I've got a question about the startup scripts. What I'm wondering is how the scripts in rc.d work and what the order is. Do the the actual scripts such as rc.cups also need to appear in rc.M, for example, in order to get run. The reason I ask is that I've put a firewall script in /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall. Do I also need to put a line in rc.M for it to run?

You don't need to add a line, just chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.firewall

It will be executed by /etc/rc.d/rc.inet2 at boot

Don't use slackware but on most Unix/Linux systems you have to have your primary script in a central location (usually /etc/init.d is there or is a symbolic link to where the correct directory is e.g. /etc/rc.d/init.d on RedHat EL AS 3).

You then have to create symbolic links to the specific script in a run level specific directory. (Debian has /etc/rc0.d through /etc/rc6.d and /etc/rcS.d for special single user, Redhat EL AS 3 has /etc/rc.d/rc0.d through /etc/rc.d/rc6.d). rc2.d for be for run level 2, rc1.d for be for run level 1 (single user) etc...

Within the run level specific directories you typically have files named S##script and K##script where script is the same as the base script name (from init.d) and ## is a numeric sequence indicating order to be executed. S means startup and K means (kill) shutdown.

So you would need to go the correct run level directory and create a symbolic link there back to the script you had created using the rules noted above.

No, slackware has a BSD init scripts structure,
it does not use /etc/init.d/* scripts like many other Linux distributions

http://www.slackware.com/config/init.php

Here's what appears to be a pretty decent write up about the boot process.

http://www.comptechdoc.org/os/linux/...rks/index.html

Thanks, I'll read that soon. How do I know the order that scripts start? I suppose for example that the firewall is started before the network is. That link by the way isn't very slackware. I think what I'm trying to work out is the order the scripts start. I've just installed hplip for example. I need to put a script in rc.d, and it needs to start before cups. Someone else has put a line in rc.M, just before the cups entry. So some things need to be told when to start and others such as rc.firewall are automated?

Unless there is an absolute need the safest place for any 'non-Slackware' script is in /etc/rc.d/rc.local. Reason is you have fewer things to remember about where you made changes to stock installed scripts.

That said order is rc.S then rc.M

Being a really old Xtree Gold user I found mc (Midnight commander) to be invaluable and recommend installing same, then viewing [F3] the different scripts in /etc/rc.d/ . Of course can be done in a GUI but....

ppd

I'm actually trying for nth time to install hplip successfully. The script works ok. It starts before cups. But can I get my scanner to run? No. The hplip is really built for non slackware distros. It installs the script automatically if you've got init.d for it. Apparently it also uses different path/to/sane/libraries than slackware as well. But I just can't get it to work. It's times like these when I long to reinstall Mandriva. Anyway, who needs a scanner.