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<!-- $Id: apt.xml 23845 2004-11-13 22:09:57Z fjpop-guest $ -->
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<sect2 id="configure-apt">
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<title>Configuring APT</title>
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The main means that people use to install packages on their system is
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via a program called <command>apt-get</command>, from the
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<classname>apt</classname> package.<footnote>
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Note that the actual program that installs packages is called
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<command>dpkg</command>. However, this package is more of a low-level
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tool. <command>apt-get</command> is a higher-level tool as it will
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invoke <command>dpkg</command> as appropriate and also because it knows
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to install other packages which are required for the package you're
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trying to install, as well as how to retrieve the package from your
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CD, the network, or wherever.
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Other front-ends for package management, like <command>aptitude</command>,
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<command>synaptic</command> and the older <command>dselect</command> also
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use and depend on <command>apt-get</command>. These front-ends are recommended
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for new users, since they integrate some additional features (package
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searching and status checks) in a nice user interface.
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APT must be configured so that it knows where to retrieve packages from.
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The helper application which assists in this task is called
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<command>apt-setup</command>.
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The next step in your configuration process is to tell APT where other
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Debian packages can be found. Note that you can re-run this tool at
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any point after installation by running <command>apt-setup</command>,
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or by manually editing <filename>/etc/apt/sources.list</filename>.
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If an official CD-ROM is in the drive at this point, then that CD-ROM
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should automatically be configured as an apt source without prompting.
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You will notice this because you will see the CD-ROM being scanned.
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For users without an official CD-ROM, you will be offered an array of
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choices for how Debian packages are accessed: FTP, HTTP, CD-ROM, or
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You should know that it's perfectly acceptable to have a number of
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different APT sources, even for the same Debian archive.
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<command>apt-get</command> will automatically pick the package with
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the highest version number given all the available versions. Or, for
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instance, if you have both an HTTP and a CD-ROM APT source,
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<command>apt-get</command> should automatically use the local CD-ROM
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when possible, and only resort to HTTP if a newer version is available
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there. However, it is not a good idea to add unnecessary APT sources,
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since this will tend to slow down the process of checking the network
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archives for new versions.
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<sect3 id="configure-apt-net">
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<title>Configuring Network Package Sources</title>
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If you plan on installing the rest of your system via the network, the
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most common option is to select the <userinput>http</userinput>
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source. The <userinput>ftp</userinput> source is also acceptable, but
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tends to be somewhat slower making connections.
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The next step during the configuration of network package sources is
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to tell <command>apt-setup</command> which country you live in. This
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configures which of the official Debian Internet mirrors you will
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connect to. Depending on which country you select, you will be presented
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with a list of possible servers. It's generally fine to pick the one at
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the top of the list, but any of them should work. Note however that the
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mirror list provided by the installation was generated when this version
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of Debian was released and some mirrors may no longer be available.
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After you have selected a mirror, you will be asked if a proxy server
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should be used. A proxy server is a server that will forward all your
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HTTP and/or FTP requests to the Internet and is most often used to regulate
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and optimize access to the Internet on corporate networks. In some networks
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only the proxy server is allowed access to the Internet, in which case you
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will have to enter the name of the proxy server. You may also have to
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include an user name and password. Most home users will not need to specify
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a proxy server, although some ISPs may provide proxy servers for their
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After you select a mirror, your new network package source will be tested.
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If all goes well, you will be prompted whether you want to add another
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package source. If you have any problems using the package source you selected,
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try using a different mirror (either from your country list or from the
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global list), or try using a different network package source.