Over several years of using Linux distros (Debian happens to be my fave) and BSDs for my primary computing, I've picked up the odd piece of useful info.

Slacking with Slackware

Posted 12-01-2011 at 08:11 AM by ofaring
Updated 12-01-2011 at 08:14 AM by ofaring

Tags bash, nano, networking, package management, slackware

Ok. I've used Debian for quite some time -- although I started with Slackware years back -- and it's been awhile since I attempted anything without a package manager!

I grabbed a copy of Slackware Disc 1 and installed a basic, console-only Slackware.

First snag...WiFi. I live in a busy neighbourhood full of students eager to grab "free" internet off a WEP-encrypted wireless router, so WPA is a must. Well, /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf didn't seem very happy to play along with WPA, and I decided not to dig further into it for the time being. So -- keeping in mind that I've been out of the GNU/Linux game for a while -- I dusted off some old memories and wrote a basic, basic, basic BASH script: (And yes, we should be avoiding BASHisms...)

Code:

#!/bin/bash

# -----------------------------------------------
# - A simple, manual network connection script. -
# - You must leave it running in a terminal...  -
# - JRC                                         -
# -----------------------------------------------

wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf && dhclient wlan0

Which I used after editing /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf. (Again, dusting off old memories.) In a nutshell, the defaults supplied with Slackware are easy to understand/modify for my router:

Quote:

...

# WPA protected network, supply your own ESSID and WPAPSK here:
network={
scan_ssid=0
ssid="your_essid_here"
proto=WPA RSN
key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
pairwise=CCMP TKIP
group=CCMP TKIP WEP104 WEP40
psk=your_64_char_psk_here
priority=10
}
...

Of course dhclient is in my script because I don't want to bother manually setting network parameters...

Soooo much fun... :) What can I say? I love Old School.

[And by the way, you really ought to check out a quality /etc/nanorc file. (You can pull a completed one from one of the packages.) Unless you're a purist or experienced, Nano is a very helpful, simple
editor.]

After creating my basic, basic, basic script, I chmod'ed it, and BAM, I'm online.

Which brings me to the next discussion...packages. AKA, how the heck does one install further capability such as, oh, an actual GUI to use for WWW browsing instead of Links.

Brushing aside a few cobwebs, I fired up lftp. Oh the sweetness of lftp. I never went back to another ftp program after discovering
it. Anyway. I created a directory to keep the files I intended to install:

Code:

# mkdir /var/cache/slackware

After heading into the new neighbourhood

Code:

# cd /var/cache/slackware

I opened up lftp.

Code:

# lftp <your preferred slackware mirror>
cd <to the /slackware directory>
help mget (rusty, right...)
mget -d x/*

Yup. I love lftp.

After going into the newly mirrored "x" directory, I used the install script.

Code:

# sh install-packages

And Bob's your uncle....sorta -- more details when I have time.

Posted in Examples, Slackware

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