[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

A few remarks:

  1. You don't have to mention my name so often ;-)
  2. The script is part of Slackware: /usr/share/mkinitrd/mkinitrd_command_generator.sh so there is no need to download it.
  3. Running mkinitrd_command_generator.sh -l /boot/vmlinuz-generic-3.2.28 will output a lilo.conf stanza for easy inclusion to /etc/lilo.conf:
    # Linux bootable partition config begins
    # initrd created with 'mkinitrd -c -k 3.2.28 -f ext4 -r /dev/sdb2 -m usb-storage:ehci-hcd:usbhid:ohci-hcd:mbcache:jbd2:ext4 -u -o /boot/initrd.gz'
    image = /boot/vmlinuz-generic-3.2.28
      initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
      root = /dev/sdb2
      label = 3.2.28
      read-only
    # Linux bootable partition config ends

    Note the indentation at the start of those lines - they make the lilo.conf easier to read.

  4. Try to wrap your example commands in “<code></code>” tags for better readability - see how I did that, right above.
  5. The line “slackpkg update slackpkg install-new slackpkg upgrade-all” needs semi-colons to separate the sub-commands
  6. Mention xwmconfig as a means to select whether you want to start KDE, or XFCE, or another available desktop environment
  7. Explain how /etc/inittab can be edited to get a graphical login screen
  8. etc…

Eric Hameleers 2012/08/28 14:42

I've taken the liberty to clean up the formatting a bit. Will also take a look at the content. — Harishankar 2012/08/29 01:48
See *2* above. The mkinitrd_command_generator script is already included in Slackware, no need to download it. — Brian Lawrence 2012/08/29 02:25

Edited it to refer to the included script. — Brian Lawrence 2012/08/29 03:47


Re: Item 1 - We're all just proud to be associated with you and helping you to make this place happen. :-)V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/28 16:04

I've been making some changes to make the article read in a wiki-reference style. I would love your feedback on my edits. Sorry if I've been a bit too edit-heavy. — Harishankar 2012/08/29 02:38

I prefer slightly different method. I add “initrd = /boot/initrd.gz” and section for huge kernel copy (for recovery needs) to lilo.conf

image = /boot/vmlinuz
  initrd = /boot/initrd.gz
  root = /dev/sdb2
  label = Slackware
  read-only
image = /boot/vmlinuz-ho
  root = /dev/sdb2
  label = HugeOld
  read-only

I usually run something as

# cp /boot/vmlinuz-huge-smp-$(uname -r) /boot/vmlinuz-ho
# $(/usr/share/initrd/mkinitrd_command_generator.sh -r -k 3.2.28-smp)  # add another keys as needed
# (cd /; /var/log/scripts/kernel-generic-smp-3.2.28_smp-*)  # to modify /boot/vmlinuz, ... symlinks
# lilo

Serg Bormant, 2012-08-29


# useradd -m -g users -G users,wheel, floppy,audio,video,cdrom,plugdev,power,netdev -s /bin/bash slacker

Remove the space between wheel and floppy. Groups are separated by commas, but without any space. Niki Kovacs.


In “Configure X If Required”:

X -configure

Shouldn't that be?

Xorg -configure

Brian Lawrence 2012/08/29 04:39


Why has the old revision been restored? This is absolutely spitting in the face of community improvements. Does my hard work in editing this article mean nothing? I absolutely refuse to have anything more to do here. I spent almost an hour making those changes. — Harishankar 2012/08/29 08:41

I don't know what's going on. Let's hope all the necessary edits are included. — Brian Lawrence 2012/08/29 08:51
I don't want to get into any edit wars now. Let the author clarify. I was just about to make the changes you suggested (or think about them) when I found the old article back. It is not my intention to be egoistical. Sorry if I came across as egoistical. — Harishankar 2012/08/29 08:57

I believe an important rule of wiki etiquette needs to be stated here and now for the record:

  • Major edits should NOT be performed on any contributor's submissions here without his/her express knowledge and permission. (with a record of discussion on the Talk page)

Exceptions to this rule:

  1. The author is unknown or no longer an active participant here.
  2. Editing is required to correct vandalism.
  3. Minor grammatical, punctuation, wiki formatting edits.
  4. Blatant errors - in which case, a note should be placed within the article by a Staff Editor stating that the information is incorrect as it currently appears and will be amended soon (once the original contributor is notified).
  • For all of the above, a record of the editor's reasons and further discussion should be present on the Talk page.

And finally, I completely understand a contributor's anger and disappointment when their work is improperly altered. It can take hours to research, compile, and finalize and article. To have that work substantially edited by someone later without the courtesy of prior discussion is wrong and will not be tolerated by the Slackware Linux Documentation Project Staff or community.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/29 09:27

Sorry, I am confused. Does this mean that editing articles are forbidden or at least not allowed for anybody who isn't the author? It makes Wiki editing a bit cumbersome. I feel submitted articles on any community wiki implies that you want the community to help improve the information. If people want to keep their original versions, it shouldn't be in a wiki. — Harishankar 2012/08/29 10:00
So we should put any edits we think are required on the discussion page, and leave the author to edit the article page? OK, that seems reasonable. — Brian Lawrence 2012/08/29 10:39

See my email on the Admin List and let's just see what pans out with further discussion with staff and admin. Thanks everyone. — V. T. Eric Layton 2012/08/29 11:25


OK, I think I have to step in here.
Azazello (Barry Watson), your original introduction of this page on the mailing list stated the following:

I've been playing around on and off with an article to help new
Slackers get up and running with Slackware. I think a draft's now
ready for people to have a look at and improve and/or add to.

I'd like to publish it (preferably on the front page) - how do I do that?

