Gentoo 2007.0 GUI Installer is buggy

[burlingk]

Now put yourself in the place of some of us who want to try out Gentoo to see how it works and how it compares with the other distros. We do not want to spend weeks installing it only to find that it does not meet our needs. We want a quick install that lets us see what Gentoo is like and how it performs vs Ubuntu or Mandriva or Suse or Fedora or Slackware.

Well... Too bad! You can't have it! "What Gentoo is like" and "how it performs" are things you will never learn from a LiveCD, because Gentoo is based on compiling from source, optimized for your exact system, including the packages you specifically want (and their dependencies) and nothing you didn't want. A LiveCD will never be able to showcase this. It is, by its very nature, a pre-compiled binary distribution, which is exactly what Gentoo is not.

I think a LiveCD, done well, could be a great time-saver to get somebody started on the Gentoo path, but even the best LiveCD would be a horrible representation of "what Gentoo is like".

There is something more important though. A LiveCD is loaded into ram, and is most often running from a compressed file system. One of those alone is enough to cause lag, both together is worse. Even if you have enough system resources for the environment to run smoothly, it will still be no comparison to the performance of the system running from a hard drive.

A propperly made LiveCD can be greate for running an automated installer from, or for using as a host for a manual install. It is not however that great for a demo.

It just occured to me that the LFS liveCD might actually be a better host for me to use next time I do a Gentoo install. It loads a lot less into memory, and runs a lot more smoothly on my system. It uses xfce instead of Gnome as it's environment.

Honestly, I think that is one of the LiveCD's problems. It loads too much stuff into memory from the start. Just using xfce instead of Gnome would speed things up quite a bit. ^_^

[burlingk]

However, it is much better if the distro does not require you to have to go to the user community but that it just works and works well. If the documentation is well -done and the distro is set up right, it should be relatively self-explanatory and then the community would just be the icing on the cake. However, if the distro does not meet your needs, then having a great user community just isn't worth it to make something you don't like usable when other distros might meet your needs better.

If another distro meets your needs better, then use it. Ubuntu is awesome, and sounds like what you are looking for. This is not me being snide, or trying to tell you to go away. It is simply me saying that no single distro is perfect for everyone.

I am interested in Gentoo because of the meta-distro aspect. Basically, what that means is that it is more of a community controlled package manager than anything else. The only thing that makes it a distro instead of a bootstrapped system is its stage3 tarball. ^_^


Emerge seems to be a really cool tool, and once I have more time to play with it, I am sure I will love it. I also like the fact though that there is a community devoted to rapidly tweaking and updating packages for the portage tree.

I like the fact that as soon as the next version of my favorite package comes out, it will be easily available within a week or two. ^_^ Most distros take a LOT longer for that to happen. As I said, Ubuntu is awesome, but it takes as much as six months for a new version of a package to join the main system, and often times you have to upgrade to the next version for it to install.

That comes from the fact that while Ubuntu does use up to date packages, it is still a Debian system. That means that they will opt for stability over all else when deciding which packages to merge with the main system. For the record, I am a Debian fan. It was my first distro, and will always hold a place in my heart. ^_^

Gentoo is great, if it is what you are looking for. A proper install will take time, but once it is done, it will run smooth and stable. ^_^

[Dirk.R.Gently]

First of all, I have to say that Gentoo is the best Linux out there. None can touch it. That said, I never understood the Live Installer approach. I hope not to offend the developers who do a lot of beautiful work making the installer. But the best gentoo build is the Minimal Install CD approach. I just read the Gentoo philosophy and basically it says that tools that work with the user and not the other way around. Building from the Minimal Install CD is that experience, with a finished system that feels valuable. I'm proud of the Gentoo community and it's developers, so I have to ask, will eventually Live CD experience be on par with that of the Minimal Install CD?

[anton123]

Actually, the GTK+ Installer is a welcome addition. It ensures a reasonably trouble free, quick setup of Linux on a PC, therefore it's advantages outweigh the standard command line installer. Not to say that the command line installer is bad, it is powerful in itself but since we human beings think in images, a GUI installer helps us to make our way more confidently and sometimes, more quickly if we want to ensure we install a functional Linux distro. So, Gentoo is no exception. The only issue I have with this 2007.0 release is that the GUI installer is buggy and some drivers seem to be missing from the X server (ex: the "ati" driver); maybe they are missing, maybe there was a misspelling in the scripts to be executed to load these drivers. Apart from that, I had an easy time installing Gentoo 2006.0 and 2006.1 with the GTK+ installer and yet, I'm a Linux newbie.

[wolfger]

First of all, I have to say that Gentoo is the best Linux out there. None can touch it.

