1
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
7
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
9
<title>The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - The Debian FTP archives</title>
11
<link href="index.en.html" rel="start">
12
<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="prev">
13
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="next">
14
<link href="index.en.html#contents" rel="contents">
15
<link href="index.en.html#copyright" rel="copyright">
16
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html" rel="chapter" title="1 Definitions and overview">
17
<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="chapter" title="2 Getting and installing Debian GNU/Linux">
18
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="3 Choosing a Debian distribution">
19
<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="chapter" title="4 Compatibility issues">
20
<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="chapter" title="5 Software available in the Debian system">
21
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html" rel="chapter" title="6 The Debian FTP archives">
22
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="chapter" title="7 Basics of the Debian package management system">
23
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html" rel="chapter" title="8 The Debian package management tools">
24
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html" rel="chapter" title="9 Keeping your Debian system up-to-date">
25
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html" rel="chapter" title="10 Debian and the kernel">
26
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="11 Customizing your installation of Debian GNU/Linux">
27
<link href="ch-support.en.html" rel="chapter" title="12 Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux">
28
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="13 Contributing to the Debian Project">
29
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html" rel="chapter" title="14 Redistributing Debian GNU/Linux in a commercial product">
30
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html" rel="chapter" title="15 Changes expected in the next major release of Debian">
31
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html" rel="chapter" title="16 General information about the FAQ">
32
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisfaq" rel="section" title="1.1 What is this FAQ?">
33
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisdebian" rel="section" title="1.2 What is Debian GNU/Linux?">
34
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-linux" rel="section" title="1.3 OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!">
35
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-non-linux" rel="section" title="1.4 Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?">
36
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-difference" rel="section" title="1.5 What is the difference between Debian GNU/Linux and other Linux distributions? Why should I choose Debian over some other distribution?">
37
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-gnu" rel="section" title="1.6 How does the Debian project fit in or compare with the Free Software Foundation's GNU project?">
38
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-pronunciation" rel="section" title="1.7 How does one pronounce Debian and what does this word mean?">
39
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-version" rel="section" title="2.1 What is the latest version of Debian?">
40
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-updatestable" rel="section" title="2.2 Are there package upgrades in `stable'?">
41
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-boot-floppies" rel="section" title="2.3 Where/how can I get the Debian installation disks?">
42
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdrom" rel="section" title="2.4 How do I install the Debian from CD-ROMs?">
43
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdimage-symlinks" rel="section" title="2.5 Why does the official stable released CD-ROM contain symlinks for `frozen' and `unstable'? I thought this CD contains just `stable'!">
44
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-remoteinstall" rel="section" title="2.6 Can I get and install Debian directly from a remote Internet site?">
45
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-alternativebootinstaller" rel="section" title="2.7 Are there any alternative strategies for booting the system installer?">
46
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1" rel="section" title="3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?">
47
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2" rel="section" title="3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?">
48
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches" rel="section" title="4.1 On what hardware architectures/systems does Debian GNU/Linux run?">
49
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherdistribs" rel="section" title="4.2 How compatible is Debian with other distributions of Linux?">
50
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices" rel="section" title="4.3 How source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems?">
51
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherpackages" rel="section" title="4.4 Can I use Debian packages (".deb" files) on my Red Hat/Slackware/... Linux system? Can I use Red Hat packages (".rpm" files) on my Debian GNU/Linux system?">
52
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-non-debian-programs" rel="section" title="4.5 How should I install a non-Debian program?">
53
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-termcap" rel="section" title="4.6 Why can't I compile programs that require libtermcap?">
54
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-accelx" rel="section" title="4.7 Why can't I install AccelX?">
55
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-motifnls" rel="section" title="4.8 Why do my old XFree 2.1 Motif applications crash?">
56
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-apps" rel="section" title="5.1 What types of applications and development software are available for Debian GNU/Linux?">
57
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-softwareauthors" rel="section" title="5.2 Who wrote all that software?">
58
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pkglist" rel="section" title="5.3 How can I get a current list of programs that have been packaged for Debian?">
59
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-buildenv" rel="section" title="5.4 How can I install a developer's environment to build packages?">
60
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-missing" rel="section" title="5.5 What is missing from Debian GNU/Linux?">
