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If you want to dual boot Slackware and Cruchbang lilo will do that, provided that you have a BIOS (not EFI) firmware. You'll just have to make a stanza for Crunchbang in Slackware's /etc/lilo.conf, either manually or with the liloconfig utility included in Slackware, then re-run lilo.
If instead you want to install only Crunchbang you'll have to rely on the boot manager included in its installer.
Last edited by Didier Spaier; 04-25-2014 at 02:05 AM.
I actually had gotten Crunchbang booted-up with LILO when I had Slack.....but Crunchbang was frozen and useless at that time. I thought it had something to do with LILO- but in retrospect, I think I had a corrupted sector or something on my Crunchbang partition; which running fsck fixed.
I'll be reinstalling Slack and LILO in a few days, and I suspect it will work-out O-K this time, now that I have that bad sector fixed [If that's the wrong terminology, excuse me- I have no idea of what I'm talking about- but I think that is what the terminal said... ]- just wanted to be sure that there was no inherent problem with LILO and Debian-based distros. (I've since discovered, that until very recently, the Debian installer used to even come with the option of using LILO!)
I wrote down how I configured LILO last time...so that should be a breeze now.
Another question: Someone on another forum suggested that the problem I had when trying to boot Crunchbang with LILO, may've been that I didn't have the kernel parameters configured in LILO . If that were the case, would LILO have booted Crunchband enough for me to see my desktop and all, and just be frozen, like it was? Or, if that were the problem, would it just not have booted at all? (Comparing Crunchbang's /boot/grub/grub.cfg file to what I had put manually in LILO, I see I hadn't put "root=....UUID...."- could that have been the problem?)
That's what I was thinking, because I noticed that the LILO config file did not have such info for the Slack kernel- which is why, when I entered the kernel ID for Crunchbang, I just used the same format as what was listed for Slack- using that as an example.
The UID is a more "safer" choice in case you do add/replace HDDs or modify partitions on your hard-disk.. Basically /dev/sda3, for example, will always point to the third primary partition in the first disk device, but that doesn't mean it will always be the same physical partition... Anyway, in day to day usage this rarely matters...
I've been wanting to try Slackware for some time now. One thing scares me: What's all this I hear about having to resolve dependencies manually?
Eek!
This is one of the main reasons I prefer Slack over other unix-like OSes.
I've used systems with auto dependency resolution and it's great when it works, but when a package tool starts seeing conflicts and gets confused then it's more trouble than it's worth trying to make it happy IMO; some systems are nicer about it than others, but as someone who enjoys checking out apps outside the main distro and reviewing code just for fun, the Slack approach just makes it a lot easier to get things working.
Anyway, here's a method that works for me:
# ldd `which program` | grep "NOT FOUND"
...should tell you what's missing.
Keep handy a copy of MANIFEST (and as others mentioned, PACKAGES.TXT). Look up the "not found" references in MANIFEST (if you use vim you can just "/" for it and then hit "{" in order to determine the missing package.) This is also handy if running with less hard drive capacity or trying to lock down by removing unnecessary apps.
IMO, this is a much more elegant approach than the bigger --and clunkier-- package systems; this goes along with the general KISS approach of Slack.
Having said that, slackbuilds.org has the best running quality of packages IMO and they'll usually tell you what the dependencies are.
However, if you're running older hardware with a slow CPU and don't want to spend hours compiling, then Slack is binary package friendly too, just be sure to double (triple) check MD5 sigs (and keys if you can.)
The UID is a more "safer" choice in case you do add/replace HDDs or modify partitions on your hard-disk.. Basically /dev/sda3, for example, will always point to the third primary partition in the first disk device, but that doesn't mean it will always be the same physical partition... Anyway, in day to day usage this rarely matters...
Thanks! Once I know what something actually is/does, it suddenly makes a lot more sense and becomes a lot less daunting. It's like, suddenly, things which seemed so mysterious and ethereal, become clear and simple and logical (the way I like 'em to be!). Yeah....sometimes I Google....but sometimes the definitions don't make much sense, unless you have the background to understand them ["XYZ is a snuffleluffagus designed to implement frennodgistatic maloprianism in the BS2 losequial environment without traditional malatusial easterbunnyism....]
