LinuxQuestions.org - [SOLVED] slackpkg + security updates

- Slackware (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/)

- - slackpkg + security updates (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/slackpkg-security-updates-780386/)

slackpkg + security updates

Hi all,

I'm new to Slackware (been running Ubuntu for awhile but wanted to really start and understand Linux). The question I have pertains to updates - I know there's been a ton of questions asked on this but I'll tell you where I'm currently at. I've subscribed to the slackware-security mailing list and received an email pertaining to a security update. However, after commenting out a mirror in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors and running the following commands, I get no indication that any packages have updates available.

Code:

slackpkg update

slackpkg check-updates

I thought at first the update just wasn't available yet since maybe the mailing list was the first to be notified before it was actually released. But I've waited a day or so and am still not seeing any updates as being available. I know I can update the package through the upgradepkg command but would rather use slackpkg after researching a bit. Can anyone provide information as to why I'm not seeing the update when using slackpkg? Or do I still need to wait a day or so before it shows up? I also find it strange that there aren't any updates period when I run slackpkg. I would have thought there had been some since the release of 13.0 back in August. Any help on this topic is appreciated.

Well, after running

Code:

slackpkg update

the command

Code:

slackpkg check-updates

will never output anything because all that does is checking if there is a newer ChangeLog.txt on the server... and the first command has just downloaded the latest ChangeLog.txt for you.

What you should run is

Code:

slackpkg check-updates

as a daily cron job which will warn you when there are updates (like: patches that get released for a previously released version of Slackware).

When you notice that there are updates, you run

Code:

slackpkg update

slackpkg upgrade-all

slackpkg install-new

The first command updates your local database of available package versions. The second one upgrades all your packages that need upgrading because the server has a different (note: not per sé higher) version. The third command is usually not needed when you run a stable Slackware release (no new packages are released, only patches to existing programs that plug security holes) but you can run it anyway for completeness sake - it will install every package that got added to Slackware since slackpkg last checked.

Eric

I think you misunderstood the "check-updates" option... it merely checks if there are updates in the changelog.
What you need to do (and I assume you are running slackware 13) is this:

Code:

slackpkg update

slackpkg upgrade patches

All package upgrades in the stable release are added in the patches tree.

If you place those 2 commands in a script and call it regularly (I recommend a cron job) you can expect your slackware to be updated with any security patch that might become available.

EDIT: I took too long (stupid mobile internet *kicks hsdpa modem*) and Alien Bob beat me to it. Do what he said :) as it will work even if you are running slackware-current.

Ahhhhh....thanks to both of you. I was basically cancelling myself out by running

Code:

slackpkg update

before

Code:

slackpkg check-updates

After running

Code:

slackpkg upgrade-all

I see the security update I was referring to in the first post. And I agree, I'll setup a cron job that does this daily to keep my system updated and secure.

Alien Bob, if I have a script with the following contents:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

slackpkg check-updates

and I name it check-updates.sh and symlink it to /etc/cron.daily, where will I see the output? How am I to know when updates are available?

If it's supposed to send the results some place, then how can I make it so I either see the message at login or in every console/terminal when the script runs (preferably at login)?

Make sure your account receives email sent to the root account.

Eric

It doesn't look like my root account is getting any emails. There haven't been any updates, but a run of slackpkg check-updates shows "No news is good news". Are emails only sent when updates come?