[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.
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slackbook:package_management [2012/09/17 02:57 (UTC)] – [Package Management] Added original text and formatting mfillpot | slackbook:package_management [2012/09/17 03:08 (UTC)] – [slackpkg] Added original text and formatting mfillpot | ||
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===== pkgtool ===== | ===== pkgtool ===== | ||
- | The simplest way to perform package maintenance tasks is to invoke pkgtool(8), a menu-driven interface to some of the other tools. pkgtool allows you to install or remove packages as well as view the contents of those packages and the list of currently installed packages in a user-friendly ncurses interface. | + | The simplest way to perform package maintenance tasks is to invoke |
+ | **//pkgtool//**(8), a menu-driven interface to some of | ||
+ | the other tools. | ||
+ | install or remove packages as well as view the contents of those | ||
+ | packages and the list of currently installed packages in a | ||
+ | user-friendly ncurses interface. | ||
- | {{ :slackware: | + | {{ :slackbook: |
- | pkgtool is a convenient and easy way to perform the most basic tasks, but for more advanced work more flexible tools are needed. | + | **//pkgtool//** is a convenient and easy way to |
+ | perform the most basic tasks, but for more advanced work more flexible | ||
+ | tools are needed. | ||
===== Installing, Removing, and Upgrading Packages ===== | ===== Installing, Removing, and Upgrading Packages ===== | ||
- | While pkgtool scores points for convenience, | + | While **//pkgtool//** scores points for convenience, |
+ | **//installpkg//**(8) is much more capable of | ||
+ | handling odd tasks, such as quickly installing a single package, | ||
+ | installing an entire disk set of packages, or scripting an install. | ||
+ | **//installpkg//** takes a list of packages to | ||
+ | install, and simply installs them without asking any questions. Like | ||
+ | all Slackware package management tools, it assumes that you know what | ||
+ | you're doing and doesn' | ||
+ | simplest form, **//installpkg//** simply takes a | ||
+ | list of packages to install, and does exactly what you would expect. | ||
< | < | ||
Line 38: | Line 55: | ||
# The Blackbox home page is http:// | # The Blackbox home page is http:// | ||
# | # | ||
- | Package blackbox-0.70.1-i486-2.txz installed. | + | Package blackbox-0.70.1-i486-2.txz installed.</ |
- | </ | + | |
+ | |||
+ | You can of course install multiple packages at a time, and in fact use | ||
+ | shell wild cards.The following installs all of the //" | ||
+ | packages from a mounted CD-ROM: | ||
- | You can of course install multiple packages at a time, and in fact use shell wild cards. The following installs all of the " | ||
< | < | ||
- | darkstar:~# installpkg / | + | darkstar:~# installpkg / |
- | </ | + | |
+ | |||
+ | At any given time, you can see what packages are installed on your | ||
+ | system by listing the contents of / | ||
+ | which lists not only every application on your system but also the | ||
+ | version number. Should you want to know what individual files were | ||
+ | installed as a part of that package, **// | ||
+ | the contents of the package: | ||
- | At any given time, you can see what packages are installed on your system by listing the contents of / | ||
< | < | ||
- | darkstar: | + | |
+ | darkstar: | ||
</ | </ | ||
- | This will return everything from the size of the package, a description of what it does, and the name and location of every file installed as a part of the package. | ||
- | Removing a package is every bit as easy as installing one. As you might expect, the command to do this is removepkg(8). Simply tell it which packages to remove, and removepkg will check the contents of the package database and remove all the files and directories for that package with one caveat. If that file is included in multiple installed packages, it will be skipped and if a directory has new files in it, the directory will be left in place. Because of this, removing packages takes a good while longer than installing them. | + | This will return everything from the size of the package, a |
+ | description of what it does, and the name and location of every file | ||
+ | installed as a part of the package. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Removing a package is every bit as easy as installing one. As you | ||
+ | might expect, the command to do this is | ||
+ | **//removepkg//**(8). Simply tell it which | ||
+ | packages to remove, and **//removepkg//** will | ||
