NEWS 260602 about exGENT (Gentoo) 64 bit with OpenRC 0.63.1

REPLACEMENT
This version (260602) replaces version 250126 with OpenRC 0.56.
NOTE 1: In exGENT Build 260602 with OpenRC 0.63.1 and LXQt 2.4.0 I have managed to incorporate Refracta Snapshot, which means that you can use it to create your own Gentoo/exGENT System. I mean change everything to your liking and then create a new ISO! Read about how to do that below.
NOTE 2: exGENT Build 260602 can run on really old computers. As an example I could run it on my 19 years old laptop Acer Aspire 5102 WLMi. That is remarkable considering that the ISO file is of 5230 MB. More about that below (generated by AI).

Performance Without Boundaries: exGENT Revives 20-Year-Old Hardware!
One of the most remarkable achievements of the new exGENT Build 260602 is its unparalleled resource efficiency and backward compatibility. While modern operating systems continuously drop support for aging hardware, exGENT proves that cutting-edge Linux software does not require expensive, brand-new components.

What’s new in exGENT Build 260602 with OpenRC 0.63.1?
The boot loader Grub Legacy has been replaced by Grub2. In exGENT versions before 170309 the file system wasn’t writable when running exGENT live (from DVD). Now you can emerge (install) new programs/packages even while running the system from a DVD or USB stick. If you do that and later decide to install exGENT to hard drive all your changes will follow! (That is if you use the install scripts in /root/install). Furthermore you can install/transfer exGENT to a USB stick with the dd command in Linux or use Ventoy in Windows.  Rufus or Etcher cannot make exGENT Build 260602 bootable (for some unknown reason). Such installations were impossible before. NOTE: I have not installed Google Chrome. It’s not needed anymore, since Netflix nowadays runs very well in Firefox. About the LXQt Desktop environment: LXQt is a lightweight Qt desktop environment. It will not get in your way. It will not hang or slow down your system. It is focused on being a classic desktop with a modern look and feel. MOST IMPORTANT: Now you can install exGENT to hard drive in two ways. You can still use the install scrips in /root/install. That is the best way to install exGENT on non UEFI computers for example VirtualBox and VMware. The second way is to use Calamares Installer- see below. See this screenshot below when the install scripts are used in VMware.

You can also watch a screenshot showing how it looks when the install scripts are used in VirtualBox…

Calamares Installer
In exGENT Build 260602 I’ve also included the Calamares Installer (latest). Use it preferably if you need to install Grub on UEFI computers. You can, however, also use Calamares in VirtualBox and VMware. Using Calamares you can install exGENT in your own language.

Using Calamares on a standard PC x86-64
Before starting an installation with Calamares you should read my instruction How-to dual-boot, triple-boot or multi-boot Linux with Windows in a simple way and be happy. If you already have one or several Linux systems installed on your computer and use Grub as boot loader you should (of course) refrain from installing Grub when installing exGENT. Just put the following lines in /boot/grub/grub.cfg or /etc/grub.d/40_custom in the Linux System where you have installed Grub. (An example of course).

###########################################

menuentry ‘exGENT OpenRC  260602 :: (sdc4-Passport)’ –class gentoo –class gnu-linux –class gnu –class os $menuentry_id_option ‘gnulinux-simple-3c16452b-9db3-4513-945b-8f572952ff7c’ {
insmod gzio
insmod part_gpt
insmod ext2
set root=’hd3,gpt4′
if [ x$feature_platform_search_hint = xy ]; then
search –no-floppy –fs-uuid –set=root –hint-bios=hd3,gpt4 –hint-efi=hd3,gpt4 –hint-baremetal=ahci3,gpt4 3c16452b-9db3-4513-945b-8f572952ff7c
else
search –no-floppy –fs-uuid –set=root 3c16452b-9db3-4513-945b-8f572952ff7c
fi
linux /boot/vmlinuz-7.0.10-p1-gentoo-dist root=UUID=3c16452b-9db3-4513-945b-8f572952ff7c ro quiet splash $vt_handoff
initrd /boot/initramfs-7.0.10-p1-gentoo-dist.img
}

########################################

Using Calamares in VirtualBox/VMware/Qemu
Calamares fails to install Grub. Reason: When installing exGENT inside virtual machines (VirtualBox, VMware, or QEMU), the graphical Calamares installer will complete the file copying process smoothly, but will fail during the final GRUB boot loader installation stage. You will get this message – see screenshot.

