SERVING A SLACKWARE MIRROR
==========================

Overview:
---------
This document describes how to serve a Slackware mirror using
Apache. The primary goal is to share an existing Slackware mirror
so other machines can update from a local or external source
without relying on third-party mirrors.

For single-machine use (no other machines need to access the
mirror), Apache is unnecessary - configure slackpkg to read the
mirror directly via file://. See the main mirror setup document
for that case.


Assumptions:
------------
- A Slackware mirror already exists on disk
- The mirror is served as static files
- slackpkg is used on client machines


Design Decisions:
-----------------
Slackware package integrity is verified using checksums and GPG
signatures. Because of this, HTTPS is not a strict requirement
for either local or external mirrors.

Serving the mirror over plain HTTP is a deliberate choice:
- integrity is already guaranteed by signatures
- configuration remains simple
- no certificates or renewal processes are required

If HTTPS is required for other reasons, Apache supports it
natively via mod_ssl, or it can be added through a reverse
proxy. That setup is out of scope for this document.


Why Apache:
-----------
Apache is Slackware's default web server. It is part of the base
install, receives security updates through the official Slackware
patches, and is well audited for both internal and public-facing
deployments. For serving a static mirror it requires only minor
configuration.

Smaller HTTP servers (quark, darkhttpd, etc.) were considered.
They are fine for local-only or LAN-only use, but for serving a
mirror that may be reachable from outside the local network,
Apache is the more conservative choice.


1. Apache
---------
Apache ships with Slackware. If for some reason it is not
installed:

    slackpkg install httpd


2. Locate the DocumentRoot
--------------------------
Slackware's default Apache DocumentRoot is:

    /var/www/htdocs

(On some installations it may be /srv/httpd/htdocs. Check the
DocumentRoot directive in /etc/httpd/httpd.conf.)


3. Create a symlink to the mirror
---------------------------------
Symlink the mirror directory into DocumentRoot. Replace
YOUR_USER with your actual username (do not use $USER -
configuration files do not expand shell variables):

    ln -s /home/YOUR_USER/slackware-mirrors/slackware64-current \
          /var/www/htdocs/slackware64-current


4. Allow Apache to traverse to the mirror
-----------------------------------------
Apache runs as the 'apache' user and must be able to traverse
every directory in the path. Set the home directory to be
traversable but not listable by others:

    chmod o+x /home/YOUR_USER

Make the mirror itself readable, with execute on directories
only:

    chmod -R o+rX /home/YOUR_USER/slackware-mirrors

The capital X in "o+rX" only sets execute on directories,
which is what's needed for static file serving.


5. Set ServerName
-----------------
Edit /etc/httpd/httpd.conf and set:

    ServerName YOUR_SERVER_IP:80

For example:

    ServerName 192.168.1.10:80

This silences a startup warning and identifies the server in
its responses.


6. Restrict listening interface (optional)
------------------------------------------
By default Apache listens on all interfaces (Listen 80). If
the mirror should only be reachable from the local network,
this is fine. If it should only be reachable from the local
machine, change the Listen directive in httpd.conf to:

    Listen 127.0.0.1:80

If the mirror will be exposed to the internet, ensure the
firewall and any router port-forwarding rules are configured
intentionally.


7. Start Apache
---------------
    chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.httpd
    /etc/rc.d/rc.httpd start


8. Test from the server
-----------------------
    curl -I http://127.0.0.1/slackware64-current/

You should see "HTTP/1.1 200 OK". If you get 403 Forbidden,
see the troubleshooting section.


9. Configure slackpkg on client machines
----------------------------------------
On each client machine, edit /etc/slackpkg/mirrors and
uncomment exactly one line pointing to the server:

    http://192.168.1.10/slackware64-current/

Slackpkg requires that exactly one mirror line is uncommented;
multiple uncommented lines or none will result in slackpkg
doing nothing useful.

Then run:

    slackpkg update


Troubleshooting
---------------
If you get "Forbidden":

    tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log

Common causes:

    "client denied by server configuration"
        -> Apache config does not grant access to the path.
           Check that the symlink lives inside DocumentRoot
           and that the DocumentRoot's <Directory> block in
           httpd.conf includes "FollowSymLinks" in Options.

    "Permission denied: ... search permissions are missing
     on a component of the path"
        -> Filesystem permissions block Apache. Re-check the
           chmod commands in step 4.

To verify Apache can read the mirror as its runtime user:

    sudo -u apache ls /var/www/htdocs/slackware64-current/

If that fails with "Permission denied", the filesystem
permissions are still wrong somewhere on the path.


Notes on HTTPS:
---------------
HTTPS is optional for Slackware mirrors. Package integrity is
verified by slackpkg via signatures regardless of transport.

If HTTPS is desired, Apache supports it through mod_ssl - see
the Apache documentation. This is not covered here.


Conclusion:
-----------
Apache provides a stable, well-supported solution for serving
a Slackware mirror. For static-file workloads on a home LAN or
public-facing deployment, the configuration above is sufficient.


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Last Modified: 2026-01-03 00:00:00 UTC