NEWS 260626 about exGENT (Gentoo) 64 bit with systemd
NEW RELEASE 260626
I’ve uploaded a new version of exGENT, which replaces version 260623. In the new version I’ve replaced kernel 7.0.8-amd64-exton with kernel 7.1.1-amd64-exton – watch this screenshot.
While I was at it I’ve also arranged so that you can reach your Windows shares via PCManFM-qt – watch this screenshot.
REPLACEMENT
This version (260626) replaces version 240125 also with systemd.
NOTE 1: In exGENT Build 260623 with systemd 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 260626 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 4120 MB.
WHAT’S NEW in exGENT Build 260626 with Systemd and LXQt?
I have made a new extra version of exGENT with only a few necessary packages pre-installed. It replaces version 240125. The system is built from “scratch”, using Catalyst. In Gentoo, Catalyst is the official meta-tool used by the Release Engineering team to automate the building and generation of installation tarballs (known as stage files) and bootable live media (like ISO files). It is the exact same tool that Gentoo uses internally to build its official distribution releases. With Catalyst, you can customize and package a Gentoo environment exactly to your specifications. exGENT Build 260626 uses LXQt 2.4.0 as Desktop Environment and kernel 7.1.1-amd64-exton while running the system live. When running exGENT from hard drive you can switch to kernel 6.18.32-gentoo-r3-exgent (Gentoo’s original kernel with patches).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Also this version of exGENT can be remastered by you using exGENT as a template. I.e. change everything to your linking. Then fire up Refracta Snapshot from the menu. 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. See about that below.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OpenRC and systemd
The main differences between OpenRC and systemd in Gentoo come down to architecture, complexity, and how they manage your system:
Scope & Design: OpenRC is a minimalist service manager that only handles booting and services (relying on separate tools for logs or network). systemd is a complete system management suite that handles services, logging (journald), logins (logind), and more in a centralized way.
Service Configuration: OpenRC uses traditional, editable shell scripts (/etc/init.d/). systemd uses simple, declarative text unit files (.service).
Gentoo Compatibility: OpenRC is highly flexible and works out-of-the-box with minimalist setups like musl libc. systemd is tightly integrated with standard Linux features and requires selecting specific systemd Gentoo profiles.
Boot Style: OpenRC typically starts services sequentially, while systemd boots them aggressively in parallel for faster startup times.
What’s new in exGENT Build 260626 with systemd?
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 Rufus or Etcher in Windows. Ventoy cannot make exGENT Build 260626 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-to-hd. 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 VirtualBox.
Watch a full size screenshot showing how it looks when the install scripts are used in VirtualBox
Calamares Installer
In exGENT Build 260626 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 systemd 260626 :: (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-6.18.32-gentoo-r3-exgent root=UUID=3c16452b-9db3-4513-945b-8f572952ff7c ro quiet splash $vt_handoff
initrd /boot/initramfs-6.18.32-gentoo-r3-exgent.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 system 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 Rufus 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 use Rufus, Balena Etcher or Ventoy in Windows.
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. exGENT runs extremely well in VMware. A manual installation takes only three (3!) minutes. Watch this screenshot…
UPGRADE the System
The exGENT System (Build 260626) 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.
NOTE 3: If you only want to make a quick remaster of exGENT you should avoid running emaint sync. If you do that you may have to upgrade the whole system which can take many hours/days.
USED KERNELS
Kernel 7.1.1-amd64-exton is used when you run exGENT live. After a hard drive installation kernel 6.18.32-gentoo-r3-exgent can be used. If you want to use Refracta Snapshot you must keep “my” kernel 7.1.1-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 260626
Study all pre-installed packages in Build 260626.
MOST IMPORTANT CHANGE IN BUILD 260626
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. Watch this screenshot…
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 260626
When you start up your computer from the DVD/USB stick you will end up at SLiM’s login screen. The password for the ordinary user gentoo is gentoo. The password for root is root. Login as gentoo or root. When logged in as root you will have sound, which you don’t have in Build 260602.
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 //192.168.0.151/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. You can also reach your Windows shares via PCManFM-qt – watch this screenshot.
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@192.168.0.151 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 two years since the previous systemd 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. Using Catalyst is even more time consuming.
INSTALL A NEW KERNEL
After a hard drive installation of exGENT you may want to install a newer kernel than 7.1.1. That can very easy be done with the command sudo emerge ‐‐ask gentoo-kernel-bin. As of 260626 you will get kernel 7.1.1. 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 4120 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 8 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).
WHAT IS exGENT? – (AI generated)
exGENT is a customized Gentoo Linux distribution developed by C A Exton that not only simplifies the installation and use of Gentoo, but also serves as a powerful platform for creating your own custom Gentoo-based systems. Running as a live distribution and installable via the Calamares installer, exGENT provides a fully functional Gentoo environment that can be remastered, modified, and rebuilt to suit specific needs. Users can add or remove software, customize configurations, and generate their own live ISOs, making it an ideal tool for learning Gentoo, developing specialized Linux distributions, or deploying tailored systems. By eliminating much of the complexity of a traditional Gentoo installation, exGENT enables users to focus on customization and system development while still benefiting from Gentoo’s flexibility and performance.
Unique?
exGENT is unique in a way. If you take a look at Gentoo’s download site for amd64 you can see that there is no ISO with systemd. Only OpenRC. According to my experience it is much easier to create a live system with OpenRC (using Catalyst) . exGENT is of course also unique in a rather important way. It has Refracta Snapshot, which means that you can create your own exGENT/Gentoo system using exGENT as a template. So easy that a ten year old child can do it!
SCREENSHOTS
1. exGENT Build 260626 – gentoo’s Desktop – running Calamares
2. exGENT Build 260626 – root’s Desktop
3. Running Calamares in VirtualBox
4. Using the install scripts in VirtualBox
5. Manually installing Grub in VirtualBox
6. Using the install scripts in VMware
DOWNLOAD
exGENT Linux Build 260626 and 260602 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 260626 – 64bit – of 4130 MB
About exGENT Rpi5 Build 251228
I’ve created an exGENT/Gentoo system for Raspberry Pi 5. Read more about it…
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)
