Slackware 10.3(11?) and Slapt-Get

Bruce Hill · 04-18-2006, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlackerDex

Just a quick question, to upgrade to current I just (in theory) follow the ChangeLog right (downloading from the bottom to the top?
eg.from +--------------------------+
Tue Sep 13 12:24:53 PDT 2005
Slackware 10.2 is released.
Thanks to everyone to helped make it possible.
Enjoy! :-))?

Do I follow this ChangeLog if I want to update to current ; http://slackware.it/en/changelog/view.php?q=current?

To answer your first question -- no, that is not the proper way to do it.

That ChangeLog is never up-to-date. For instance, as I post it's

Code:

Tue Apr 18 13:39:09 CST 2006

and that ChangeLog has --

Code:

Sat Mar 4 19:54:26 CST 2006

so it's over a month behind right now.

The official Slackware ChangeLog is the ONLY one you should use -- and it is ALWAYS ahead of the mirrors.

A good way to keep up with -current is to run a cron job and rsync a server. Here's a script by Alien_Bob in LQ which will get the -current packages for you. Also, if you want, it will create CD/DVD/both for you.

That Updating Slackware guide is the best I've seen. Even Pat's UPGRADE.TXT file, as someone posted, does not tell you everything you need to do.

My favorite environment is Fluxbox, but recently I've run KDE and XFCE on a couple of boxen so that I'll be able to know more about them when I deliver a Slackware box to Windows and Mac refugees who aren't yet weaned off of icons. However, the two KDE boxen that use LCD monitors got their fonts messed up by the upgrade, done verbosely following Pat's official UPGRADE.TXT in -current. I knew some things to save, but didn't know the KDE (Krummy Desktop Excuse) stuff.

I'm going through Darrell Anderson's guide very carefully, and wish I'd done so before upgrading from Slack-10.2 to -current on a KDE box.

SlackerDex · 04-18-2006, 10:27 AM

If I have a custom kernel does that change anything, is there anything I need to know before upgrading?

(Thanks to everybody who replied - another question, is the blacklist in (G)slapt alright? -> I plan to upgrade my system using Gslapt in Xfce(KDE easier?)..yet another question, what things do I have to additionally blacklist to avoid 'breaking(?)' Xfce.

Seppel · 04-18-2006, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlackerDex

If I have a custom kernel does that change anything, is there anything I need to know before upgrading?

(Thanks to everybody who replied - another question, is the blacklist in (G)slapt alright? -> I plan to upgrade my system using Gslapt in Xfce(KDE easier?)..yet another question, what things do I have to additionally blacklist to avoid 'breaking(?)' Xfce.

Kernels are blacklisted AFAIR - but it's better to have a look at /etc/slackpkg/blacklist.

Seppel

Alien_Hominid · 04-18-2006, 01:47 PM

Don't upgrade alsa, aaa_elflibs and kernel headers.

o2bfishn · 04-18-2006, 03:44 PM

what about aaa_base and what if you have the 2.6 kernel, headers, modules, source installed? by default slackpkg does not exclude those in the blacklist file, they are there but the only thing that is excluded by default is aaa_elflibs. i added aaa_base and alsa-driver and uncommented the kernel lines cause i dont want to upgrade the kernel to current cause that is still 2.4 right? i want to keep my 2.6

Alien_Hominid · 04-18-2006, 10:47 PM

Yes, Current kernel is 2.4.32.

geskorup · 04-18-2006, 11:53 PM

In the /etc/slackpkg/blacklist file, by default kernel is there but commented out. If you have a line with kernel on it, slackpkg will disallow any package name that starts with kernel. It's like kernel*, but without the *. So "kernel" on a line will blacklist kernel, kernel-headers, kernel-source, etc..

I have these in the blacklist..

kernel
alsa
aaa_elflibs
kde-i18n

Damn I love Slackware!

SlackerDex · 04-19-2006, 01:39 AM

Quote:

kernel
alsa
aaa_elflibs
kde-i18n

anymore?

Should I add bash as well?

I'm unsure of what to blacklist.

Bruce Hill · 04-19-2006, 01:49 AM

SlackerDex,

This is your system. Don't let everyone scare you about what to do.
You can check if you have the packages in your system now like this:

Code:

mingdao@silas:~$ ls /var/log/packages/kernel*
/var/log/packages/kernel-headers-2.4.32-i386-1  /var/log/packages/kernel-modules-2.4.32-i486-4
/var/log/packages/kernel-ide-2.4.32-i486-3      /var/log/packages/kernel-source-2.4.32-noarch-1
mingdao@silas:~$ ls /var/log/packages/alsa*
/var/log/packages/alsa-driver-1.0.11rc3_2.4.32-i486-1  /var/log/packages/alsa-oss-1.0.10-i486-1
/var/log/packages/alsa-lib-1.0.10-i486-1               /var/log/packages/alsa-utils-1.0.10-i486-1
mingdao@silas:~$ ls /var/log/packages/aaa_elflibs*
/var/log/packages/aaa_elflibs-10.2.0-i486-4
mingdao@silas:~$ ls /var/log/packages/kde-i18n*
/bin/ls: /var/log/packages/kde-i18n*: No such file or directory
mingdao@silas:~$ uname -a
Linux silas 2.6.16.2 #2 Mon Apr 10 14:59:39 CST 2006 i686 athlon-4 i386 GNU/Linux
mingdao@silas:~$

If they are in your system now, and you don't know if you use them,
then why not upgrade? If you blacklist and need them, you're in trouble.

As for the kernel output, if I am using a custom built 2.6.16.2 kernel,
I would NOT want to go back to a generic 2.4.32, would I?

Don't let people scare you. Backup your system and try some things. If
this is a machine that you cannot afford to mess up, and it is working
fine, leave it alone until you learn more. If it's just a box you play
around with, go for it!

You are going to have to make your own decisions. Read about those apps
and see what they do.

SlackerDex · 04-19-2006, 02:03 AM

You do make a good point.

geskorup · 04-19-2006, 09:33 PM

Yes, that's a very good point. I do it the way I do because... that's ME. If the system you have running is for learning, not your every day PC, then play around and if you kill it, try to fix it. That's the beauty of Linux.. You are in control. None of us are saying "don't ask any questions, just figure it out your self" because that's not the movement behind linux. Ask questions because I can tell you that there's a lot of people willing to help another to learn. I put in my $0.02 to lend a hand as others have. Just have fun and learn.

-G