+ | check the contents of the package database and remove all the files | ||
+ | and directories for that package with one caveat. If that file is | ||
+ | included in multiple installed packages, it will be skipped and if a | ||
+ | directory has new files in it, the directory will be left in | ||
+ | place. Because of this, removing packages takes a good while longer | ||
+ | than installing them. | ||
< | < | ||
Line 61: | Line 102: | ||
</ | </ | ||
- | Finally, upgrading is just as easy with (you guessed it), upgradepkg(8) which first installs a new package, then removes whatever files and directories are left-over from the old package. One important thing to remember is that upgradepkg doesn' | + | |
+ | Finally, upgrading is just as easy with (you guessed it), | ||
+ | **//upgradepkg//**(8) which first installs a new | ||
+ | package, then removes whatever files and directories are left-over from | ||
+ | the old package. One important thing to remember is that | ||
+ | **//upgradepkg//** doesn' | ||
+ | previously installed package has a higher version number than the //" | ||
+ | package, so it can also be used to downgrade to older versions. | ||
< | < | ||
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Removing package | Removing package | ||
/ | / | ||
- | | + | --> Deleting symlink / |
- | --> Deleting symlink / | + | --> Deleting symlink / |
- | --> Deleting symlink / | + | --> Deleting symlink / |
- | --> Deleting symlink / | + | --> Deleting symlink / |
- | --> Deleting symlink / | + | --> Deleting symlink / |
... | ... | ||
Package blackbox-0.65.0-x86_64-4 upgraded with new package | Package blackbox-0.65.0-x86_64-4 upgraded with new package | ||
- | ./ | + | ./ |
- | </ | + | |
- | All of these tools have useful arguments. For example, the [--root] to installpkg will install packages into an arbitrary directory. The [--dry-run] argument will instruct upgradepkg to simply tell you what it would attempt without actually making any changes to the system. For complete details, you should (as always) refer to the man pages. | + | |
+ | All of these tools have useful arguments. For example, the | ||
+ | //--root// to **//installpkg//** will install | ||
+ | packages into an arbitrary directory. The //--dry-run// argument | ||
+ | will instruct | ||
+ | what it would attempt without actually making any changes to the | ||
+ | system. For complete details, you should (as always) refer to the man | ||
+ | pages. | ||
===== 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, | ||
+ | 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' | ||
+ | UNIX system (many other package formats require special toolchains), | ||
+ | and they' | ||
- | 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' | ||
- | 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. | + | However, it is also important to realize that just because all Slackware |
+ | packages | ||
+ | Slackware packages. | ||
+ | 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, | + | **//Slackpkg//** is an automated tool for |
+ | management of Slackware Linux Packages. It originally appeared in | ||
+ | /extra for the release of slackware-12.1, | ||
+ | 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 **// |
+ | install Slackware packages from the /extra directory included on | ||
+ | the install media, you can use **// | ||
+ | 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 | ||
- 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 |
- | 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** | + | - **slackpkg** |
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 / | ||
- | Once a mirror has been selected, update the list of remote files by issuing the initial command | + | To use **// |
+ | with a Slackware mirror by editing | ||
+ | ''/ | ||
+ | the mirror that is associated with your Slackware version and | ||
+ | architecture, | ||
+ | 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 | ||
+ | should be done any time you notice that a new package has been | ||
+ | posted (regularly checking in with the Slackware changelog is | ||
+ | recommended; | ||
- | To search for a package, use **slackpkg search foo**, and to install use **slackpkg install foo**. | + | To search for a package, use '' |
+ | and to install use '' | ||
- | 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 “[[# | + | 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[[# | ||
- | For more information see the man pages for slackpkg(8) and slackpkg.conf(5), | + | For more information see the **//man//** pages |
+ | for slackpkg(8) and slackpkg.conf(5), | ||
+ | http:// | ||
==== rpm2tgz ==== | ==== rpm2tgz ==== | ||