slackpkg+ plugin for third-party repositories Slackpkg is a package manager for Slackware. Slackpkg+ is a plugin for slackpkg. It adds support for third-party repositories. You can install, upgrade and search from multiple repositories. Thanks to alienbob and phenixia2003 for contributing and all other submitted suggestions and/or patches. ********************* DISCLAIMER ********************** This is NOT an official tool. Use it at your own risk. The third party repositories are NOT official. The authors of those repositories are not responsible for any damage that may be caused to your computer. ******************************************************* ----- CONFIGURATION For the basic configuration: * Edit /etc/slackpkg/slackpkgplus.conf * Uncomment one or more mirrors and add them to the REPOPLUS list Note that packages in these repository will not listed if they are present in the official repositories (see below). * Optionally, set PKGS_PRIORITY to give priority order for single packages present in multiple repositories or to allow repositories to override official slackware packages For a list of supported repositories see repositories.txt, but you can also add others yourself. If you configure repositories that do not support gpg, you may need to set "CHECKGPG=off" in /etc/slackpkg/slackpkg.conf Then launch # slackpkg update gpg # slackpkg update To keep slackpkg+ updated, uncomment the 'slackpkgplus' repository, and then # slackpkg upgrade-all will upgrade slackpkg+ whenever a new version is released. ----- MIRRORPLUS The MIRRORPLUS array defines all mirrors. It accepts these protocols: 1) http/ftp/https: for example, MIRRORPLUS['slacky']=http://repository.slacky.eu/slackware64/ The mirror must contains all metadata files (CHECKSUMS.md5 ...) You must run 'slackpkg update' after adding/removing a repository. 2) Local mirror: for example, MIRRORPLUS['alienlocal']=file://mirrors/alienbob/x86/14.0/ The directory must contains all metadata files (CHECKSUMS.md5 ...) You must run 'slackpkg update' after adding/removing a repository. 3) Local packages directory: for example, MIRRORPLUS['mypackages']=dir://mypackages/ All packages must be in a single directory (subdirectory not allowed). Note that 'slackpkg update' ignores these repositories. Every time you run slackpkg, it reads the directory contents. ----- USAGE See 'man slackpkg' :D Use the command # slackpkg upgrade-all to keep your system up-to-date. This command searches for upgraded packages spanning all configured repositories. Use the command # slackpkg install-new (if you use Slackware -current) to check for new packages. This command searches for new packages ONLY in the official Slackware repository. The command # slackpkg {install,upgrade,remove,reinstall} accepts the following kinds of argument: 1) package-name (spanning all repositories), for example # slackpkg install bsd-games 2) part of package-name (spanning all repositories), for example # slackpkg install alsa 3) path of packages in repository (spanning all repositories), for example # slackpkg install xap 4) repository-name, for example # slackpkg upgrade alienbob upgrades all packages in the alienbob repository, and # slackpkg install ktown installs all packages in the ktown repository 5) repository-name:package-name, for example # slackpkg install slacky:openjdk installs openjdk from slacky even if there is another openjdk in another repository 6) file:local-file-name (txz/tgz), for example # slackpkg install file:mypackage-1.0-noarch-1my.txz installs mypackage even though not defined in slackpkgplus.conf (you can specify either a relative or an absolute path) 7) dir:directory, for example # slackpkg {install|upgrade} dir:/root/myrepo installs or upgrades all packages in /root/myrepo/ (The final '/' is not strictly required.) Note: 'slackpkg install .' is an alias of 'slackpkg install dir:./', but 'slackpkg install ./' is NOT the same alias; see FILE in man slackpkg ----- PRIORITY CONFIGURATION When a package is present in more than one repository, the package will be searched for in the following order: 1) as listed in PKGS_PRIORITY (allow to override official packages) 2) as listed in an official Slackware repository (configured in /etc/slackpkg/mirrors) 3) as listed in REPOPLUS (deny to override official packages) 4) all others defined in MIRRORPLUS PKGS_PRIORITY syntax: PKGS_PRIORITY=( : ... ) for example: PKGS_PRIORITY=( alienbob:openjdk ) accepts a regular expression, so for example PKGS_PRIORITY=( restricted:.*vlc.* ) means 'all packages containing the "vlc" string' PKGS_PRIORITY=( ktown:.