Depends on what you're looking for. If you want a fast, stable system that's customized to exactly what you want, and you're willing to get your hands dirty and learn something, Gentoo is the best. If you're looking for a quick and easy install, where everything works right out of the box with no manual intervention, I'd have to say Mepis is the best (althoug Sabayon did impress me greatly, too). I'm currently dual-booting Gentoo/Mepis, until I get everything in Gentoo working exactly the way I want it.

[flaZh]

Stopping at tar 50 in the dialogue-setup(nox option), and 51 with x and the GUI installer:/
What to do?

[NeddySeagoon]

flaZh,

Use the other handbook and the manual stage 3 install

[flaZh]

I tried the DVD once again, and downloaded the stage 3 tarball, did everything by the book, make.conf and stuff. BUt when setting the root password, it locked up now:(

Thinking of trying 2006.1 next...

[NeddySeagoon]

flaZh,

If you did a stage 3, you can salvage what you have.

Mount your partitions like this and carry on as if nothing had happened. Thats a procedure you will use several times to rescue your install.
Mostly, you fix your problems, not reinstall. You must have picked up that bad habit from another OS.

Fixed the link. -- desultory

[c0vert]

I had no problem using text based install and GUI based install using HP dv1680ca. (i did both i wanted to see what the fuss was all about). Both worked flawlessly though. Just wanted to inform people using same computer about their options.

[ccosse]

Ahoy! I just upgraded to 2.6.20-r8 the last couple days and hit several problems (bugs) with the livecd. The only one i'll mention, however, is that the default user account never got made, and root login didn't recognize the root password when finished/rebooted. I was just about to scrap the whole install ...details fuzzy ... but after 2nd reboot the root passwd was recognized. I might have fat-fingered it thte first time, but i did it about 10x, so don't think so. Moral of story: if you have this problem, reboot an extra time and try logging in as root again.

-c

[skeptic_always]

Sadly, I came here to figure out why my liveCD 2007.0 install keeps failing. I tried every way I could think of, gui, cli, as root from a text console, as root with gui and cli, bare minimum options... It always fails when trying to write to a read only filesystem (sorry, didn't save the message but from the size of this topic I'm sure it's been noted). It boots ok, but apparently it did not update various configuration files.

Guess I'll install from a minimal install CD. I got away from gentoo for a few years and this is my first try coming back. Gentoo was great when I used it before, I switched because of instability issues but it turned out to be hardware. At the time I decided to give another distro a try 'cause of all the time involved in getting a gentoo distro up and running. I'm sure it's improved since then, but a live CD with two big desktop icons for installing that can't complete an installation makes the gentoo project look bad. My 2 cents, if it doesn't work or wasn't properly tested it should not be released.

Rant over, off to download a minimal install CD and try yet again.

[ccosse]

hey skeptic: where does it fail? what is your system?

[CrYoGeNiC]

I'm jumping on the bandwagon here too.

Yeeeehaaaa. Me too, man. Starting installation with the LiveDVD x86 right now, on my desktop. Tried on the notebook. No go.

PS: First post by the way.

Hi.

I've downloaded and burnt Gentoo LiveCD 2007.0 install for x86_64. I'm currently attempting to run the command-line installer on my new Inspiron 9400 (core2 duo) and it's stuck at copying dev-lang/perl-5.8.8-r2 (50/116).

Since I'm using LVM for /var, /home and /tmp I've had to abort a first install attempt, edit the install profile by hand and add the mount points for /var, /tmp and /home. I had previously selected a networkless install and added mount points for root directory and /boot.

I've taken a look at /tmp (on the LiveCD filesystem); there are 2 files:

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compile_output.log    installprofile.xml

Strangely enough, here's the content of compile_output.log:

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chroot: cannot run command `/var/tmp/spawn.sh´: No such file or directory

There is a file spawn.sh on the installed hard drive in /var/tmp (actually /mnt/gentoo/var/tmp) but not on the LiveCD filesystem. So I copied that file into /var/tmp but it doesn't seem to change anything; the install process is still stuck at step 4/28 .

Any idea?

Having the exact same problem here. Already checked the MD5 sum of the DVD image. Installer stuck at 50. Well, guess that I'll have to go through the manual way. Wish me luck. Peace.

These are the systems I'll be using.
Desktop: C2D E6300 / Asus P5PE-VM Intel 865G & Intel ICH5 / 2x1GB G.Skill 2-3-2-5 DDR400 / BFG 6800Ultra OC AGP8X / 3x120GB (2xPATA & 1x120GB SATA(boot)) / Marvell 88E8001 GB LAN / ADI 1888 6-Channel AC'97 Audio CODEC/ TTGI 550W
NOTE: SATA configured as IDE & Enhanced Mode enabled.

Notebook: Just as sig.