61
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-no-devs" rel="section" title="5.6 Why do I get "ld: cannot find -lfoo" messages when compiling programs? Why aren't there any libfoo.so files in Debian library packages?">
62
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-java" rel="section" title="5.7 (How) Does Debian support Java?">
63
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-isitdebian" rel="section" title="5.8 How can I check that I am using a Debian system, and what version is it?">
64
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonenglish" rel="section" title="5.9 How does Debian support non-English languages?">
65
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine" rel="section" title="5.10 Where is pine?">
66
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-qmail" rel="section" title="5.11 Where is qmail/ezmlm/djbdns?">
67
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-flash" rel="section" title="5.12 Where is a player for Flash (SWF)?">
68
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-googleearth" rel="section" title="5.13 Where is Google Earth?">
69
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-voip" rel="section" title="5.14 Where is VoIP software?">
70
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonfreewireless" rel="section" title="5.15 I have a wireless network card which doesn't work with Linux. What should I do?">
71
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists" rel="section" title="6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?">
72
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-codenames" rel="section" title="6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?">
73
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sid" rel="section" title="6.3 What about "sid"?">
74
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-stable" rel="section" title="6.4 What does the stable directory contain?">
75
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-testing" rel="section" title="6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?">
76
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-unstable" rel="section" title="6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?">
77
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dirtree" rel="section" title="6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?">
78
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-archsections" rel="section" title="6.8 What are all those directories inside <samp>dists/stable/main</samp>?">
79
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-source" rel="section" title="6.9 Where is the source code?">
80
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-pools" rel="section" title="6.10 What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?">
81
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-incoming" rel="section" title="6.11 What is "incoming"?">
82
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-ownrepository" rel="section" title="6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?">
83
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-package" rel="section" title="7.1 What is a Debian package?">
84
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-deb-format" rel="section" title="7.2 What is the format of a Debian binary package?">
85
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgname" rel="section" title="7.3 Why are Debian package file names so long?">
86
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-controlfile" rel="section" title="7.4 What is a Debian control file?">
87
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-conffile" rel="section" title="7.5 What is a Debian conffile?">
88
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-maintscripts" rel="section" title="7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?">
89
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-priority" rel="section" title="7.7 What is an <em>Essential</em>, <em>Required</em>, <em>Important</em>, <em>Standard</em>, <em>Optional</em>, or <em>Extra</em> package?">
90
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-virtual" rel="section" title="7.8 What is a Virtual Package?">
91
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-depends" rel="section" title="7.9 What is meant by saying that a package <em>Depends</em>, <em>Recommends</em>, <em>Suggests</em>, <em>Conflicts</em>, <em>Replaces</em> or <em>Provides</em> another package?">
92
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pre-depends" rel="section" title="7.10 What is meant by Pre-Depends?">
93
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgstatus" rel="section" title="7.11 What is meant by <em>unknown</em>, <em>install</em>, <em>remove</em>, <em>purge</em> and <em>hold</em> in the package status?">
94
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-puttingonhold" rel="section" title="7.12 How do I put a package on hold?">
95
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcepkgs" rel="section" title="7.13 How do I install a source package?">
96
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcebuild" rel="section" title="7.14 How do I build binary packages from a source package?">
97
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-creatingdebs" rel="section" title="7.15 How do I create Debian packages myself?">
98
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-pkgprogs" rel="section" title="8.1 What programs does Debian provide for managing its packages?">
99
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-updaterunning" rel="section" title="8.2 Debian claims to be able to update a running program; how is this accomplished?">
100
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-whatpackages" rel="section" title="8.3 How can I tell what packages are already installed on a Debian system?">
101
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-listfiles" rel="section" title="8.4 How to display the files of a package installed?">
102
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-filesearch" rel="section" title="8.5 How can I find out what package produced a particular file?">
103
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-datapackages" rel="section" title="8.6 Why doesn't get `foo-data' removed when I uninstall `foo'? How do I make sure old unused library-packages get purged?">
104
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-howtocurrent" rel="section" title="9.1 How can I keep my Debian system current?">
105
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-upgradesingle" rel="section" title="9.2 Must I go into single user mode in order to upgrade a package?">
106
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-savedebs" rel="section" title="9.3 Do I have to keep all those .deb archive files on my disk?">
107
