Brand New Desktop Build: Intel AC 9260 and Slackware

[Alexzee]

I'm headed to Micro Center tomorrow to purchase everything for my brand new build.

This Asus X570 Tuf Gaming Plus WiFi mobo comes with the Intel AC 9260 802.11ac card.

What I don't know is if this WiFi card will work out of the box or not?
Will I have to install the Intel firmware and install a new kernel to get it to work on Slackware?

Here's the mobo:
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/TUF-GAMING-X570-PLUS-WI-FI/

Here's the page for the firmware:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/network-and-io/wireless-networking.html

 

[captain-sensible]

ok looking at intel the Ac 9260 is supported by kernels 4.14+ slackware stable14.2 looking it up ( i use current) is 4.4
$bash
So probably an issue. Look this my my 2 penny worth. Slackware 14.2 is
3 years old. I recently bought a cheap but new Hp laptop. 14.2 64 bit failed to work with network card. One way to go is to take up $bash (as in head against wall , compile custom kernel) another is lateral thinking. What i did is put current 64 bit on a usb stick. It found and wifi worked. So i installed it. Some nerds not on this site tell noobs to stick with stable. installing current is just the same as installing stable - just a different iso

 

[captain-sensible]

amongst the sales speel i saw dual - is it 64 bit then ? if so go for slackware 64 bit current. Now at the moment - i've had it on good authority (willy) from slackbuilds that current is "stable" i've no been using since September no problems. Some nerds use slackpkg , blacklist , do this do that . Willy Sr stated to me

"Once you install -current at this point (per September 28), you don't
have to follow everything else when you have some difficulties with
Internet connection. You can stay with what you have now and upgrade it
later when you came back.

Current is now using 4.19.x branch of the kernel which is considered a
LTS kernel, but things might move on when Slackware 15.0 gets released.
It could stay at 4.19 or even 5.4 as mentioned here
(https://people.kernel.org/gregkh/next-long-term-supported-kernel-release) "


Basically i told Willy i was due to go to Africa for maybe 6 months, where the internet is really bad so can;t do updates. What he is basically saying is this. get your packages installed so its all working and don't worry about it for 6 months.

 

[captain-sensible]

the only thing i have found - is to be careful what and how you update or install. Slackbuilds can give you a headache not all of them but some - they are out of date for current .

i've gone for slkpkg as package manager slpkg is ok : https://slackbuilds.org/repository/14.2/system/slpkg/?search=slpkg

one key thing is to edit config to "'current" and some repo's. you search for packages and slpkg will install deps needed. you can do checks to see what deps are involved .

on my system i have :
chromium chromium-77.0.3865.75-x86_64-1alien
cinelerra-2.3-x86_64-6_slonly
clamav-0.101.4-x86_64-1_SBo
etc no clashes , all working and stable

 

[captain-sensible]

let us know if you go current route when i, probably others can mention more tips

 

[Alexzee]

I don't have any experience installing a new kernel. Any advise is appreciated:-

And,.... would it just be easier to install Slackware current?

 

[captain-sensible]

you don't need to install new kernel. the current iso comes with everything ...hang on looking for iso ..

 

[captain-sensible]

http://bear.alienbase.nl/mirrors/slackware/slackware64-current-iso/ thats the url to get "install iso"

you need to confirm if your cpu is 32 bit or 64

the outline of installing , is this:

1) put install iso onto usb stick
2) boot from usb stick

thats basically it. the install http://bear.alienbase.nl/mirrors/slackware/slackware64-current-iso/slackware64-current-install-dvd.iso when you boot from usb has tools and everything else to install.

 

[captain-sensible]

my experience in installing stable and current is thats its really exactly the same ,maybe a couple of minor differences. The way i approach it is :
old motherboard bios mbr etc or

new motherboard uefi
i usually go for booting knoppix live from usb to set up partitions first then do install

 

[Alexzee]

you don't need to install new kernel. the current iso comes with everything ...hang on looking for iso ..

Including the Intel AC 9260 firmware?

Does Slackware-Current run reasonably stable?

 

[Alexzee]

My CPU is 64-bit-

 

[captain-sensible]

current slackware 64 bit is very stable ; i'm 99% it will work with your wifi card

 

[Alexzee]

current slackware 64 bit is very stable ; i'm 99% it will work with your wifi card

Ok Great!

I picked up everything for my new build today.
I'll start my build tomorrow.

Do you remember what the command is to select another drive (other than sda) during the Slackware install?

 

[captain-sensible]

if you set up partitions including 100Mb EF00 for uefi boot , swap and a parttion for install maybe ext4 during install it will recognize it and ask if you want to install there . its a basic gui
where are you installing to ?

 

[captain-sensible]

I just have 3 partitions because you can still have user accounts within main install you don't have to set up /home partitions

 

[Alexzee]

if you set up partitions including 100Mb EF00 for uefi boot , swap and a parttion for install maybe ext4 during install it will recognize it and ask if you want to install there . its a basic gui
where are you installing to ?

I want to install Slackware to the M.2 drive.

I'm just now getting to the build.I'll get back to you later.

 

[Alexzee]

I finished the build yesterday.

I'm in the process of getting help in another thread to enable CSM so I can disable secure boot.

Are you sure captain-sensible that I will need to make a 100 mb efi partition for Slackware?

 

[wizardfromoz]

Alexzee's other Thread is here

https://linux.org/threads/diable-secure-boot-grayed-out.26120/#post-79992

Alexzee if your are going to CSM for a period of time, then the EFI partition will not be applicable.

Cheers

Wiz

 

[captain-sensible]

All i can tell you is what i did and how my slackware current 64 bit is working with my new laptop.

When i started slackware current install it noted there was no efi parition ,so it told me to drop out of install and use tools to set up efi; using command line tool cgdisk so i did. I then decided to shutdown and set up swap and ext4 by booting knoppix and using gparted (i prefer it) then when back to install. At the end it gave me a choice , would you like to skip or install anyway i assume elilo i went for install anyway. Now then when i boot up laptop it says uefi ; i went to bios to see my set up. Well its confused me; legacy boot is "enabled" i disabled it , which automatically set ,setting for secure boot from disabled to enabled. It wouldn't boot. Never mind i just rebooted got into bios and chnaged it back no harm done. So then it appears secure boot is not working on crypto basis ; is it using efi parition and not mbr- well now i'm not sure. Anyway my advice is leave legacy boot - what did you call it CSM, better leave it enabled ! Snapshot of my actual partitions attached

 

[captain-sensible]

what i can recommend if you get it working is to use slpkg to get packages since : https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/sbo-scripts-not-building-on-current-read-1st-post-pls-4175561999/