User:Zen desu/sandbox/intro
How the installation is structured
Installation steps
The Gentoo Installation can be seen as a 10-step procedure, corresponding to the next set of chapters. Each step results in a certain state:
| Step | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | The user is in a working environment ready to install Gentoo. |
| 2 | The Internet connection is ready to install Gentoo. |
| 3 | The hard disks are initialized to host the Gentoo installation. |
| 4 | The installation environment is prepared and the user is ready to chroot into the new environment. |
| 5 | Core packages, which are the same on all Gentoo installations, are installed. |
| 6 | The Linux kernel is installed. |
| 7 | Most of the Gentoo system configuration files are created. |
| 8 | The necessary system tools are installed. |
| 9 | The proper boot loader has been installed and configured. |
| 10 | The freshly installed Gentoo Linux environment is ready to be explored. |
Deciding which steps to take
The handbook presents an overwhelming amount of options, especially for someone who has never installed Linux without an installer before.
It's important to realize that the handbook is designed to describe the steps required to install on a very wide variety of hardware, with different install needs. Because of this, many options presented in the handbook are unnecessary for a particular install and can be skipped.
Suggested steps
Prefixed with "Suggested:", some steps are not strictly required, but help in most cases, such as installing linux-firmware.
Optional steps
Prefixed with "Optional:", many sections in the handbook are purely optional, and can be skipped if the user is looking for a simple, mostly vanilla install.
Examples of this include compiler flag customization, using a totally custom kernel, and disabling root login.
When following optional steps, it's important to be careful that all prerequisites were satisfied. Some optional steps depend on other optional steps.
Deprecated steps
Gentoo has existed for a long time. Some install processes are described in the handbook because they used to be more relevant, but are now largely deprecated. Instead of immediately removing this information, as it may still be helpful for some users, it may be designated as Deprecated: before removal. Once removed, the history must be used to view this content.
Defaults and alternatives
Whenever choices are presented, the handbook will try to explain the pros and cons of each choice.
If potential choices are mutually exclusive, "Default:" is used to designate the most supported or commonly chosen option, while alternatives are listed with "Alternative".
Alternative options are not inferior to Defaults, but Default options are typically more widely used and may have better support.
Installation options for Gentoo
Gentoo can be installed in a variety of ways. The handbook is designed to be used with official Gentoo release media, but most modern bootable Linux media is sufficient.
Gentoo release media is designed to be written to a CD, DVD, or USB, but can be netbooted.
Non-Gentoo installation media
Gentoo can be installed from just about any live Linux environment. Using existing install media may be easier, or preferred, depending on the user and scenario.
For help on the other installation approaches, like using non-Gentoo bootable media or installing from another distro, please read our Alternative installation guide.