[2024-feb-29] Sad news: Eric Layton aka Nocturnal Slacker aka vtel57 passed away on Feb 26th, shortly after hospitalization. He was one of our Wiki's most prominent admins. He will be missed.

Welcome to the Slackware Documentation Project

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slackbook:package_management [2012/09/17 03:01 (UTC)] – [Installing, Removing, and Upgrading Packages] Added original text and formatting mfillpotslackbook:package_management [2012/09/17 03:08 (UTC)] – [slackpkg] Added original text and formatting mfillpot
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 ===== Package Compression Formats ===== ===== Package Compression Formats =====
  
-In the past, all Slackware packages were compressed with the gzip(1) compression utility, which was a good compromise between compression speed and size. Recently, new compression schemes have been added and the package management tools have been upgraded to handle these. Today, official Slackware packages are compressed with the xz utility and end with .txz extensions. Older packages (and many third party packages) still use the .tgz extension.+In the past, all Slackware packages were compressed with the 
 +**//gzip//**(1) compression utility, which was a 
 +good compromise between compression speed and size.Recently, new 
 +compression schemes have been added and the package management tools 
 +have been upgraded to handle these. Today, official Slackware 
 +packages are compressed with the **//xz//** 
 +utility and end with .txz extensions.Older packages (and many 
 +third party packages) still use the .tgz extension.
  
-It's worth emphasizing that .tgz and .txz (or, more succinctly, .t?z files) are very standard, non-unique extensions for compressed .tar files. This has many advantages; they're easy to build on nearly any UNIX system (many other package formats require special toolchains), and they're just as simple to de-construct. 
  
-However, it is also important to realize that just because all Slackware packages are .t?z files, not all .t?z files are Slackware packages. Installpkg won't magically install just any .t?z file, only Slackware packages.+It's worth emphasizing that .tgz and .txz (or, more succinctly, .t?z 
 +files) are very standard, non-unique extensions for compressed .tar 
 +files. This has many advantages; they're easy to build on nearly any 
 +UNIX system (many other package formats require special toolchains), 
 +and they're just as simple to de-construct. 
 + 
 + 
 +However, it is also important to realize that just because all Slackware 
 +packages **are** .t?z files, not all .t?z files are 
 +Slackware packages. **//Installpkg//** won't 
 +magically install just any .t?z file, only Slackware packages.
 ==== slackpkg ==== ==== slackpkg ====
  
-Slackpkg is an automated tool for management of Slackware Linux Packages. It originally appeared in /extra for the release of slackware-12.1, and since the release of slackware-12.2 it has been included in the ap/ series of a base installation.+**//Slackpkg//** is an automated tool for 
 +management of Slackware Linux Packages. It originally appeared in 
 +/extra for the release of slackware-12.1, and since the release 
 +of slackware-12.2 it has been included in the ap/ series of a 
 +base installation.
  
-Just as you are able to use installpkg to install Slackware packages from the /extra directory included on the install media, you can use slackpkg to pull packages from the Internet and install them. This is particularly useful for security updates or significant application upgrades that are posted to the Slackware servers, some of which you may want to start using on your own system. 
  
-Without slackpkg, the process would be:+Just as you are able to use **//installpkg//** to 
 +install Slackware packages from the /extra directory included on 
 +the install media, you can use **//slackpkg//** 
 +to pull packages from the Internet and install them. This is 
 +particularly useful for security updates or significant application 
 +upgrades that are posted to the Slackware servers, some of which you 
 +may want to start using on your own system. 
 + 
 + 
 +Without **//slackpkg//**, the process would be:
   - Notice in the Slackware changelog that an update has been released.   - Notice in the Slackware changelog that an update has been released.
   - Look on your local Slackware mirror to find a download link of the package.   - Look on your local Slackware mirror to find a download link of the package.
   - Download the package from a Slackware mirror to your hard drive.   - Download the package from a Slackware mirror to your hard drive.
-  - Use either installpkg or pkgtool to install the downloaded package.+  - Use either **//installpkg//** or **//pkgtool//** to install the downloaded package.
  
-With slackpkg, this is reduced to:+With **//slackpkg//**, this is reduced to:
  
-  - Notice in the Slackware changelog that an update for foo has been released. +  - Notice in the Slackware changelog that an update for **//foo//** has been released. 
-  - **slackpkg** [install] foo+  - **slackpkg** //install// foo
  
 Clearly, this streamlines a fairly common task. Clearly, this streamlines a fairly common task.
  
-To use slackpkg, configure your system with a Slackware mirror by editing /etc/slackpkg/mirrors as root. Find the mirror that is associated with your Slackware version and architecture, and uncomment it. This list of mirrors offers ftp and http access, but you must uncomment only one mirror. 
  
-Once a mirror has been selected, update the list of remote files by issuing the initial command **slackpkg update**. This should be done any time you notice that a new package has been posted //(regularly checking in with the Slackware changelog is recommended; see [[slackbook:tracking_updates|Chapter 18, Keeping Track of Updates]] for more information)//.+To use **//slackpkg//**, configure your system 
 +with a Slackware mirror by editing 
 +''/etc/slackpkg/mirrors'' as root. Find 
 +the mirror that is associated with your Slackware version and 
 +architecture, and uncomment it. This list of mirrors offers ftp and 
 +http access, but you must uncomment **only one** 
 +mirror. 
 + 
 +Once a mirror has been selected, update the list of remote files by 
 +issuing the initial command ''slackpkg update''. This 
 +should be done any time you notice that a new package has been 
 +posted (regularly checking in with the Slackware changelog is 
 +recommended; see [[slackbook:tracking_updates|Chapter 18, Keeping Track of Updates]] for more information).
  
-To search for a package, use **slackpkg search foo**, and to install use **slackpkg install foo**.+To search for a package, use ''slackpkg search foo'', 
 +and to install use ''slackpkg install foo''.
  
-Once a package has been installed with slackpkg, it can be removed or upgraded using pkgtool and the other package management commands as detailed in the section called “[[#installing_removing_and_upgrading_packages|Installing, Removing, and Upgrading Packages]]”.+Once a package has been installed with 
 +**//slackpkg//**, it can be removed or upgraded 
 +using **//pkgtool//** and the other package 
 +management commands as detailed in[[#installing_removing_and_upgrading_packages|Installing, Removing, and Upgrading Packages]].
  
-For more information see the man pages for slackpkg(8) and slackpkg.conf(5), and see its website at [[http://www.slackpkg.org/]]+For more information see the **//man//** pages 
 +for slackpkg(8) and slackpkg.conf(5), and see its website at [[ 
 +http://www.slackpkg.org/|http://www.slackpkg.org/]]
 ==== rpm2tgz ==== ==== rpm2tgz ====
  

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