how to update system or software
i don't see any sort of 'software update' application, so how is one suppose to update? this is what i've managed to do without issue:
1. installed slackware 13.37 from the dvd iso. i installed 'huge.' chose xfce desktop since i am not familiar with KDE. 2. created a user account other than root, but i had to do this on command line since i didn't see 'user accounts' in settings. 3. installed ORBIT from Slackbuild 4. installed Gconf from Slackbuild 5. installed google chrome from Slackbuild i am a newb, nontechie, and getting this far really maxed out all my linux know-how. i know slackware is for advanced users (not me) but i've gotten kind of hooked on seeing how far i can go and learning. before i get started i wanted to check with the community, is there some way to update the system, or is there something basic that i missed or that i should do right away before i start to tinker, hack, and hose everything:) ? thx, jim |
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Hi jimd97, Welcome to the world of Slackware Linux. To update the system, Slackware having tool 'slackpkg' For more information about command, run following command: $ man 8 slackpkg To choose update mirror, edit /etc/slackpkg/mirrors. Mostly line begin with '#' character is used to add commanet. So choose any mirror site delete the '#' from that line. To configure network 'netconfig' command is available. Enjoy the Slackware. Working on Slackware is really fun!!! |
linuxxer,
(edit from first reply): thanks a lot. i already installed slackpkg, updated and cleaned. right now i am writing this post with firefox 13 updated with slackpkg!!! :) i didn't realize that you actually 'spoonfed' me what to do. it was a simple matter of following your post, $ man 8 slackpkg, and slackpkg.org was also a help. it was a big help (and i'm not sure i would have figured it out on my own) for you to really point out explicitly that i needed to delete one of the "#" in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors. i thought it'd take me weeks to install slackpkg when i first read your post (because it took me a couple weeks to learn how to successfully load, partition, install, boot, get the xfce desktop up, and get connected to the internet and everything else without any problems). but like i said, you just spoonfed me. thanks, and thanks for the warm welcome. hope someday i can return the favor to somebody. cheers, jim |
And for third-party software not included with Slackware, look at slackbuilds.org. Read the howto's about how to use the repository and how to execute a SlackBuild script. Read the READMEs for each software as they will list any dependencies the software might need. Experiment and you'll learn how it works.
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thx for the tip.
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jimd97,
if you have time on your hands and want to learn Slackware, just follow the relevant changelog and install the updates manually. You don't have to do this but it's much more fun. |
jimd97,
I guess you've pretty much gotten your answers, but in case you still feel like tinkering, this is the best guide on manually updating the system (as well as pretty much every other aspect of setup) that I've found. I was just in your boat a day or so ago, and I found this, as luck would have it, after I had already botched my way through most of what it covers. Of course! But I really like its step-by-step explanations, and if you follow it you will learn a lot. http://www.howtoforge.com/the_perfec...slackware12_p3 Good luck! |
Updating the system isn't hard but it can be tricky if you don't understand it. here's the easy version of the way to update your system:
1. Navigate to /etc/slackpkg/ directory and look for "mirrors.conf" and open it with a text editor. Find the nearest listed mirror to you and remove the "#" comment in front of it. Make sure you select 13.37 mirror if you want to stick with the stable system. Save the file and exit. 2. Open a Console window and run this command: Code:
slackpkg update 3. This next step is OPTIONAL for a stable release of Slackware but it can be useful. Run command: Code:
slackpkg clean-system 4. This next step is OPTIONAL for a stable release of Slackware but it can be useful. Run command: Code:
slackpkg install-new 5. Run command: Code:
slackpkg upgrade-all 6. If needed but recommended, reboot the system, then re-login, and enjoy your Slackware system. |
Have to disappoint here but the instructions given by ReaperX7 will almost certainly give you a dead Slackware system - and that wmay happen as early as during the "slackpkg clean-system" command.
