Recommended way to re-install gentoo

Elaman · n00b Joined: 28 Jul 2016 Posts: 32

I have an existing Gentoo installation and I found myself with way too many packages to be merged for updating @world, plus different ebuilds fail. In my experience with previous updates I realize it would be way shorter to simply re-install Gentoo, but maybe it's not necessary to re-create the partitions and go through all the steps.
What is the recommended way to go about it?

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:37 am Post subject:

Elaman,

Does

Elaman · n00b Joined: 28 Jul 2016 Posts: 32

Thanks NeddySeagoon for your answer. What I want is to install something with "vanilla" configuration files and @world, but I was wondering if I could skip the deletion and recreation of partitions, specially the boot partition, as those will remain the same

Roman_Gruber · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:54 pm Post subject:

Clean up your world file.

I have some sort of principle. Keeping low on packages. Check dependencies

equery depends XY

emerge -av package

Changing desctop environments, software when it drags in to much clutter.

Some stuff can not be replaced like k3b. kde is really bad maintained. k3b does not need so much, but it's too bothersome to fix ebuilds, reduce dependencies. a gentoo mess is that some ebuilds do not have requirements statet, others have too many like k3b.

I care about download / disk size / compile time / backup size.

--

In the past i did regularly emerge -e --keep-going --deep -N world. This is not necessary anymore because portage has improved, my hardware is much better now too!

--

I recommend that you fix your existing installation. A reinstall is a bad approach, won't fix things in the long run

qlist -Iv package
may help to determine whats installed.

--

a good way to reduce clutter is to check what is updated. When I do not want it anymore unmerge it instead of updating. check dependies too at that stage.

--

off topic:

some bugs are not fixed, although known for a very long time, for example

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Sun Nov 19, 2017 2:54 pm Post subject:

Elaman,

Vanillia Gentoo has an empty world file. It records the things you explicitly install and the packages where you should have used --oneshot but forgot.
The latter leads to an accumulation of rubbish in world and installed on your system, which portage tries to maintain.

You can check with checkworldfile but do make a backup first.
Its not infallible. You may have sound reasons to have something in the world file that no script can ever know about.
So think about what it wants to deselect before you do it.

Even if you reinstall, there is no point in taking a polluted world with you. The problems that causes will follow.

You can skip the deletion and recreation of partitions but if you really go the reinstall route, you should remake your filesystems.
That's destructive - be sure you have everything you want backed up, verified and that you can read the backups.
/boot can be saved but save /lib/modules too as that's where the modules are to match the kernels in /boot.

Already this reinstall is growing arms and legs ....
Save /boot, save /lib/modules, save /home, save /etc/portage, save world ... save other stuff.
_________________
Regards,

NeddySeagoon

Computer users fall into two groups:-
those that do backups
those that have never had a hard drive fail.