Quick Start

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Quick Start

This is the whole first-time setup. Configuration lives in /etc/slacker/ (override the directory with --config-dir). After installing the package the files are already there - you only edit mirrors and repos.

1. Pick a mirror

Run slacker find-mirror first. It probes the official Slackware mirror list, times each mirror with a single tiny request, drops any that are stale, and lists the fastest up-to-date mirrors for your location - then suggests one line to use. It works before any mirror is configured, so it is the natural first command on a fresh install.

slacker find-mirror

Then open /etc/slacker/mirrors and uncomment exactly one line for your architecture and release - or paste the line find-mirror suggested. None is active by default; two or more active lines is an error.

# /etc/slacker/mirrors  - uncomment ONE line
https://slackware.uk/slackware/slackware64-current/

On 32-bit -current, pick the slackware-current tree instead of slackware64-current (the slackware directory, not slackware64); slacker auto-detects the arch from aaa_base (i586/i686). find-mirror works on 32-bit too.

2. Declare your repositories

Open /etc/slacker/repos. The URL field is a literal URL, the keyword mirror (the active mirror, for the official repo), or mirror/<subpath> (the active mirror with a subpath appended). Binary repos must have distinct priorities; higher priority wins.

# priority  name        url|mirror|mirror/<subpath>                          [flags]
100         slackware   mirror                                                official
200         patches     mirror/patches                                        subtree immutable
90          extras      mirror/extra                                          subtree immutable
85          testing     mirror/testing                                        subtree immutable
# optional third-party - uncomment and retune; the URLs already match your arch/release:
#80         conraid     https://slackers.it/repository/slackware64-current
#60         alienbob    https://slackware.nl/people/alien/sbrepos/current/x86_64

Optionally add tag-priority lines so source/local packages are never migrated or downgraded by upgrade-all:

100         SBo         _SBo
100         local       _rtz

The full meaning of every flag, the subtree rule, and the priority model are in Repositories and Priority. The four distribution subtrees - extra, patches, testing, pasture - must always carry the subtree flag.

3. Check, then import keys and refresh

Run the doctor first: slacker status works even on a fresh or broken config, validates the environment and your mirrors/repos (including whether your mirror is up to date with the upstream master), and prints the exact next steps. Follow them, then re-run status anytime to confirm all is green.

slacker status            # diagnose the setup; lists what to do next
slacker update gpg        # once: import + pin each repo's GPG key
slacker update            # verify GPG, fetch metadata
slacker install-new
slacker upgrade-all

update gpg pins each repo's key (trust on first use). For a subtree repo it pins the same Slackware key from the root, which is what lets per-package GPG verification succeed for extra//testing//patches/ packages at install. See Security.

4. Use it

slacker search firefox
slacker install mozilla-firefox
slacker upgrade-all
slacker history --last 20

From here:

• Commands - every action, with options.
• Common Workflows - the recipes you will actually use day to day.
• Configuration - every slacker.conf key.