An air-gapped compute cluster built from old 64-bit laptops, running Gentoo Linux compiled entirely from source. Used for KiCad hardware design, distributed compilation, and Python development.
| If you want to... | Read |
|---|---|
| Deploy a node (the common case — image is already built) | DEPLOY-GUIDE.md |
| Understand the architecture in detail | PROJECT-REPORT.md |
| Rebuild the cluster image from scratch | PROJECT-REPORT.md — "Build Approach" section, then run 01-build-image.sh |
| Reference for resume/job apps | RESUME-BRIEF.md |
.
├── README.md ← you are here
├── DEPLOY-GUIDE.md ← step-by-step for deploying a node
├── PROJECT-REPORT.md ← full architecture + script details
├── RESUME-BRIEF.md ← short version for resumes
├── 00-download-list.sh ← prints what to download manually
├── 01-build-image.sh ← the image builder (run on prep machine)
├── prep-machine/ ← Mint setup notes (not Gentoo)
├── install-amd64-minimal-*.iso ← Gentoo installer (lives on Ventoy USB too)
└── stage3-amd64-openrc-*.tar.xz ← Gentoo stage3 base
The cluster image is built once on this prep machine, packaged as
gentoo-cluster.tar.xz (~2.2 GB), and copied to a Ventoy USB. Each
target laptop boots the Gentoo install ISO from Ventoy, runs deploy.sh,
and never touches the internet again.
Both your USBs already have a built image on them:
/media/me/Ventoy/cluster/— full Ventoy USB with install ISOs + cluster image/media/me/GENTOO_DEP/— flat backup containing just the cluster image
For day-to-day deployment you only need the Ventoy USB.