Chapter 17 completed in rough draft. Added mention of

slackware-security mailing list as well.

1 files changed, 98 insertions, 10 deletions

diff --git a/chapter_17.xml b/chapter_17.xml
index 41ea6cf..ea51ad7 100644
--- a/chapter_17.xml
+++ b/chapter_17.xml
@@ -9,11 +9,69 @@
 <title>The -stable Branch</title>
 
 <para>
-Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
-eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad
-minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip
-ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
-voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
+Whenever a new version of Slackware is released, it continues to be
+updated should a security vulnerability be found or a nasty bug begin
+to rear its head. For that reason, it's important to keep up with all
+the patches for your version of Slackware. We call this the -stable
+branch. There is also a -current branch where frequent and intrusive
+changes are made, but unless you're willing to work with a broken
+computer and fix things on your own, we recommend you stick with
+-stable.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+Since -stable updates aren't distributed on the disks, you'll need to
+obtain them from the Internet. Many people and organizations offer
+mirrors where you can download the entire Slackware tree, or just the
+<filename>patches/</filename> directory in any number of ways. While
+some mirrors offer web access, the most common ways of obtaining
+updates are via ftp and rsync servers. The Slackware project maintains
+a small list of known mirrors organized by country. If you're in doubt
+as to what mirror to use, simply consult <ulink
+url="http://www.slackware.com/getslack/">http://www.slackware.com/getslack/</ulink>
+for suggestions. If you know a major university near you, there's a
+good chance they offer a mirror of numerous open source projects, and
+Slackware may be among them. The only real requirement for a mirror is
+that it be complete, but it's best to use a mirror near where you live
+to achieve the fastest transfer times and use the least amount of
+Internet resources.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+So how do you know when there are updates? The best way is to consult
+the <filename>ChangeLog.txt</filename> on any up-to-date mirror. You
+can always find the latest changelogs for the -current and most recent
+-stable branch on the Slackware Project's web page, but if you're
+running an older version, you'll need to check a mirror.
+</para>
+
+<screen><prompt>darkstar:~# </prompt><userinput>wget -O - \
+ftp://slackware.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/slackware-13.0/ChangeLog.txt \
+| less</userinput>
+Sun Jan 24 20:22:46 UTC 2010
+patches/packages/httpd-2.2.14-i486-1_slack12.1.tgz:  Upgraded.
+  This fixes a couple of security bugs when using mod_proxy_ftp.
+  For more information, see:
+    http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2009-3094
+    http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2009-3095
+  (* Security fix *)</screen>
+
+</section>
+
+<section>
+<title>Security Update Mailing List</title>
+
+<para>
+While the Slackware team does release strictly bug-fix patches from
+time-to-time, you're probably most interested in security fixes for
+vulnerabilities that are discovered in software. The Slackware Project
+maintains a mailing list that will notify you if any patches are
+released that treat such serious issues.  In order to subscribe to the
+mailing list, simply send an e-mail to
+<email>majordomo@slackware.com</email> with the words 'subscribe
+slackware-security' in the body of the message. The majordomo will be
+happy to add your name to the list, and when new packages are released,
+will mail you an advisory.
 </para>
 
 </section>
@@ -22,11 +80,41 @@ voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
 <title>Upgrading Slackware Versions</title>
 
 <para>
-Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do
-eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad
-minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip
-ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in
-voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
+Now that we've gone this far, you should feel reasonably competent in
+your ability to handle your Slackware system. But what do we do with it
+when there's a new release? Updating from one release of Slackware to
+another is a lot more complicated than simply updating a few packages.
+Each release changes a lot of things. Many of these changes are small,
+but some of them can completely break your system if you haven't
+prepared for them. While some Linux distributions provide highly
+automated tools that attempt to handle every tiny detail for you,
+Slackware takes a much more hands on approach to things.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+The very first thing you should do before attempting an upgrade, is
+decide if that's really necessary. If the old system is stable and
+doing everything you want it to do, there may be no need to do an
+operating system upgrade at all. The second thing you should do is read
+the <filename>CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT</filename> file on your upgrade
+disks or a mirror. This file changes between every release, and lists
+helpful hints and tips to aid you in dealing with the changes.
+Finally, read the <filename>UPGRADE.TXT</filename> file as well before
+proceeding. After doing these things, you may find it easier to backup
+your configuration files and data, then perform a regular install of
+the new Slackware release rather than attempt a possibly tricky
+upgrade. If however, you still wish to continue, make backups of your
+data and configuration files. At a minimum, it's good practice to
+backup the <filename>/etc</filename> and <filename>/home</filename>
+directories. This will give you a chance to perform a re-install should
+anything go wrong with the upgrade.
+</para>
+
+<para>
+Since every new version of Slackware has a few differences, giving
+complete instructions here is not only futile, but misleading. Always
+consult the documentation included on your Slackware disks or your
+favorite mirror.
 </para>
 
 </section>