If you become interested in building and submitting packages for Slackware, there are some good descriptions of how to do so at the Linux Packages site ( www.linuxpackages.net). Look for links to building and submitting packages on the site’s home page in the Information box. Installing Slackware Slackware is freely available from several different sources. It installs and runs well on low-end computers. Some Linux or UNIX expertise would be useful, especially if something goes wrong. Getting Slackware Slackware 12.0 comes on a single DVD (about 3.7GB) or six CDs: three installation CDs and three source code CDs. The first Slackware CD can be used for a good, basic install. That CD is included on the DVD that comes with this book. I recommend installing from that CD for a computer that has limited disk space and an older processor. The full Slackware distribution set is also available from a few dozen mirror sites on the Web (see www.slackware.com/getslack). Because of disk space issues and to maximize bandwidth, the Slackware project recommends you get the DVD or CD images (ISOs) using BitTorrent. For a list of available torrents, see www.slackware.com/getslack/torrents.php. For many years, Slackware was available on one install CD, but adding KDE to the distri- bution made additional CDs necessary. To help support the project, you can purchase the boxed set of Slackware from http://store .slackware.com . At the store, you also can get a subscription to Slackware so that the Slackware Store sends you a new version each time one is released (every six to eight months). The store will just ship it when it’s available and charge your credit card. People who like Slackware often pay the subscription fee just to show their support. New Features in Slackware 12.0 With Slackware 12.0, the distribution consists of three installation CDs (plus three source code CDs) and/or a DVD version that holds everything. While still offering a stable foundation (the 2.6.21.5 kernel is used by default), Slackware includes bleeding-edge components for the desktop (KDE 3.5.7 or XFCE 4.4.1) and applications (the latest Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client). Here are a couple of applications that were added to Slackware recently that might interest you:  X11 7.2.0 — The X.Org Foundation’s modular X Window System. This offers improve- ments with performance and hardware support.  SeaMonkey 1.1.2 — Contains a combination Web browser, e-mail client, IRC chat client, newsgroup client, and HTML client. In Slackware, SeaMonkey replaces the Mozilla suite as the all-in-one Internet suite. NOTE NOTE 409 Running Slackware Linux 14 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 409 Along with these applications, Slackware has added recent popular updates to many of its existing applications and facilities (Firefox, Thunderbird, XFCE, and many others). To work with software packages in Slackware 12.0, the distribution now includes the Slackware Package Browser. This Web application enables you to search a Slackware packages database, making it much easier than it was in the past to find the Slackware software you want. Hardware Requirements While some older versions of Slackware will run on a 386, the Slackware site recommends 486 as a minimum processor. Without a graphical interface (X Window System), the minimum amount of RAM required is 16MB. With the GUI, at least 128MB of RAM is recommended. If you intend to use the KDE desktop environments, you can't have too much RAM (KDE in Slackware runs effec- tively with 256MB RAM or more, depending on your applications). The ZipSlack distribution is a small Slackware distribution that you can install from a Zip drive or floppy disks. ZipSlack can install on a hard disk with as little as 100MB space. You can find ZipSlack on any Slackware mirror site. If you are installing Slackware 12.0, 500MB is the minimum amount of disk space you should have available on your Linux partition. The recommended amount of hard disk space is at least 3.5GB for a full desktop install. Slackware supports all IDE and SCSI controllers supported by the Linux kernel itself. Starting Installation Although the Slackware installer has evolved over the years, its basic look-and-feel hasn’t changed much. There are some things you still need to do manually, such as setting up RAID or doing partitioning. The following steps describe how to install Slackware from the first installation CD. For the purposes of this book, this procedure demonstrates a minimal installation from the first Slackware CD. If you want to install Linux on low-end hardware (slow CPU and minimal RAM), this procedure is a great way to end up with a workable, minimal desktop system. If you want to do a more complete installation of Slackware, you should obtain the Slackware 12.0 DVD or three-CD installation set. For more detailed information (or if something goes wrong dur- ing the installation that isn’t covered here), refer to the Slackware-HOWTO, which is on the first Slackware CD. 1. Obtain a Slackware installation disc. (As mentioned earlier, you can boot the CD image from the DVD that comes with this book as described in Appendix A, or download it from a Slackware mirror site and burn it to CD.) 2. Insert the DVD that comes with this book into the drive and reboot your computer. 