I am installing gentto. So, going by the handbook. Seems I continue to have issues with global USE flags. I have been able to get things sorted out; however, can someone let me know if it is better to have global or package based use flags. Perhaps some pointers to more detailed instructions that the hand book covers?

While I usually prefer the control that local USE flags provide, when I am going to want a flag to be applied in all available cases I put it in make.conf.

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handboo...?part=2&chap=2

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USE flags are something that takes time to learn, so don't worry too much about them. Your profile (provided you choose the right one for you) should set up the basic set of USE flags. Then, you can adjust them as the time goes by. You definitely don't need to fine tune them on a per-package basis now. That will come with the time.

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In case you don't know the role of an use flag you still can run
Should be useful

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To use this you need gentoolkit.

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Thats what I needed to know. So , when I set my profile I really dont need to do much outside of gnome settings as mentioned in the wiki? Also, the hardened flag is only for the gcc compile environment correct? whereas, gentoo hardened, at least from the wiki, seems more suited to a server environment? Any ways, thanks for the help guys, going to give the install another shot on my next 2 days off.

Goals: secure system that still has ease of use once set up. Meaning: I want my eye candy ( composting, etc.. ) and be able to set up labs ( vms, virtual routers, etc.. ) and the occasional game. I also want to use some of the build flags that AMD mentioned as being specific to the phenom x series.

If this goes well, any of you ever compiled for a consumer grade router ( embedded systems ) ?

The gentoo wiki for the hardened ( http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/hardened/ ) does not seem to be suited to an environment running X / gnome / games. Is this the case?

Sick of ubuntu, and I dont fill like tracking down depends for slackware.

Sorry it took me so long to get back in touch. I do appreciate the input. I work nights and its turning me into a zombie I think. Been learning alot though. Thanks again.

You can set additional USE flags for specific purposes. The profile has a basic set of USE flags suited for its purpose. So, the desktop profile will contain flags aimed to build Xorg and a basic set of libraries that will be required for any desktop or window manager; the desktop/kde profile will contain a set of USE flags suitable for KDE; and so on.

That doesn't mean you can't change them to enable or disable extra funcionalities. For example, you might want to use KDE as your main desktop, but you might also want to install Gnome or XFCE, or Fluxbox for those times when you need all your RAM free to encode a movie or do some gaming.

But, as said in my other post, fine tuning the USE flags is something that you will eventually get the hang of. Don't worry too much about it. It's like driving: you can get a license but, regardless, you only learn by doing it.

There are flags that are tightly tied to the profile, and "hardened" is one of those. If you use "emerge -pv gcc" you will see that this flag is listed in between parentheses. That means you can't change it. This flag is set by the profile, and you can't manually change it in a trivial way. "Hardened" should be ok for a server, but I don't know how the current status of that profile is. The Gentoo docs are probably the best place to start, there's a handbook for hardened if my memory serves correctly. It's been long since I used it, though.

Hardened touches more than gcc, though. Starting from your kernel.


Security always imply some degree of pain. You should start checking the video driver you want to use, as there might be some issues with OpenGL acceleration under restrictive profiles (such as hardened). Again, it's been long since I used hardened, and it was for servers anyway (so I didn't really bother about OpenGL nor about X at all).

As for the CFLAGS, -march=native should be all you need to get all the power that your CPU has to offer.

In any case, I'd better try the official Gentoo docs than relying in a Wiki. Not that they don't have a use, but they are not always accurate.

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You might want to setup a system with good security. But you should also try to define how far you'd like to go.
As more you harden security, the more you can get tied up.

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