[plug] Distro Day !!!

[William Kenworthy]

For gentoo, if you can get the box specs ahead of time, you could
pre-compile the packages in a chroot, or local session on another gentoo
machine - the stage 3 install then becomes similar to RedHat etc, with
just a local kernel compile needed on the day.  If the software specs
include X, you are going to be lucky to get a machine in time otherwise
...

The native gentoo binary install is generic i386 and is intended to be
gone back over and recompiled.  But you can pre-compile the packages on
another machine and replace the generic packages.  Binary installs are
so you can get a machine up and running fast, but you lose most of the
gentoo advantages.  The pre-compiled package method is used for secure
servers where you dont have compilers etc on the destination machine.

Another time saver is having all the tarballs local first: I have them
and can burn a few CD's, or transfer from my laptop if needed - my modem
is not up to transferring that many files in less than a month or so!

And lastly, a gentoo buildfarm  using ccache and distcc and a few
helpful souls (i.e., machines with ccache and distcc) is also a
possibility, but you do need a basic system first, the gains up until
that point are doubtful on a modern system.

BillK


On Thu, 2003-07-03 at 06:46, Garry wrote:
> I'm happy to do the Debian and Mandrake boxen. I'll use Knoppix to make the Debian really painless.. The Gentoo is a new one on me, but if Matt and Scott are happy to have the box compiling in the corner I _should_ be able to work out how to get it going.. Give my geeky Belgian friend Joris some fun too I suspect..
> 
> Could we have an idea when the machines will be available? Will they require assembly, or will they come ready-to-fly?
> 
> Getting to the Hilton LinuxIT shop is easy enough, but being bus dependent I can't pick up these boxes..
> 
> Regards Garry
> 
> 
> 
> > We are looking for..
> > 
> > 1)      A couple of folks to put up their hands to do the pre installation
> > so that the day of testing, can actually be testing :)
> > Scott says:
> > People involved in setting it up will have FULL access to LinuxIT before
> > the day and all the help we can provide except where we have to help our
> > clients.:
-- 
William Kenworthy <billk at iinet.net.au>