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-keepingalog" rel="section" title="9.4 How can I keep a log of the packages I added to the system? I'd like to know when which package upgrades and removals have occured!">
108
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-autoupdate" rel="section" title="9.5 Can I automatically update the system?">
109
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptproxy" rel="section" title="9.6 I have several machines how can I download the updates only one time?">
110
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-non-debian-kernel" rel="section" title="10.1 Can I install and compile a kernel without some Debian-specific tweaking?">
111
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-customkernel" rel="section" title="10.2 What tools does Debian provide to build custom kernels?">
112
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-custombootdisk" rel="section" title="10.3 How can I make a custom boot floppy?">
113
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-modules" rel="section" title="10.4 What special provisions does Debian provide to deal with modules?">
114
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-removeoldkernel" rel="section" title="10.5 Can I safely de-install an old kernel package, and if so, how?">
115
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-papersize" rel="section" title="11.1 How can I ensure that all programs use the same paper size?">
116
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-hardwareaccess" rel="section" title="11.2 How can I provide access to hardware peripherals, without compromising security?">
117
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-consolefont" rel="section" title="11.3 How do I load a console font on startup the Debian way?">
118
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-appdefaults" rel="section" title="11.4 How can I configure an X11 program's application defaults?">
119
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-booting" rel="section" title="11.5 Every distribution seems to have a different boot-up method. Tell me about Debian's.">
120
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-custombootscripts" rel="section" title="11.6 It looks as if Debian does not use <samp>rc.local</samp> to customize the boot process; what facilities are provided?">
121
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-interconffiles" rel="section" title="11.7 How does the package management system deal with packages that contain configuration files for other packages?">
122
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-divert" rel="section" title="11.8 How do I override a file installed by a package, so that a different version can be used instead?">
123
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-localpackages" rel="section" title="11.9 How can I have my locally-built package included in the list of available packages that the package management system knows about?">
124
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-diverse" rel="section" title="11.10 Some users like mawk, others like gawk; some like vim, others like elvis; some like trn, others like tin; how does Debian support diversity?">
125
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-debiandocs" rel="section" title="12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?">
126
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-onlineresources" rel="section" title="12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?">
127
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-searchtools" rel="section" title="12.3 Is there a quick way to search for information on Debian GNU/Linux?">
128
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-buglogs" rel="section" title="12.4 Are there logs of known bugs?">
129
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-bugreport" rel="section" title="12.5 How do I report a bug in Debian?">
130
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contrib" rel="section" title="13.1 How can I become a Debian software developer?">
131
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contribresources" rel="section" title="13.2 How can I contribute resources to the Debian project?">
132
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-supportingorganizations" rel="section" title="13.3 How can I contribute financially to the Debian project?">
133
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-sellcds" rel="section" title="14.1 Can I make and sell Debian CDs?">
134
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-packagednonfree" rel="section" title="14.2 Can Debian be packaged with non-free software?">
135
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-childistro" rel="section" title="14.3 I am making a special Linux distribution for a "vertical market". Can I use Debian GNU/Linux for the guts of a Linux system and add my own applications on top of it?">
136
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-commercialdebs" rel="section" title="14.4 Can I put my commercial program in a Debian "package" so that it installs effortlessly on any Debian system?">
137
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-i18n" rel="section" title="15.1 Extended support for non-English users">
138
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-dependencybasedboot" rel="section" title="15.2 Faster booting: Dependency based boot sequence">
139
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-di" rel="section" title="15.3 Improvements in the Debian Installer">
140
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morearches" rel="section" title="15.4 More architectures">
141
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morekernels" rel="section" title="15.5 More kernels">
142
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors" rel="section" title="16.1 Authors">
143
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-feedback" rel="section" title="16.2 Feedback">
144
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-latest" rel="section" title="16.3 Availability">
145
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-docformat" rel="section" title="16.4 Document format">
146
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.1" rel="subsection" title="3.1.1 You asked me to install stable, but in stable so and so hardware is not detected/working. What should I do?">
147
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.2" rel="subsection" title="3.1.2 Will there be different different versions of packages in different distributions?">
148
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.3" rel="subsection" title="3.1.3 The stable distributions really contains outdated packages. Just look at Kde, Gnome, Xorg or even the kernel. They are very old. Why is it so?">
149