As you will have seen, there have been many edits to this page by people who meant well - after all this is supposed to become a page which directly targets new users of Slackware and of which you requested that we would add it to the front page of the Wiki. Looking at what happened after your initial communication - people enhancing the article exactly as you had asked on the list, then your revert of the page back to the version you had originally written, and then further adding minor edits without paying any attention to the friendly advice in this discussion page, I think there are two options:

  1. you apply the suggestions on this discussion page (made by Wiki admin and editors) ASAP
  2. or else someone in the editor team will apply these suggestions for you very soon.

Currently the page looks bland, and is not living up to our quality expectations.

I also would strongly advise to look at the page revision which you reverted and find inspiration there. Those changes were good ones!

And finally, I want you to fill the “Sources” section at the end, and read the comments at the end of the pagesource comments which were there from the beginning.. The tag “template” should not remain there.

Eric Hameleers 2012/08/29 15:16

Hi Eric, thanks for clarifying many questions that were on my mind. — Harishankar 2012/08/29 20:10

Hi guys, just a minor mistake here:

When explained how to keep your system up to date we copy the script in “bin” folder but in cron we use “sbin”. Here is that example line:

33 5 * * *      /usr/local/sbin/rsync_slackware_patches.sh -q -r 13.37 -a x86_64

I think the correct line should be:

33 5 * * *      /usr/local/bin/rsync_slackware_patches.sh -q -r 13.37 -a x86_64

Best Regards,

synbq 2012/11/26 12:49


Select UTF8 codepage

In default, Slackware work in old EN_US ( ISO8859-1?) locale, as so, if you have a filenames in cyrillic, or any another non - us encoding, or text - you have question marks or garbage in that. For change locale to UTF8 you should get to /etc/profile.d there are two files -
lang.csh and lang.sh
edit them both, comment (#) a line

export LANG=en_US

and uncomment:

export LANG=en_US.UTF-8

after save that works and restart system, you have normal UTF8 support in your whole system ( especially in console and mc.). as i know, in KDE utf8 in filesystem works ok without that….

John Ciemgals 2013/02/09 10:39

Hi John. you are right, this page lacks instructions about localization. Luckily we already have a complete article about that, so I will add a link to it.
Eric Hameleers 2013/02/09 15:35

Hello again :) remember also, when i configure my servers - machines who always work only in CLI mode, without X, i edit
/etc/rc.d/rc.M file

# Screen blanks after 15 minutes idle time, and powers down in one hour
# if the kernel supports APM or ACPI power management:
/bin/setterm -blank 15 -powersave powerdown -powerdown 60

mostly comment that /bin/setterm -blank … line out, because screen goes to blank every xx minutes really annoying. when i not necessary to see what happens with system in monitor, i simply turn monitor off by power on them. maybe that turn-out blanking screen instruction also help some people….?

update: simply comment out do not work - monitor anyway going to sleep after a pause. i made
/bin/setterm -blank 0
## -powersave powerdown -powerdown 60

Amendment to the Switch to a Generic Kernel Section

The entry which should be added to Lilo will depend on which kernel the initrd and modules are compiled for.

For me, the modules were being compiled for the smp-kernel [1]-

mkinitrd -c -k 3.2.29-smp -f ext4 -r /dev/sdb2 -m usb-storage:ehci-hcd:usbhid:ohci-hcd:mbcache:jbd2:ext4 -u -o /boot/initrd.gz

And if I added generic kernel to Lilo I would get the error No kernel modules found for Linux 3.2.29 when booting [2].

So I had to add to Lilo the smp-kernel-

image = /boot/vmlinuz-generic-smp-3.2.29-smp

Aaditya Bagga 23/10/2013 07:56

Hostname

Hello, I don't have an account, so I can't make this edit, but: Hostname!

If you use network manager, you need to edit /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf to change the hostname.

Hostname!


A rather cosmetic change suggested:

s/file and then run <code> /file and then run <code>/

This would remove the (useless, IMHO) empty line that begins the following Code block.
Didier Spaier 2015/06/30 04:04

Installing updates using slackpkg

slackpkg install-new

installs NEW packages marked with “Added” in ChangeLog.txt, so it only suitable to 1) upgrade between releases (for ex. 14.1 to 14.2) or to 2) update current. This do nothing to update stable release version that doesn't get any NEW packages, only /patches/*.

For slackpkg update, install-new, upgrade-all, clean-system sequence the install-new and clean-system are odd and useless on stable release .
Serg Bormant 2017/11/05 11:40 (UTC)
That is not correct, as history proves. Sometimes, a package gets added as a “patch” after release-date, and then “slackpkg install-new” is needed. From the Slackware 13.37 ChangeLog.txt:
+--------------------------+
Sat Mar 16 07:10:09 UTC 2013
patches/packages/libyaml-0.1.4-x86_64-1_slack13.37.txz:  Added.
  This is needed for Psych (YAML wrapper) in the new Ruby package.


Eric Hameleers 2017/11/05 21:42 (UTC)

Yes, since 8.1 (first release with versioned packages) it was only tree times by two reasons:

9.1: patches/packages/kernel-headers-2.4.24-i386-1.tgz:  Added.

13.1: patches/packages/libyaml-0.1.4-i486-1_slack13.1.txz:  Added.
13.37: patches/packages/libyaml-0.1.4-i486-1_slack13.37.txz:  Added.

Readind ChangeLog.txt can help to discover this rare case and launch slackpkg install libyaml if needed. But if skip some series on install she will be prompted to install NEW (Added) package on every slackpkg install-new run (yes, blacklist can help and partial install is not supported :) ).
Serg Bormant 2017/11/06 09:33 (UTC)

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