Slackware root/virtual server provider
 

Hi,

not sure whether this fits in this category or would better be suited in the server related forum. But since the question is more or less about Slackware I just picked this one.

I am looking for a root or virtual server provider which allows installation of Slackware on the server. Either provided by their own image or via custom installation. The provider should be situated in Europe, preferrably Germany. So far I have found Linode and 'isgenug.de' (a German provider).

Google didn't help me a lot on my search, maybe I haven't use the right words. Most providers stick to the well known distributions like Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, SuSE. But I specifically want Slackware to be running on my machine. Any help would be much appreciated!

Well you have already found the one I would have suggested, Linode. So all I can say at this stage is I have had no problems with them and would happily recommend them to others.

Note: I am actually running Arch on the VPS/VDS but as you say they provide Slackware.

About a year ago it was next to impossible finding an affordable Slackware VPS. So instead I got an OpenVZ-based Arch VPS from proplay.biz (Frankfurt, DE) and replaced Arch with Slackware.

The process basically works like this: "installpkg" everything into a virtual root-directory on your Slackware-based home computer, edit the rc.X-scripts (mount-points, udev, network-config, etc.), tar it up, transfer it to the VPS, replace Arch on-the-fly, reboot, done. You can PM me for more detailed instructions (German language, proplay-specific, so propably not very useful to post them here).

Recently, a friend was shopping for a VPS and found a number of providers offering Slackware VPSs. However, the only one I can remember is colorhost.de (Düsseldorf, DE). vpsville.ca has Slackware VPSs in London, UK. They're a bit pricey, though.

ThrustVPS
 

I have a Slackware VPS running at http://www.thrustvps.com/
The Slackware provided was 12.0 which I upgraded all the way to current. I'm only doing the most basic thing on it at the moment but I'm pretty happy about it for the price (very cheap).

I would highly recommend nqhost.

Order a vds from here http://nqhost.com/unmetered-xen-vds.html and you can choose install from a .iso file.

I have had vps from them for about 6 months and im very happy about them. They also provide a control panel where you can stop and start your vps, and a console where you can login if you mess up anything.

I would give nqhost a 10 out of 10. Never had any trouble with them.

Regards Roar

Thank you! That's exactly what I was looking for!

Last night I switched the VPS from Arch to Slackware (13.37), so I thought I'd give an update to anyone else who stumbles on this thread.

The default Slackware setup they provide is quite spartan. You will almost certainly want to bulk it up a bit to give you a usable environment. I pretty much tripped its size but then I did add a full range of development tools (so that I could build some stuff from Slackbuilds should I want/need to). It does come with slackpkg, so it is fairly easy to build up. Though slackpkg did print some minor errors initially after finding some *.new files (after updating packages) due to the lack of tput (provided by ncurses), which wasn't yet present.

That said, starting with a small setup and letting the user build it up as suits their needs is quite reasonable. Disk space is obviously much more limited than on a real machine, so you probably want to keep things fairly small to leave room for your files.

I did also notice that it was running a different kernel than ships with Slackware 13.37:
Rather than:
Also lsmod reports nothing and /boot is empty. I presume this is all related to the fact that Slackware is actually running under a Xen hypervisor and that is the kernel of the host system. I'd also assume it was the same under Arch previously but I simply failed to notice! ;) Anyway, it doesn't seem to cause me any problems and presumably other VPS providers using a Xen-based setup would be exactly the same. Nonetheless I thought I'd mention it in case anyone was wishing to run a specific kernel.

In summary, it is a nice slim setup and most importantly, it works! ;) Also I've had zero problems with Linode the whole time I have used them (over 2 years now) and zero downtime that I am aware of.

Edit: Just found this review comparing Linode and Slicehost that might interest people http://www.iexplain.org/linode-vs-slicehost-review/

Edit2: It seems you can run a distro supplied kernel (or indeed any kernel) if you so desire:

http://library.linode.com/linode-pla.../pv-grub-howto