On 07/03/12 17:16, Nikos Chantziaras wrote: > On 03/07/12 21:35, Florian Philipp wrote: >> Am 03.07.2012 20:00, schrieb David Kuhl: >>> I'm so stuck with this Gentoo laptop. It started with a standard >>> update which was the first in three months. Then when the X didn't >>> run due to xorg-server getting upgraded, the 3.3.8 gen kernel was >>> suppose to be built with KSM. That failed due to mkfs_ext2.h. The a >>> beta of genkernel was used and which built the kernel and initramfs, >>> but the rest of the machine looks like it's gone. All the LVM2 >>> partitions are broke: /home /var /opt /usr. What's the best way to >>> get this back without loosing the system? Thanks >>> >> >> Step one: Do a full disk backup. Boot to a live-CD, then back everything >> up with dd or -- if available -- ddrescue. >> >> Step two: ... > > ... install Ubuntu (or one of its spin-offs.) Having a laptop with > Gentoo that wasn't updated for months looks to me like the wrong usage > case for Gentoo. If you want periods of several months of base package > stability, you do not use a rolling-release distro. With Gentoo you > need to update often and *pay attention* to the changes.
Six months to a year isn't really (and shouldn't) be a big deal. Just look at the output of `emerge -puDN world`, and do the upgrades a few at a time. Stop when you upgrade something major to make sure everything works, then go back to what you were doing. Devs take this into account when adding/removing features.. many proposals have a "wait a year" step.
