I keep reading this board and I keep seeing advice to only use the live CD -- with warnings that not doing so will cause problems in the long run.

(For some reason, Slackware users especially seem to get this advice. )

So lets say that I want to take that advice, the problem I see is that the CD is at version 6.3, but the book (stable version) is at 6.6.

So:

1. Is it possible to build the 6.6 book with the 6.3 CD?
2. Is it actually possible to build LFS with another distro?

Thanks,

The best place to ask this question and get an accurate answer would be the LFS mailing list.

From what I read, the liveCD is recommended for building LFS but is not the only way.
Also LFS can be built from any distro as it should start with the compiler and other tools and
build up from there.

So:
A1. Yes, you should be able to build 6.6 with the 6.3 CD.
A2. Yes. I've done it and know others that have also.

It is possible to build a LFS running OS with any distro, however it is not a common practice, NOR is it going to be easy. However LFS (Linux From Scratch) is just that, a long and cumbersome process. If you want a built system, I highly recommend Gentoo, where everything is built from scratch with the exception of the the live cd installation method. Meaning after reboot, you can upgrade / update the essentials, (binutils, sbinutils, etc). With LFS you are building all that from the get-go. Meaning you build every tool to place on the hard drive. (Unless this method has changed)

So in short, the "Live-CD" you plan on installing from, will need all the tools to compile from source code to be placed on the system. The true LFS way. However, I have YET to see a Linux distro installed without an OS running... anyone? You need an OS to build an OS......or at least now-a-days you do.......unless you want to write your binary compiled files with a pencil...

However I could be just flat out wrong......

There is a script in the book that will check you distro to make sure you have all the necessary tools to complete the build.


With enough time you could build an operating system from rocks. But the answer to this is mostly yes. But it is possible to build them without one just be prepared to write in binary and build a box with alot of switches.

Just a follow-up. I'm now happily building LFS using Slackware 13.1 as the host. I'm halfway through chapter 6 and everything is going swimmingly.

Regards,

Hi,

Bit of an old thread, but important enough to leave a comment.

- The LFS liveCD was made to be the perfect host for building LFS. Hands down the best solution.

- All other distro's can be made into a host for building LFS. There's a chapter about Host System Requirements in the LFS book. Make sure your distro is compliant and you have a good base to start with. The question is: How important is this host distro to you? The changes you have to make could influence the way the host is working, which might not be desirable.

I've build LFS using Slackware, Debian and Ubuntu as hosts without any problems. I do have to admit that I never use the host after I build LFS, the only reason it was there in the first place was to build LFS. I always remove the host to be able to utilize the partition.

Yes.
Do not use the packages and book that are on the liveCD, those are old (probably LFS 6.3). You need to download/use the book and packages that are mentioned in the LFS version you are building. DO NOT mix and match different LFS versions!!

Yes. See above.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

Can you elaborate on this a bit? What specific changes are there to the host. So far, I'm not seeing any.

I anticipate potential issues when it comes time to build and install grub, but I plan to either (1) install grub to its own partition and chainload grub and LFS, or simply add my LFS build to Slackware's boot loader.

Regards,

Hi,

If your host has very new versions of packages, you might have to downgrade these to comply with the LFS Host Requirements, depending on which package this could have an impact on your host (think: binutils, gcc, glibc, but also others). The other way around might also create issues (Host has "old" package that need to be upgraded to comply). Either way your host might start working differently (or possibly not at all) after you make these changes.

If LFS is just a side project and not meant to be really used when it is finished, you want to make sure that your host is still in working order after the "experiment" has run its course.

There are indeed 2 ways you can go:
1) Use grub that came with your host and just add LFS (no need to install anything grub related when building LFS),
2) Build all grub related in LFS and use that one (and possibly add your host as well).

Hope this clears things up.

I see. It turns out that Slackware 13.1 meets all the requirements listed in section vii of the preface (which I checked before I started). No changes were required.

It's not exactly a side project, but my main purpose is learning more about the construction and configuration of a running Linux system. So far, it has been a very instructive process.

To be safe, I'm build LFS 6.6 with a Slackware 13.1 host running inside a QEMU-KVM virtual machine. (The VM's host is Slackware too, but that's neither here nor there.)

It does. Thanks.

Hi,
One issue with Slackware that I ran into: The system has no more ptys. (6.12. Binutils-2.20). But that was with Slachware version 9 or 10, not sure any more. Could be that that is fixed by now.

If you run into that one have a look here: LFS FAQ - no more ptys.

That wasn't a problem this time, thankfully.

Regards,