Installing Gentoo Linux on a MacBook Pro 2020 with an M1 Processor Using Asahi Installer and Arch Linux

As a seasoned Linux user, I've always been fascinated by the prospect of running a custom operating system on my devices. Recently, I decided to take the plunge and install Gentoo Linux on my MacBook Pro 2020, which is powered by the Apple M1 processor. In this article, I'll walk you through the process of leveraging Asahi installer for disk partitioning and setting up the booting process, followed by using Asahi Linux to prepare and install Gentoo Linux, and finally, swapping one by another.

The first step in installing Gentoo Linux is to prepare a USB flash stick with the stage3 and portage tar files. This allows us to store the necessary files without relying on an internet connection to fetch them. If you're familiar with installing Gentoo Linux, you know that this process can be quite complex. However, with Asahi installer, we can simplify the installation process by using their tool for disk partitioning and setting up the booting process.

Before we dive into the installation process, let me give you a brief overview of what you'll need to get started. You should have previous experience installing Gentoo Linux, as well as a USB flash stick with enough space to store the necessary files. Additionally, make sure that your MacBook Pro 2020 is running macOS and has at least 64GB of free disk space.

With these requirements met, let's begin the installation process. First, download the Asahi installer from their official website and follow the instructions to create a bootable USB flash stick. Once you have the installer ready, restart your MacBook Pro and hold down the 'Option' key while powering it on. This will allow us to select the USB flash stick as our boot device.

Once we're booted into the Asahi installer, we'll be presented with a menu that allows us to partition our disk and set up our boot process. Follow the prompts to create a new partition for your Gentoo Linux installation and select the correct boot loader options.

Next, insert your USB flash stick and follow the instructions to extract the stage3 and portage tar files onto it. This will give you a basic Gentoo Linux system that we can use as our starting point for the installation process.

Now that we have our basic Gentoo Linux system in place, let's start the installation process by running the 'emerge' command to install the necessary packages. We'll also need to configure our network settings and set up our timezone using the 'rc-conf' command.

Once we've completed these steps, we can reboot our system and boot into our freshly installed Gentoo Linux environment. From here, we can customize our system to meet our specific needs and preferences.

In conclusion, installing Gentoo Linux on a MacBook Pro 2020 with an M1 processor using Asahi installer and Arch Linux is a complex process that requires some technical expertise. However, by following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to successfully install Gentoo Linux on your device and enjoy the benefits of running a custom operating system.

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