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.4" rel="subsection" title="3.1.4 If I were to decide to change to another distribution, Can I do that?">
150
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.5" rel="subsection" title="3.1.5 Could you tell me whether to install testing or unstable?">
151
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.6" rel="subsection" title="3.1.6 You are talking about testing being broken. What do you mean by that?">
152
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.7" rel="subsection" title="3.1.7 Why is it that testing could be broken for months? Wont the fixes introduced in unstable flow directly down into testing?">
153
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.8" rel="subsection" title="3.1.8 From an administrator's point of view, Which distribution requires more attention?">
154
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.9" rel="subsection" title="3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?">
155
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.10" rel="subsection" title="3.1.10 I have a working Desktop/cluster with Debian installed. How do I know which distribution I am running?">
156
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.11" rel="subsection" title="3.1.11 I am currently tracking stable. Can I change to testing or unstable? If so, How?">
157
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.12" rel="subsection" title="3.1.12 I am currently tracking testing (lenny). What will happen when a release is made? Will I still be tracking testing or will my machine be running the new stable distribution?">
158
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.13" rel="subsection" title="3.1.13 I am still confused. What did you say I should install?">
159
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.1" rel="subsection" title="3.2.1 I know that Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... is Debian-based. So after installing it on the hard disk, can I use 'apt' package tools on it?">
160
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.2" rel="subsection" title="3.2.2 I installed Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... on my hard disk. Now I have a problem. What should I do?">
161
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2.3" rel="subsection" title="3.2.3 I'm using Knoppix/Linex/Ubuntu/... and now I want to use Debian. How do I migrate?">
162
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-oldcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?">
163
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sourceforcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?">
164
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-frozen" rel="subsection" title="6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?">
165
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg" rel="subsection" title="8.1.1 dpkg">
166
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-apt-get" rel="subsection" title="8.1.2 APT">
167
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-aptitude" rel="subsection" title="8.1.3 aptitude">
168
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-synaptic" rel="subsection" title="8.1.4 synaptic">
169
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-tasksel" rel="subsection" title="8.1.5 tasksel">
170
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-extra" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6 Other package management tools">
171
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dselect" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.1 dselect">
172
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-deb" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.2 dpkg-deb">
173
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-split" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.3 dpkg-split">
174
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptitude-upgrade" rel="subsection" title="9.1.1 aptitude">
175
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-apt" rel="subsection" title="9.1.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom">
176
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-update_aptitude" rel="subsection" title="9.1.3 aptitude">
177
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-mirror" rel="subsection" title="9.1.4 mirror">
178
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-dpkg-mountable" rel="subsection" title="9.1.5 dpkg-mountable">
179
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.1" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1 Mailing lists">
180
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-mailinglistconduct" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1.1 What is the code of conduct for the mailing lists?">
181
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.2" rel="subsection" title="12.2.2 Web forums">
182
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.3" rel="subsection" title="12.2.3 Wiki">
183
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.4" rel="subsection" title="12.2.4 Maintainers">
184
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.5" rel="subsection" title="12.2.5 Usenet newsgroups">
185
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-SPI" rel="subsection" title="13.3.1 Software in the Public Interest">
186
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-FSF" rel="subsection" title="13.3.2 Free Software Foundation">
192
<p><a name="ch-ftparchives"></a></p>
196
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">previous</a> ]
197
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
198
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
199
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
200
[ <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">3</a> ]
201
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
202
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
204
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
205
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
206
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
207
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
208
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
209
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
210
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
211
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
212
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
213
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
214
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">next</a> ]
220
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
221
<br>Chapter 6 - The Debian FTP archives
226
<h2><a name="s-dists"></a>6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?</h2>
229
There are three major distributions: the "stable" distribution, the
230
"testing" distribution, and the "unstable" distribution.
