How to install slackware on my VPS
 

Hi,

ich have found slackware os as one of the top ten linux server os.
Now i want to install it on my vs2-free, but currently i can not install it via customer panel.
Is there an alternative option to install slackware on it.

#Sources
https://tecadmin.net/best-linux-server-distributions/
https://www.euserv.com/en/virtual-pr...2/vs2-free.php

This vs2-free is NOT a VPS - like in a Virtual Machine, but a Linux Container (probably based on OpenVZ), run by the host kernel.

This also means that you cannot install anything you want (i.e. Slackware) but you are limited at one of the container images provided by them.

So, you can only chose one of those Linux Container images:

Archlinux 2022.09 - 64Bit - minimal v4
CentOS 6.9 - 64bit - minimal v2
CentOS 7 - 64bit - minimal v4
CentOS 8 - 64bit - minimal v4
Debian 10 (Buster) - 64Bit - minimal v4
Debian 11 (Bullseye) - 64Bit - minimal v4
Debian 8.8 (Jessie) - 64Bit - minimal v2
Debian 9.0 (Stretch) - 64Bit - minimal v2
Fedora 30 - 64bit - minimal v4
OpenSuSE Leap 42.2 - 64Bit - minimal v3
RockyLinux 8 - 64bit - minimal v4
RockyLinux 9 - 64bit - minimal v5
Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS (Xenial Xerus) - 64Bit - minimal v2
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) - 64Bit - minimal v4
Ubuntu 19.04 (Disco Dingo) - 64Bit - minimal v4
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) - 64Bit - minimal v4
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish) - 64Bit - minimal v4

https://www.euserv.com/en/virtual-pr...systems-v2.php

Hi,

thanks for your help.

I have contacted the support of euserv.com . They say i can install my own os via rescue system(https://www.euserv.com/wiki/index.ph...scue_System/en). The original os is mounted under /mnt/custom

is there a Slackware rootfs image present?

Did you told them that your intention is to install Slackware, which does not have systemd? :p

Permit me to doubt that Slackware is compatible with a server driven by systemd, which uses Linux Containers... :D

Because the Slackware does NOT uses systemd, but a customized SysV init - with EUDEV and ELOGIND, which both are parts of systemd, split on stand-alone trees.

I am not a server administrator, but friends of mine who are says that's pretty bad idea to run a Linux Container using ELOGIND on top a host which uses systemd. And that the vice-versa is valid too.

Yeah, this seems to be a disadvantage of Slackware swimming against the river. ;)

I for one, I will recommend you to install one of their system images and call a day.

OR, you can as well make your own Slackware with systemd (replacing SysV init, EUDEV and ELONGID with it) for installing on that server.

In the end, you are looking for an image ... for what? There are hundreds of solutions based on Linux Containers. Which one is used by that server host?

Hi,

thanks for your help. I didn't know that lxc requires systemd. From what I read, lxc is a paravirtualization based on the kernel. So chroot on steroids (based on kernel namespaces, network namespaces and cgroups). Well, I learned something again.

Nope, the LXC itself does not require systemd. ;)

But systemd and elogind steps on each other shoes when they run side by side, and exactly like you said, LXC it's something like "a chroot in steroids" , BUT not a Virtual Machine where you can run anything you want. That is what the people refuse to understand: LXC is NOT really a virtualization solution, but a better chrooting.

So, IF you run a Slackware server host (based on elogind), probably the best is to run also Slackware in a LXC container, BUT not RHEL or Ubuntu (based on systemd), for example.

Idea is simple: you should have same solution on the server host and container. Either systemd and systemd, or elogind and elogind.

You shouldn't believe me. Go ahead and install Slackware in that free server and see what happens. ;)

Honestly, what amaze me is that, considering the server market and compatibility with it, nobody maintains (yet?) a true Slackware derivative which is systemd based, fully compatible with these "virtualization" solutions available on the Wild.

@iamsteff

Speaking about this article linked by you:

https://tecadmin.net/best-linux-server-distributions/

Man, I have laugh with tears! Pure fantasy there! :D

How the heck someone can install Slackware 15.0 on 100MB storage space, when only the kernel and its modules has over 300MB?

And how the heck will boot Slackware 15.0 on 64MB RAM when even the generic kernel, when extracted on memory has around 80MB, with NO additional modules loaded and NO initrd loaded? You will get "out of memory" right on bootloader.

I am all for positive articles about Slackware, BUT I for one I believe that they should present something at least barely related to reality...

arguably depending on what the use case is for the VPS its probably not necessary to run elogind.

init 3 - without the elogind removed should work as such most daemons etc. I don't see a problem.

Based on my notes and obvious matters, slackware 15.0 should have:

384MB RAM to boot the install disk
128MB RAM to boot finished install to shell
But if you go a more traditional install method, you're gonna need 384MB anyway

Some people have suggested very small minimum installs, so I'd guess a minimum is probable with 2GB of disk (and have extra space), but the smallest of my VPS uses 4GB, so recommended would have to be 6GB-8GB.

Of course, at least 586 processor, but I suspect the higher RAM and larger disk systems will be more common somewhere in the Pentium 2 or 3 era.

I don't think the article is based on first hand information.

Use the usb installer
 

For those looking for a base Slackware image you can use usbboot.img it has all you need to install Slackware. I used to mount this as rescue and install Slackware in the VPS.

https://slackware.uk/slackware/slack...rs/usbboot.img