Part 1: Gumstick Gentoo

I redid the time stamps so this flows more logically down the page.

To recap: I have been able to fit a full Gentoo distribution (with X server and Fluxbox) into a 1GB, bootable USB thumb drive. This is from a standard Stage3 install of full glibc (not the experimental uClibc/busybox distributions).


Part 1: Know thy enemy.
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The major difficulty surrounding any "embedded" install of Gentoo lies in one of its greatest strengths:

PORTAGE

Most people who have installed a Stage3 system without really delving into the particulars of Gentoo probably have one simple question rolling around in their heads:

"Why is Gentoo SOOOOO big when it's a custom-compiled Linux Distribution?!?!?!"

Well, the short answer to this is quite direct. Portage is freaking HUGE! So, what is a Linux Embedded OS Developer (who REALLY likes Gentoo) to do? Why, take out your enemy of course! Figuratively speaking....

Portage has several directories in the file system that it directly manipulates:

• /usr/portage (duh)
• /var/cache
• /var/db
• /var/tmp/portage

Well, that's nice. But there is also another major culprit in shrinking a Gentoo install

• /usr/src

Now that you know the major "hogs" to a Gentoo system, what is one to do? Why quickly, quietly, and methodically "take them out of the picture", of course!

As a teaser... I will let you know some of the standard Linux utilities that you will be using to make this Gumstick Gentoo work:

• mount
• chroot
• emerge
• nano/vim(my tool of choice)
  

Is that it, you ask? Why yes Virginia, that's all you really need!

On to Part 2