410 Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution Part III 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 410 3. From the boot prompt, type slack and press Enter to start the default boot process. If you are using a Slackware CD instead of this book's DVD, simply press Enter. If the Slackware installation boots properly, you are prompted to enter a keyboard map. If your Slackware medium won’t boot, refer to the BOOTING.TXT file on the Slackware CD for information on things you can try to get around the problem. (If you can’t access the CD at all, you can get this file from any Slackware mirror site.) 4. If you are using a U.S. keyboard map, press Enter; to use a keyboard map for a different language/country, type 1, press Enter, and then select the language/country you want. The Slackware login prompt appears. 5. Type root and press Enter. A shell prompt appears. 6. Partition your hard disk. Chapter 7 explains how to partition your hard disk. Slackware doesn’t have a graphical partitioning tool, such as Disk Druid, so you have to use the fdisk or cfdisk command to partition your hard disk (again, refer to Chapter 7 or see the Slackware-HOWTO for details). To install Slackware, you should have at least one swap partition (up to twice the size of your RAM, with a maximum of about 500MB) and one Linux partition (such as ext3). You should have at least 500MB of hard disk space, with a recommended 3GB of disk space available for a full install of Slackware 12.0. 7. Enter setup mode. Type the following command to enter setup mode: # setup The Slackware Linux Setup screen appears, with the following options: HELP Read the Slackware Setup Help file KEYMAP Remap your keyboard if you’re not using a US one ADDSWAP Set up your swap partition(s) TARGET Set up your target partitions SOURCE Select source media SELECT Select categories of software to install INSTALL Install selected software CONFIGURE Reconfigure your Linux system EXIT Exit Slackware Linux Setup Type the first letter in the option name (or use the arrow keys) to highlight the option you want, and then press Enter. The following steps describe options you need to configure Slackware. 8. Select ADDSWAP. The Swap Space Detected menu appears, listing the swap partitions you have available. Select the one you want (there will usually be just one) and select Yes to install it as your swap partition. (If you don’t have a swap partition, exit the setup screen and run fdisk to create one.) NOTE NOTE 411 Running Slackware Linux 14 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 411 The swap partition will be checked for bad blocks, formatted, and activated. Select OK to continue. The Select Linux Installation Partition menu appears. 9. Select a root partition. From the Linux partition that is displayed, highlight the one that you want to use as your root ( /) partition and choose Select. The / partition is where Linux and all your data will go by default. (Other partitions can be added later.) Choose to do a quick format (Format) or a slow format that includes bad block checking (Check). Or you can select No to not format the partition. Typically you would overwrite your / partition, although you might keep data from another partition. I often maintain a separate data partition that I will attach to the file system in a location such as /mnt/data. With that technique, I can keep my data and still install a whole new operating system. Choose the file system type for the root file system. These days, most people select either the ext3 or reiserfs file system as their Linux root partition. Both of those file system types do journaling, so they can recover quickly if the system is shut down improperly (such as when someone kicks out the power cord). Choose the Inode Density. Select 4096 (the default, which is fine in most cases), 2048, or 1024 bytes. (A smaller number allows more inodes on the file system, which is useful only if you have many small files, as you might on a news server.) 10. Select other partitions. If you created other Linux partitions, you can assign file system types and format them as well. Identify where in the file system the other partitions are connected. (Again, check Chapter 7 for information on where you might want to attach a partition to you Linux file system.) 11. Choose your source media. Select 1, in most circumstances, so that Slackware is installed from the CD. You can also install Slackware from a partition on your hard drive, from an NFS shared file system, or from a premounted directory. You can have Setup scan for your Slackware CD or tell it a particular device to use (if you have multiple drives and you want to tell it which to use). 12. Select the different package series that you want to install and press OK. General package series include:  Base Linux system (the core of the operating system and basic utilities)  Various applications that do not need X (non-graphical commands)  Program Development (C, C++, Lisp, Perl, and so on)  GNU Emacs (a text editor)  FAQ lists, HOWTO documentation  Linux kernel source  Qt and the K Desktop Environment for X  International support for KDE NOTE NOTE 412 Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution Part III 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 412  System libraries (needed by X, KDE, and others)  Networking (TCP/IP, UUCP, mail, news, and so on)  TeX typesetting  Tcl/Tk scripting languages  X Window System  X Applications  Games If you are installing from the single CD image, deselect KDE and KDEI because they come on the second CD. Later in the installation process, you have an opportunity to select a simple window manager such as XFCE, Blackbox, Fluxbox, or fvwm2. While it’s safest just to install everything with the three install CDs so that you’re sure to have everything you want and won’t miss a dependent package, Slackware CD I had no dependency problems simply deselecting the KDE package group. 