Best practice for installing Slackware 14 without X
 

Hi everyone. Normally when I set up a Slackware server, I include everything in the "kde", "x", and "xap" package groups, and also setup everything in the "l" package group to avoid dependency problems. This time, I'm setting up a new Slackware server that doesn't require X, so I didn't include the "kde", "x", and "xap" groups, but still installed everything in the "l" group. Now I am getting missing dependency errors at startup when rc.M calls /usr/bin/update-gtk-immodules, /usr/bin/update-gdk-pixbuf-loaders, and /usr/bin/update-pango-querymodules, looking for libraries included in the "x" package group. Not needing any of these packages, I removed them with slackpkg, which got rid of the startup errors, but then realized that there are other X specific packages in the "l" package group that are not needed if X is not installed, such as Qt.

Just wondering what everyone else does when they install a system that doesn't need X? Am I better off only installing actual needed libraries from the "l" group?

Thanks.

In a similar thread posted yesterday, the consensus was that beginner/intermediate Slackware users are recommended to perform a full install: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...nt-4175431108/

OK thanks snowpine... didn't see that thread or find it in my searches.

Here is another thread from yesterday, describing specifically which package groups you want to install for a non-GUI sever:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...er-4175431119/

I didn't use the Search feature to find these two threads, they are all still on the 1st page. :)

Do note that even though your server itself might not have a proper screen, you might need X-libraries to install certain products. I know for a fact that Sybase needs to be installed (remotely) via a GUI program. I'm almost certain that Oracle does too. In the end, trying to exclude certain packages "just because it's a server" will likely be counterproductive.

I did look down the first page... I did... honest! :)

That second thread I think showed me the way to go... install "x" and "l", but not "kde(i)", "xap" and "xfce".

"y" is definitely needed... how else am I going to play atc when my kernel is compiling? ;)

Thanks everybody.

Alternatively, don't install the "l" set at install time and only add those packages as you need them.

The system will still boot and you can ssh in even without any "l" set.

Install L. You will need if you ever have to (re)compile something, for instance. In my opinion there is no benefit in excluding a set of packages just to find out what you have to install afterwards

You don't need to perform a full install if you know what you're doing. I've never performed any and I have been using Slackware since ver. 11.

I've never performed a full install either, and I've been using Slackware since version 3.0! :)

My normal install consists of:

- Selections from A, AP, D, and N
- Skip E, KDEI, T, and XFCE
- All of F, K, KDE, L, TCL, X, XAP, and Y

I used to skip KDE, X, and XAP if I didn't need a GUI, but now I am installing X and only skipping KDE and XAP for a command-line only install.

On a headless server, I only leave out E (Vim user), KDE, KDEI, T, XAP and XFCE. You'll need some libraries from L and X, so simplest thing is just to install the whole load and stay in runlevel 3.