Slackware HowTo

Handle .new files on Slackware after updates

Find, compare, and merge .new configuration files without breaking services.

Do not blindly overwrite active files with the .new version: you may lose important local settings.

1. Find .new files

find /etc -name "*.new" -print
slackpkg new-config

2. Compare before replacing

diff -u /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.new
vimdiff /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.new   # if available

3. Recommended approach

  1. Backup the current file
  2. Compare with .new
  3. Manually merge useful differences
  4. Test the service
  5. Remove the .new only after verification
cp /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.bak-$(date +%F)

4. Typical examples

5. Final cleanup

After merge and tests you can remove the related .new file.

rm /etc/ssh/sshd_config.new
Keep a backup copy until you confirm everything works after reboot/service restarts.

Quick checklist

[ ] find /etc -name "*.new" completed
[ ] Critical files compared with diff/vimdiff
[ ] Backup created before merge
[ ] Services tested after changes
[ ] .new files removed only after verification

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