13. Choose how you are prompted to select packages. After you have selected the package series you want to install, you can choose to further refine the installation of those pack- ages or simply go with the defaults by selecting one of the following:  Full — Installs everything without prompting or interaction. You can use this option if you have only the first CD or the DVD.  Expert — Enables you to choose individual packages interactively.  Menu — Enables you to choose groups of packages interactively.  Newbie — Shows you a lot about what is being installed on your Slackware system and lets you choose whether to install optional packages. You just have to sit there for a long time and keep pressing Enter. When prompted, either choose to continue (if you have another Slackware CD you want to install) or Quit (to just install from the first CD). You are asked to install a kernel. 14. Choose a Linux kernel. In most cases where you have an IDE controller, you can use the kernel from the installation boot disk or choose the Slackware CD as the location for get- ting the kernel your installed Slackware system will ultimately use. Remove Slackware CD 2 and reinsert the Slackware CD 1 and press Enter. In most cases, you should choose the default bare.i kernel. If you have a SCSI controller, choose one of the kernels with a .s at the end. If your computer has very little RAM, try the lowmem.i kernel. 15. Make a boot disk. If you have a floppy drive, make a boot disk. It will enable you to reboot your computer if your hard disk ever becomes unbootable. If you don’t have a floppy drive, you can use the Slackware install CD as a boot disk in an emergency. 16. Configure a modem. Select No Modem if you don’t plan to use a modem with your computer. If you have an external, serial modem, choose the COM port it is connected to (represented by /dev/tty?, with COM1 associated with ttyS0). For PCI modems (slots directly in the motherboard), device names usually begin at /dev/ttyS4. NOTE NOTE 413 Running Slackware Linux 14 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 413 17. Enable the hotplug subsystem. Select Yes to enable the hotplug subsystem at boot time. This lets Slackware try to activate devices that are plugged into the computer while it is running (such as Cardbus and USB devices). By enabling the system at boot time, it can also detect other hardware, including PCI cards. 18. Install the LILO boot loader. Choose Simple to have the setup process try to automatically install the LILO boot loader, or choose Expert if you want to configure the boot loader to do something special. If you want to add kernel parameters and set framebuffer console features, you can use either mode, but certain tasks require Expert mode:  Adding other bootable Linux partitions  Adding a bootable Windows partition  Installing an existing lilo.conf file, instead of creating a new one You can have graphics appear on the boot screen by enabling the frame buffer console. Choose the resolution and number of colors (such as 1024 × 768 × 256) to use with the frame buffer console. When prompted, add any parameters you want fed to the kernel when you boot. In partic- ular, you might add kernel parameters if you want to turn off autoprobing on certain devices (for example, nousb) or turn off power management features (noacpi). Chapter 11 describes some kernel parameters that might be useful to you. LILO is usually placed in the root of the Linux partition or in the master boot record for the entire hard disk. It’s safest to put LILO in the superblock ( Root) of the Linux partition or on a formatted floppy disk. For the former, you need to indicate that the Linux parti- tion is bootable (using the fdisk command when you return to a shell prompt). It can be unsafe to put LILO in the master boot record. However, for a system on which only one operating system is installed (in this case, Slackware), the master boot record is a common place to put LILO. 19. Configure the mouse. Select the type of mouse connected to your system. You are also given the opportunity to configure gpm, which lets you use your mouse to select, cut, and paste text in virtual consoles (text windows). 20. Configure the network. Select Yes to configure your network (that is, your LAN connec- tion from your Ethernet card). Refer to Chapter 7 for information on configuring your network connection. 21. Select startup services. For server software that you installed, you need to tell Slackware whether to start that service at boot time. In general, you should turn on only services you want to have on (you can always turn any others on later). Among the services that will be on by default (assuming you installed the packages) are the sshd service, to enable remote login using SSH; system logging (rc.syslog), to log system activity; and Sendmail, to receive e-mail. To share your printer, you may want to enable CUPS; to be a Web server, you should turn on Apache (rc.httpd). 414 Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution Part III 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 414 22. Configure console fonts. You can try some custom screen fonts. If you find one you par- ticularly like, you can choose to use it instead of the default. 23. Set the hardware clock. The clock on your computer can be set to local time or to UTC time (or Greenwich Mean Time). Most often, you will set it to local time, especially if you dual-boot between operating systems (see http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Clock-2.html for information on how Linux keeps track of time). 