231
The "testing" distribution is sometimes `frozen' (see <a
232
href="#s-frozen">What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?, Section
233
6.5.1</a>). Next to these, there is the "oldstable" distribution
234
(that's just the one from before "stable"), and the
235
"experimental" distribution.
239
Experimental is used for packages which are still being developed, and with a
240
high risk of breaking your system. It's used by developers who'd like to study
241
and test bleeding edge software. Users shouldn't be using packages from here,
242
because they can be dangerous and harmful even for the most experienced people.
246
See <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">Choosing a Debian distribution, Chapter 3</a>
247
for help when choosing a Debian distribution.
252
<h2><a name="s-codenames"></a>6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?</h2>
255
They are just "codenames". When a Debian distribution is in the
256
development stage, it has no version number but a codename. The purpose of
257
these codenames is to make easier the mirroring of the Debian distributions (if
258
a real directory like <samp>unstable</samp> suddenly changed its name to
259
<samp>stable</samp>, a lot of stuff would have to be needlessly downloaded
264
Currently, <samp>stable</samp> is a symbolic link to <samp>etch</samp> (i.e.
265
Debian GNU/Linux 4.0) and <samp>testing</samp> is a symbolic link to
266
<samp>lenny</samp>. This means that <samp>etch</samp> is the current stable
267
distribution and <samp>lenny</samp> is the current testing distribution.
271
<samp>unstable</samp> is a permanent symbolic link to <samp>sid</samp>, as
272
<samp>sid</samp> is always the unstable distribution (see <a href="#s-sid">What
273
about "sid"?, Section 6.3</a>).
278
<h3><a name="s-oldcodenames"></a>6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?</h3>
281
Other codenames that have been already used are: <samp>buzz</samp> for release
282
1.1, <samp>rex</samp> for release 1.2, <samp>bo</samp> for releases 1.3.x,
283
<samp>hamm</samp> for release 2.0, <samp>slink</samp> for release 2.1,
284
<samp>potato</samp> for release 2.2, <samp>woody</samp> for release 3.0,
285
<samp>sarge</samp> for release 3.1, and <samp>etch</samp> for release 4.0.
290
<h3><a name="s-sourceforcodenames"></a>6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?</h3>
293
So far they have been characters taken from the movie "Toy Story" by
299
<em>buzz</em> (Buzz Lightyear) was the spaceman,
306
<em>rex</em> was the tyrannosaurus,
313
<em>bo</em> (Bo Peep) was the girl who took care of the sheep,
320
<em>hamm</em> was the piggy bank,
327
<em>slink</em> (Slinky Dog (R)) was the toy dog,
334
<em>potato</em> was, of course, Mr. Potato (R),
341
<em>woody</em> was the cowboy,
348
<em>sarge</em> was the sergeant of the Green Plastic Army Men,
355
<em>etch</em> was the toy blackboard (Etch-a-Sketch (R)),
362
<em>lenny</em> was the binoculars.
369
<em>sid</em> was the boy next door who destroyed toys.
376
<h2><a name="s-sid"></a>6.3 What about "sid"?</h2>
379
<em>sid</em> or <em>unstable</em> is the place where most of the packages are
380
initially uploaded. It will never be released directly, because packages which
381
are to be released will first have to be included in <em>testing</em>, in order
382
to be released in <em>stable</em> later on. sid contains packages for both
383
released and unreleased architectures.
387
The name "sid" also comes from the "Toy Story" animated
388
motion picture: Sid was the boy next door who destroyed toys :-)
392
[<a href="footnotes.en.html#f2" name="fr2">2</a>]
397
<h2><a name="s-stable"></a>6.4 What does the stable directory contain?</h2>
401
stable/main/: This directory contains the packages which formally constitute
402
the most recent release of the Debian GNU/Linux system.
406
These packages all comply with the <code><a
407
href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">Debian Free Software
408
Guidelines</a></code>, and are all freely usable and distributable.