I won't be changing/adding drives on this 'puter...so I guess the UID is not necessary. Does LILO support using one, though?
This is one of the main reasons I prefer Slack over other unix-like OSes.
I've used systems with auto dependency resolution and it's great when it works, but when a package tool starts seeing conflicts and gets confused then it's more trouble than it's worth trying to make it happy IMO; some systems are nicer about it than others, but as someone who enjoys checking out apps outside the main distro and reviewing code just for fun, the Slack approach just makes it a lot easier to get things working.
Anyway, here's a method that works for me:
# ldd `which program` | grep "NOT FOUND"
...should tell you what's missing.
Keep handy a copy of MANIFEST (and as others mentioned, PACKAGES.TXT). Look up the "not found" references in MANIFEST (if you use vim you can just "/" for it and then hit "{" in order to determine the missing package.) This is also handy if running with less hard drive capacity or trying to lock down by removing unnecessary apps.
IMO, this is a much more elegant approach than the bigger --and clunkier-- package systems; this goes along with the general KISS approach of Slack.
Having said that, slackbuilds.org has the best running quality of packages IMO and they'll usually tell you what the dependencies are.
However, if you're running older hardware with a slow CPU and don't want to spend hours compiling, then Slack is binary package friendly too, just be sure to double (triple) check MD5 sigs (and keys if you can.)
Just my 2 cents.
More tools to add to the repetoire! (I'm thinking I'll print this thread out and/or make a compendium of all the great tips and tricks!)
It seems a little daunting when you've never done it/don't know exactly what's involved- but I'm sure, once I do it a time or two, it'll be easy. And I know xactly what you mean- automatic things can be O-K when they work right....but when they don't, you're just left sitting there- not knowing what to do; or, they take away your choice...and then you have to go through more trouble trying to "ot-smart" the thing, and trick it into doing what you want it to do...when you could have just done it manually, and it would have been easier/better.
I like that. It seems that Slackware is built around a philosophy which is totally compatible with me.
My hesitation with Slackware was just that I didn't think that I had the knowledge to do what needs doing- and I don't.... but I'm seeing that it can be learned quite easily. Watch a few videos; ask a few questions here; read a little... it's like driving a manual transmission car, I guess: Take a few minutes to learn it....and VIOLA[sic]! You can then just do it, without even thinking about it...and have your machine do exactly what you want it to, when you want it to.
And it's just such a refreshing change from all these distros that want to "make it easy". I needed "easy" to start-out with....but I see no reason to stay that way perpetually. In any endeavor, you advance as you get more familiarity; and more knowledge about it. You learn to do for yourself, and to do it your way, instead of allowing someone else/pre-programmed instructions to do it any old way; you become competent. Why should it be any different with an OS? Staying helpless and ignorant and dependent....that's what Windows is made for!
I won't be changing/adding drives on this 'puter...so I guess the UID is not necessary. Does LILO support using one, though?
Yes. "man lilo.conf" says:
Code:
boot=<boot-device>
Sets the name of the device (e.g. hard disk or partition) that contains the boot sector and where the
new boot sector should be written to. Notice: The boot-device should be the device with the currently
mounted root partition.
A raid installation is initiated by specifying a RAID1 device as the boot device; e.g., "boot=/dev/md0".
On newer systems you need an unique ID for the boot device. If the boot sector should write to a parti‐
tion you can use its UUID in the same manner is for the root options.
If your boot device is a hard disk you need a special ID, which is supported by udev. You find the right
ID in the directory /dev/disks/by-id, i. e.:
boot = /dev/disk/by-id/ata-SAMSUNG_SV1604N_S01FJ10X999999
[...snip...]
root=<root-device>
This specifies the device that should be mounted as root. It may be specified as a global option. If
the special name current is used, the root device is set to the device on which the root file system is
currently mounted. If the root has been changed with -r , the respective device is used. If the vari‐
able `root' is omitted, the root device setting contained in the running kernel image is used. Warning:
This can induce to an unbootable system!