24. Choose a time zone. Select your current time zone from the list. 25. Select a default window manager. Choices include the KDE and XFCE desktop environ- ments or any of a number of smaller simple window managers, such as Blackbox, Fluxbox, fvwm2 (selections look like Windows systems), and TWM (too lightweight for most people). If you installed only from the first Slackware CD, KDE is not among your choices because it is installed from the second installation CD. 26. Set root password. Select a root password when you are prompted to do so. At this point you can return to the Slackware Linux Setup menu. 27. Select EXIT to leave the setup screen. The install CD should eject. 28. Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot your computer. Starting with Slackware The LILO Boot menu appears when you first boot Slackware. It should contain at least a listing for your Linux partition and possibly for a Windows partition (if there is one on your computer). Press Enter at the boot prompt to start Slackware. Log in as the root user when you see the login prompt. You are going to be at a Linux command line prompt; if you don’t know what that is, refer to Chapter 2. Here are a few things you might want to do to get started with Slackware:  Get mail — Type mail at the command-line prompt. You should have a couple of mail messages there for the root user, including one from Patrick Volkerding. Type the number of that message and page through it (using the Enter key) to read some additional setup steps that may interest you. (Type q to exit the message and x to exit mail).  Add another user — Because you shouldn't use the root user account for your daily use of Linux, you should add a regular user account and give it a password. Here’s what you run to add a user named robby: # useradd -m robby # passwd robby Changing password for robby New password: ******** Re-enter new password: ******** 415 Running Slackware Linux 14 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 415 Be sure to use the -m option to useradd (to automatically create the new user's directory) or you will have to create a home directory for that user manually.  Start the desktop — If you installed X and either a window manager or whole desktop environment (KDE or XFCE), you can start it by typing: # startx If X and your chosen desktop don’t start properly (the screen may be unreadable or X may simply crash), press Ctrl+Alt+Backspace to exit X and return to the shell. Instructions for solving X problems, choosing different window managers, and configuring X are included in Chapter 3’s “Configuring Your Own Desktop” section.  Configure sound — When you first boot Slackware, the ALSA sound system should be set up to work, but the volume is muted. To configure ALSA and check that your sound card is ready to go, as root user run the alsaconf command. It searches for installed sound cards, and when it finds one, it adds any modules needed to use the card, raises the volume, and tests the card. Once your sound card is configured, use the alsamixer command to adjust volume lev- els for your sound card.  Add modules — If any of your computer hardware was not properly detected and con- figured, you can add the modules you need after Slackware is running. If some of your computer hardware is not being detected properly, and you don’t know what module is required for it to work, try booting KNOPPIX (from the DVD included with this book). If the hardware works in KNOPPIX, run the lsmod command to see what modules are loaded. From that list, you should be able to add the necessary modules as just described.  Configure a printer — Because Slackware now includes the CUPS facility for printing (replacing LPRng), you can configure your printers using any Web browser. The best way to begin adding and configuring a printer is to type the following into a location box on any Web browser on your Slackware system: http://localhost:631:/admin Enter the root username and your root password when prompted. Then select the Add printer button to begin adding your printer to your CUPS printing server on your Slackware system.  Configure networking — If you didn’t configure your Ethernet cards at installation time, you can do it now. Type the following command: # netconfig The menu system enables you to configure your network interface using the same screens as at installation. NOTE NOTE 416 Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution Part III 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 416  Install additional software packages —The slackpkg command is the preferred tool for downloading and installing software for Slackware. You can download the slackpkg package from http://slackpkg.sourceforge.net. Once you have the slackpkg pack age, install it by typing installpkg slackpkg*. With slackpkg installed, edit the /etc/ slackpkg/mirrors file and uncomment a single repository that you will use to get software packages. You are now ready to start using slackpkg. First, type slackpkg update to get available updates for your Slackware system. Then you can install the packages you want by typing slackpkg install packagename, where packagename is the name of the package you want to install. One place to find Slackware packages is LinuxPackages.net. Likewise, you can install software packages from any open source project (such as sourceforge.net) that are either identified as being created for Slackware or simply tar.gz packages that you can build from scratch. If you are used to other Linux systems, you should familiarize yourself with a few things you might find different in Slackware. For example, system startup scripts are contained in /etc/rc.d, rather than a whole series of links to various / etc/rc?.d directories. Summary Slackware is the oldest active Linux distribution. It is