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Python and dbm modules on Debian
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--------------------------------
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This file documents the configuration of the dbm modules for Debian. It
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gives hints at the preferred use of the dbm modules.
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The preferred way to access dbm databases in Python is the anydbm module.
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dbm databases behave like mappings (dictionaries).
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Since there exist several dbm database formats, we choose the following
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layout for Python on Debian:
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* creating a new database with anydbm will create a Berkeley DB 2.X Hash
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database file. This is the standard format used by libdb starting
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* opening an existing database with anydbm will try to guess the format
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of the file (using whichdb) and then load it using one of the bsddb,
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bsddb1, gdbm or dbm (only if the python-gdbm package is installed)
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* The modules use the following database formats:
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- bsddb: Berkeley DB 2.X Hash (as in libc6 >=2.1 or libdb2)
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- bsddb1: Berkeley DB 1.85 Hash (as in libc6 >=2.1 or libdb2)
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- gdbm: GNU dbm 1.x or ndbm
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- dbm: " (nearly the same as the gdbm module for us)
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- dumbdbm: a hand-crafted format only used in this module
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That means that all usual formats should be readable with anydbm.
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* If you want to create a database in a format different from DB 2.X,
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you can still directly use the specified module.
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* I.e. bsddb is the preferred module, and DB 2.X is the preferred format.
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* Note that the db1hash and bsddb1 modules are Debian specific. anydbm
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and whichdb have been modified to support DB 2.X Hash files (see
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Although bsddb employs the new DB 2.X format and uses the new Sleepycat
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DB 2 library as included with glibc >= 2.1, it's still using the old
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DB 1.85 API (which is still supported by DB 2).
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A more recent version 1.1 of the BSD DB module (available from
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http://starship.skyport.net/robind/python/) directly uses the DB 2.X API.
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It has a richer set of features.
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On a glibc 2.1 system, bsddb is linked with -ldb, bsddb1 is linked with
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-ldb1 and gdbm as well as dbm are linked with -lgdbm.
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On a glibc 2.0 system (e.g. potato for m68k or slink), bsddb will be
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linked with -ldb2 while bsddb1 will be linked with -ldb (therefore
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python-base here depends on libdb2).
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db1hash and bsddb1 nearly completely identical to dbhash and bsddb. The
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only difference is that bsddb is linked with the real DB 2 library, while
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bsddb1 is linked with an library which provides compatibility with legacy
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Gregor Hoffleit <flight@debian.org>
added
removed
debian/README.dbm
