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Slackware 64bit AArch64 (ARM64) 'current' (development branch): Installation Documentation
This document lists the Hardware Models that are supported by Slackware AArch64.
These hardware models are installed using the standard Slackware Installer, which is the only recommended method for properly installing Slackware. The Slackware Installer offers full customisation, allowing you to select everything from the package set to the file system type and partition layout.
Actively maintained support
The following hardware is explicitly supported and has been tested.
| Hardware Vendor | SoC | Hardware Model | Hardware Model Custodian(s) | Testing cadence | Installation Instructions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine64 | RK3399 | RockPro64 | Slackware ARM team | Continuously | Instructions |
| Pine64 | RK3399 | PineBook Pro | Slackware ARM team | Continuously | Instructions |
| Element14 | BCM2711 | Raspberry Pi 4/400 | Slackware ARM team | Continuously | Instructions |
| SolidRun | LX2160A | HoneyComb LX2 | Slackware ARM team | Continuously | Instructions |
| Apple Silicon (UTM - Paravirtualization) | Apple Silicon | Apple Mx (UTM) | Slackware ARM team | Regularly | Instructions |
| Apple Silicon (VMWare Fusion - Paravirtualization) | Apple Silicon | Apple Mx (VMWare Fusion) | Slackware ARM team | Regularly | Instructions |
| Apple Silicon (Parallels - Paravirtualization) | Apple Silicon | Apple Mx (VMWare Fusion) | Slackware ARM team | Irregularly | Instructions |
Generic EFI-based Hardware Models
If the Hardware Model you have is not in the above list, but supports EFI, it's possible that you can use the generic bootable ISO to install Slackware.
See the generic EFI installation guide.
Work in Progress support
| Hardware Vendor | SoC | Hardware Model | Hardware Model Custodian(s) | Testing cadence | Installation Instructions |
|---|
Legacy
The following Hardware Models were previously supported but are no longer.
| Hardware Model | End of support notes |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi 3 | The RPi3 used for development and testing is broken. The support remains within the OS for experienced users who want to try it. |
Unsupported Hardware Models
Whilst Slackware ARM officially supports a small number of Hardware Models, it is capable of running on many more.
The Slackware AArch64 kernel is a generic kernel designed for the ARMv8 (AArch64/ARM64) architecture, offering broad support for a wide range of AArch64 platforms and hardware models. This includes devices like the Raspberry Pi, RockPro64, Pinebook Pro, HoneyComb LX2, and systems using virtualization. Essentially, a single kernel supports these diverse Hardware Models.
However, the Slackware Installer is packaged differently to accommodate the specific needs of these Hardware Models during initial installation. As a result, distinct Slackware Installer images are provided for different hardware models—except where they share compatibility (e.g., various Raspberry Pi versions use a single installer image, as do the RockPro64 and Pinebook Pro).
Additionally, the Slackware Installer, along with certain OS packages, needs to be aware of the specific Hardware Model in order to configure the system correctly. This includes setting up the installer with the appropriate settings for each Hardware Model. For instance, if you’re installing or accessing the OS over a serial port, the device name must be correctly set, as it can vary across different Hardware Models.
This is why the Slackware ARM team has a defined list of supported hardware models, which have either been directly tested or validated based on community feedback regarding compatibility.
Bootable Slackware Installer ISO for Hardware models supporting UEFI
That said, several Hardware Models, such as the HoneyComb LX2 and Thinkpad X13s, support UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), allowing a single installer package to be used across these devices. In such cases, we provide a bootable EFI ISO image that can be written to an SD card or USB stick, or mounted as virtual optical media on virtualization platforms like UTM or VMware Fusion on macOS. This image can then be used to boot the Slackware Installer and install the OS.
However, if your Hardware Model is unsupported or unknown, the operating system may require manual adjustments before it can boot—such as configuring the bootloader. While this adds some complexity, it will help you make faster progress.
If you have an unsupported Hardware Model with UEFI support, follow the Virtualization guide (as most steps are similar - just write the ISO to an SD card or USB stick), and see how far you can get. If you need assistance, feel free to ask on the Slackware ARM forum —there's a good chance we can offer support for your Hardware Model.
Mini root filesystems for non-UEFI unsupported Hardware Models
Some newer Hardware Models may not yet have support in the mainline Linux kernel. In such cases, you can try using the miniroot filesystem, which is an archive containing the core package set needed to boot Slackware Linux. This includes essential networking tools and other utilities required to get started.
Most of the time all that is required is:
- A custom kernel (or patches for mainline) for the Hardware Model
- Knowledge of how to build and work with the Hardware Model's boot loader
If the Hardware Model is popular, users of other distributions such as Debian, Gentoo and Ubuntu may have already succeeded in getting Linux running on one of these devices.
For experimentation, Slackware ARM provides mini root filesystem images of a minimal/base installation.
Please read the README file which has more details, and click here to download the root filesystem images.
These file systems were used to bootstrap the Slackware AArch64 port, with the miniroot (the Slackware OS) running from RAM.
The Slackware Installer is also a featureful environment and can be used in conjunction with the miniroot to help develop support for a new Hardware Model.
