APT - Advanced Packaging Tool

• by Craig Buchek
• St. Louis GNU/Linux Users Group
• July 21, 2011

• Debian's advanced packaging tool
• Handles dependencies well
• The best package manager

apt-cache search "$SEARCH_TERMS"

• Browse http://packages.debian.org/stable/
• Search http://www.debian.org/distrib/packages#search_packages

apt-cache show $PACKAGE_NAME
apt-cache showpkg $PACKAGE_NAME
 
aptitude show $PACKAGE_NAME
 
dpkg --info $PACKAGE_NAME.deb

• Browse http://packages.debian.org/stable/$PACKAGE_NAME

sudo apt-get install $PACKAGE_NAME
 
# Include dependencies without prompting:
sudo apt-get install -y $PACKAGE_NAME
 
sudo dpkg --install $PACKAGE_NAME.deb

REPOSITORY_NAME='mongodb-10gen'
REPOSITORY_KEY_URL=''
REPOSITORY_KEY_SERVER='keyserver.ubuntu.com'
REPOSITORY_KEY_ID='7F0CEB10'
REPOSITORY_REPO='http://downloads-distro.mongodb.org/repo/debian-sysvinit dist 10gen'
 
if [ ! -z "$REPOSITORY_KEY_URL" ]; then
  wget -q -O - $REPOSITORY_KEY_URL | sudo apt-key add -
else
  sudo apt-key adv --keyserver $REPOSITORY_KEY_SERVER --recv $REPOSITORY_KEY_ID
fi
 
sudo sh -c "echo 'deb $REPOSITORY_REPO' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/$REPOSITORY_NAME.list"
sudo apt-get update
 
# In recent versions of Ubuntu, can use this to add to sources.list:
sudo add-apt-repository "deb $REPOSITORY_REPO"

# Update repository index:
sudo apt-get update
# Upgrade packages that have updates:
sudo apt-get upgrade
# Upgrade packages, and install or remove other packages required by a package upgrade:
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
 
# Update repository index:
sudo aptitude update
# Upgrade packages that have updates:
sudo aptitude upgrade
# Upgrade packages, and install or remove other packages required by a package upgrade:
sudo aptitude dist-upgrade

dpkg --search $FILENAME_PATTERN # -S

dlocate -S $FILENAME_PATTERN

# Requires that apt-file package has been installed:
apt-file search $FILENAME_PATTERN

• Search http://www.debian.org/distrib/packages#search_contents

dpkg --contents $PACKAGE_NAME.deb

dpkg --list

dpkg --listfiles $PACKAGE_NAME # -L

wget $PACKAGE_TARBALL_URL
tar tfz $PACKAGE_TARBALL
tar xfz $PACKAGE_TARBALL
cd $PACKAGE_NAME-$PACKAGE_VERSION
make
sudo chkinstall make install

sudo dpkg-reconfigure $PACKAGE_NAME
 
sudo debconf

• Edit files in /etc/default/$SERVICE_NAME
• Edit files in /etc/$PACKAGE_NAME or similarly-named files

sudo /etc/init.d/$SERVICE_NAME start
 
sudo invoke-rc.d $SERVICE_NAME start
 
# Only if chkconfig, sysvconfig, or sysvinit-tools package has been installed:
sudo service $SERVICE_NAME start

sudo /etc/init.d/$SERVICE_NAME reload
sudo /etc/init.d/$SERVICE_NAME restart
 
sudo invoke-rc.d $SERVICE_NAME reload
sudo invoke-rc.d $SERVICE_NAME restart
 
# Only if chkconfig, sysvconfig, or sysvinit-tools package has been installed:
sudo service $SERVICE_NAME reload
sudo service $SERVICE_NAME restart

sudo apt-get remove $PACKAGE_NAME
sudo apt-get purge $PACKAGE_NAME
 
sudo apt-get autoremove
 
sudo dpkg --remove $PACKAGE_NAME # -r
sudo dpkg --purge $PACKAGE_NAME  # -P

sudo aptitude remove $PACKAGE_NAME
sudo aptitude purge $PACKAGE_NAME

sudo apt-get install -y apticron

• GUI front-end
• Allows visually selecting packages
• Shows package info
• Other front-ends available
  • Usually distro-specific

• Forcing / Ignoring Dependencies
• Diverting a Package

dpkg-divert --add filename

• Alternatives

sudo update-alternatives

• Pinning a Version
• Preventing Installation of a Package

sudo aptitude hold package_name
 
echo "$PACKAGE_NAME hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

• Unpacking a DEB file

dpkg-deb --contents package_name.deb
dpkg-deb --extract package_name.deb

• Upgrading to a new version of the distro
• Installing From a Source Package

apt-get source $PACKAGE_NAME
cd $PACKAGE_NAME-$PACKAGE_VERSION
sudo apt-get build-dep $PACKAGE_NAME
dch -l local 'Blah blah blah'
debuild -us -uc
sudo dpkg -i ../*.deb
  * Setting up your own (local) repositories
  * [[https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+ppas | Ubuntu Personal Package Archives (PPAs)]]

man dpkg
man apt-get
man apt-cache
man aptitude
man dpkg-query

• http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-pkg_basics.en.html
• http://carlo17.home.xs4all.nl/howto/debian.html#packages