Gentoo Problem Installing Software

[ianw1974]

Installed Gentoo for the first time, and am happy that I actually made it since it's all a manual install. I'm too used to GUI installers :P

 

The problem I have now is that I cannot get kde, or even gnome for that matter installed for my desktop.

 

I followed the Gentoo 2005.1 handbook, and after I'd set the system up, and rebooted my next stage was this. I mouted the packages CD that I'd downloaded as well as the universal install CD.

 

mount /mnt/cdrom
export PKGDIR=/mnt/cdrom
emerge --usepkg kde

 

However, it failed. It told me to look above for the error message, but all I saw was an error 2 and before that, it had just exited the directory it had been in. So I'm assuming it was attempting to compile kdebase at the time.

 

So, I thought I would do the following:

 

emerge --sync

 

and try it again afterwards, but again, it failed with the make. I thought maybe a kde problem, so I tried the following:

 

emerge gnome

 

since I'd done the emerge sync, I couldn't use the packages CD as the internet might be running newer versions. I was attempting to make the gnome 2.10 packages, but again, failed with gnomevfs I think. Similar to above for KDE error.

 

So, not sure what's going on, or how to continue and get my DE up and running. Any ideas? I've not installed xorg yet, but then thought that this would be a dependency of kde or gnome anyway. And the handbook never mentioned a series of steps if something was supposed to be done before emerging kde/gnome.

[jlc]

You will probably have to show some error messages for people to be able to help ;)

[ianw1974]

I'm trying again on a new system to see what happens. I'll post the error if I get it again, but it really didn't say much :P

[jlc]

I'm trying again on a new system to see what happens.  I'll post the error if I get it again, but it really didn't say much :P

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yeah, a lot of times though there is "stuff" in the failed build that will give enough info to figure it out, I ran gentoo for a long time :)

[ianw1974]

Cool, I'm in good hands then! :D

 

I'm just currently running emerge nvidia-glx to get the drivers installed, because I know I didn't do this last time. I don't know whether kde would have failed or not because no video module loaded or compiled into the kernel.

 

After that, I'll kick off the emerge kde for overnight, and be able to update tomorrow morning with what's happening!

[jlc]

I used to be known as "Distro HO" ;)

 

 

nvidia isn't important, thats just for 3D acceleration. emerge kde/gnome will pull in the dep's for xorg/* You will just need to configure your xorg config file.

[ianw1974]

I got the nvidia stuff on now, and loaded the module fine.

 

For some reason, cannot get the console to run anything other than 80x25 text. I did try to get it to run 1024x768 like it does from the install CD but it wouldn't have it.

 

Not that I mind too much, as hopefully when I boot into KDE it should be OK there.

 

Will start downloading KDE a little later today. Gotta use the machine for work at the mo :P

[ianw1974]

Well, I figured it would be finished this morning but it wasn't. When I left work at 5pm last night, it was on 36 out of 84, doing all it's compiling stuff.

 

When I came in this morning, it was compiling 46 of 84. Not sure how much longer it will take! :P

 

As an interest, because I figured I'd try and leave as much as it default as possible, this is my /etc/make.conf

 

# These settings were set by the catalyst build script that automatically built this stage
# Please consult /etc/make.conf.example for a more detailed example
CFLAGS="-O2 -pipe -march=i686"
CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu"
CXXFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"
MAKEOPTS="-j2"

 

The only options I changed (added) during the installation was the following:

 

-pipe (on the CFLAGS line)
MAKEOPTS="-j2"

 

this was what the documentation suggested, so I figured I'd leave the rest, although I knew I could change the -O2 parameter, but didn't know what effect it would have on the system.

 

So I guess I'll let it run, and see how long it takes. The first part getting the basic build took me about 2 hours. But the emerge of KDE looks like it's going to take a couple of days!!!!!

 

Machine specs are: Toshiba Satellite Celeron 1.8GHz, 512MB RAM, 30GB HDD (18GB XP, 32MB /boot, 512MB swap, 11GB root).

[mystified]

When I first started using Gentoo I had a 733 mhz celeron. To do a complete install of Gentoo it took me 4-5 days. And no I didn't use the graphical installer. :P

 

Now I have a P4, 3.2 ghz processor and I can install in one day. I've found the best way to install Gentoo is thru the chroot environment. You can do this from either another distro or a live cd. That way you don't have any downtime.

[ianw1974]

I booted from the Gentoo 2005.1 Universal CD, did the first stuff, then chroot as per their document, and started building up the system. The first part took two hours, but the kde is taking at maybe two days if I'm lucky.

 

Didn't know they had a graphical installer, I didn't see it mentioned anywhere at least, but I'm learning it all quite well.

 

I just wondered if there was any way of speeding it up, with the CFLAGS or something. I just left it basic, as I'd read a few posts that said not to alter too much else it could cause problems.

[mystified]

Well I need to correct that. They don't have a graphical installer (altho they are working on one), I meant using the cd.

[ianw1974]

Had my first error message this morning. Not sure what it relates to, but I have an idea it's something to do with the partitions.

 

I have started the emerge kde again, and the system is carrying on with the remaining 14 packages. It's gotten a lot further than when I tried it the first time. I think my main problem was that the first time, I attempted to emerge kde from the packages CD using the following:

 

export PKGDIR=/mnt/cdrom
emerge --usepkg kde

 

This time I didn't bother, I pulled it all from the internet, and seems to work fine, but it's a bit bizarre my system came up with the error in my /var/log/messages log file. This is a different problem though, not related to KDE as far as I know.

[ianw1974]

Well, it all finished this afternoon, but it wasn't working out how I'd planned.

 

Spent four days trying to get it working. KDE finished installing, I configured X but for the life of me couldn't get it to start, and when it did, the screen didn't look that great, and I couldn't get the mouse to work.

 

So, I wiped it clean, and installed Mandriva LE2005 and was up and running within the hour! :P

 

I'm more comfortable with Mandriva. Maybe I'll give Gentoo a go another time when I think I'll get it to work again. Right now, it seems to difficult and painful!