* ) means 'all packages in repository ktown' latest item maybe replaced simply with PKGS_PRIORITY=( ktown ) all packages matched from ktown ovverride all related slackware packages, unless you do not explicitly exclude it: PKGS_PRIORITY=( patches:harfbuzz slackware64:harfbuzz ktown ) that means 'all ktown packages except harfbuzz' Also you can set TAG_PRIORITY=on to allow slackpkg+ to select repository from where the package was previously installed. This method is based from tag of the installed package. slackpkg+ search a package with the same tag in all repositories and use it. If two repositories contains the same tag, it will honour REPOPLUS. ----- MULTILIB If you want to use a multilib system, you can automatically configure the multilib repository in slackpkgplus.conf and install multilib simply by running: # /usr/doc/slackpkg+-*/setupmultilib.sh To configure multilib manually (e.g. if you have installed multilib already), uncomment the correct "MIRRORPLUS['multilib']=...", and uncomment "PKGS_PRIORITY=( multilib:.* )". If you do not plan to build yourself 32bit packages on your 64bit machine, you may avoid to install gcc: PKGS_PRIORITY=( patches:gcc slackware64:gcc multilib ) To install multilib manually, launch: # slackpkg update gpg # slackpkg update # slackpkg upgrade-all # slackpkg install multilib After that, you can keep multilib up-to-date by launching: # slackpkg update # slackpkg upgrade-all and re-running 'slackpkg install multilib' if 'slackpkg install-new' has found any new packages. To uninstall multilib, you must remove 'multilib:.*' from PKGS_PRIORITY and from REPOPLUS, but do NOT delete the related MIRRORPLUS line, then launch: # slackpkg update # slackpkg remove multilib Note: this does NOT remove the core multilib packages, because they affect the 64bit system. You must remove these by launching: # slackpkg upgrade-all then delete or comment the related MIRRORPLUS line, and finally launch # slackpkg update or just re-run # /usr/doc/slackpkg+-*/setupmultilib.sh ----- KTOWN (LATEST KDE) If you want to install the latest KDE packages from AlienBOB's ktown repository (currently 4.14.3 and 5.0.2), add "PKGS_PRIORITY=( ktown )" then launch: # slackpkg update gpg # slackpkg update # slackpkg install ktown # slackpkg upgrade-all Do not forget to read the special instructions from http://taper.alienbase.nl/mirrors/alien-kde/current/latest/ (kde 4) http://taper.alienbase.nl/mirrors/alien-kde/current/testing/ (kde 5) because you may need to do some manual operation. At the time of writing, for kde4: # slackpkg remove kdeadmin kdenetwork kdesdk kdetoys kwallet kdnssd for kde5: add to /etc/rc.d/rc.4" right after the line 'echo "Starting up X11 session manager..."': if [ -x /usr/bin/sddm ]; then exec /usr/bin/sddm fi After that, you can keep the ktown KDE up-to-date by launching: # slackpkg update # slackpkg upgrade-all Periodically you should re-run # slackpkg install ktown To restore the Slackware KDE, remove 'ktown' from PKGS_PRIORITY and from REPOPLUS, but do NOT delete the related MIRRORPLUS line, then launch: # slackpkg update # slackpkg upgrade-all # slackpkg install kde # slackpkg remove ktown then delete or comment the related MIRRORPLUS line and launch: # slackpkg update note that ktown5 requires ktown4, so you must configure both repositories: PKGS_PRIORITY=( ktown5 ktown4 ) MIRRORPLUS['ktown4']=.... MIRRORPLUS['ktown5']=.... and then run ... # slackpkg install ktown5 ktown4 ----- PERSONAL PACKAGES If you build some packages yourself, you can install these without installpkg, by using slackpkg+. This helps you to track the install/upgrade, and reduces the possibility of errors. You do NOT need to create a personal repository with a gpg-key and metadata every time you build a package; also you do NOT need to modify your slackpkgplus.conf file or launch 'slackpkg update'. You can: 1) install/upgrade/reinstall a single package by passing the full file name (optionally with absolute or relative path), for example # slackpkg install file:package-1.0-noarch-1my.txz or # slackpkg upgrade file:../repo/package-2.0-noarch-1my.txz 2) install/upgrade/reinstall all packages in a single directory (but not in a subtree) by passing a directory name (optionally with absolute or relative path), for example # slackpkg install dir:/myrep or # slackpkg upgrade dir:./test/package/ or # slackpkg reinstall . Note: '.' is an alias of 'dir:./', but only that alias exists. 'slackpkg install ./' (or /myrepo/ or ./package.txz) generates an error, because in standard slackpkg you can specify a FILE as input, so in 'slackpkg install ./list.txt' list.txt must be a plain file containing a list of packages to install (see man slackpkg) If a directory contains the same package with two different versions, slackpkg shows the 'alphabetically' highest, so pkg-9.1 will be listed instead of pkg-8, but pkg-9 will be listed instead of pkg-10. Sorry... this is a slackpkg limitation! Tip: if you want to use dir:/myrepo to track your installations and you have lost the original txz/tgz file, you can simply create an empty file; this fools slackpkg+, which only searches for file name and not for contents (unless you run slackpkg reinstall on these packages ;)) So, by doing # touch mypkg1-1.0-noarch-1my.tgz # touch mysecondpkg-1.1-noarch-2my.txz (where mypkg1 and mysecondpkg are already installed packages), 'slackpkg install .' (or upgrade) does not show you those packages, but 'slackpkg reinstall .' DOES show