If you want to install Gentoo you should read the Gentoo Handbook. However, if you (like myself) have already installed Gentoo for a couple (thousand) times, you know more or less everything that has to be done, but just need a list of things not to forget. So here it is:

  • fdisk # create the partitions you want
  • mkfs # create the root filesystem
  • mount $ROOT /mnt/gentoo
  • cd /mnt/gentoo
  • wget -O- ftp://mirror.switch.ch/mirror/gentoo/releases/x86/autobuilds/current-stage3-i686/stage3-i686-*.tar.bz2 | tar xj
  • cd usr
  • wget -O- ftp://mirror.switch.ch/mirror/gentoo/snapshots/portage-latest.tar.bz2 | tar xj
  • cd /mnt/gentoo
  • mount -t proc proc proc
  • mount --bind /dev dev
  • cp -L /etc/resolv.conf etc/
  • chroot . /bin/bash
  • env-update; source /etc/profile
  • emerge --sync
  • eselect profile set default/linux/x86
  • vim /etc/portage/make.conf # setup USE, CFLAGS, CXXFLAGS, MAKEOPTS
  • vim /etc/locale.gen # setup locales
  • locale-gen
  • emerge gentoo-sources # configure, build and install the kernel
  • vim /etc/fstab # setup the partitions, don’t forget root, swap
  • vim /etc/conf.d/hostname # setup hostname
  • vim /etc/hosts # add the hostname to localhost line
  • passwd
  • vim /etc/timezone; emerge --config timezone-data # setup timezone
  • emerge syslog-ng vixie-cron mlocate
  • rc-update add syslog-ng default
  • rc-update add vixie-cron default
  • emerge reiserfsprogs xfsprogs jfsutils e2fsprogs # or whatever set of FS you have
  • emerge dhcpcd
  • emerge grub
  • grub2-mkconfig > /boot/grub/grub.conf # configure Grub
  • grep -v rootfs /proc/mounts > /etc/mtab
  • grub2-install

Now reboot and smell the ashes!