Slackware Package Tools

Frequently people have doubts about using the package management tools on Slackware Linux and I will try to resume some of the most important functions of these tools here… Don’t forget to readthe manpage for further information…

Installpkg

By typing installpkg [packagename].tgz you can install packages on your system. There are a few command line options as well:
-warn: Generates a report of what would happen if you installed the package and sends the report to standard out.
-m: Make the contents of the current directory and subdirectories into a package with the name you specify.
-r: Install the contents of the current directory and subdirectories as a package with the name you specify.

Removepkg

In it’s simplest form, removepkg will remove the package name you specify. The general syntax is removepkg packagename. There are a few command line options that you can specify:
-warn: Generates a report of what would happen if you removed the package and sends the report to standard out. It does not remove the package.
-preserve: This option will reconstruct the package subtree under /tmp/preserved_packages/packagename, where packagename is the name is you specify.
-copy: Construct a copy of the package under /tmp/preserved_packages/packagename, but do not remove it (same effect as -warn -preserve).
-keep: Save the temporary files created by removepkg. Useful for debugging purposes.

Upgradepkg

Upgrades a currently installed package with the package specified. If the packages have the same name, then you only need to run upgradepkg packagename to perform the upgrade. If the new package has a different name than the currently installed package, you must use this syntax:

upgradepkg oldpackagename%newpackagename

Do not add any extra whitespace between pairs of old/new package names.

Makepkg

Creates a new Slackware compatible package. The program uses the contents of the current directory to create the package. Be sure to take a look at the manpage for makepkg for information about the embedded scripts that you can put in a Slackware package.

Explodepkg

Extracts the contents of a Slackware compatible package to the current directory. It does not execute the embedded scripts in the package. This utility is most useful for maintenance purposes (exploding a package, updating it, then rebuilding with makepkg).

Rpm2targz / Rpm2tgz

Converts an RPM (RedHat Package Manager) to a Slackware-compatible package. In case you ever run across the need to obtain something that is only in RPM format, this program may come in handy. The syntax is:

rpm2targz [filename].rpm

Running rpm2targz will create a .tar.gz file, while running rpm2tgz will create a .tgz file. The files are exactly the same, the only difference is the extension format (some people prefer one over the other).

Any questions or sugestions? feel free to contact me or just comment here! ^^