====== Getting Slackware ======

The official way to do this is, of course, to get it from [[https://www.slackware.com/getslack/|slackware.com]].

Personally, I have [[https://codeberg.org/azman/my1shell/src/branch/master/getslack|getslack]], a bash script based on (more accurately, a trimmed-down version of) the excellent (he termed it //infamous//) [[https://www.slackware.com/~alien/tools/mirror-slackware-current.sh|mirror-slackware-current.sh]] by [[https://alien.slackbook.org/dokuwiki/doku.php|Alien Bob]]. When going down this path, the next step would be to prepare the installation media. 

===== Slackware Installer ISO Image =====
I no longer need an ISO image (refer to USB installer below). But, I have my [[https://codeberg.org/azman/my1shell/src/branch/master/slack2iso|slack2iso]] script (also based on Alien Bob's script) that can help in creating one using the tree downloaded by ''getslack''.

===== Slackware USB Installer =====

[[https://alien.slackbook.org/dokuwiki/doku.php|Alien Bob]] has provided a [[https://alien.slackbook.org/blog/installing-slackware-using-usb-thumb-drive/|script]] to make/setup/configure a USB-based Slackware installation media. I wanted to do something simpler using the existing files in the Slackware tree that I mirrored using ''getslack'' (mentioned above). So, here is how I got that working.

  - Create a FAT32 partition
    * use ''fdisk'' and make sure it is bootable (bootable flag enabled)
    * use ''mkdosfs'' (e.g. ''mkdosfs -F 32 /dev/sdb1'')
  - Use syslinux to provide bootloader
    * create a ''/linux/boot/syslinux'' folder on the USB
    * type <code>syslinux -d /linux/boot/syslinux /dev/sdb1</code> **Note**: On newer syslinux, use ''-i'' to indicate new installation
    * a file ''ldlinux.sys'' should appear in ''/linux/boot/syslinux''
  - Copy boot facilities from Slackware tree to the media
    * copy a kernel from slackware tree to ''/linux/boot'' (I used ''huge.s'')
    * copy ''initrd.img'' and ''message.txt'' to ''/linux/boot''
    * copy ''isolinux.cfg'' to ''/linux/boot/syslinux'' as ''syslinux.cfg''
    * edit ''syslinux.cfg'' accordingly (initrd, kernel params, etc.)
  - Copy slackware<64> in the Slackware tree (I used a shorter folder name like slack on the USB)

And... we're done! Now we have a simple Slackware USB Installer and install it on every computer we can get our hands on! 8-)

===== Note: GPT Disks and EFI =====

Things moving to (U)EFI and GPT... slowly leaving legacy BIOS and MBR.

Instead of MBR, we use GPT partitioning scheme:
  * supports bigger disk
  * supports EFI booting (easier to maintain actually :p)

Partition codes are 2-bytes instead (only 1-byte on MBR's partition table). Among the common ones:
  * EF00 (EFI System Partition): this is what EFI boot look for
    * format FAT32 <code>mkdosfs -F 32 -n MY1EFI /dev/sdxx</code>
  * 0700 (MS Basic Data): Windows Partition
    * format NTFS <code>mkntfs -f -L MY1WIN /dev/sdxx</code>
  * 8300 (Linux filesystem): Linux Partition
    * format EXT4 <code>mkfs.ext4 -L MY1LIN /dev/sdxx</code>

Once boot using EFI, ''efibootmgr'' tool can be used (available on Slackware 14.2)
  * to create an entry labelled ''Slackware'' with loader file named ''\efi\slackware\elilo.efi'' located on first partition of first disk (''/dev/sda1'') <code>efibootmgr -c -d /dev/sda -p 1 -L "Slackware" -l "\efi\slackware\elilo.efi"</code>
  * to delete an entry xxxx (bootnum) <code>efibootmgr -b xxxx -B</code>
  * to re-order boot sequence <code>efibootmgr -o xxxx,yyyy,zzzz</code>