415
stable/non-free/: This directory contains packages distribution of which is
416
restricted in a way that requires that distributors take careful account of the
417
specified copyright requirements.
421
For example, some packages have licenses which prohibit commercial
422
distribution. Others can be redistributed but are in fact shareware and not
423
free software. The licenses of each of these packages must be studied, and
424
possibly negotiated, before the packages are included in any redistribution
432
stable/contrib/: This directory contains packages which are DFSG-free and
433
<em>freely distributable</em> themselves, but somehow depend on a package that
434
is <em>not</em> freely distributable and thus available only in the non-free
442
<h2><a name="s-testing"></a>6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?</h2>
445
Packages are installed into the `testing' directory after they have undergone
446
some degree of testing in <a href="#s-unstable">unstable</a>.
450
They must be in sync on all architectures where they have been built and
451
mustn't have dependencies that make them uninstallable; they also have to have
452
fewer release-critical bugs than the versions currently in testing. This way,
453
we hope that `testing' is always close to being a release candidate.
457
More information about the status of "testing" in general and the
458
individual packages is available at <code><a
459
href="http://www.debian.org/devel/testing">http://www.debian.org/devel/testing</a></code>.
464
<h3><a name="s-frozen"></a>6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?</h3>
467
When the "testing" distribution is mature enough, the release manager
468
starts `freezing' it. The normal propagation delays are increased to ensure
469
that as little as possible new bugs from "unstable" enter
474
After a while, the "testing" distribution becomes truly `frozen'.
475
This means that all new packages that are to propagate to the
476
"testing" are held back, unless they include release-critical bug
477
fixes. The "testing" distribution can also remain in such a deep
478
freeze during the so-called `test cycles', when the release is imminent.
482
We keep a record of bugs in the "testing" distribution that can hold
483
off a package from being released, or bugs that can hold back the whole
484
release. For details, please see <code><a
485
href="http://www.debian.org/releases/testing/">current testing release
486
information</a></code>.
490
Once that bug count lowers to maximum acceptable values, the frozen
491
"testing" distribution is declared "stable" and released
492
with a version number.
496
With each new release, the previous "stable" distribution becomes
497
obsolete and moves to the archive. For more information please see <code><a
498
href="http://www.debian.org/distrib/archive">Debian archive</a></code>.
503
<h2><a name="s-unstable"></a>6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?</h2>
506
The `unstable' directory contains a snapshot of the current development system.
507
Users are welcome to use and test these packages, but are warned about their
508
state of readiness. The advantage of using the unstable distribution is that
509
you are always up-to-date with the latest in GNU/Linux software industry, but
510
if it breaks: you get to keep both parts :-)
514
There are also main, contrib and non-free subdirectories in `unstable',
515
separated on the same criteria as in `stable'.
520
<h2><a name="s-dirtree"></a>6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?</h2>
523
The software that has been packaged for Debian GNU/Linux is available in one of
524
several directory trees on each Debian mirror site.
528
The <samp>dists</samp> directory is short for "distributions", and it
529
is the canonical way to access the currently available Debian releases (and
534
The <samp>pool</samp> directory contains the actual packages, see <a
535
href="#s-pools">What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?, Section 6.10</a>.
539
There are the following supplementary directories:
542
<dt><em>/tools/</em>:</dt>
545
DOS utilities for creating boot disks, partitioning your disk drive,
546
compressing/decompressing files, and booting Linux.
551
<dt><em>/doc/</em>:</dt>
554
The basic Debian documentation, such as this FAQ, the bug reporting system
560
<dt><em>/indices/</em>:</dt>
563
various indices of the site (the Maintainers file and the override files).
568
<dt><em>/project/</em>:</dt>
571
mostly developer-only materials and some miscellaneous files.
578
<h2><a name="s-archsections"></a>6.8 What are all those directories inside <samp>dists/stable/main</samp>?</h2>
581
Within each of the major directory trees[<a href="footnotes.en.html#f3"
582
name="fr3">3</a>], there are three sets of subdirectories containing index
587
There's one set of <samp>binary-<var>something</var></samp> subdirectories
588
which contain index files for binary packages of each available computer
589
architecture, for example <samp>binary-i386</samp> for packages which execute
590
on Intel x86 PC machines or <samp>binary-sparc</samp> for packages which
591
execute on Sun SPARCStations.
