Yet again, I've got another of my crazy ideas into my head to install (yet again) a different distro.
I've installed Gentoo before, but always from the minimal CD, and always using the handbook because I have memory problems, and if I don't use it, I'll miss out bits that tend to break stuff.

So what I'm trying to figure out, as the handbook's information was somewhat scant on this, is how to follow it's usual install, but change the boot medium from the minimal CD, to a PXE boot.

That's pretty much it, actually. The only other thing I'll have to figure out is the setting up the Mandriva PC on the network to act as the server providing it, but that'll have to wait until I fix it. Again.

Well, the real question is: what do you want to use as your root filesystem? PXE boot via pxelinux grabs the kernel and the initrd/initramfs via TFTP. From there on it's up to you. You could pack everything you need into the initwhatever, which makes it kinda slow to boot or you could build your toolkit on an NFS root. It's actually up to you, there are many ways in Gentoo to do this. The choice depends on the exact scenario.

What I aim to get as the result is similar to what I have already.
With the current partition layout as follows:
hda1 /boot (~900mb)
hda2 / (20GB less the other two)
hda3 swap (1GB)

/boot I've always kept separate, so if one kernel doesn't work, I usually have an older one around in case.

As to how it gets there - that's not too important, as such. Provided I have an environment that I can use in the same way the handbook's install CD would, that's enough. I can build the system from there, and use the PXE booted environ in place of the CD. By the end of it, I should - theoretically - be able to boot it locally.

Help much? I hope so, I'm not sure I managed to follow it...

Edit: oops, somehow double posted.