[c0vert]

I have probably tried to install it using the LIVECD 8 times now. It worked on the 1st try, (Then I redid it, just cuz), and it didnt work 6 times in a row then it worked on the 8th try. The only times it worked was when i used the GUI installer, networkless, and i set both / and /boot settings. Also i only choose to set up wired connection and not wireless.

-just thought it was good to say this as i tried with a lot of different settings, both GUI and Command line, and only this one worked.
Although, these settings should work on command line as when it did fail, command line always got further, i just never got a chance to command line on these settings because i did GUI first, and i don't want to try anymore times. GUI installer sucks especially with partitioning.

If you want to use GUI, my advice is,
Start off in command line, do your partitioning there, exit, then go back to GUI and ur partitions will come up instead of you having to set them up (which never works)

[skeptic_always]

hey skeptic: where does it fail? what is your system?

It seems to fail when adding the applications. Read-only filesystem while trying to do something with /usr/lib/.... Sorry I didn't save the error or pay better attention to where it failed. I had it on my screen, came here, found this thread, and figured I was having the same issues as everyone else so I just turned that system off. After failure it will boot, but at a minimum it's missing applications and /etc/make.conf has no USE entries. I just don't feel comfortable running with it the way it is and hoping I notice and fix everything not finished.

My system is an HP zd7000 laptop.

[flaZh]

So finally.. I go pretty far, I got past the make.conf part(by not selecting so many as I would like). But sadly it failed somewhere along the road to finishing, and now I need help recovering. It was installing all of thise things I ticked at the end. But not sure where it failed, but it did. And when I start up now I get grub, but I get a fail when it tries to load the file system, of all things.

So here's the thing:
* Checking root filesystem ...
ext2fs_check_if_mount: No such file or directory while determining whether /dev/ROOT is mounted.
fsck.ext3: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/ROOT
/dev/ROOT:
The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2 fiesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2 filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with alternate superblock:
e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

* The file system could not be fixed [!!]

Give root blah password blah..

Any ideas? I'm gonna search the forums now..

[c0vert]

My guess is that you did not mount the correct file systems after you partition your drive:

You should have partitioned:
/dev/sda1 - ext2 - 150M
/dev/sda2 -swap - 2000M-4000M
/dev/sda3 - ext3 - however muhc you want


so on the next page, you should set the following

device: /dev/sda1
Mountpoint: /boot


device: /dev/sda3
mountpoint: /

make sure you save both and then move on

[NeddySeagoon]

flaZh,

Welcome to Gentoo.

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/dev/ROOT

is a placeholder in your /etc/fstab. You need to replace ROOT with your actual root devie.
I think the handboot uses /dev/hda3 but you change for yourself to suit your install.

You probably also have /dev/BOOT and /dev/SWAP too, which are similar placeholders.

While you are in /etc/fstab, check the filesystem types for your partitions too.
Get into the chrootand fix it

[flaZh]

Hi,

thing is, I dunno what is boot, root amd stuff.. /dev/hdaX does not exist. Is /dev/sdaX the same? I got /dev/hdc tho. Still, how do I check the drives? I took the recommended setup for drives and partitions.

I found out via fdisk, now the problem is that my filesystem is read only:/

[NeddySeagoon]

flaZh,

/dev/hdc is a whole IDE drive, probably your CDROM.
/dev/sda1 is the first partition on the first SATA drive.

Inside the chroot,

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fdisk -l

will show all your partitions.
The smallest will be /boot. The middle sized one not much bigger then /boot) is swap and the largest one is root.

I think the default is /dev/sda1 is /boot, /dev/sda2 is swap and /dev/sda3 is / (root).
Since you can boot, the content of /boot/grub/grub.conf will tell you root. Look on the kernel command line for

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real_root=/dev/...

That works or you would have a different error.

[flaZh]

Yes, I found out about my disks and partitins. How to get into chroot when I cannot mount? Everything is read only, cannot make a folder, edit any file:S

real_root=/dev/sda3
which is true..

/proc/mounts shows that sd3 is ro(read-only).

I have corrected it by using the LiveDVD and fixing fstab via that.

So I have a machine but not X or kde:/ Time to emerge then, I suppose..

[NeddySeagoon]

flaZh,

Yep - you are getting the hang of it

[flaZh]

Yeah. I've had Gentoo before.. 2004 or 2005, I think.
But wierd enough, editing that file did not work, on a reboot everything was reset back to /dev/ROOT.. And my root password was obviously changed somehow:O So I kinda gave temporarily up. Gonna try Ubuntu

[tpf80]

I downloaded the new live cd installer to test in a vmware virtual machine. It gave me a splash screen with a progress bar as if it was loading, and then a "could not write to device" error scrolling down the screen to infinity. From the previous posts I read about it not working with a low amount of ram. I increased the ram of the VM from 256 megs to 512, and now the i'm sitting in the desktop of the live cd. Now to see whats next...