===== Get acquainted with Slackware =====

==== Introduction ====
This document is intended to allow people who have already used another "Unix-like" system to get quickly acquainted with
Slackware. We assume that the reader:
  * knows the main Unix commands and the associated concepts,
  * knows how-to edit a text file (such as a configuration file)
  * can read a simple shell script.

==== Resources ====
=== Slackware's website ===
The website [[http://slackware.com|slackware.com]] is an entry point to
following resources:

  * [[https://www.patreon.com/slackwarelinux/overview|The official Patreon page]] to financially support Slackware,
  * [[http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/slackware-iso/|ISO images]], a [[http://mirrors.slackware.com/|mirrors list]], [[http://www.slackware.com/getslack/torrents.php|torrents]] to get the distribution,
  * [[http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/|Files trees]] from version 1.01,
  * The [[http://packages.slackware.com/|Packages browser]] allows to find packages for all versions since Slackware 8.1

=== Directories and documents at the root of the distribution's file trees ===
These documents are also available at the root of each of the
[[http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/slackware-iso/|ISO images]]

Here is an incomplete list of the main directories and documents useful to
Slackware newcomers.
<code>
.
|-- CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT See the end: OTHER NOTABLE CHANGES AND HINTS
|-- README.TXT            présentation of the version, including the packages series
|-- README.initrd         how-to create an "initrd" to start the system[1]
|-- Slackware-HOWTO       requirements, installation and configuration
|-- EFI/                  installer for UEFI 64-bit from version 14.1
|-- extra/                additional packages and sources
|-- isolinux/             installer
|-- kernels/              kernels
|-- pasture/              obsolete packages and sources
|-- patches/              packages and sources updated after a release
|-- slackware/            base packages (if 32-bit)
|-- slackware64/          base packages (if 64-bit)
|-- testing/              packages intended for adventurous
`-- usb-and-pxe-installers/ alternate installation methods
</code>

[1] See also /usr/share/mkinitrd/mkinitrd_command_generator.sh after
installation.

The names of the other documents with the TXT extension give a clue about
their content.

=== Other information sources ===

The aim of community website [[http://docs.slackware.com|SlackDocs]] is to be
the main information source about Slackware. Visit it priority to deepen the
topics covered in this document.

Slackware newcomers (and others) have their
[[http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/|Slackware forum]] on
the website LinuxQuestions.org, often abbreviated LQ.

You can find other sources of information following the
[[http://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Slackware-Links|Slackware-Links]]
proposed by onebuck from LQ.

After installation, read the email from Patrick Volkerding, it contains
additional information: just type ''mail'' as root, or read the file
/var/spool/mail/root with ''less''.

==== Installation, configuration, startup ====

=== Installation ===

The installation media can be obtained on Slackware's website (see above).

Slackware provides a text installer, the document Slackware-HOWTO presents
the installation process.

The genuine installer is only available in English but the project
[[http://slint.fr|Slint]] offers [[http://slint.fr/installer.html|polyglot
installers]], which also complement the system configuration: choosing the
language, the keyboard layout and creating ordinary users. A
[[http://slint.fr/package.html|Slint package]], also installed, provides
polyglot versions of the main administration tools and/or their manual
pages. Since version 14.1 the Slint installers can be controlled by a
Braille terminal, that can also be used to control the installed system.

=== Configuration post-installation ===

The tasks of configuration and administration must be carried out as
root. If you are logged in as a normal user, type ''su'' (to obtain root
privileges) or ''su -'' (to become root). The ''sudo command'', although
available, is rarely used to administer Slackware.
  * To create "ordinary" users, type ''adduser''
  * To change the font for the console type ''setconsolefont''
  * To change the console keymap edit /etc/rc.d/rc.keymap and make it executable
  * To change the LANG edit /etc/profile.d/lang.sh and case occurring /etc/profile.d/lang.csh. Note: in Slackware /bin/sh is a symlink to /bin/bash.
  * To modify the keyboard settings for X (in graphical mode), copy usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d/90-keyboard-layout.conf to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d, hen edit the copy. The file /etc/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.lst lists all known alues for XkbModel, XkbLayout, XkbVariant and XkbOptions under the respective headings ''! model'', ''! layout'', ''! variant'' and ''! option''
  * You can re-run the setup scripts (already used at the end of installation) using the command ''pkgtool'', menu entry ''Setup''.