595
The complete list of available architectures for each release is available at
596
<code><a href="http://www.debian.org/releases/">the release's web
597
page</a></code>. For the current release, please see <a
598
href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches">On what hardware architectures/systems does
599
Debian GNU/Linux run?, Section 4.1</a>.
603
The index files in binary-* are called Packages(.gz, .bz2) and they include a
604
summary of each binary package that is included in that distribution. The
605
actual binary packages reside in the top level <a
606
href="#s-pools"><samp>pool</samp> directory</a>.
610
Furthermore, there's a subdirectory called source/ which contains index files
611
for source packages included in the distribution. The index file is called
616
Last but not least, there's a set of subdirectories meant for the installation
617
system index files, they are at
618
<samp>debian-installer/binary-<var>architecture</var></samp>.
623
<h2><a name="s-source"></a>6.9 Where is the source code?</h2>
626
Source code is included for everything in the Debian system. Moreover, the
627
license terms of most programs in the system <em>require</em> that source code
628
be distributed along with the programs, or that an offer to provide the source
629
code accompany the programs.
633
The source code is distributed in the <samp>pool</samp> directory (see <a
634
href="#s-pools">What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?, Section 6.10</a>)
635
together with all the architecture-specific binary directories. To retrieve
636
the source code without having to be familiar with the structure of the FTP
637
archive, try a command like <samp>apt-get source mypackagename</samp>.
641
Some packages are only distributed as source code due to the restrictions in
642
their licenses. Notably, one such package is <samp>pine</samp>, see <a
643
href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine">Where is pine?, Section 5.10</a> for more
648
Source code may or may not be available for packages in the "contrib"
649
and "non-free" directories, which are not formally part of the Debian
655
<h2><a name="s-pools"></a>6.10 What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?</h2>
658
Packages are kept in a large `pool', structured according to the name of the
659
source package. To make this manageable, the pool is subdivided by section
660
(`main', `contrib' and `non-free') and by the first letter of the source
661
package name. These directories contain several files: the binary packages for
662
each architecture, and the source packages from which the binary packages were
667
You can find out where each package is placed by executing a command like
668
<samp>apt-cache showsrc mypackagename</samp> and looking at the `Directory:'
669
line. For example, the <samp>apache</samp> packages are stored in
670
<samp>pool/main/a/apache/</samp>.
674
Additionally, since there are so many <samp>lib*</samp> packages, these are
675
treated specially: for instance, libpaper packages are stored in
676
<samp>pool/main/libp/libpaper/</samp>.
680
[<a href="footnotes.en.html#f4" name="fr4">4</a>]
685
<h2><a name="s-incoming"></a>6.11 What is "incoming"?</h2>
688
After a developer uploads a package, it stays for a short while in the
689
"incoming" directory before it is checked that it's genuine and
690
allowed into the archive.
694
Usually nobody should install things from this place. However, in some rare
695
cases of emergency, the incoming directory is available at <code><a
696
href="http://incoming.debian.org/">http://incoming.debian.org/</a></code>. You
697
can manually fetch packages, check the GPG signature and MD5sums in the
698
.changes and .dsc files, and then install them.
703
<h2><a name="s-ownrepository"></a>6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?</h2>
706
If you have built some private Debian packages which you'd like to install
707
using the standard Debian package management tools, you can set up your own
708
apt-able package archive. This is also useful if you'd like to share your
709
Debian packages while these are not distributed by the Debian project.
710
Instructions on how to do this are given in the <code><a
711
href="http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto">Debian
712
Repository HOWTO</a></code>.
718
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">previous</a> ]
719
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
720
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
721
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
722
[ <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">3</a> ]
723
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
724
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
726
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
727
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
728
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
729
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
730
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
731
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
732
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
733
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
734
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
735
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
736
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">next</a> ]
742
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
746
version 4.0.3, 6 August 2008<br>
748
Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
added
removed
includes/lenny/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-ftparchives.en.html
