LFS and CLFS

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nolag

LFS and CLFS

Post by nolag »

Has anyone tried either? I am thinking of doing LFS or CLFS, I am assuming that LFS is easier. I want to know if I was to make a LFS and I wanted to then make CLFS (so I can have 64-bit with multi-lib) can I reuse most of it or would I need to start again? I would idealy like to have both a 32 bit and 64 bit (multi-lib not pure) version, but do as little work as possible to make changes to both (ie I don't want to redo everything I want it to share as much of the code as possible). I am also wondering if I chose to use CLFS could it porduce the 32-bit and the multi-lib 64 bit?

Thanks for any help and advice! I want to learn a lot of linux stuff and I think this is a good way to do so :D.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
piratesmack

Re: LFS and CLFS

Post by piratesmack »

I'd recommend LFS first (Either 32-Bit or pure 64-Bit).

You'll have to start over when doing CLFS, but it's good to go through the process a few times.
You might not quite get everything the first time (I know I didn't).

It should be possible to use a 64-Bit kernel with a 32-Bit LFS build.
That way you can use 4+ gigs of RAM efficiently and still run 32-Bit software.

To do this, you'll need to rebuild gcc with support for creating 64-Bit executables, then use that cross-compiler to build a 64-Bit kernel. (I don't know exactly how to do this, but I'm sure CLFS has information)
nolag

Re: LFS and CLFS

Post by nolag »

Thanks for the quick reply! What types of things did you end up learning from LFS? I am reading many mixed reviews, some people say you just end up following instructions and mostly compile, while learining very little, some say you learn a lot (but don't say what). I think I would go with CLFS becasue I want to learn about the cross compliers anyways (and it seems like that is the bulk of what it adds).
waldo
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Re: LFS and CLFS

Post by waldo »

In a forum like this that is frequented by new Linux users, it is really helpful to define "insider" jargon in your posts. Posting cryptic topics will scare some new users away.

LFS is Linux From Scratch, and CLFS is Cross Linux From Scratch. Here are a couple of sites, if you're curious:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/faq/
http://trac.cross-lfs.org/

Perhaps this forum needs to add a "For Experts Only" section. No regular Linux user needs to be concerned with this subject.
nolag

Re: LFS and CLFS

Post by nolag »

waldo wrote:In a forum like this that is frequented by new Linux users, it is really helpful to define "insider" jargon in your posts. Posting cryptic topics will scare some new users away.

LFS is Linux From Scratch, and CLFS is Cross Linux From Scratch. Here are a couple of sites, if you're curious:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/faq/
http://trac.cross-lfs.org/

Perhaps this forum needs to add a "For Experts Only" section. No regular Linux user needs to be concerned with this subject.

You are right, I should have used the full name. I guess I figured that if someone had feedback to give they would know what LFS and CLFS stands for.

I don't know if its experts, I don't consider myself one, just someone who wants to learn as much as he can!
piratesmack

Re: LFS and CLFS

Post by piratesmack »

What did I learn from Linux from Scratch?

Things like:
Which basic programs make up a GNU/Linux system
Where each basic program comes from
Each program's basic function
How it's built
How to configure it
How the programs depend on one another

I also learned that it is a lot of work to build a Linux distro from scratch, even the very minimal LFS system.

Note: You'll also have to read BLFS (Beyond Linux from Scratch) if you want a system that is actually useful as a desktop, server, or whatever. Luckily, BLFS continues where LFS left off, so you won't have to start over.

But the LFS book does assume a certain level of existing Linux knowledge. It says at minimum, "you should already have the ability to use the command line (shell) to copy or move files and directories, list directory and file contents, and change the current directory. It is also expected that you have a reasonable knowledge of using and installing Linux software."
http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/vie ... sites.html

If you don't meet these requirements, you might want to use Linux a little longer before trying LFS.
Maybe give a distro like Slackware or Arch Linux a try; you can learn a lot from them, too.

Slackware and Arch aren't usually considered 'beginner-friendly" distros, but a beginner can use them as long as they're willing to learn and read the documentation.
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