Unraid is a handy software if you need a NAS or a simple computing server for containers and VMs. But unlike other Linux operating systems, it does not come with a package manager that allows you to install any packages you need due to the in-memory nature of the Unraid operating system. This article will cover how to install packages on your Unraid server using Slackware packages to install them on your machine for one-time or permanent use, depending on your needs.

What are Slackware packages?

A short history of Slackware if you have yet to hear about it. It was created as a Linux Distribution in 1993 by Patrick Volkerding. The distribution was initially based on the Softlanding Linux System but has become the basis of other Linux distributions building up on the Slackware distribution and is one of the oldest distributions still maintained. One notable distribution to come from Slackware is the SUSE Linux distribution.

This history of the distribution and other joint distributions building up on top of it means the packages used by the distributions can be installed across many joint distributions due to the common Slackware core. For Unraid users, this means that even though you are not provided with the most accessible experience in installing your extra packages. Still, you can use the wide variety of Slackware packages available.

How does Unraid use Slackware packages?

Unraid utilises the /boot/extra/ folder to look for Slackware files. These files can be added to the folder beforehand, and Unraid will automatically pick them up and install them during the boot process. This is a beneficial feature for anyone trying to ensure their system runs with the latest version of their favourite applications that are not installed by default as part of the Unraid operating system. It saves time and effort that would otherwise be spent manually downloading and installing them via the Unraid Go file or manually via the terminal.

Adding Slackware packages on Unraid

Now, let's look at the complete process for installing Slackware packages on Unraid to extend its software functionality for your needs. First, where can you search for these Slackware packages? This can be done at the Slackware Linux project, where you can search for standard Linux packages and view what is available.

From this UI, you can select a package and download it to your machine if you move the package file manually onto your Unraid host.

Or you can download them directly via the terminal. Create a folder inside /tmp and run the following script to download the package into /tmp

Once downloaded, move the package files into the/boot/extra/ folder.

To ensure your changes are applied on a system restart, the package files download must be placed into the/boot/extra folder. On a system restart, Unraid will check this folder for valid .tzg files and attempt to install the packages onto the system; any failed installs will be skipped. If you don't want to wait for a system restart to try out a Slackware package, you can also install it right away with the following command.

Wrapping Up

You should know better how your Slackware packages can easily extend your Unraid server's functionality. By simply adding these packages onto your server or using the CLI tool, you can begin installing these tools and use further utilities like Python, Ansible, Terraform and more.

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