LinuxQuestions.org - My Slackware Guide

This is how I go about installing Slackware and all the way til im done.. This will be a pretty lengthy guide by the time its done. If you have any suggestions please post them... I suggest you use dsl with this guide not dialup... Anyways here we go:
Installation Section

Pre-Setup Download the 9.1 disks (you dont have to do both and in this guide we will be but I will include how to do it with the first disk later). Burn them.. I did it using the Ahead Nero program in Winsuck.. (WinXP). If you use Nero you MUST finalize cd.. Also turn off mutltisession and make sure to do dao (Disk at Once). Reboot.. Go into your Bio settings Usually by hitting or holding the delete button.. Make sure that its set as to boot from cd before your harddrive. Now save your settings and exit. Put in your cd. It should come to a screen that says a bunch of info on Slack.. Just click enter unless you need to pass some extra parameters to the kernel.. (Any suggestions for basic parameters would be nice). Now it should ask you to login.. Just type in root or click enter. If you want Windows and have not done so yet I suggest you do it now. Now we need to run fdisk to setup the partions. If you have existing partions you want to write over then just type in setup.

Partioning: Now to do fdisk type in fdisk /dev/hda (replace hda with your hard drive example hdb hdc etc..)(Also if you have a different type of hd (Hard Drive) then ide you need to change it to be proper like scsi hd's are /dev/sda or /dev/sdb at least i think it is) now hit p at the prompt. Now im going to tell you how to setup the partions as I would. If you want to delete all your partions (If you have windows I suggest you keep it.) then type in d and then the partion number. Do this till you have no partions left. If you mess up just hit q as nothing is written until the command w is give. Now with no partions just hit n. Now p. Type in 1 or the next partion number available. Now hit enter to accept the default value. Now enter +sizeM (Replace size with the amount of megabytes you want to have for this partion) I suggest 10000 for the root partion. So type in +10000M. Now hit p to display what you just did. Now we want to create an extended partion for the rest of our partions. So type in n. Now hit e. You will now enter the next partion number or hit 2 if you are doing as I did. Hit enter for both of these.. Unless you want to come back and install another linux distro then you sould include enough space for both of them. Dont forget if you hit enter to both it will take up the remaining harddrive space so you will not be able to install windows. Now hit p again to display the partions. Now we want to create an /opt partion. So hit n. Now hit l. Now hit enter for the default value. Here we are.. I suggest doing a partion size of 3000 so type in +3000M. Hit enter. Now to create a swap partion. Hit n again. Hit l again. Now hit enter for the default value. And for the next prompt type in +1024M. Now we can either go ahead and do the /usr and then the /home or you can continue on doing some more partions. For example you can make a /var and /boot and all but I dont bother doing that. Anyways lets continue with the /usr partion. Now type n. Now l. Hit enter. Now type in +5000M Or whatever size you want to have. I have a big hd so I just go with big numbers. Hit n again. Now l. Now enter. Now for the final /home partion just accept both of the prompts.. This will use the rest of the space available. Here's the alternate to doing multiple partions. Do not do this if you have followed the partion layout so far. Just create one primary partion by hitting n. Then p. Now just type in +20000M or whatever size you want.. This will be the only linux partion for Slackware. Now hit p. Make sure you like what you see.. If you are positive this is what you want hit w. This will write the partions to the hard drive. Now you are back at the shell..

The Slackware Installation, Both CD's: To begin type setup. Now the Slackware Setup Program will run. Go down to the swap selection. Hit enter. It will auto detect your swap partion so just hit enter to accept it to do so. Once that is done it should bring you to the next menu Select the first partion or whatever you want the root partion to be.. It should be the primary one we made. Now go ahead and accept to format. This is where you can choose which you want to use. Personally I use reiserfs. Its the newest file system and is the best performing one. But choose to your liking. Ext2 Is the oldest Ext3 Is the journaling version of Ext2. Now let it do its thing. Now we go ahead and select the next partion. Go ahead and format it as the same fs (Filing System). This time it will ask where you want to mount it. We want to mount the first one to /opt. Do this with the next one but mount it to /usr. And again once more but to /home. If you only did the primary partion while using fdisk you will not get this. Once that is done next comes the next setup. Choose to install from the cd's. Deselect the gnome and kernel source also the emac and tex typing. Now lets go on. It will ask whether you want to install as a newbie etc just use the first option. This wont ask you to choose what packages.. I assume if your reading this your a newbie and done understand much about the packages so this will suit us well.. When it asks for the second cd insert it into the same drive. Click ok to continue. Let that finish. Once thats done next we go on to the kernel install. Ok install it from the cd. Just click the default one as that should suit us as thats what we booted with. You can go ahead and create a boot disk but i dont until I have compiled the new kernel so go ahead and select skip. We will make one later. Now setup your modem. As I have dsl and If you are using this guide I suggest you have dsl as I said before. So just select no modem. Next you will be prompted to enable hotplug. I suggest you enable it. Next comes the lilo install. Just click the default simple. Then choose your frambuffer. I suggest using the default but if your monitory is too small then i suggest using the standard one. Let's move on. Just click enter on the optional lilo append page. Now install it into the mbr.. Next you are at the mouse install.. I always do the imps2. But select the one that you use. I choose to not load gpm on boot. I suggest you do not select it eiter as i end up not getting my keyboard or mouse to work when enabled and then i have to go ahead and reinstall Slack. Now for the net config. Just enter the name of what you want your computer to be called. Hit enter. Type in localdomain unless you know of otherwise. Now select dhcp as that is most common. If you have a static ip choose static ip. Now just hit enter at the next screen. Now just click ok for the confirm setup. I suggest using the hardware clock is set to local time. Now select your timezone. Then select your windows manager. If you are a new then select the default kde. Then select the proccesses you want to startup on start. Select cups if you have a printer and samaba if you have a windows network. Select any additional items you want. Now you can select a root password or not. In your case you should. I personall dont as Im lazy but I lose security because of it. So then go to exit. Click enter. Now hit ctl + alt + del as it says to once your cd has been removed. Installation is done here..

