slackware netinstall

you won't see many docs about minimal netinstall slackware. indeed, you will see many experts saying there is no such thing. and your only option is to download the entire lot. sad, i know!

the official slackware recommendation is to install everything, even if you want a minimal system, and then uninstall what you don't want. the recommendation is to download the install dvd(?) or a few cds. there are no docs (or i couldn't find any) for netinstall.

slackware can be installed over the network without downloading that humunguous recommended dvd. not everyone wants gnome, kde, etc. netinst is most efficient, particularly if you need a minimal install and know what you want.

if you don't have a dvd-drive to boot, then you are not left with much choice. you also need to consider, if bandwidth is an issue. do you need to download that whole dvd content, if you are only installing a minimal system?

however, if you are a slackware newbie, you might install multiple times before you get it right. in that case, a one-time download might be more efficient. still, unless one is installing all the bells n whistles, an entire dvd is still is a bit ott!

slackware netinstall

choose a nearby mirror from http://mirrors.slackware.com/mirrorlist/

the main mirrors - slackware.org | slackware.org.uk - are throttled and may ban you, if you connect multiple times. so choose another mirror.

on your chosen mirror, navigate directories to /slackware-current/usb-and-pxe-installers/

download usbboot.img

read README_USB.TXT
ignore everything it says, except the how-to create usb bootable slackware installer and do so.

boot from this usb, and start setup.

when asked to choose your install source media, select "4 Install from FTP/HTTP server"



server is your mirror from above.
for eg, in my case (gb): http://slackware.uk/slackware/

location is the directory containing PACKAGES.TXT.
for eg, /slackware/slackware-current/slackware/

that's it!