Slackware includes the main text editors such as pico, nano, elvis and vim
and file managers mc and thunar and, of course, all common utilities and
shells, useful to configure and administer the system.

In general, Slackware does not prejudge how the system will be used. It is up
to the administrator to customize it for its intended usage by editing the
configuration files located in /etc or its sub-directories. It helps to read the comments
in scripts for management of services located in /etc/rc.d as well as in the
configuration files.

=== Startup ===

At first startup after installation your system will be in "console" mode,
without a GUI. If you prefer to start in graphical mode, replace
"id:3:initdefault:" with "id:4:initdefault:" (runlevel 4 instead of 3) in
the file /etc/inittab

Otherwise, to switch from console to graphical mode, choose first your
window manager or desktop by default through command ''xwmconfig'' either as
root (for all) or as ordinary user (for that user). Then type ''startx'' to
start this window manager or desktop from the console after system startup.

In Slackware the run levels configured in /etc/inittab are:
  * 0: shutdown
  * 1: single user
  * 3: multi user (default level)
  * 4: idem 3, but with a sessions manager for X
  * 7: reboot

At these levels correspond scripts in /etc/rc.d:
  * rc.S runs at startup, it initializes the system, checks then mount the file systems.
  * rc.M in multi user mode starts most services (daemons launched by scripts in /etc/rc.d if executable).
  * rc.K goes into single user mode (run level 1 or S).
  * rc.4 starts a session manager: gdm, kdm or xdm, others can be added editing that script.
  * rc.0 shuts down the system (symlink to rc.6).
  * rc.6 reboots or shuts down (if called as rc.0) the system cleanly.

Note. The administrator can add services scripts (daemons manager) in
/etc/rc.d. Place the ''start'' of the demons in /etc/rc.d/rc.local and the
''stop'' in /etc/rc.d/rc.local_shutdown. /etc/rc.d/rc.local is run by
/etc/rc.d/rc.M, /etc/rc.d/rc.local_shutdown by /etc/rc.d/rc.6

In addition Slackware includes a structure for managing services by run
level in a ''sysvinit'' fashion for the software not included in the
distribution (commercial ones, noticeably) that need it.

The management of services to be launched at startup can be done:
  * manually making executable: (''chmod 755 <script name>'') or not: (''chmod 644 <script name>'') the corresponding script in /etc/rc/.d
  * using the command ''pkgtool'' (choose ''Setup'' then ''services'' in the menu).

Note. As all administration tools, ''pkgtool'' should be run as root.

==== Management of software packages ====
=== Presentation of Slackware software packages ===

Slackware is distributed as a set of software packages containing
applications and associated documents, and if necessary scripts executed
during installation, noticeably for creating symbolic links or manage the
configuration files and services' management scripts.

A Slackware package consists in a file tree archived with ''tar'' and once
compressed  with ''gzip'', nowadays with ''xz ''.

A shell script called "SlackBuild" compiles binaries to be shipped in the
archive and installs them in the package's tree alongside other files. It
usually ends with the execution of the ''makepkg'' command, which makes the
archive from the package's file tree, including case occuring the
appropriate installation scripts, cf. "man makepkg".

The software packages are in the directories of installation media indicated
above. Each of these directories contains following files:
  * PACKAGES.TXT => Name, size, and description of each package.\\ 
  * FILE_LIST => All files included in the directory.\\ 
  * MANIFEST.bz2 => The characteristics of each file (to be) installed by each package (file compressed with ''bzip2'')

The directories slackware/ or slackware64/ gather package "series" like a/,
ap/, d/, etc. These series are described in README.TXT and Slackware-HOWTO
at the root of the installation media. They are presented during
installation.

During a full installation, all the packages in slackware/ or slackware64/
are proposed.

