Playing with a spin-off

[Sasquatch]

I just did a core install on my little laptop with the intention of building it up in a slightly different direction from Salix-proper. I consider it an LnqFS project... "Linux (not quite) From Scratch" The goal is to use Salix and Slackware repositories as much as possible and only change those few things I need to change to experiment with what I want to see. I figured it would be easier to start with a core install and build up than to start with a full install and try to tear it down first.

Anyhow, I have the first in what I presume will be a great many questions... somewhere I saw in the documentation that I can use the install USB as a local repository. But I can't find that documentation again. Can somebody point me to the appropriate doc or tell me how to accomplish what it said? I'm certain there are quite a few libraries and such on the USB that I will need but that weren't installed as part of the core.

[laprjns]

. somewhere I saw in the documentation that I can use the install USB as a local repository. But I can't find that documentation again. Can somebody point me to the appropriate doc or tell me how to accomplish what it said?

It's in the README file on the install image

You can use this CD as a repository for slapt-get/gslapt. In order to
do that, you need to edit your /etc/slapt-get/slapt-getrc file. Edit it
with your favourite text editor (as user root) and comment every SOURCE
line in it, by putting a # in front of every line, for example this:

SOURCE=http://download.salixos.org/i486/slackw ... /:OFFICIAL

should become:

#SOURCE=http://download.salixos.org/i486/slackw ... /:OFFICIAL

then add a new SOURCE line that points to your mounted optical disc, for
example:

SOURCE=file:///media/Salix_14.2/:OFFICIAL

You will need to update your slapt-get package database by running:

slapt-get -u

and then you can use the CD as if it was a regular repository.

[Sasquatch]

Thanks. I thought it was in the wiki. No wonder I couldn't find it.

[Sasquatch]

Apparently things have changed since that README was written. When I mount the iso and ls the appropriate directory I get this;

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$ ls /media
CHECKSUMS.md5  isolinux  PACKAGELIST	  README
EFI	       kernels	 PACKAGES.TXT.gz  salix

No sign of the

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Salix_14.2/:OFFICIAL

listed in the README. Under the 'salix' directory I do see 'aaa', 'core', 'basic', etc. I assume these are subdirectories containing the expected packages. But I didn't look to see. So I'm unclear how to edit the source line to point slapt in the right direction.

[gapan]

That's because you manually mounted the iso in /media. If you're mounting it manually, you might just as well pick any other place. The rule is to point slapt-getrc to the location that includes the "salix" directory.

[Sasquatch]

So I should edit it as follows?

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 SOURCE=file:///media/salix

assuming I mount it to /media. Is there a problem with mounting it there? I just did that to see what was going on. When I mount it to the target computer I'll create a new directory "/repo" or something just to make it easy to remember where it is. In which case I suppose the rc should read

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 SOURCE=file:///repo/salix

Correct?

[Sasquatch]

Seems I'm not doing something right.

I mounted the USB with the iso on it and edited the the slapt-getrc file to point to the 'salix' directory on the USB. I got this;

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Retreiving package data [file:///repo/salix/]...Failed to download: Couldn't read a file:// file

*EDIT*
Oops! Hit "submit" when I meant to hit "preview".

Anyhow, I took that error to mean that I needed to point it to the subdirectories that actually held the packages rather than the directory that held those subdirectories. So I edited the rc again, like so;

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SOURCE=file:///repo/salix/aaa
SOURCE=file:///repo/salix/core
SOURCE=file:///repo/salix/basic
SOURCE=file:///repo/salix/full

and I got the same error again for each directory.

*EDIT*
I think I know where I went wrong. I'm not actually using the iso, I'm using the install USB. It has all the packages, but they aren't in the correct form for slapt-get. I can copy the files from the USB to the target computer. So I could move the .txz packages and then install them. Or I could just reformat the USB and copy the original iso to it and go from there.

[gapan]

The rule is to point slapt-getrc to the location that includes the "salix" directory.

[Sasquatch]

Oops. I misinterpreted that the first time. Got it now. Fully updated and everything. Thank you.

I do apologize for often being rather dense. I know some of the things that perplex me must be child's play to many here.

[Sasquatch]

Okay, this was working this morning and now it isn't. When I use slapt-get to install a package from the USB it shows;

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Reading Package Lists..Done

Then

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The following NEW packages will be installed:

Then I get an error;

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...Failed to download: Couldn't read a file:// file

But 'installpkg' works just fine on the same package.

As an aside, 'depfinder' is an awesome bit of kit. It also has no trouble reading the packages on the USB.