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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
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<title>The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - The Debian FTP archives</title>
<link href="index.en.html" rel="start">
<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="prev">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="next">
<link href="index.en.html#contents" rel="contents">
<link href="index.en.html#copyright" rel="copyright">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html" rel="chapter" title="1 Definitions and overview">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html" rel="chapter" title="2 Getting and installing Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="3 Choosing a Debian distribution">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html" rel="chapter" title="4 Compatibility issues">
<link href="ch-software.en.html" rel="chapter" title="5 Software available in the Debian system">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html" rel="chapter" title="6 The Debian FTP archives">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html" rel="chapter" title="7 Basics of the Debian package management system">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html" rel="chapter" title="8 The Debian package management tools">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html" rel="chapter" title="9 Keeping your Debian system up-to-date">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html" rel="chapter" title="10 Debian and the kernel">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="11 Customizing your installation of Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-support.en.html" rel="chapter" title="12 Getting support for Debian GNU/Linux">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html" rel="chapter" title="13 Contributing to the Debian Project">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html" rel="chapter" title="14 Redistributing Debian GNU/Linux in a commercial product">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html" rel="chapter" title="15 Changes expected in the next major release of Debian">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html" rel="chapter" title="16 General information about the FAQ">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisfaq" rel="section" title="1.1 What is this FAQ?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-whatisdebian" rel="section" title="1.2 What is Debian GNU/Linux?">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-linux" rel="section" title="1.3 OK, now I know what Debian is... what is Linux?!">
<link href="ch-basic_defs.en.html#s-non-linux" rel="section" title="1.4 Does Debian just do GNU/Linux?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-version" rel="section" title="2.1 What is the latest version of Debian?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-updatestable" rel="section" title="2.2 Are there package upgrades in `stable'?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-boot-floppies" rel="section" title="2.3 Where/how can I get the Debian installation disks?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-cdrom" rel="section" title="2.4 How do I install the Debian from CD-ROMs?">
<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'!">
<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?">
<link href="ch-getting.en.html#s-alternativebootinstaller" rel="section" title="2.7 Are there any alternative strategies for booting the system installer?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1" rel="section" title="3.1 Which Debian distribution (stable/testing/unstable) is better for me?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.2" rel="section" title="3.2 But what about Knoppix, Linex, Ubuntu, and others?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches" rel="section" title="4.1 On what hardware architectures/systems does Debian GNU/Linux run?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherdistribs" rel="section" title="4.2 How compatible is Debian with other distributions of Linux?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices" rel="section" title="4.3 How source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-non-debian-programs" rel="section" title="4.5 How should I install a non-Debian program?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-termcap" rel="section" title="4.6 Why can't I compile programs that require libtermcap?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-accelx" rel="section" title="4.7 Why can't I install AccelX?">
<link href="ch-compat.en.html#s-motifnls" rel="section" title="4.8 Why do my old XFree 2.1 Motif applications crash?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-softwareauthors" rel="section" title="5.2 Who wrote all that software?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-buildenv" rel="section" title="5.4 How can I install a developer's environment to build packages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-missing" rel="section" title="5.5 What is missing from Debian GNU/Linux?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-java" rel="section" title="5.7 (How) Does Debian support Java?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-nonenglish" rel="section" title="5.9 How does Debian support non-English languages?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine" rel="section" title="5.10 Where is pine?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-qmail" rel="section" title="5.11 Where is qmail/ezmlm/djbdns?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-flash" rel="section" title="5.12 Where is a player for Flash (SWF)?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-googleearth" rel="section" title="5.13 Where is Google Earth?">
<link href="ch-software.en.html#s-voip" rel="section" title="5.14 Where is VoIP software?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dists" rel="section" title="6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-codenames" rel="section" title="6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sid" rel="section" title="6.3 What about "sid"?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-stable" rel="section" title="6.4 What does the stable directory contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-testing" rel="section" title="6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-unstable" rel="section" title="6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-dirtree" rel="section" title="6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-archsections" rel="section" title="6.8 What are all those directories inside <samp>dists/stable/main</samp>?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-source" rel="section" title="6.9 Where is the source code?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-pools" rel="section" title="6.10 What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-incoming" rel="section" title="6.11 What is "incoming"?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-ownrepository" rel="section" title="6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-package" rel="section" title="7.1 What is a Debian package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-deb-format" rel="section" title="7.2 What is the format of a Debian binary package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pkgname" rel="section" title="7.3 Why are Debian package file names so long?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-controlfile" rel="section" title="7.4 What is a Debian control file?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-conffile" rel="section" title="7.5 What is a Debian conffile?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-maintscripts" rel="section" title="7.6 What is a Debian preinst, postinst, prerm, and postrm script?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-virtual" rel="section" title="7.8 What is a Virtual Package?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-pre-depends" rel="section" title="7.10 What is meant by Pre-Depends?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-puttingonhold" rel="section" title="7.12 How do I put a package on hold?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcepkgs" rel="section" title="7.13 How do I install a source package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-sourcebuild" rel="section" title="7.14 How do I build binary packages from a source package?">