The Slackware Installation, Only 1 CD: Just use the 1st disc to boot... Do everything as stated about except dont choose kde. Dont choose gnome either... If you arent going to use either and want to use xfce or fluxbox or blackbox or one of the others you are fine.. Once you get to the windows manager part choose fluxbox. Or a differnt one you feel comfortable with. Once you get to the part to upgrade your system before you do get --upgrade -a do get --install gnome (replace gnome with kde if you dont wanna use gnome). Then continue on with get --upgrade -a.

Slackware Configuration: To do some minor configuring isnt all that hard.. First well go ahead and disable a few things.. If you get a bunch of insmod errors about hw_random and i810_rng then this is what we need to do. Type in pico /etc/hotplug/blacklist . Now at the very bottom type hw_rand then hit enter to go to the next line and then type i810_rng . Hit crtl + x. That saves it. Now type xf86config. Go through that as it is pretty easy to do.. If you need help I will be posting a link to the exact article that explains in more detail with snapshots of how to configure it... (http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/...threadid=60285)

Lilo Configuration: Lilo has a few settings that we want to change.. So type in pico /etc/lilo.conf. Now where it says 1200 replace it with the amount of seconds you want lilo to wait before automatically starting the first choice and then add a 0 to the end of that. So if you want ten seconds put 100. (Just replace the numbers). Now lets say you have a Windows partion as the first partion. Go all the way to the bottom and add
other = /dev/hda1
tabel = /dev/hda
label = Windows-Version
Replace the /dev/hda and /dev/hda1 with your partion and hd type... For example on a scsi drive it would be /dev/sda and /dev/sda1 (I think correct my if im wrong). And then hit crtl + x (Control button plus the letter x). Then type lilo.

Upgrading Your System: Now we need to download swaret so type in lynks http://swaret.org . Hit the download button till you reach the word download. Now keep moving until you reach the swaret-1.6.2-noarch-1.tgz link. when you highlight it click d. It will ask to download at the bottom just click enter until you see saving.. Once you see that and its completed hit q. Now we are back at the console. Now type in installpkg swaret-1.6.2-noarch-1.tgz (Substitue the version number and name with the most recent one that you download. This is the version at time of writing.). This will install swaret. Now type in cp /etc/swaret.conf.new /etc/swaret.conf && pico /etc/swaret.conf. Now where you see version number change 9.1 to current.. Scroll way down until you see exclude kernel etc.. Comment those 4 lines by adding a # in front of the Exclude. Then hit ctrl + x. Now type ln -s /usr/sbin/swaret /usr/sbin/get. Now type get --update. Then type get --upgrade -a after the update is done. Let that go through its thing and then your system is upgraded..

Kernel Compilation, at root directory: To do this we shall do it as root.. Later I will explain how to do it as a regular user. First off we need to get our kernel.. So go to http://kernel.org and click on one of the ftp mirrors.. Go to linux, then kernel, then 2.6 or the latest release.. Click on the latest .tar.gz package (at time of writing you should get linux-2.6.5.tar.gz). Save it to the /root directory. Then do mv linux-2.6.5.tar.gz /usr/src in a console. Replace the version number with your kernel version number. Then do cd /usr/src. Then tar -zxvf linux-2.6.5.tar.gz. Now do ln -s /usr/src/linux-2.6.5 /usr/src/linux. Again replace your kernel version. Now do cd linux. Then make menuconfig. Here I cant help too much but make sure to compile frambuffer in not as a module and to do vesa and vga in the kernel not as modules. Also do the boot logo. You will also need to do your filesystem to be in not as a module so make sure to compile that.. Here you really have to mess around yourself.. I will be putting a bit more info later on. When you have selected what you want go to exit and click yes you want to save or wrather hit enter. Then do make && make modules && make modules_install.. Let that run it shall take some time.. Once that is completed do cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.6. Replace 2.6 with the kernel version do not include any rc1 or .5 or anything like that only the first 2 digits and the periods. Then do cp System.map /boot/System.map-2.6. Then rm System.map. Then ln -s /boot/System.map-2.6 /boot/Sytem.map. As you have figured replace your kernel version. Now lets go ahead and configure lilo for the new kernel. In a console do pico /etc/lilo.conf. So then at the bottom add something like this

root = /dev/hdax #(Replace X with the harddrive number and replace the type)
label = Slack-2.6 $(You can change this name)
image = vmlinuz-2.6 #(You guessed it replace your kernel version)
read-only
Now do lilo. And reboot it should work if it doesnt reboot into your 2.4 kernel ask for help or search around..

Kernel Compilation, at user directory (Root access not needed): Instead of doing the first 2 commands just simply do su -c "ln -s /home/username/linux-2.6.5 /usr/src/linux" (And remember to replace your kernel version).

Installation Guide to be Continued Posting so that incase of any issue with my omputer I dont lose what I typed here.

Thanks to:

Shade for helping with organization, layout, counting how many times I wrote ok and making me remove them, and grammar checks...
http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/...threadid=58650 (Kernel Compile)
http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/...threadid=60285 (XF86Config Help)
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http://linuxquestions.org
http://groups.google.com