The Gentoo Handbook/Installation Instructions instructs the user to first compile the kernel (Section 7) then to configure various system parameters, including localtime (Section 8) The problem/bug is that, following the instructions in the Gentoo Handbook/Installation Instructions, when the user first compiles the kernel on his/her new Gentoo box (Section 7) no localtime has yet been set (not until Section 8) This means this initial kernel image doesn't have any time information. I'm not sure what the ramifications of this are, but at the very least you get some annoying messages: gentoo root # uname -a Linux mouth 2.6.1-gentoo #2 Tue Jan 13 07:59:30 Local time zone must be set--see zic manu i686 Pentium II (Deschutes) GenuineIntel GNU/Linux Specifically the error line: "Local time zone must be set--see zic manu" To fix this, the Gentoo Handbook/Installation Instructions should first instruct the user to make a link from /etc/localtime to an appropriate zoneinfo file, and only then instruct the user to perform the initial kernel compile. That is to say, section 8.a. of the document should be moved to before Section 7. Reproducible: Always Steps to Reproduce: 1. Perform a Gentoo install exactly as specified in the Installation Instructions 2. Following the instructions, Compile the kernel first, and then make a link from /etc/localtime to a zoneinfo file 3. Run uname -a, get error: Local time zone must be set--see zic manu Actual Results: Kernel reports bad localtime, possible other bugs: "Local time zone must be set--see zic manu" Expected Results: The software is OK, the problem is only with initial kernels because the instructions don't set a localtime until after the first kernel compile. Moving the localtime setting instruction to before the kernel compilation instructions would help. Otherwise, when the user recompiles the kernel during normal use of the machine the problem will disappear (since the subsequent kernel compiles will have access to a proper /etc/localtime)
I was already wondering why this was put before the kernel configuration previously. It doesn't affect the kernel, just the uname output apparently. Anyway, I've moved that specific part to the kernel instructions chapter. Thanks for reporting!