<link href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html#s-creatingdebs" rel="section" title="7.15 How do I create Debian packages myself?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-pkgprogs" rel="section" title="8.1 What programs does Debian provide for managing its packages?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-listfiles" rel="section" title="8.4 How to display the files of a package installed?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-filesearch" rel="section" title="8.5 How can I find out what package produced a particular file?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-howtocurrent" rel="section" title="9.1 How can I keep my Debian system current?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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!">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-autoupdate" rel="section" title="9.5 Can I automatically update the system?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-customkernel" rel="section" title="10.2 What tools does Debian provide to build custom kernels?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-custombootdisk" rel="section" title="10.3 How can I make a custom boot floppy?">
<link href="ch-kernel.en.html#s-modules" rel="section" title="10.4 What special provisions does Debian provide to deal with modules?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-hardwareaccess" rel="section" title="11.2 How can I provide access to hardware peripherals, without compromising security?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-customizing.en.html#s-appdefaults" rel="section" title="11.4 How can I configure an X11 program's application defaults?">
<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.">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-debiandocs" rel="section" title="12.1 What other documentation exists on and for a Debian system?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-onlineresources" rel="section" title="12.2 Are there any on-line resources for discussing Debian?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-buglogs" rel="section" title="12.4 Are there logs of known bugs?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s-bugreport" rel="section" title="12.5 How do I report a bug in Debian?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contrib" rel="section" title="13.1 How can I become a Debian software developer?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-contribresources" rel="section" title="13.2 How can I contribute resources to the Debian project?">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-supportingorganizations" rel="section" title="13.3 How can I contribute financially to the Debian project?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-sellcds" rel="section" title="14.1 Can I make and sell Debian CDs?">
<link href="ch-redistrib.en.html#s-packagednonfree" rel="section" title="14.2 Can Debian be packaged with non-free software?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-i18n" rel="section" title="15.1 Extended support for non-English users">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-dependencybasedboot" rel="section" title="15.2 Faster booting: Dependency based boot sequence">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-di" rel="section" title="15.3 Improvements in the Debian Installer">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morearches" rel="section" title="15.4 More architectures">
<link href="ch-nexttime.en.html#s-morekernels" rel="section" title="15.5 More kernels">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors" rel="section" title="16.1 Authors">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-feedback" rel="section" title="16.2 Feedback">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-latest" rel="section" title="16.3 Availability">
<link href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-docformat" rel="section" title="16.4 Document format">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-choosing.en.html#s3.1.9" rel="subsection" title="3.1.9 What happens when a new release is made?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<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?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-oldcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-sourceforcodenames" rel="subsection" title="6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?">
<link href="ch-ftparchives.en.html#s-frozen" rel="subsection" title="6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg" rel="subsection" title="8.1.1 dpkg">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-apt-get" rel="subsection" title="8.1.2 APT">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-aptitude" rel="subsection" title="8.1.3 aptitude">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-synaptic" rel="subsection" title="8.1.4 synaptic">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-tasksel" rel="subsection" title="8.1.5 tasksel">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-extra" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6 Other package management tools">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dselect" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.1 dselect">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-deb" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.2 dpkg-deb">
<link href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dpkg-split" rel="subsection" title="8.1.6.3 dpkg-split">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-aptitude-upgrade" rel="subsection" title="9.1.1 aptitude">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-apt" rel="subsection" title="9.1.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-update_aptitude" rel="subsection" title="9.1.3 aptitude">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-mirror" rel="subsection" title="9.1.4 mirror">
<link href="ch-uptodate.en.html#s-dpkg-mountable" rel="subsection" title="9.1.5 dpkg-mountable">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.1" rel="subsection" title="12.2.1 Mailing lists">
<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?">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.2" rel="subsection" title="12.2.2 Web forums">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.3" rel="subsection" title="12.2.3 Wiki">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.4" rel="subsection" title="12.2.4 Maintainers">
<link href="ch-support.en.html#s12.2.5" rel="subsection" title="12.2.5 Usenet newsgroups">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-SPI" rel="subsection" title="13.3.1 Software in the Public Interest">
<link href="ch-contributing.en.html#s-FSF" rel="subsection" title="13.3.2 Free Software Foundation">
</head>
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<p><a name="ch-ftparchives"></a></p>
<hr>
<p>
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">previous</a> ]
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">3</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
[ 6 ]
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[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">next</a> ]
</p>
<hr>
<h1>
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
<br>Chapter 6 - The Debian FTP archives
</h1>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-dists"></a>6.1 How many Debian distributions are there?</h2>
<p>
There are three major distributions: the "stable" distribution, the
"testing" distribution, and the "unstable" distribution.
