Handbook:Parts/Installation/Tools

System logger
Some tools are missing from the stage3 archive because several packages provide the same functionality. It is now up to the user to choose which ones to install.

The first tool to decide on has to provide logging facilities for the system. Unix and Linux have an excellent history of logging capabilities - if needed, everything that happens on the system can be logged in log files. This happens through the system logger.

Gentoo offers several system logger utilities. A few of these include:


 * - Offers the traditional set of system logging daemons. The default logging configuration works well out of the box which makes this package a good option for beginners.
 * - An advanced system logger. Requires additional configuration for anything beyond logging to one big file. More advanced users may choose this package based on it's logging potential; be aware additional configuration is a necessity for any kind of smart logging.
 * - A highly-configurable system logger.

Others are available through Portage as well - the number of available packages increases on a daily basis.

If sysklogd or syslog-ng are going to be used, it is recommended to install afterwards as those system loggers don't provide any rotation mechanism for the log files.

To install the system logger of choice, emerge it and have it added to the default runlevel using. The following example installs :

Optional: Cron daemon
Next is the cron daemon. Although it is optional and not required for every system, it is wise to install one.

A cron daemon executes scheduled commands. It is very handy if some command needs to be executed regularly (for instance daily, weekly or monthly).

Gentoo offers several possible cron daemons, including, , , and. Installing one of them is similar to installing a system logger. The following example uses :

If dcron or fcron are used, an additional initialization command needs to be executed:

Optional: File indexing
In order to index the file system to provide faster file location capabilities, install.

Optional: Remote access
To be able to access the system remotely after installation, add the init script to the default runlevel:

If serial console access is needed (which is possible in case of remote servers), uncomment the serial console section in :

Filesystem tools
Depending on the filesystems used, it is necessary to install the necessary file system utilities (for checking the filesystem integrity, creating additional file systems etc.). Note that tools for managing ext2, ext3, or ext4 filesystems are already installed as a part of the @system set.

The following table lists the tools to install if a certain filesystem is used:

Networking tools
If there is no need for any additional networking tools, continue immediately with the section on Configuring a bootloader.

Installing a DHCP client
In order for the system to automatically obtain an IP address for one or more network interface(s) using netifrc scripts, it is necessary to install a DHCP client. We recommend the use of although many other DHCP clients are available through the Portage tree:

More information on can be found in the dhcpcd article.

Optional: Installing a PPPoE client
If PPP is used to connect to the internet, install the package:

Now continue with Configuring the bootloader.