Important: as Slackware does not automatically manage dependencies between
software, it is recommended to beginners to perform a complete or "full"
installation: all the files needed to run the applications are provided in
Slackware packages, thus installing them all guarantees that all
dependencies will be met.

To each software package corresponds a source directory, located:
  * in the source/ sub-directory of directories extra/, pasture/ et testing/
  * in the source/ directory of the [[http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/|files trees]] and in specific ISO images in directories (32-bit edition) of [[http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/slackware-iso/|ISOs]] for the packages in slackware/ or slackware64/

For instance, for version 14.1 the contents of the directory source/ap/tmux/
is:
<code>
.
|-- slack-desc         application's description
|-- tmux-1.8.tar.xz    source archive
`-- tmux.SlackBuild    should be (made) executable
</code>

This allows in particular to build a package with other compilation options
and/or for a newer version by editing the SlackBuild, and case occuring  by
copying in the package source directory a different version of the
software's source archive.

In our example to modernize ''tmux'', just download the most recent (at time of writing) source archive
tmux-1.9a.tar.gz from the [[http://tmux.sourceforge.net/|tmux website]], place
it in source/ap/tmux/ and type as root from that directory
'VERSION=1.9a./tmux.SlackBuild' to build a/tmp/tmux-1.9a-i486-1.txz package
that can replace the previous one with the command 'upgradepkg
/tmp/tmux-1.9a-i486-1.txz'

=== The Slackware packages database ===

It consists of text files in the directory /var/log of installed system:

/var/log/packages/<package>: provides summary data about the package and
lists installed files\\
/var/log/scripts/<package>: lists case occurring the
commands run by installation scripts\\
/var/log/removed_packages/<package>:
provide information about deleted package\\ 
/var/log/removed_scripts/<package>: lists the commands run by installation
scripts of removed packages

As they are text files, you can read them with ''less'' or with a text
editor. They are updated and used by package management programs. They allow
for example to know the contents of a package, in which packages(s) is
shipped an installed file or whether a file was modified or deleted since
installation.

The files PACKAGES.TXT and FILE_LIST included in the package directories are
also used for their management.

=== Installing, removing and updating software packages ===

These functions are provided respectively by the commands ''installpkg'',
''removepkg'', ''upgradepkg'', cf. their man pages.

Caution: ''ugradepkg'' would be better named ''replacepkg'' as that command
installs the specified package then removes the previously installed one,
regardless of their respective versions.

The command ''pkgtool'', menu driven, allows to install, remove, examine the
content of packages and more generally administer the system: ''pkgtool'' is
the "Swiss army knife" of Slackware. In addition to "man pkgtool", get to
know the tool browsing its menu.

The command ''slackpkg'', build atop other Slackware package tools, provides
in addition an access to a local or remote mirror of official Slackware
packages. This allows e.g. to download and install a set of packages or keep
the system up to date with a single command. Its operation is governed by
the configuration files /etc/slackpkg/slackpkg.conf and
/etc/slackpkg/mirrors, see "man slackpkg" and "man slackpkg.conf".

=== The software package's database on Slackware's website ===

The [[http://packages.slackware.com/|Slackware Package Browser]] allows to make a search using
following criteria:
  * Package
  * Label
  * Description
  * Content

in one or more packages directories, for all versions of Slackware from 8.1
up to "current".\\
It also provides access to the files' tree of each of
these versions.

=== Complete Slackware with third party packages ===

Slackware doesn't provide all existing software. As wrote Patrick
Volkerding:

>When I started this project, it really wasn't my intent to provide every possible package, application, desktop, etc. My goal was to make a platform upon which things could be built easily and that followed upstream as closely as was possible. Of course, some applications had to be included, but the idea was to try to stick to the essentials that everyone would miss if they weren't there.

Most of the applications missing from Slackware are available on the
community website http://slackbuilds.org that offers, not third party
packages, but everything needed to build them minus the sources files.

For information on using the provided materials, see http://slackbuilds.org/howto/.

