#Gentoo Install Preparation

#1. Hardware Inventory

Run these on the target machine before starting. Save the output files in this directory.

lspci -vnn > hw-lspci.txt
lsusb -v > hw-lsusb.txt
cat /proc/cpuinfo > hw-cpu.txt
lsmod > hw-modules.txt
lsblk -f > hw-disks.txt
ip link show > hw-net.txt
rfkill list > hw-rfkill.txt
dmidecode -t memory > hw-ram.txt   # sudo
dmidecode -t bios > hw-bios.txt    # sudo

The lspci -vnn output is the most important. Every line maps to a kernel driver and potentially a USE flag. The [XXXX:XXXX] vendor:device IDs let you look up exact driver requirements.

#2. Profile Selection

Profiles set hundreds of default USE flags. Pick before writing make.conf since global USE flags layer on top.

Available profiles (amd64): https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Profile_(Portage)

For a suckless/minimal setup: use the base 23.0 profile or 23.0/desktop at most. Desktop profiles pull in flags for full DE stacks you won't use.

# List available profiles
eselect profile list

# Set profile
eselect profile set <number>

#3. Partition Scheme

Decide before booting the live environment.

#UEFI + GPT (recommended)

#BIOS + MBR (legacy)

#Decisions to make

• Encryption: LUKS on root and/or home? Adds complexity but worth it for laptops.
• LVM: Flexible resizing later. Adds a layer. Usually worth it.
• btrfs vs ext4 vs xfs: btrfs gives snapshots and compression. ext4 is proven and simple. xfs for large files/performance.
• Swap: Physical partition, swap file, zram, or none. zram compresses in RAM and avoids disk I/O.
• Separate /var or /tmp: Usually not needed unless you have specific disk isolation requirements.

#4. Global USE Flags

These go in make.conf. The goal is to set sensible defaults globally, then override per-package in /etc/portage/package.use/.

#Strategy

1. Start minimal (deny most things)
2. Add what you actually use
3. Use per-package overrides for exceptions

#Flag Categories

#Display and Graphics

#Audio and Media

#System and Init

#Networking

#Security

#Development

#Shell and Completions

#Full USE flag reference

Browse all flags: https://www.gentoo.org/support/use-flags/

Per-package flags: https://packages.gentoo.org (search package, check USE tab)

#5. VIDEO_CARDS and INPUT_DEVICES

#VIDEO_CARDS

Set only what your hardware has. Multiple values separated by spaces.

#INPUT_DEVICES

INPUT_DEVICES="libinput"

libinput covers keyboards, mice, touchpads, tablets. This is the modern default. Only add synaptics if you specifically need it for an old touchpad.

#6. Kernel Configuration

#Approach 1: Manual (maximum control)

cd /usr/src/linux
make menuconfig

Map your lspci -vnn output to kernel options. Key areas:

Critical: If a driver is built-in (*) vs module (M):

• Built-in: available at boot, no initramfs needed for that driver
• Module: loaded on demand, needs initramfs if required at boot (root fs driver, etc.)

#Approach 2: genkernel (automatic)

emerge sys-kernel/genkernel
genkernel all

Builds a kitchen-sink kernel with most drivers as modules. Works but bloated.

#Approach 3: Distribution kernel

emerge sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel-bin   # prebuilt binary
# or
emerge sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel       # builds from source with default config

Easiest path. You can switch to manual later.

#Pre-planning kernel config

Before install, make a checklist from your lspci output:

[ ] GPU: AMD/Intel/NVIDIA -- driver name
[ ] NIC: Realtek/Intel/Broadcom -- driver name
[ ] WiFi: Intel/Atheros/Broadcom -- driver name + firmware
[ ] Audio: Intel HDA / USB -- codec
[ ] NVMe/SATA controller
[ ] USB 3.x/Thunderbolt
[ ] Bluetooth chipset
[ ] Webcam (UVC)
[ ] Card reader
[ ] TPM (if present)

For each, find the kernel config option via the Gentoo wiki hardware page or grep -r "VENDOR_ID" /usr/src/linux/.