The "testing" distribution is sometimes `frozen' (see <a
href="#s-frozen">What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?, Section
6.5.1</a>). Next to these, there is the "oldstable" distribution
(that's just the one from before "stable"), and the
"experimental" distribution.
</p>
<p>
Experimental is used for packages which are still being developed, and with a
high risk of breaking your system. It's used by developers who'd like to study
and test bleeding edge software. Users shouldn't be using packages from here,
because they can be dangerous and harmful even for the most experienced people.
</p>
<p>
See <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">Choosing a Debian distribution, Chapter 3</a>
for help when choosing a Debian distribution.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-codenames"></a>6.2 What are all those names like etch, lenny, etc.?</h2>
<p>
They are just "codenames". When a Debian distribution is in the
development stage, it has no version number but a codename. The purpose of
these codenames is to make easier the mirroring of the Debian distributions (if
a real directory like <samp>unstable</samp> suddenly changed its name to
<samp>stable</samp>, a lot of stuff would have to be needlessly downloaded
again).
</p>
<p>
Currently, <samp>stable</samp> is a symbolic link to <samp>etch</samp> (i.e.
Debian GNU/Linux 4.0) and <samp>testing</samp> is a symbolic link to
<samp>lenny</samp>. This means that <samp>etch</samp> is the current stable
distribution and <samp>lenny</samp> is the current testing distribution.
</p>
<p>
<samp>unstable</samp> is a permanent symbolic link to <samp>sid</samp>, as
<samp>sid</samp> is always the unstable distribution (see <a href="#s-sid">What
about "sid"?, Section 6.3</a>).
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s-oldcodenames"></a>6.2.1 Which other codenames have been used in the past?</h3>
<p>
Other codenames that have been already used are: <samp>buzz</samp> for release
1.1, <samp>rex</samp> for release 1.2, <samp>bo</samp> for releases 1.3.x,
<samp>hamm</samp> for release 2.0, <samp>slink</samp> for release 2.1,
<samp>potato</samp> for release 2.2, <samp>woody</samp> for release 3.0,
<samp>sarge</samp> for release 3.1, and <samp>etch</samp> for release 4.0.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s-sourceforcodenames"></a>6.2.2 Where do these codenames come from?</h3>
<p>
So far they have been characters taken from the movie "Toy Story" by
Pixar.
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>buzz</em> (Buzz Lightyear) was the spaceman,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>rex</em> was the tyrannosaurus,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>bo</em> (Bo Peep) was the girl who took care of the sheep,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>hamm</em> was the piggy bank,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>slink</em> (Slinky Dog (R)) was the toy dog,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>potato</em> was, of course, Mr. Potato (R),
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>woody</em> was the cowboy,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>sarge</em> was the sergeant of the Green Plastic Army Men,
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>etch</em> was the toy blackboard (Etch-a-Sketch (R)),
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>lenny</em> was the binoculars.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
<em>sid</em> was the boy next door who destroyed toys.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-sid"></a>6.3 What about "sid"?</h2>
<p>
<em>sid</em> or <em>unstable</em> is the place where most of the packages are
initially uploaded. It will never be released directly, because packages which
are to be released will first have to be included in <em>testing</em>, in order
to be released in <em>stable</em> later on. sid contains packages for both
released and unreleased architectures.
</p>
<p>
The name "sid" also comes from the "Toy Story" animated
motion picture: Sid was the boy next door who destroyed toys :-)
</p>
<p>
[<a href="footnotes.en.html#f2" name="fr2">2</a>]
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-stable"></a>6.4 What does the stable directory contain?</h2>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
stable/main/: This directory contains the packages which formally constitute
the most recent release of the Debian GNU/Linux system.
