you up to speed since it's usage is quite intuitive.

eselect
eselect paludis-hook
eselect paludis-hook list

To enable the elog output at the end of compilation

eselect paludis-hook enable demos-elog
eselect paludis-hook enable demos-elog-eerror
eselect paludis-hook enable demos-elog-ewarn

and optionally also
eselect paludis-hook enable demos-elog-einfo

If for some reason Paludis fails to properly finish compilation and thus doesnt display the wanted information you will still be able to manually find and read the logfile in /var/tmp/paludis/elog.*


*****************
Other usefull advice
*****************

* It's a very good idea to issue the command eselect news list to find out the latest important info about paludis and the installed extras.

* Adding paludis to your useflags in /etc/paludis/use.conf and emerging some of the other tools especially modified to be used with

* If you install Paludis with the ruby useflag you get access to the tool check_linkage which like revdep-rebuild can help you fix various packages broken due to updated dependencies.
# ruby /usr/share/paludis/ruby/demos/check_linkage.rb

[kernelOfTruth]

++

thanks, this way I won't forget any necessary when moving to paludis in the future

hopefully this will encourage more users to try out paludis
_________________
https://github.com/kernelOfTruth/ZFS-for-SystemRescueCD/tree/ZFS-for-SysRescCD-4.9.0
https://github.com/kernelOfTruth/pulseaudio-equalizer-ladspa

Hardcore Gentoo Linux user since 2004

[STEDevil]

You are most welcome and I hope you will find it usefull

[tekknokrat]

only minor change:

* PALUDIS_HOOKS: -* eselect update-eix

goes

*/* PALUDIS_HOOKS: -* eselect update-eix

How can I find out what global keyword are supported in .conf files -> like the PALUDIS_HOOKS keyword is?
_________________
Optimism is solely an absence of information. / Optimismus ist nur ein Mangel an Information.
(Arthur Schopenhauer)

[Jerry McBride]

Ok... Paludis is installed. Paludis-extras is installed. Everything works and boy... IS THIS GOOD. Thank you...

Now the next step... How does one go about getting rid of Portage? Is it enough to install the tools from paludis-extras then remove portage via Paludis? Is it that simple?

Thanks, again.

[zxy]

No it is not that simple.

Many packages in gentoo tree depend on portage and if you uninstall portage it will be pulled in at the next world update.
_________________
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Lao Tzu