#7. Firmware

Many devices need firmware blobs. Install:

emerge sys-kernel/linux-firmware

WiFi cards almost always need firmware. Check your specific chipset:

• Intel WiFi: iwlwifi firmware
• Broadcom: b43 or broadcom-sta
• AMD GPU: amdgpu firmware in linux-firmware
• NVIDIA: proprietary driver bundles its own

#8. Package Plan

List every package you want. For each, check USE flags at https://packages.gentoo.org.

#Template

# Window Manager / Desktop
x11-wm/dwm
x11-misc/dmenu
x11-terms/st
x11-misc/picom

# Shell
app-shells/fish

# Editor
app-editors/neovim

# Terminal tools
app-misc/tmux
sys-apps/ripgrep
sys-apps/fd

# Browser
www-client/firefox         # USE: -telemetry
# or
www-client/chromium        # USE: -hangouts

# Media
media-video/mpv
media-gfx/feh
media-gfx/imagemagick

# Audio
media-sound/pipewire

# Networking
net-misc/curl
net-misc/wget
net-misc/openssh

# Version Control
dev-vcs/git

# Fonts
media-fonts/noto
media-fonts/hack

# System
app-admin/sudo
sys-process/htop

#Per-package USE overrides

These go in /etc/portage/package.use/ (one file per category or one big file):

# /etc/portage/package.use/browser
www-client/firefox -telemetry -wifi screencast

# /etc/portage/package.use/media
media-video/mpv vulkan lua vaapi

# /etc/portage/package.use/dev
dev-vcs/git -perl curl

#9. Network Setup Plan

Decide your network management approach:

For a suckless setup: dhcpcd for ethernet, iwd or wpa_supplicant for wifi.

#10. Bootloader

For UEFI: efibootmgr is the simplest. Just register the kernel directly with UEFI. No bootloader binary needed.

# Direct UEFI boot (no bootloader)
efibootmgr --create --disk /dev/sdX --part 1 \
  --label "Gentoo" --loader "\vmlinuz-6.x.x-gentoo" \
  --unicode "root=/dev/sdX3 ro"

#11. Post-Install Checklist

[ ] Set timezone: ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Region/City /etc/localtime
[ ] Set locale: edit /etc/locale.gen, run locale-gen
[ ] Set hostname: /etc/hostname and /etc/hosts
[ ] Create user: useradd -m -G wheel,audio,video,usb -s /bin/fish username
[ ] Configure sudo: visudo (uncomment wheel group)
[ ] Enable services (OpenRC: rc-update add / systemd: systemctl enable)
[ ] Install and configure display server (Xorg)
[ ] Build and install suckless tools (dwm, st, dmenu)
[ ] Deploy dotfiles (stow srice)
[ ] Set up SSH keys
[ ] Configure firewall (iptables/nftables)

#12. Compile Time Estimates

Gentoo compiles everything from source. Know what you're getting into:

MAKEOPTS="-jN" where N = number of CPU threads. More threads = faster compile.

#13. Useful References

• Gentoo Handbook (AMD64): https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64
• USE flag index: https://www.gentoo.org/support/use-flags/
• Package search: https://packages.gentoo.org
• Kernel config guide: https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Kernel/Configuration
• Gentoo Wiki (general): https://wiki.gentoo.org
• Portage manual: man 5 make.conf, man 1 emerge

#14. Common Pitfalls

1. Forgetting firmware: WiFi/GPU won't work without linux-firmware
2. Wrong kernel drivers: If a driver is missing, the device is invisible. Use lspci -k to check what driver the live CD uses
3. USE flag conflicts: emerge will tell you. Read the messages, adjust flags
4. Circular dependencies: Occasionally happens. The wiki has workarounds for known ones
5. Not reading elog messages: emerge prints important post-install messages. Read them
6. Skipping dispatch-conf: After updates, config files need merging. Run dispatch-conf or etc-update
7. World file management: emerge --depclean removes orphaned packages. Run emerge --depclean --pretend first
8. Sync before install: Always emerge --sync before a big emerge session