Bug 16546 – I'd add a script line, after you've mounted the HDs...

• Product: Gentoo Release Media
• Status: RESOLVED INVALID

[Description Austin W. Dunham V 2003-02-28 05:24:56 UTC]

RC2 and RC3 have given me a fair amount of troubles.  More, even, than the 
version of Gentoo when you guys were switching from a static FTP site in a 
configuration file to a version of emerge that would find a site for you.

I think it would help everybody debug the problems if soon after the HDs were 
mounted you added a script (script started, file is typescript...) line, and/or 
if there is a logging facility with emerge, you clearly state in the install 
guide where the logs are stored.  I still think script is a better solution 
since you can see EVERYTHING that's done, even the stuff outside of the 
emerge....

The problems I've had?  Since RC3 I haven't been able to even get to 
configuring GRUB.  Something always breaks during the emerging.  The last time 
things broke so much that I couldn't even re-run emerge...emerge complained 
about missing a library.  At this point I was so frustrated I rebooted without 
writing down what library and installed RedHat.  Had I a script, I could review 
it and/or send it to you for more details.

With RC2 most of my problems revolved around the HDs.  I was never able to 
unmount gentoo before rebooting.  I know I unmounted bood, proc, DEV never 
claimed to be mounted, GRP, etc.  When I attempted to unmount gentoo, it would 
always claim to be busy.

When I rebooted after installing everything, one of a couple things would 
happen.  In the worse case scenario I wouldn't even be able to boot up.  Second 
worse scenario was being able to boot up, but having something flash by 
claiming that /boot wasn't a valid ex2 filesystem.  (In every case I used ex3.  
And I did compile in support for both ex2 and ex3 filesystems.)

The closest I got to a good install was with RC2, with that annoying error that 
flashed by the screen.  I tried to install KDE and Gnome from the GRP install, 
and from emerge, but I was never able to get them up and running.  When it 
basically locked up trying to compile the KDE Multimedia, I gave up that 
install.

When I couldn't even get emerge system to work on RC3, I gave up entirely.

At any rate, other than my opinion that the latest RCs seem a bit flaky, I'd be 
able to provide more information for you if I'd been scripting the whole 
installation rather than having to glance at error messages as they fly past 
the screen.  When this happens, I just get frustrated, try to recover, and if I 
can't recover quickly, re-install.  I'd like a script or log of some sort to 
keep track of what's happening a little better, and to give you guys better 
error reports.

This may involve an emerge script line.  (I'd also like emerge VIM to be placed 
right after you setup the system optimization options.  I much prefer vi to 
nano.)

My 2 cents.  I may try gentoo again once it's out of the RC stages.  Like a 
month after so I have a fair chance of getting an unclogged download site...  I 
really do like the idea of making a custom compiled Linux, but this last couple 
RCs have been a little too rough...

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

[Comment 1 Daniel Robbins (RETIRED) 2003-04-04 02:10:35 UTC]

This bug report does not describe any particular problem in sufficient detail. Marking as invalid.