A couple of questions...

Pixxt · 03-24-2011, 04:35 PM

Hi

1. Been using Slack off and on for the past 10 years, I have 13.1 x64 installed need tips to upgrade it to 13.37. I also have the x86 compat packages installed. I have not done a upgrade for Slackware in while and the last time I did I used swaret which was many moons ago.

2. Can Slackware be a Install once and upgrade forever distro? Like how you can install Debian and apt-get to keep current for 5 years plus, I done that in the past with swaret but it was for like an year and again many moons ago. Have anyone here on the forums done it?

willysr · 03-24-2011, 05:04 PM

1. Read the UPGRADE.TXT and CHANGES_AND_HINTS before you start upgrading your machine. It list some notes when upgrading to -Current (soon to be 13.37).
Probably the easiest way is to use slackpkg. Uncomment one of the -Current mirrors and start upgrading by running

Code:

slackpkg update gpg
slackpkg update 
slackpkg install-new
slackpkg upgrade-all

2. Yes you can. All of my machines never get reinstalled, but keeps upgrading to the latest version of Slackware, since i'm running -Current, but that doesn't stop you who uses -Stable as well.

markush · 03-24-2011, 05:19 PM

Hello Pixxt,

I don't know if this helps, I'm using slackpg in order to keep current up to date. But since you're using multilib I think slackpg won't work for you.

Otherwise a completeley new installation is done within 10 Minutes (not with multilib). In oder to install Slackware new, I download all packages:

Code:

for i in a ap d f k kde l n t tcl x xap y; mkdir $i; cd $i; do wget ftp://yourmirrorhere/slackware-current/$i/*; cd ..; done

then I create a bootable USB-memorystick as described here: ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/slackwar...README_USB.TXT alternatively one can create a minimal bootable CD: ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/slackwar...nux/README.TXT or a complete current-DVD

Be sure to make a backup of your own scripts (like wpa_supplicant.conf or rc.local). On my Laptop it takes a downtime less than 10 Minutes when I reinstall Slackware. Note that my /home directory resides on a separate partition.

Markus

chrisretusn · 03-24-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markush

I don't know if this helps, I'm using slackpg in order to keep current up to date. But since you're using multilib I think slackpg won't work for you.

Regarding using slackpkg. I am a user of multilib.

Assuming you have a full install, slackpkg can be used to go from Slackwre64 13.1 to Slackware64-current (13.37).

Since you use multilib I highly recommend using Multilibpkg and Compat32pkg to aid in keeping up to date.

The simplest way, first make sure you comment out aaa_elflibs in slackpkg's blacklist so it will upgrade.

Since your are using multilib, I would assume you already have the gcc and glibc packages listed in blacklist. I also list all the compat32 stuff so they don't show up in clean-system

Change to a Slackware64-current mirror in slackpkg's mirrors.

Then do the standard slackpkg; update, install-new, upgrade-all, clean-system.

Note: If you don't want to see the compat32 packages and also any non-stock Slackware packages shown when using clean-system, add them to blacklist. You can also use the -onoff=off option to keep them from being selected by default. See man slackpkg.conf for more information.

After slackpkg is done, assuming you downloaded and installed both Multilibpkg and Compat32pkg, and they are configured to use -current. Run multilibpkg to upgrade gcc and glibc, also includes compat32-tools. Then run compat32pkg.

Don't forget, if you are using the generic kernel that after upgrading the kernel you will have to reset the symbolic links back to generic since upgrading put them back to huge. Don't forget to run mkinitrd and then lilo after reseting the links.

If your plan is to stick with Slackware64 13.37 once it is final. After doing the final update make sure your uncomment aaa_elflibs in slackpkg's blacklist and set your mirror to a 13.37 mirror in slackpkg and if using multilibpkg and compat32pkg. So you will be all set for 13.37.

NoStressHQ · 03-24-2011, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willysr

...

Code:

slackpkg update gpg
slackpkg update 
slackpkg install-new
slackpkg upgrade-all

...

Well and it is highly recommanded to run:

Code:

slackpkg clean-system

at least at the time of upgrading between versions (and so, some time to time when following -current.

Be sure to check off the package you have installed yourself (like sbo's), but some libraries become obsolete, and the clean-system command will try to make your install 'as vanilla as it could', close to a fresh install (...but the .NEW .ORIG config files, of course).

Pixxt · 03-27-2011, 04:47 PM

Thanks guys for the fast responses and thoughtful answers, kudos......