Slackware Linux Essentials
Prev	Chapter 18 Slackware Package -Management	Next

18.2 Package Utilities

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There are four main utilities for package management. They perform installation, -removal, and upgrades of packages.

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18.2.1 pkgtool

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pkgtool(8) is a menu-driven program that allows installation -and removal of packages. The main menu is shown in Figure 18-1.

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Figure 18-1. Pkgtool's main menu.

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Installation is offered from the current directory, another directory, or from floppy -disks. Simply select the installation method you want and pkgtool will search that -location for valid packages to install.

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You may also view a list of installed packages, as shown in Figure 18-2.

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Figure 18-2. Pkgtool view mode

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If you want to remove packages, select the remove option and you will be presented -with a checklist of all the installed packages. Flag the ones you want to remove and -select OK. pkgtool will remove them.

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Some users prefer this utility to the command line utilities. However, it should be -noted that the command line utilities offer many more options. Also, the ability to -upgrade packages is only offered through the command line utilities.

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18.2.2 installpkg

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installpkg(8) handles installation of new packages on the -system. The syntax is as follows:

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-# installpkg option package_name
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Three options are provided for installpkg. Only one option -can be used at a time.

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Table 18-1. installpkg Options

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Option	Effects
-m	Performs a makepkg operation on the current directory.
-warn	Shows what would happen if you installed the specified package. This is useful for -production systems so you can see exactly what would happen before installing -something.
-r	Recursively install all packages in the current directory and down. The package name -can use wildcards, which would be used as the search mask when recursively -installing.

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If you pass the ROOT environment variable before installpkg, that path will be used for the root directory. This is -useful for setting up new drives for your root directory. They will typically be mounted -to /mnt or something other than /.

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The installed package database entry is stored in /var/log/packages. The entry is really just a plain text file, one -for each package. If the package has a postinstallation script, it is written to /var/log/scripts/.

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You may specify several packages or use wildcards for the package name. Be advised -that installpkg will not tell you if you are overwriting an -installed package. It will simply install right on top of the old one. If you want to -ensure that old files from the previous package are safely removed, use upgradepkg.

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18.2.3 removepkg

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removepkg(8) handles removing installed packages from the -system. The syntax is as follows:

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-# removepkg option package_name
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Four options are provided for removepkg. Only one option may -be used at a time.

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Table 18-2. removepkg Options

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Option	Effects
-copy	The package is copied to the preserved packages directory. This creates a tree of the -original package without removing it.
-keep	Saves temporary files created during the removal. Really only useful for debugging -purposes.
-preserve	The package is removed, but copied to the preserved packages directory at the same -time.
-warn	Shows what would happen if you removed the package.

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If you pass the ROOT environment variable before removepkg, that path will be used for the root directory. This is -useful for setting up new drives for your root directory. They will typically be mounted -to /mnt or something other than /.

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removepkg looks at the other installed packages and only -removes files unique to the package you specify. It will also scan the postinstallation -script for the specified package and remove any symbolic links that were created by -it.

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During the removal process, a status report is displayed. After the removal, the -package database entry is moved to /var/log/removed_packages -and the postinstallation script is moved to /var/log/removed_scripts.

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Just as with installpkg, you can specify several packages or -use wildcards for the package name.

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18.2.4 upgradepkg

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upgradepkg(8) will upgrade an installed Slackware package. -The syntax is as follows:

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-# upgradepkg package_name
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-# upgradepkg old_package_name%new_package_name
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upgradepkg works by first installing the new package and then -removing the old package so that old files are no longer around on the system. If the -upgraded package name has changed, use the percent sign syntax to specify the old package -(the one that is installed) and the new package (the one you are upgrading it to).

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If you pass the ROOT environment variable before upgradepkg, that path will be used for the root directory. This is -useful for setting up new drives for your root directory. They will typically be mounted -to /mnt or something other than /.

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upgradepkg is not flawless. You should always back up your -configuration files. If they get removed or overwritten, you'll want a copy of the -originals for any needed repair work.

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Just as with installpkg and removepkg, you can specify several packages or use wildcards for the -package name.

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18.2.5 `rpm2tgz`/`rpm2targz`

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The Red Hat Package Manager is a popular packaging system available today. Many -software distributors are offering their products in RPM format. Since this is not our -native format, we do not recommend people rely on them. However, some things are only -available as an RPM (even the source).

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We provide a program that will convert RPM packages to our native .tgz format. This will allow you to extract the package (perhaps -with explodepkg) to a temporary directory and examine its -contents.

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The rpm2tgz program will create a Slackware package with a -.tgz extension, while rpm2targz -creates an archive with a .tar.gz extension.

Prev	Home	Next
Slackware Package Management	Up	Making Packages

18.2 Package Utilities

18.2.1 pkgtool

18.2.2 installpkg

18.2.3 removepkg

18.2.4 upgradepkg

18.2.5 rpm2tgz/rpm2targz

18.2.5 `rpm2tgz`/`rpm2targz`