• The Legacy Boot Constraint: Because strict hypervisor UEFI implementations require an explicit El Torito platform catalog to recognize a Live ISO in EFI mode, the exGENT Live environment naturally defaults to booting in Legacy (BIOS/MBR) mode inside virtual machines.
• Calamares Environment Detection: Calamares relies directly on the host runtime files (specifically checking /sys/firmware/efi) to determine how to deploy the bootloader. Since the ISO is running in Legacy mode, Calamares locks itself into deploying a Legacy MBR GRUB payload (i386-pc).
• The GPT Partition Table Mismatch: If you choose a modern GPT partition table during the Calamares partitioning step, standard Legacy GRUB deployment fails because VirtualBox and VMware firmware cannot write or register the necessary NVRAM boot variables (efibootmgr) from a non-EFI host environment.

Because Gentoo users normally appreciate full control and transparency, this minor hypervisor limitation is easily bridged. The entire operating system data, including the new OpenRC configuration and Kernel 7.0.x, is successfully written to the virtual hard drive by Calamares. To complete the installation and make the virtual drive bootable, users simply need to manually bind GRUB to the Master Boot Record via a quick chroot terminal sequence, using an instruction in /home/gentoo called chroot-virtualbox.txt. Just shut down Calamares. Then copy and paste the commands listed in chroot-virtualbox.txt. Reboot and be happy!

The Calamares Install Process –  watch this animated GIF.

NOTE re. Calamares/USB
Running exGENT after a Calamares install to a USB stick is not the best way to run exGENT. The system will then be very slow/unresponsive. The best way to run exGENT is from hard drive or from a USB stick when Ventoy has been used for the installation. When running from such an USB stick most of the system will be loaded into RAM. Thus it will be very fast. You can also specifically state that exGENT shall run in RAM. Use boot alternative 2 Load to RAM. Everything will run super fast then.
NOTE: You can only use Ventoy  in Windows as regards exGENT Build 260602. Rufus and Balena Etcher cannot make the USB stick bootable (for some unknown reason).

Quick install to Hard Drive
exGENT Linux can be installed to hard drive in 5 – 20 min. (Depending on computer type). This means that all of you who might hesitate to perform a normal Gentoo installation – which can take up to a couple of days – now have the chance to get this great Linux system (Gentoo) installed on your computers very easy. Read my instruction about how the installation works.

UPGRADE the System
The exGENT System (Build 260602) is in very good shape, since I, without problems, have been able to update the whole system with the following commands:
# emaint sync
# emerge -avuDN @world
# emerge ‐‐depclean
# revdep-rebuild

NOTE 1: Before running the above three last commands you MUST run the commands emaint sync.

NOTE 2: After a hard drive installation of exGENT you should run the above commands at least every month (to keep the system in good shape). I you don’t do that it can be (almost) impossible to upgrade the system. As regards “old” Gentoo systems you could try to follow the advice’s stated here.

USED KERNELS
Kernel 7.0.8-amd64-exton is used when you run exGENT live. After a hard drive installation kernel 7.0.10-gentoo-dist will be used. If you want to use Refracta Snapshot you must keep “my” kernel 7.0.8-amd64-exton and /vmlinuz and /initrd.img, which are links to my kernel in /boot.

Notes about running exGENT in QEMU in Linux
Running exGENT  (and other Linux live systems) in QEMU is possibly the best way to to enjoy Linux if you don’t want to do a real hard drive installation. The systems runs faster in QEMU than in VirtualBox and VMware. 

Rolling distribution
Gentoo/exGENT is a rolling distribution, which implies that once you have installed the system on the hard drive there is no need for re-installations (which otherwise is common in the Linux world).

Installed packages in Build 260602
Study all pre-installed packages in Build 260602.

MOST IMPORTANT CHANGE IN BUILD 260602
Refracta Snapshot is installed. Use it if you want to build you own Gentoo System. Since Refracta Snapshot is made especially for Debian it does not work “out of the box” in exGENT. You will have to “manually” run two commands in the end of the remaster process.
The remaster process stops with an error message about mksquashfs – screenshot. Shut down Refracta Snapshot and run the following commands:
sudo su

cd /home/work

mksquashfs myfs filesystem.squashfs

mv filesystem.squashfs iso/live

xorriso -as mkisofs -r -J -joliet-long -l -iso-level 3 \
-V “EXTON” -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot \
-boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -o “/home/snapshot”/”exgent-64bit-lxqt-systemd-refractasnapshot.iso” iso/

The above commands  are listed in /home/gentoo/Documents/mkisofs.txt. Copy and paste the commands so you get them correct.

