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With version 12.1 I see a package manager, but no software update program like in the other popular Linux releases. So does Slackware provide any software updates at all, and if so, then how ? Also to add and remove any programs or packages seems to be way different than the other Linux types, so how is this done in Slackware ? Is the terminal command line method the main and best way for this ? thanks
I use "slackpkg update" then "slackpkg upgrade-all" and you're presented with a list of updates to install. Pick and choose, it's your box. slackpkg is on the installation CD/DVD. After installing it you need to select an appropriate mirror in the config file located in /etc/slackpg/mirrors
I prefer it this way then to have some distro auto update and break something, which does occur more often than not.
Last edited by SqdnGuns; 11-12-2008 at 12:25 AM.
Reason: can't speeeeel write....doh!
To update Slackware I just check the changelogs every few days. Slackware stable does not get updates every day. When updates become available, I just download them from the /patches directory from any Slackware mirror. Then I run upgradepkg pkg_name as root to do the updates.
The advantage to doing it this way is that it forces you to read the changelogs, so you know exactly what you are updating and why you are updating it. Also, any special instructions for performing the updates will be listed in the changelogs if necessary.
After you do the upgrades with upgradepkg, run:
Code:
find /etc -name "*.new"
to find any .new config files that may need updating. If there are .new config files that need updating, first I backup the current config files (just to be safe) then I run (as root):
Quote:
mv /etc/file.config.new /etc/file.config
This is the most simple (as in KISS) way of updating Slackware.
As long as there are no new patches, you will see no output from the script. But when it finds a change and downloads the new packages, cron will send your account an email like this:
Code:
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:12:56 +0100
From: root
To: root
Subject: cron: /usr/local/sbin/rsync_slackware_patches.sh -q -r 12.0
[rsync_slackware_patches.sh:] New patches have arrived for Slackware 12.0 !
.......................................................................
0a1,19
> Mon Nov 10 19:24:19 CST 2008
> patches/packages/gnutls-2.6.1-i486-1_slack12.0.tgz:
> Upgraded to gnutls-2.6.1.
> From the gnutls-2.6.1 NEWS file:
> ** libgnutls: Fix X.509 certificate chain validation error.
> [GNUTLS-SA-2008-3] The flaw makes it possible for man in the middle
> attackers (i.e., active attackers) to assume any name and trick GNU TLS
> clients into trusting that name. Thanks for report and analysis from
> Martin von Gagern <Martin.vGagern@gmx.net>. [CVE-2008-4989]
> For more information, see:
> http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2008-4989
> IMPORTANT NOTE: This update changes the shared library soname!
> Pidgin has been upgraded and compiled against the new GnuTLS library, but
> anything else that has been built and linked locally against GnuTLS will
> also need to be recompiled if this update is installed.
> (* Security fix *)
> patches/packages/pidgin-2.5.2-i486-1_slack12.0.tgz:
> Upgraded to pidgin-2.5.2 compiled against gnutls-2.6.1.
> +--------------------------+
So you will know right away when updates are available.
Eric
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software package updater in 12.1 ?
