2.1.4.2.1 Downloading the files

You should download the following files using FTP. Be sure to use binary mode when transferring. Appendix C contains a complete tutorial on using FTP.

• The various README files, as well as SLACKWARE_FAQ. Be sure to read these files before attempting to install the software, to get any updates or changes to this document.
• A bootdisk image. This is a file that you will write to a floppy to create the Slackware boot disk. If you have a 1.44 megabyte boot floppy (3.5"), look in the directory bootdsks.144. If you have a 1.2 megabyte boot floppy (5.25"), look in the directory bootdsks.12.

  You need one of the following bootdisk files.

  • bare.gz. This is a boot floppy that has only IDE hard drive drivers. (No SCSI, CD-ROM, or networking support.) Use this if you only have an IDE hard drive controller and aren't going to be installing over the network or from CD-ROM.
  • cdu31a.gz. Contains IDE, SCSI, and the Sony CDU31A/33A driver.
  • mitsumi.gz. Contains IDE, SCSI, and the Mitsumi CD-ROM driver.
  • modern.gz. An experimental boot disk with a newer kernel, and all drivers except those for network cards and the Sony 535 CD-ROM.
  • net.gz. Contains IDE and network drivers.
  • sbpcd.gz. Contains IDE, SCSI, and SoundBlaster Pro/Panasonic CD-ROM drivers.
  • scsi.gz. Contains IDE, SCSI, and SCSI CD-ROM drivers.
  • scsinet.gz. Contains IDE, SCSI, SCSI CD-ROM, and network drivers.
  • sony535.gz. Contains IDE, SCSI, and Sony 535/531 CD-ROM drivers.
  • xt.gz. Contains IDE and XT hard drive drivers.

  You need only one of the above bootdisk images, depending on the hardware that you have in your system.

  The issue here is that some hardware drivers conflict with each other in strange ways, and instead of attempting to debug hardware problems on your system it's easier to use a boot floppy image with only certain drivers enabled. Most users should try scsi.gz or bare.gz.

• A rootdisk image. This is a file that you will write to a floppy to create the Slackware installation disk. As with the bootdisk image, look in rootdsks.144 or rootdsks.12 depending on the type of boot floppy drive that you have.

  You need one of the following files:

  • color144.gz. The menu-based color installation disk for 1.44 megabyte drives. Most users should use this rootdisk.
  • umsds144.gz. A version of the color144 disk for installing with the UMSDOS filesystem, which allows you to install Linux onto a directory of an MS-DOS filesystem. This installation method is not discussed in detail here, but it will prevent you from having to repartition your drive. More on this later.
  • tty144.gz. The terminal-based installation disk for 1.44 megabyte drives. If color144.gz doesn't work for you, try tty144.gz instead.
  • colrlite.gz. The menu-based color installation disk for 1.2 megabyte drives.
  • umsds12.gz. A version of the colrlite disk for installing with the UMSDOS filesystem. See the description of umsds144.gz, above.
  • tty12.gz. The terminal-based installation disk for 1.2 megabyte drives. Use this rootdisk if you have a 1.2 megabyte boot floppy and colrlite.gz doesn't work for you.

  Again, you need only one of the above rootdisk images, depending on the type of boot floppy drive that you have.

• GZIP.EXE. This is an MS-DOS executable of the gzip compression program used to compress the boot and rootdisk files (the .gz extension on the filenames indicates this). This can be found in the install directory.

• RAWRITE.EXE. This is an MS-DOS program that will write the contents of a file (such as the boot and rootdisk images) directly to a floppy, without regard to format. You will use RAWRITE.EXE to create the boot and root floppies. This can be found in the install directory as well.

  You only need RAWRITE.EXE and GZIP.EXE if you plan to create the boot and root floppies from an MS-DOS system. If you have access to a UNIX workstation with a floppy drive instead, you can create the floppies from there, using the dd command. See the man page for dd and ask your local UNIX administrators for assistance.

• The files in the directories slakware/a1, slakware/a2, and slakware/a3. These files make up the ``A'' disk set of the Slackware distribution. They are required. Later, you will copy these files to MS-DOS floppies for installation (or, you can install from your hard drive). Therefore, when you download these files, keep them in separate directories; don't mix the a1 files with the a2 files, and so on.

  Be sure that you get the files without periods in the filenames as well. That is, within FTP, use the command ``mget *'' instead of ``mget *.*''.

• The files in the directories ap1, ap2, etc., depending on what disk sets you are installing. For example, if you are installing the ``X'' disk series, get the files in the directories x1 through x5. As with the ``A'' disk set, above, be sure to keep the files in separate directories when you download them.