Linux From Scratch - Version 9.0
Chapter 1. Introduction
1.1. How to Build an LFS System
The LFS system will be built by using an already installed Linux distribution (such as Debian, OpenMandriva, Fedora,
or openSUSE). This existing Linux system (the host) will be used as a starting point to provide necessary programs,
including a compiler, linker, and shell, to build the new system. Select the “development” option during the distribution
installation to be able to access these tools.
As an alternative to installing a separate distribution onto your machine, you may wish to use a LiveCD from a
commercial distribution.
Chapter 2 of this book describes how to create a new Linux native partition and file system. This is the place where the
new LFS system will be compiled and installed. Chapter 3 explains which packages and patches need to be downloaded
to build an LFS system and how to store them on the new file system. Chapter 4 discusses the setup of an appropriate
working environment. Please read Chapter 4 carefully as it explains several important issues you need be aware of
before beginning to work your way through Chapter 5 and beyond.
Chapter 5 explains the installation of a number of packages that will form the basic development suite (or toolchain)
which is used to build the actual system in Chapter 6. Some of these packages are needed to resolve circular
dependencies—for example, to compile a compiler, you need a compiler.
Chapter 5 also shows you how to build a first pass of the toolchain, including Binutils and GCC (first pass basically
means these two core packages will be reinstalled). The next step is to build Glibc, the C library. Glibc will be compiled
by the toolchain programs built in the first pass. Then, a second pass of the toolchain will be built. This time, the
toolchain will be dynamically linked against the newly built Glibc. The remaining Chapter 5 packages are built using
this second pass toolchain. When this is done, the LFS installation process will no longer depend on the host distribution,
with the exception of the running kernel.
This effort to isolate the new system from the host distribution may seem excessive. A full technical explanation as to
why this is done is provided in Section 5.2, “Toolchain Technical Notes”.
In Chapter 6, the full LFS system is built. The chroot (change root) program is used to enter a virtual environment and
start a new shell whose root directory will be set to the LFS partition. This is very similar to rebooting and instructing
the kernel to mount the LFS partition as the root partition. The system does not actually reboot, but instead uses chroot
because creating a bootable system requires additional work which is not necessary just yet. The major advantage is
that “chrooting” allows you to continue using the host system while LFS is being built. While waiting for package
compilations to complete, you can continue using your computer as normal.
To finish the installation, the basic system configuration is set up in Chapter 7, and the kernel and boot loader are set
up in Chapter 8. Chapter 9 contains information on continuing the LFS experience beyond this book. After the steps in
this book have been implemented, the computer will be ready to reboot into the new LFS system.
This is the process in a nutshell. Detailed information on each step is discussed in the following chapters and package
descriptions. Items that may seem complicated will be clarified, and everything will fall into place as you embark on
the LFS adventure.
1.2. What's new since the last release
Below is a list of package updates made since the previous release of the book.
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