The root filesystem may also be specified by a LABEL= or UUID= directive, as in '/etc/fstab'. In this
case, the argument to root= must be enclosed in quotation marks, to avoid a syntax error on the second
equal sign, e.g.:
root="LABEL=MyDisk"
root="UUID=5472fd8e-9089-4256-bcaa-ceab4f01a439"
Note: The command line root= parameter passed to the kernel will be: 'root=LABEL=MyDisk'; i.e., without
the quotation marks. If the root= parameter is passed from the boot time boot: prompt, no quotes are
used. The quotes are only there to satisfy the requirements of the boot-installer parser, which treats
an equal sign as an operator. The kernel command line parser is very much simpler, and must not see any
quotation marks. Simply stated, only use the quotation marks within /etc/lilo.conf.
More tools to add to the repetoire! (I'm thinking I'll print this thread out and/or make a compendium of all the great tips and tricks!)
That would be awesome. I'd like to see it -- I'll try to get up to speed on this thread, I believe others already mentioned the 3rd party package managers as well. Enjoy
Slackware kicks butt! Errr, I mean...it kicked my butt!
Re-installed it last night- and it was a breeze. Got it configured, and this time, even switched to a generic kernel and all that good stuff.....
But despite putting the exact output of the initrd.command-generator.sh thingy into the LILO config, I couldn't get it to boot with generic kernel- got an error message: "Can't access tty; job control turned off". (????)
Luckily, I left the original huge kernel section intact in LILO, as a back-up, as the instructions suggest- so I was able to boot that up. Checked and quadruple-checked lilo.conf for errors...couldn't find any (Although I don't see how LILO is supposed to read the initrd.gz file it is pointed to- isn't that some sort of zipped file?) but that's what the instructions said to point it to (as well as the command generator).
While booted in back-up mode, I also tried setting up LILO to boot my Crunchbang....this time, it wouldn't even recognize the entry- i.e. it didn't even display it as an option when pressing <TAB> during boot-up!
What's more, while booted up in back-up mode, it would not establish a connection the www. (and I just have wired DSL through an ethernet!)....
AND, to top it all off.....I had specified XFCE as my default DE during set-up.....but instead, I got KDE! WTH?
So basically, I wasted my entire Saturday night (and no, I don't drink! Too bad...at least then I'd have an excuse!)
Had to wipe Slackware again...and re-install Antix, so I could get back into Crunchbang, for impending work, tonight.
I'm not the type to give up!
In fact, on the contrary, things like this make me more determined to conquer whatever it is that is not co-operating!
BUT, I can't go on like this! I have to wait until I have a 2nd 'puter, that I can just use for playing with Slackware.
I want to get a used laptop. Can any of you suggest what might be a good model? Nothing fancy....just a good solid workhorse, that'll work well with Slack/Linux in general? (With decent sound and video.) [I'm not a gamer]
One more question: On installation, if I choose not to install the KDE environment (I'll never use KDE- it's bloated and dumbed-down...seems contrary to the Slack philosophy...) will things like K3b and the network manager and graphical log-in manager still be installed? Or does deselecting KDE installation mean that ALL "K" applications are not installed?
One more question: On installation, if I choose not to install the KDE environment (I'll never use KDE- it's bloated and dumbed-down...seems contrary to the Slack philosophy...) will things like K3b and the network manager and graphical log-in manager still be installed? Or does deselecting KDE installation mean that ALL "K" applications are not installed?
You can pick and choose what you want to install during the installation. I would recommend that you opt for a full installation as your installation will work out of the box with all dependencies met(unless you know what you're doing). If you have hard drive space limitations then pare down the install. After the full install you can choose XFCE as your environment and all of the KDE applications will still work like k3b. If you want a graphical log-in I would go for a full install as that will give you KDM. You will need to edit /etc/inittab and change the line that looks like this
Code:
id:3:initdefault:
to this
Code:
id:4:initdefault:
Hope this helps a bit.
Last edited by hitest; 04-27-2014 at 11:19 AM.
Reason: typo
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]- just wanted to be sure that there was no inherent problem with LILO and Debian-based distros. (I've since discovered, that until very recently, the Debian installer used to even come with the option of using LILO!)
