Software projects/OS/Slackware

Disclaimer

Hi, this is Linux-SWAT.

Welcome to the SL4P, Slackware for Pandora, Wiki page. The forum page is located here : http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/1524-slackware-inside-pandora/

I'm the maintainer of this Slackware port, and you can find me here: http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/user/1035-linux-swat/

SL4P is an a ARMedslack overlay. ARMedslack is the official ARM Slackware port.

Important notes: SL4P is not affiliated in any way with Slackware or ARMedslack.
Please DO NOT contact any of them if you have problems with it. Contact ME.

SL4P is not affiliated in any way with Open Pandora gmbh or Open Pandora ltd.
Please DO NOT contact any of them if you have problems with it. Contact ME.

This software is distributed as is. You are on your own responsibility when using it.

Installation

• Format a 8G or more SD card with the Ext2 filesystem. To make explanations clear, name it SLACK.
• It's highly recommended to have a second partition formated as a swap. 256M or more is a good choice.
• Grab the latest rootfs here: http://
• Uncompress the rootfs on your SD. Be root, using su -, or sudo:

sudo tar -jxvfp myrootfs.tar.bz2 -C /media/SLACK/ --numeric-owner

First run

• Be sure your Pandora's clock is set. Otherwise, your filesystem will be checked.
• Power down your Pandora, insert the SD card in slot 1, and power on your unit.
• You will be prompted to choose a password for the root user.
• You will be prompted to create an user. At some explicit point, push up to put this user in adequate groups.
• You will be prompted to choose your desktop environment.
• When you log in as an user, the desktop environment is automatically launched.
• To disable this feature, remove your .bash_profile, or comment the startx command in it.
• Note: connecting with ssh will also launch startx. You can use Ctrl+C to kill it in a very dirty way ^^.

Basic usage

• In order to type commands as root, you have to type su -. You can use just su, but i don't recommend it because you won't have the full root environment.
• In order to unmount drives or SD cards under Xfce, you have an icon in the bar. You can also manually use pumount as user.
• Power button is disabled for now, so you won't crash your system putting it in ram suspend.
• When using adduser, at some explicit point, push up to put this user in adequate groups.

Basic tools

• To upgrade, plug the net, become root using su -, then use slackpkg update, followed by slackpkg upgrade-all.
• To enable or disable services at boot, become root, then type pkgtool, then go in setup -> services, check the option with space then push enter.
• To choose a window manager, type xwmconfig.

Installing a program - Tools

• Slackware archives are .tgz or .txz
• Slackware uses three powerful tools: installpkg, removepkg and upgradepkg.
• A fourth tool named makepkg build packages from compiled sources.

Installing a program from source

• The cleanest way to do it is to use a SlackBuild script: http://slackbuilds.org/guidelines/
• Many SlackBuilds for Slackware 13.37 are already available here: http://slackbuilds.org/repository/13.37/
• I shipped a tool named sbopkg, which does the job for you. Become root using su -, then run sbopkg.
• Note that Slackware does not check dependencies, so you have to get the right build orders looking here: http://slackbuilds.org/
• Also note that gnome libraries must be compiled in a certain order. I already did the job, and shipped them in the rootfs.
• If you don't use a SlackBuild script, then the procedure almost always ends like :

make install DESTDIR=/tmp/whatever/
cd /tmp/whatever/
makepkg /tmp/whatever-1.0.0-arm-1.tgz
installpkg /tmp/whatever-1.0.0-arm-1.tgz

Installing a program with a precompiled archive

• I compiled a lot of packages from http://slackbuilds.org/. You can find them here: http://
• Download what you need, checking the dependencies for your version here: http://slackbuilds.org/
• Put all needed .tgz or .txz in a folder, go root using su -, then type:

installpkg /path/to/your/folder/*.t?z

Updates

• Plug the net, become root using su -, then type:

slackpkg update
slackpkg upgrade-all

Installing KDE

• Plug the net, become root using su -, then type:

slackpkg update
slackpkg install kde

• Note that although i already slimmed down KDE configuration files, the 512M Pandora is recommended to run the full desktop.
• Anyway, you can run any KDE application (konqueror, kwrite...) flawlessly with the 256M version.

Fast boot tweak

• I moved some of the boot stuff (ldconfig, font cache, mime database) in /etc/rc.d/rc.local_shutdown.
• The reboot/power off process is slowered, but the OS integrity is safe.

Autologin

• As i didn't succeded to compile the Slim display manager, no clean auto logger is available at this time.
• KDM works, but is too heavy. You have to edit /etc/rc.d/rc.4 in order to use it.

PND compatibility list

• SL4P supports .pnd files.
• Due to 3.2 kernel and dynamically linked libraries, all .pnd are not compatible.
• The list is located here: http://pandorawiki.org/Software_projects/OS/Slackware/PND-compatibility-list

Build system

• I distribute it under the GPL 3 license.
• It may look a bit messy for now (and indeed, some part have to be cleaned), but it's versatile, as i intended from the start.
• It's mainly two bash scripts.
• You need a Pandora to run the second one.
• Depending on what you comment/uncomment, you can produce an alpha build, very minimal, or a full build.
• Depending on what you edit, you can use it to port any *NIX to Open Pandora, and maintain your build very easily.

Ask a question/Report a bug

• You're welcome, and please post here: http://boards.openpandora.org/index.php?/topic/1524-slackware-inside-pandora/