How to Install the Operating System Exherbo Linux

Welcome to the Exhilarating World of Exherbo Linux

Exherbo Linux is the distribution for those who dream of compiling everything from scratch, fine-tuning every detail and calling themselves archipelagic system sculptors. If you’ve ever wondered “What if Gentoo had a lovechild with Arch, raised by FreeBSD?” — congratulations, you’re intrigued by Exherbo.

In this serious, detailed, and (dare we say) mildly humorous guide, we’ll walk you through installing Exherbo from your first bootable medium to your first prt-get install. Buckle up and keep coffee nearby.

Prerequisites

A computer with an x86_64 CPU (Intel or AMD – no, it wont run on your toaster).
At least 4 GB of RAM (8 GB recommended for world compilation).
20 GB free disk space (more if you plan to compile a world of systemd, KDE, and the kitchen sink).
A working internet connection (fibre is nice, but dial-up addicts welcome).
A flash drive or CD/DVD with the Exherbo Live ISO (download here).
Basic knowledge of Linux command line (if you type “rm -rf” by mistake, we can’t be held responsible).

Booting the Live Environment
Disk Partitioning
Bootstrap Installation
Configuring Your Base System
Compiling Your First World
Kernel and Bootloader Setup
Post-Installation Tips Tricks
Troubleshooting FAQs

1. Booting the Live Environment

Create a bootable USB stick:

dd if=exherbo-live.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress  sync

Insert USB, reboot, press F12 (or your BIOS key) and select the stick.
Once you land on the shell prompt, you’re ready. No GUI distraction — Exherbo is your GUI now.

2. Disk Partitioning

Use fdisk or cfdisk to create partitions. A typical layout:

Mount Point	Size	Type	Filesystem
/boot	512 MiB	primary	ext2 (simple safe)
swap	4 GiB	primary	swap
/	remaining	primary	ext4 (or your fave)

Example with sfdisk:

echo ,512M,L,
,4G,S
,     L
  sfdisk /dev/sda

Format:

mkfs.ext2 /dev/sda1
mkswap /dev/sda2  swapon /dev/sda2
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3

Mount:

mount /dev/sda3 /mnt
mkdir /mnt/boot
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot

3. Bootstrap Installation

Exherbo uses a two-stage bootstrap. Think of it as Stage 1: laying the foundation, Stage 2: building the walls.

3.1 Stage 1: Creating the Basic Environment

Extract the bootstrap-tarball into /mnt:

tar xpf /livecd/bootstrap-stage-1-.tar.xz -C /mnt

Bind mount vital directories:

mount --types proc /proc /mnt/proc
mount --rbind /sys /mnt/sys
mount --make-rslave /mnt/sys
mount --rbind /dev /mnt/dev
mount --make-rslave /mnt/dev

Chroot:
```
chroot /mnt /bin/bash
```
Source the environment:
```
source /etc/profile
```

3.2 Stage 2: Configuring the Base System

Initialize the portage-like system:
```
cave-skel
```
Sync package database:
```
prt-get sync
```
Install the minimal system:
```
prt-get world -y base-system
```

4. Configuring Your Base System

Time to tweak:

/etc/fstab — make sure your partitions auto-mount:

/dev/sda3 /      ext4  defaults 0 1
/dev/sda1 /boot  ext2  defaults 0 2
/dev/sda2 none   swap  sw       0 0

/etc/hosts — set hostname:

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.1.1 myexherbo.localdomain myexherbo

/etc/hostname — single line: myexherbo

Time zone:

ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Region/City /etc/localtime

Locales in /etc/locale.gen, then:
```
locale-gen
```

5. Compiling Your First World

This is where you flex your CPU and your patience muscle.

Set MAKEOPTS=-j(nproc) in /etc/make.conf.
Configure USE flags in /etc/portage/make.conf—X, GTK, Wayland, whatever tickles your fancy.

Run your world build:

prt-get world --pretend # preview

prt-get world -y            # full throttle

Expect coffee refills and occasional kernel panic dreams.

6. Kernel and Bootloader Setup

6.1 Kernel

You can compile your own or use a precompiled one:

Installing precompiled:

prt-get sys-kernel/generic-sources -y

prt-get sys-kernel/linux-firmware -y

Compiling your own:

cd /usr/src/linux
make menuconfig
make -j(nproc)  make modules_install  make install

6.2 GRUB

Install:
```
prt-get sys-boot/grub -y
```
Install to MBR:
```
grub-install /dev/sda
```
Generate config:
```
grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg
```

7. Post-Installation Tips Tricks

Create a user:

useradd -m -G users,wheel -s /bin/bash yourname
passwd yourname

Enable OpenRC services:

rc-update add net.eth0 default
rc-update add sshd default

Install a desktop environment:
```
prt-get desktop/xfce4-meta -y
```
Use etc-update to merge config file changes safely.

8. Troubleshooting FAQs

Q: “My X won’t start!”

A: Check /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d, install xf86-input-libinput, and ensure kernel modesetting is on.

Q: “prt-get sync hanging”

A: Switch mirrors in /etc/portage/repos.conf/exherbo.conf to a faster one. Don’t pick one in Antarctica unless you live there.

Q: “World build failed at package foo”

A: Read the /var/cave/build/foo/build.log. You’ll learn more debugging than you ever wanted.

Conclusion

And there you have it: a fully functional Exherbo system built from scratch, just like a culinary masterpiece or a Rube Goldberg machine. You’ve endured the compile times, wrestled with USE flags, and emerged victorious. Go forth, install packages, tweak your kernel, and remember—Exherbo isn’t just an OS, it’s an adventure.

Happy emerging! Visit the official documentation at Exherbo Docs for more deep dives.

Official Website of Exherbo Linux

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