What does "slackpkg clean-system" do? It removes all packages of which the Slackware ChangeLog.txt mentions "Removed." Suppose you are upgrading from Slackware 13.1 to 13.37. The ChangeLog.txt for Slackware 13.37 mentions: Code:
a/util-linux-ng-2.18-x86_64-2.txz: Removed Code:
a/util-linux-2.19-x86_64-1.txz: Added. The very moment you let "slackpkg clean-system" do its work first, it will remove the util-linux-ng package, thereby deleting many programs which are required by the Slackware package tools. Right after removing this package, your upgrade process will kill itself. Therefore, this is the correct sequence of commands for an upgrade (after un-commenting one single mirror URL in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors and making sure that that URL matches the ARCH of your Slackware - 32-bit or 64-bit!): Code:
slackpkg update The "slackpkg clean-system" command is not mandatory, but in my opinion it is not optional either. It will remove abandoned packages and traces of old (sometimes conflicting) system libraries from your computer. Be careful, because this command tries to remove all non-Slackware packages as well! You have to pick your way through the list of suggested packages-to-be-removed and de-select any package you installed yourself. A good thing is to edit /etc/slackpkg/blacklist and look at the last line. Having something like this will cause all packages created by slackbuilds.org scripts and all of my own & Robby Workman's packages not to show up in the package list of "slackpkg clean-system": Code:
[0-9]+_SBo |
Thanks to all. Hands down the BEST linux-distor-forum-post response I've ever received. This community is awesome. I appreciate all your feed back. So far so good. I am now able to update slackpkg without incident.
Still learning how to run scripts but I don't really know what I'm doing and I am only successfully by copying. I also am having a hard time getting KDE up -- (using parallels workstation 6 -- windows host and slackware guest) -- but I am not too concerned about that because I can get xfce up and I don't know KDE anyway. I am going to hit the books and work my way through some of the recommended literature which some of you kindly pointed out (thx). I want to get to know the "nuts and bolts," or, as I like to say "the guts" a bit better. Cheers all, Jim |
At the end of Eric's post -- post #9 in this thread (or two post up from this post) -- by "editing" is he recommending "to remove"?
For instance, these are the last two lines of my "/etc/slackpkg/blacklist" : This one will blacklist all SBo packages: #[0-9]+_SBo Should I therefore remove the last line per Eric's recommendation: "#[0-9]+_SBo" jim |
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No, you should edit to add
for example flash-player-plugin [0-9]+_SBo [0-9]+alien [0-9]+rlw Packages blacklisted can't be installed, upgraded, or removed using the slackpkg utility. |
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Eric |
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The last line in the blacklist file is an example of how to blacklist packages with a certain build tag. And I suggested you could add a few lines for some build tags commonly used for replacement packages (such as Robby's XFCE or my own KDE package updates). Eric |
Eric,
Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest or imply you said "to remove." I was simply looking for clarification since I did not understand that last section of your recommendations in post 9. I don't know how to cut and paste within these threads the way you and others do, but the beginning of your last set of instruction, or the the beginning of the last paragraph, your post stated verbatim: "A good thing is to edit /etc/slackpkg/blacklist and look at the last line." So I paid more attention to the words "A good thing is to edit" rather than "look at." My mistake. I wasn't sure if you were recommending to consider whether or not they should be listed or not listed. Regards, Jim |
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so that will get you upgraded, but how about the kernel. is there a way to safely upgrade the system and kernel this way?
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I always blacklist the kernels and kernel modules. That way a "slackpkg upgrade-all" will leave my existing, working, kernel untouched.
I first upgrade Slackware to the latest state of affairs using slackpkg. I will then manually install a new kernel if the ChangeLog.txt tells me that one is available. I use "installpkg" to install the new kernel and modules packages in parallel with the old kernel. After that, I will add a section in /etc/lilo.conf for the new kernel (copy and edit the section used for the working kernel), while at the same time not touching any of the lines for the working kernel. Finally I run "lilo" to make the change permanent, reboot the computer, test the new kernel, and if that boots I remove the old kernel definition from /etc/lilo.conf . If the new kernel did not boot then I am not in serious trouble since lilo will still have an entry to reboot into a working kernel. Eric |
ok, thanks that is very helpful
ok so im ok with slackpkg i think... just change the mirror and upgrade all, that will get me to current. the lilo portion I'm good with as well i used to compile my own kernels, never tried to upgrade to what slackware was offering in current. so if you can spoon feed me :( i guess the installpkg directions, it would be appreciated |
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