</p>
<p>
These packages all comply with the <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">Debian Free Software
Guidelines</a></code>, and are all freely usable and distributable.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
stable/non-free/: This directory contains packages distribution of which is
restricted in a way that requires that distributors take careful account of the
specified copyright requirements.
</p>
<p>
For example, some packages have licenses which prohibit commercial
distribution. Others can be redistributed but are in fact shareware and not
free software. The licenses of each of these packages must be studied, and
possibly negotiated, before the packages are included in any redistribution
(e.g., in a CD-ROM).
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>
stable/contrib/: This directory contains packages which are DFSG-free and
<em>freely distributable</em> themselves, but somehow depend on a package that
is <em>not</em> freely distributable and thus available only in the non-free
section.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-testing"></a>6.5 What does the testing distribution contain?</h2>
<p>
Packages are installed into the `testing' directory after they have undergone
some degree of testing in <a href="#s-unstable">unstable</a>.
</p>
<p>
They must be in sync on all architectures where they have been built and
mustn't have dependencies that make them uninstallable; they also have to have
fewer release-critical bugs than the versions currently in testing. This way,
we hope that `testing' is always close to being a release candidate.
</p>
<p>
More information about the status of "testing" in general and the
individual packages is available at <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/devel/testing">http://www.debian.org/devel/testing</a></code>.
</p>
<hr>
<h3><a name="s-frozen"></a>6.5.1 What about "testing"? How is it `frozen'?</h3>
<p>
When the "testing" distribution is mature enough, the release manager
starts `freezing' it. The normal propagation delays are increased to ensure
that as little as possible new bugs from "unstable" enter
"testing".
</p>
<p>
After a while, the "testing" distribution becomes truly `frozen'.
This means that all new packages that are to propagate to the
"testing" are held back, unless they include release-critical bug
fixes. The "testing" distribution can also remain in such a deep
freeze during the so-called `test cycles', when the release is imminent.
</p>
<p>
We keep a record of bugs in the "testing" distribution that can hold
off a package from being released, or bugs that can hold back the whole
release. For details, please see <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/releases/testing/">current testing release
information</a></code>.
</p>
<p>
Once that bug count lowers to maximum acceptable values, the frozen
"testing" distribution is declared "stable" and released
with a version number.
</p>
<p>
With each new release, the previous "stable" distribution becomes
obsolete and moves to the archive. For more information please see <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/distrib/archive">Debian archive</a></code>.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-unstable"></a>6.6 What does the unstable distribution contain?</h2>
<p>
The `unstable' directory contains a snapshot of the current development system.
Users are welcome to use and test these packages, but are warned about their
state of readiness. The advantage of using the unstable distribution is that
you are always up-to-date with the latest in GNU/Linux software industry, but
if it breaks: you get to keep both parts :-)
</p>
<p>
There are also main, contrib and non-free subdirectories in `unstable',
separated on the same criteria as in `stable'.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-dirtree"></a>6.7 What are all those directories at the Debian FTP archives?</h2>
<p>
The software that has been packaged for Debian GNU/Linux is available in one of
several directory trees on each Debian mirror site.
</p>
<p>
The <samp>dists</samp> directory is short for "distributions", and it
is the canonical way to access the currently available Debian releases (and
pre-releases).
</p>
<p>
The <samp>pool</samp> directory contains the actual packages, see <a
href="#s-pools">What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?, Section 6.10</a>.
</p>
<p>
There are the following supplementary directories:
</p>
<dl>
<dt><em>/tools/</em>:</dt>
<dd>
<p>
DOS utilities for creating boot disks, partitioning your disk drive,
compressing/decompressing files, and booting Linux.
</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<dl>
<dt><em>/doc/</em>:</dt>
<dd>
<p>
The basic Debian documentation, such as this FAQ, the bug reporting system
instructions, etc.
</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<dl>
<dt><em>/indices/</em>:</dt>
<dd>
<p>
various indices of the site (the Maintainers file and the override files).
</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<dl>
<dt><em>/project/</em>:</dt>
<dd>
<p>
mostly developer-only materials and some miscellaneous files.
</p>
</dd>
</dl>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-archsections"></a>6.8 What are all those directories inside <samp>dists/stable/main</samp>?</h2>
<p>
Within each of the major directory trees[<a href="footnotes.en.html#f3"
name="fr3">3</a>], there are three sets of subdirectories containing index
files.