After that you will find your new ISO in /home/gentoo/snapshot.

Refracta Snapshot has started. As you can see it believes that UEFI is disabled. That is not the case.

Default language
The default language (locale) is set to English.

Keyboard
The default keyboard layout is American (us). Change it by running the command setxkbmap se (for Sweden).

Install exGENT to hard drive
Please read this INSTRUCTION.

Install exGENT to a USB stick
Please read this INSTRUCTION. This can be done in the same way as a hard drive installation.

Login and passwords re. Build 260602
When you start up your computer from the DVD/USB stick you will end up in the LXQt Desktop logged in as gentoo. The password for the ordinary user gentoo is gentoo. The password for root is root. Press Ctrl Alt F2/F3 if you want to run exGENT as root. Login and then run the command startx. Or first run sudo su followed by cd /root and startx. When logged in as root you will not have sound.

Wireless connections
NetworkManager make it easy to configure wireless connections. Give your WEP/WAP password and connect. That’s it! You’ll find the NM-applet to the right in the panel.

Using Samba
You can connect to your Windows computers in your Home Network with this (example) command:
mount -t cifs -o username=arne //192.168.0.38/LINUX  /mnt/share
NOTE: LINUX is my shared folder on one of my computers. You’ll find your IP-address by opening up a terminal on your Windows computer and run the command ipconfig. Watch a screenshot showing the whole thing.

Using SSH (Secure Shell)
You can connect to other Linux computers in your Home Network using SSH.  Watch a screenshot when I’m running Ubuntu on one computer connected to exGENT running on another computer. And a screenshot when I’m upgrading Exton|OS (Ubuntu based) from exGENT running on another computer. To start LXTerminal from exGENT on the Exton|OS computer I used the command ssh -Y live@192.168.0.38 lxterminal. I got the correct IP address by running the command ifconfig on the Exton|OS computer.

UPGRADE exGENT
As you can see it is more than a year since the previous version of exGENT was released. That’s because everything with Gentoo is extremely time consuming. Installing Gentoo the “Gentoo way” can take several days to perform.

INSTALL A NEW KERNEL
After a hard drive installation of exGENT you may want to install a newer kernel than 7.0.10. That can very easy be done with the command sudo emerge ‐‐ask gentoo-kernel-bin. As of 260602 you will get kernel 7.0.11. Since it is a binary “all-round” kernel the installation takes only a couple of minutes. Watch this screenshot…
NOTE: Before running the install command you’ll have to update the repositories with the command emaint sync.

PERFORMANCE
exGENT is a really fast Linux system even though it is a BIG system. (The ISO file is of 5230 MB). You can run it the normal way live or from RAM.  Then use boot alternative 2 (Load to RAM). When running from RAM the System is super fast I would say. You will need at least 16 GB RAM for that.

Who is exGENT/Gentoo for?
Experienced Linux users or those who really want to learn Linux. (Perhaps also for people who are bored with mainstream distributions like Ubuntu).

SCREENSHOTS
1. exGENT Build 260602 – gentoo’s Desktop – running Pavucontrol
2. exGENT Build 260602 – root’s Desktop
3. Running Calamares in VirtualBox
4. Using the install scripts in VirtualBox
5. Running two commands when Refracta Snapshot has failed
6. The live boot screen
7. The boot screen when running exGENT from hard drive

DOWNLOAD
exGENT Linux Build 260602 and 240125 can be downloaded from SourceForge.net – Fast, secure and free downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory.

md5sum for version 260602 – 64 bit – of 5230 MB
md5sum for version 240125 – 64 bit – of 2730 MB

About exGENT Rpi5 Build 251228
I’ve created an exGENT/Gentoo system for Raspberry Pi 5. Read more about it…

Read about my Android-x86 Systems – 11, 10 and Pie at andex.exton.se – latest is AndEX 11 (with GAPPS)
and
about my Android 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, Pie, Oreo, Nougat, Marshmallow and Lollipop versions for Raspberry Pi 5, Pi 4 and  Pi 3/2 at raspex.exton.se – latest is RaspAnd 16 (with GAPPS), RaspAnd 15 (also with GAPPS), RaspAnd 14 (also with GAPPS), 13 and 12 (without GAPPS), RaspAnd 11 (with GAPPS) and RaspAnd Oreo 8.1 (also with GAPPS)

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