The ''sbopkg'' software available here: http://www.sbopkg.org/ facilitates
usage of Slackbuilds available in http://slackbuilds.org/, automating the
download of everything needed, then the construction and installation of
packages. See "man sbopkg" and the configuration file
/etc/sbopkg/sbopkg.conf.

Furthermore the ''sqg'' application, available after installing ''sbopkg'' in
/usr/doc/sbopkg-<version>/contrib/sqg, eases usage of sbopkg in
automatically forming ordered dependencies lists or "queue files". Type 'sqg
-h' for details. You should edit the beginning of the script ''sqg'' before
use.

Finally, some trusted third party offer packages already built. See
especially those offered by Eric Hameleers aka
[[http://www.slackware.com/~alien/slackbuilds/|Alien BOB]],
[[http://rlworkman.net/pkgs/|Robby Workman]] and Matteo Bernardini aka
[[http://ponce.cc/slackware/|ponce]], Slackware contributors.

The website http://www.slackware.org.uk/ also hosts packages or Slackbuilds
such as those proposed by distributions derived from Slackware, as [[http://www.salixos.org/|Salix]]
maintained mainly by George Vlahavas, or desktops not included in Slackware,
such as [[http://www.slackware.org.uk/msb/|Mate]] proposed by Chess Griffin and
Willy Sudiarto Raharjo, or provided by
[[http://slacky.eu/slacky/Pagina_principale|slacky.eu]]

Packages that can be installed on Slackware are also available
elsewhere. Important warnings:
  * Know who proposes these packages and preferably trust contributors of Slackware or at least of http://slackbuilds.org
  * Carefully inspect the contents of packages before installation, including a check  of the permissions of files and any changes to existing directories and files. Use ''less'', ''tar'' and/or ''explodepkg'', see "man explodepkg".
  * Never install a package whose sources and SlackBuild are not available.

Finally, the unofficial plugin
[[http://slakfinder.org/slackpkg+.html|slackpkg+]] extends the use of slackpkg
to directories containing "unofficial" Slackware packages.

=== Build your own packages ===

This is the recommended method if no SlackBuild is available, to benefit of
the Slackware package management tools and maintain a "clean" system.

The software ''slacktrack'', included in Slackware, can help you, as "man
makepkg". Inspecting existing Slackbuilds and
[[http://slackbuilds.org/templates/|templates]] proposed at slackbuilds.org can
inspire you. Browse [[http://docs.slackware.com|SlackDocs]] with the key word
"package" or "install" to learn more.

==== Maintainance of the system ====

To be informed of the availability of software packages that meet security
breaches, email majordomo@slackware.com with the phrase "subscribe
slackware-security" in the body.

The page [[http://www.slackware.com/changelog/|Slackware Changelogs]] gathers
Changelogs of stable and current versions.

For a stable version updates are few, because they are only intended to fill
a security breach or to correct a major bug and not just to provide a more
recent version of software included in the distribution. Users are expected
to modernize their software themselves if they wish, see previous chapter
for how to do that: Slackware is not a rolling releases, but publishes a
succession of stable versions.

Updating or reinstalling a package can lead to reinstall a file (usually a
configuration file) already installed. In this case if they don't match the
system will install a new file next to the precedent with a .new extension
and you get to decide what to do on a case by case basis: merge the two
files, keep the former as is or replace it with the new one.

The practice of installing on a system a software package shipped in another
version of Slackware is discouraged and often fails. Better try to rebuild a
package for the installed version, running the SlackBuild in a copy of the
source directory of that package, gathered from the other version. And of
course, it is strongly unadvised to install packages intended for or
included in another distribution, unless it be deemed 100% compatible with
Slackware's identical version.

The dissemination of "Slackware-current" fastens and helps to finalize the
development of the future stable version, allowing those who wish to test
the work in progress and report problems. It should neither be used in
production nor considered as a proper way of updating a stable release.
====== Sources ======
  * Originally written by [[wiki:user:didierspaier | Didier Spaier]]
<!-- * Contributions by [[wiki:user:yyy | User Y]] -->
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{{tag>howtos}}