them (so do not continue the installation) NOTE: slackpkg+ will skip the gpg and md5 check for personal packages!! ----- REMOTE PACKAGES WITHOUT METADATA Some users share packages on their personal sites, but do not create metadata files (particularly if they share only a few packages). To install one of these packages, you could download it and install it manually. But now with slackpkg+ you can specify a direct URL for the package that will automatically download and install/upgrade the package. You can: 1) install/upgrade/reinstall a single package by specifying the complete url: # slackpkg install http://site/path/package-1.0-noarch-1my.txz For example, you may use this function to install a snapshot of slackpkg+ (that is not available with 'slackpkg upgrade slackpkg+' because it is a beta version): # slackpkg upgrade http://www.slakfinder.org/slackpkg+/pkg/slackpkg+-20130905.2-noarch-1mt.txz 2) install/upgrade/reinstall all packages in a single remote directory (but not in a subtree) even if the site owner does not create metadata: # slackpkg install http://site/path/ Note: this function requires lftp and may fail if the server does not support Directory Listing or if there is a index.html in the path. NOTE: slackpkg+ will skip the gpg and md5 check for remote packages without metadata!! ------ NOTIFICATIONS Some package require special post-installation activity as upgrading a related package or rebuilt kernel modules or change a custom configuration. A user may forgot to do this, especially in large updates. The notification functionality help the user to remember it. In /etc/slackpkg/notifymsg.conf you can define some custom event. See documentation in that file. Events may be VERY custom (on kde upgrde remember me to call my friends ;), or the more useful "on kernel upgrade remember to recompile all driver modules" You may enable this function by setting "ENABLENOTIFY=on" in slackpkgplus.conf ----- WGET Options slackpkg+ uses wget to download packages and metadata. You can use the WGETOPTS setting to pass options to wget. By default when an url is unreachable wget - after a long timeout - retry to download so if a repository is unreacheble you should remove it from your configuration file. As workaround you can add the options WGETOPTS="--timeout=5 --tries=1" in slackpkgplus.conf ----- ALLOW32BIT By default slackpkg+ deny to install 32bit packages on a 64bit system. Set ALLOW32BIT=on to allow slackpkg+ to install 32bit packages on a 64bit slackware installation (possibly unsafe). Please, do not install both 32 and 64bit of the same package to avoid problems, and NEVER upgrade exitant 64bit packages with relative 32bit package. Do not forget to install the multilibs. ----- GREYLIST Sometime you may want that slackpkg+ does not install some package in the upgrade-all process. To do that you must uncheck the package everytime or add it in the 'blacklist' file. The first method may be onerous when you use upgrade-all frequently. The second method does not allow you to know which package version is available. A thirdy method is to put it in the 'graylist' file. All packages listed in graylist will be available to install and listed in slackpkg dialog, but they will be unchecked by default so you are sure to not install it wrongly. You may decide also to greylist one entire repository. A good idea is to greylist all thirdy party repository so an upgrade-all automatically upgrade official slackware packages but force you to review all other packages so to be sure on what you install. ----- INSTALL LOG Slackpkg+ now create a log of all installed packages in /var/lib/slackpkg/install.log and try to add in this log from which repository you have downloaded the file. This help you to track your slackware installation. You are encouraged to run '/usr/lib/slackpkg/makeinstlog.sh -t' (this may take a few) to initialize the log (it will create /var/lib/slackpkg/install.log.tmp). The '-t' param add the repository name from which the packages was downloaded, but it may fails, so you are encouraged to review the file before rename it in install.log. Note that you can edit manually to modify or add informations. At every slackpkg install/upgrade/remove invocation, a new log will be added. At every slackpkg update invocation, a fast list rebuild will be done. ----- CHECK-UPDATE IMPROVEMENT the command "slackpkg check-updates" reports the repositories which have been changed since the last update. For more details and some suggests how to use it in crontab see: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?p=5146591 ----- FURTHER INFORMATION The AlienBOB article about slackpkg+: http://alien.slackbook.org/blog/introducing-slackpkg-an-extension-to-slackpkg-for-3rd-party-repositories/ For questions, suggestions or contributions, you can email me at zerouno@slacky.it or use the linuxquestions forum: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?p=4940074 You can find slackpkg+ on sourceforge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/slackpkgplus