Again about a gentoo vm appliance for vbox
 

I've never yet managed to build a booting vm with gentoo. Probably my
own fault, but I don't want to wrangle and study and diddle around
endlessly. Which appears to be what it takes for me anyway.

This is a i7 64 bit system using semi newish and common sata disks (WD
500GB [black]), and I don't need trick raid modules or the like, so
should be easy enough to build a kernel for.

( Setup: QuadCore Intel i7 820QM, 2648 MHz (20 x 132) - 8GB ram)

I've found that even a genkernel built kernel including the kitchen
sink will fail to boot.

Debian and Opensolaris installed in vbox vms with ease

I don't want to keep wasting time building the basic OS, only to have
it not boot.

I'm not speaking from real recent experience so it probably wouldn't
be much help to ask what error I'm having or such like. I just know
from oft repeated attempts from time to time, that it will be a pita
so would sooner just try a known working appliance ready made.

In case you are thinking, I'm lazy... well yeah, somewhat... but I
have put in extensive effort over time... Just want the easy route
this time. (I'm also older than dirt .. hehe)

Again about a gentoo vm appliance for vbox
 

On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 2:07 PM, Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> wrote:
> I've never yet managed to build a booting vm with gentoo. *Probably my
> own fault, but I don't want to wrangle and study and diddle around
> endlessly. *Which appears to be what it takes for me anyway.
>
> This is a i7 64 bit system using semi newish and common sata disks (WD
> 500GB [black]), and I don't need trick raid modules or the like, so
> should be easy enough to build a kernel for.
>
> *( Setup: QuadCore Intel i7 820QM, 2648 MHz (20 x 132) - 8GB ram)
>
> I've found that even a genkernel built kernel including the kitchen
> sink will fail to boot.
>
> Debian and *Opensolaris installed in vbox vms with ease
>
> I don't want to keep wasting time building the basic OS, only to have
> it not boot.
>
> I'm not speaking from real recent experience so it probably wouldn't
> be much help to ask what error I'm having or such like. *I just know
> from oft repeated attempts from time to time, that it will be a pita
> so would sooner just try a known working appliance ready made.
>
> In case you are thinking, I'm lazy... well yeah, somewhat... but I
> have put in extensive effort over time... Just want the easy route
> this time. (I'm also older than dirt .. hehe)
>

Uh, OK, frustration is evident. But what are you asking for, other
than my sympathy which I give now? (sympathy going out...)

As you haven't done this recently (I do remember you having troubles a
while back) I'm not sure what action you are asking me to take here.
I've built a couple of Gentoo VMs on Virtualbox in the past and they
both worked fine for me. I've since deleted them as I wasn't using
them for anything other than seeing if I could make them work, etc.

How can we help?

- Mark

Again about a gentoo vm appliance for vbox
 

On Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:07:48 -0500
Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com> wrote:

> I've never yet managed to build a booting vm with gentoo. Probably my
> own fault, but I don't want to wrangle and study and diddle around
> endlessly. Which appears to be what it takes for me anyway.
>
> This is a i7 64 bit system using semi newish and common sata disks (WD
> 500GB [black]), and I don't need trick raid modules or the like, so
> should be easy enough to build a kernel for.
>
> ( Setup: QuadCore Intel i7 820QM, 2648 MHz (20 x 132) - 8GB ram)
>
> I've found that even a genkernel built kernel including the kitchen
> sink will fail to boot.
>
> Debian and Opensolaris installed in vbox vms with ease
>
> I don't want to keep wasting time building the basic OS, only to have
> it not boot.
>
> I'm not speaking from real recent experience so it probably wouldn't
> be much help to ask what error I'm having or such like. I just know
> from oft repeated attempts from time to time, that it will be a pita
> so would sooner just try a known working appliance ready made.
>
> In case you are thinking, I'm lazy... well yeah, somewhat... but I
> have put in extensive effort over time... Just want the easy route
> this time. (I'm also older than dirt .. hehe)

You described your frustration but never mentioned what it is you want.
Is it a download source for a working appliance? Google will find one
of those for you.

Booting a Gentoo VM is easy, just like any other distro (well, apart
from the fact that binary distros ship scripts that disciver your
hardware and load the correct modules at boot time).

More than likely you are running into the usual issues:

- chipset modules not compiled into kernel
- Filesystem type on / not compiled into kernel
- You selected the wrong modules for disks and NIC. Remember that a VM
guest does not necessarily present the same hardware to it's kernel
as the host! In the VirtualBox config dialog, look at the hardware
settings for your guest - it usually emulates common hardware types,
which is highly likely to not be the same as your real hardware
(there's a software in between that abstracts these things)

Hope this help




--
Alan McKinnnon
alan.mckinnon@gmail.com

Again about a gentoo vm appliance for vbox
 

Alan McKinnon <alan.mckinnon@gmail.com> writes:

> You described your frustration but never mentioned what it is you want.
> Is it a download source for a working appliance? Google will find one
> of those for you.

Since both of you agree that I never said what I wanted, I guess I'm
guilty. Somehow I thought with a subject line like:

Again about a gentoo vm appliance for vbox

It would be clear that I am seeking a recent gentoo vm appliance for
vbox.

Sorry about so much sniveling as well.

Last time I asked here about it someone had such things available but
I never got one to work.

I guess you all know that a vm appliance is a pretty narrow thing.
They are seen as portable vm appliances to a more or less major
degree. A ready made gentoo vm OS that you set in a directory and
click. Vmbox comes up and you start the thing. No puttering around
guessing about kernel options, installing the necessities etc etc.

So is that clear then? I wanted URLS to such critters.

And as far as google finding them. I do not have the luck you
apparently have had. My best hit is gentoo profile 2006 running
kernel 2.6-15-r1.

Needless to say that will be a fairly hefty upgrade and a good chance
of having serious upgrade problems for that big a jump.

http://gentoovm.blogspot.com/2006/03/gentoo-virtual-machine-i.html

OH, buy the way.. what is the most recent profile available?