run by Patrick Volkerding, as it has been for more than a decade, and keeps as its goals stability and security. Slackware has a loyal following, but the project is not geared for wide deployment in enterprise computing situations. Slackware is a great distribution to learn Linux on because it keeps its configuration simple and near to the command line and configuration files. Look for Slackware to continue to be among the most efficient Linux distributions. There are cur- rently no plans to add a graphical installer, although the project recently began encouraging the use of slackpkg for installing packages. You can expect Slackware to remain trim and true to its roots, making it one of the best Linux distributions to run on older computer hardware. NOTE NOTE 417 Running Slackware Linux 14 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 417 30190c14.qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:39 AM Page 418 [...]... easiest distributions for someone new to Linux to install and use From the beginning of 2005 to the present, Mandrakelinux has gone from the brink of bankruptcy to its current incarnation as Mandriva, after MandrakeSoft (the parent company of Mandrakelinux) merged with Conectiva Linux in February 2005 Conectiva Linux is a South American–based Linux company with goals similar to those of Mandrakelinux... Mandriva Linux Free If you like the distribution, I encourage you to purchase a Mandriva Linux 2008 product and/ or join the Mandriva Club Edition 442 30190c 16. qxd:Layout 1 12/18/07 12:42 AM Page 443 Running Mandriva To review your options, refer to the Mandriva Linux Download page at www.mandriva.com/ en/download If you are content to try out the live CD and install the contents of the CD to your hard... card needs to support hardware acceleration to be able to use 3D desktop effects, which include wobbly window moves and desktops spinning on a cube.) Click Next to continue At this point, Mandriva One continues to boot up to a desktop, such as the one shown in Figure 16- 3 In particular, notice the Live Install icon on the left side of the screen 11 Open the Live Install icon on the desktop The Mandriva... graphical installer and configuration tools Its support for hardware, video acceleration, and audio playback also tends to be top-notch When coupled with the fact that the Mandrakelinux installer frequently detected and configured hardware that left other distributions installation routines mystified, you can see why Mandrakelinux has been, and will probably continue, under the name Mandriva, to be a popular... Running Mandriva FIGURE 16- 2 The Mandriva Linux Control Center is a simplified tool for system administration The Mandriva Community Like many distributions of Linux, Mandriva Linux has developed a split personality of sorts Mandriva distributes value-added versions of Mandriva Linux complete with numerous utilities, applications, and support The core Mandriva development effort produces an unsupported,... productivity suite, Mandriva One includes tools for graphics (GIMP and F-Spot), Internet (Firefox, Evolution, and GAIM), and multimedia (Totem movie player, Sound Juicer, and TVtime television viewer) Mandriva One is included on the DVD that comes with this book Mandriva Linux Free — This four-CD set of free software is aimed at power users There are both i5 86 and x 86- 64 versions of Mandriva Linux Free that... to continue for a while as the dust settles.) Actual Mandriva products are divided into Enterprise and Individual offerings Mandriva gears the support and services it offers to those two categories On the Enterprise side, products focus on corporate desktops and servers, as well as some specialty firewall and clustering products To support those products, Mandriva offers a variety of consulting, support,... becoming Mandriva Linux, Mandrakelinux was created as a fork of Red Hat Linux (in 1998) It initially had such tight ties to Red Hat Linux that the Mandrakelinux installer even stated that you were installing Red Hat IN THIS CHAPTER Exploring Mandriva The Mandriva community After those early days, Mandrakelinux became a solid distribution in its own right, with the main focus on an easy -to- use desktop distribution... are available through the Mandriva Club (http://club.mandriva.com), which provides more of a customer support–type function than a Linux development center 435 Installing Mandriva 30190c 16. qxd:Layout 1 Part III 12/18/07 12:42 AM Page 4 36 Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution In addition to the merger with Conectiva, Mandriva also acquired the desktop-oriented Lycoris Linux distribution in June... Mandriva Linux Free edition is also available for free download (see www.mandriva.com/en/download) As noted earlier, the Mandriva Club (www.mandrivaclub.com) helps Mandriva end users get the most out their Mandriva systems Different levels of membership are available, from Standard Membership ( $66 per year) to Platinum Membership ($1,320 per year) Membership gives you access to a special Mandriva Club edition . Choose Simple to have the setup process try to automatically install the LILO boot loader, or choose Expert if you want to configure the boot loader to do something special. If you want to add kernel. configuration simple and near to the command line and configuration files. Look for Slackware to continue to be among the most efficient Linux distributions. There are cur- rently no plans to add a graphical. bring Linux to the desktop once and for all. The general concept was to develop an operating system that would be inex- pensive, easy to install and use, and a competitive alternative to Microsoft Windows