</p>
<p>
There's one set of <samp>binary-<var>something</var></samp> subdirectories
which contain index files for binary packages of each available computer
architecture, for example <samp>binary-i386</samp> for packages which execute
on Intel x86 PC machines or <samp>binary-sparc</samp> for packages which
execute on Sun SPARCStations.
</p>
<p>
The complete list of available architectures for each release is available at
<code><a href="http://www.debian.org/releases/">the release's web
page</a></code>. For the current release, please see <a
href="ch-compat.en.html#s-arches">On what hardware architectures/systems does
Debian GNU/Linux run?, Section 4.1</a>.
</p>
<p>
The index files in binary-* are called Packages(.gz, .bz2) and they include a
summary of each binary package that is included in that distribution. The
actual binary packages reside in the top level <a
href="#s-pools"><samp>pool</samp> directory</a>.
</p>
<p>
Furthermore, there's a subdirectory called source/ which contains index files
for source packages included in the distribution. The index file is called
Sources(.gz, .bz2).
</p>
<p>
Last but not least, there's a set of subdirectories meant for the installation
system index files, they are at
<samp>debian-installer/binary-<var>architecture</var></samp>.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-source"></a>6.9 Where is the source code?</h2>
<p>
Source code is included for everything in the Debian system. Moreover, the
license terms of most programs in the system <em>require</em> that source code
be distributed along with the programs, or that an offer to provide the source
code accompany the programs.
</p>
<p>
The source code is distributed in the <samp>pool</samp> directory (see <a
href="#s-pools">What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?, Section 6.10</a>)
together with all the architecture-specific binary directories. To retrieve
the source code without having to be familiar with the structure of the FTP
archive, try a command like <samp>apt-get source mypackagename</samp>.
</p>
<p>
Some packages are only distributed as source code due to the restrictions in
their licenses. Notably, one such package is <samp>pine</samp>, see <a
href="ch-software.en.html#s-pine">Where is pine?, Section 5.10</a> for more
information.
</p>
<p>
Source code may or may not be available for packages in the "contrib"
and "non-free" directories, which are not formally part of the Debian
system.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-pools"></a>6.10 What's in the <samp>pool</samp> directory?</h2>
<p>
Packages are kept in a large `pool', structured according to the name of the
source package. To make this manageable, the pool is subdivided by section
(`main', `contrib' and `non-free') and by the first letter of the source
package name. These directories contain several files: the binary packages for
each architecture, and the source packages from which the binary packages were
generated.
</p>
<p>
You can find out where each package is placed by executing a command like
<samp>apt-cache showsrc mypackagename</samp> and looking at the `Directory:'
line. For example, the <samp>apache</samp> packages are stored in
<samp>pool/main/a/apache/</samp>.
</p>
<p>
Additionally, since there are so many <samp>lib*</samp> packages, these are
treated specially: for instance, libpaper packages are stored in
<samp>pool/main/libp/libpaper/</samp>.
</p>
<p>
[<a href="footnotes.en.html#f4" name="fr4">4</a>]
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-incoming"></a>6.11 What is "incoming"?</h2>
<p>
After a developer uploads a package, it stays for a short while in the
"incoming" directory before it is checked that it's genuine and
allowed into the archive.
</p>
<p>
Usually nobody should install things from this place. However, in some rare
cases of emergency, the incoming directory is available at <code><a
href="http://incoming.debian.org/">http://incoming.debian.org/</a></code>. You
can manually fetch packages, check the GPG signature and MD5sums in the
.changes and .dsc files, and then install them.
</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name="s-ownrepository"></a>6.12 How do I set up my own apt-able repository?</h2>
<p>
If you have built some private Debian packages which you'd like to install
using the standard Debian package management tools, you can set up your own
apt-able package archive. This is also useful if you'd like to share your
Debian packages while these are not distributed by the Debian project.
Instructions on how to do this are given in the <code><a
href="http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto">Debian
Repository HOWTO</a></code>.
</p>
<hr>
<p>
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">previous</a> ]
[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-choosing.en.html">3</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">4</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">5</a> ]
[ 6 ]
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">7</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">8</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-uptodate.en.html">9</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">10</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">11</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">12</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">13</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">14</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">15</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">16</a> ]
[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">next</a> ]
</p>
<hr>
<p>
The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
</p>
<address>
version 4.0.4+nmu1, 3 January 2010<br>
<br>
Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
<br>
</address>
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