1 # SOME DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
2 # Copyright (C) YEAR Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 # This file is distributed under the same license as the PACKAGE package.
4 # FIRST AUTHOR <EMAIL@ADDRESS>, YEAR.
9 "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
10 "POT-Creation-Date: 2011-04-22 10:29-0400\n"
11 "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
12 "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>\n"
13 "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL@li.org>\n"
16 "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\n"
17 "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n"
19 #. type: Content of: <chapter><title>
21 msgid "Managing Packages"
24 #. type: Content of: <chapter><para>
27 "This chapter contains information related to creating, uploading, "
28 "maintaining, and porting packages."
31 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
36 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
39 "If you want to create a new package for the Debian distribution, you should "
40 "first check the <ulink url=\"&url-wnpp;\">Work-Needing and Prospective "
41 "Packages (WNPP)</ulink> list. Checking the WNPP list ensures that no one is "
42 "already working on packaging that software, and that effort is not "
43 "duplicated. Read the <ulink url=\"&url-wnpp;\">WNPP web pages</ulink> for "
47 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
50 "Assuming no one else is already working on your prospective package, you "
51 "must then submit a bug report (<xref linkend=\"submit-bug\"/>) against the "
52 "pseudo-package <systemitem role=\"package\">wnpp</systemitem> describing "
53 "your plan to create a new package, including, but not limiting yourself to, "
54 "a description of the package, the license of the prospective package, and "
55 "the current URL where it can be downloaded from."
58 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
61 "You should set the subject of the bug to <literal>ITP: <replaceable>foo</"
62 "replaceable> -- <replaceable>short description</replaceable></literal>, "
63 "substituting the name of the new package for <replaceable>foo</"
64 "replaceable>. The severity of the bug report must be set to "
65 "<literal>wishlist</literal>. Please send a copy to &email-debian-devel; by "
66 "using the X-Debbugs-CC header (don't use CC:, because that way the message's "
67 "subject won't indicate the bug number). If you are packaging so many new "
68 "packages (>10) that notifying the mailing list in separate messages is too "
69 "disruptive, send a summary after filing the bugs to the debian-devel list "
70 "instead. This will inform the other developers about upcoming packages and "
71 "will allow a review of your description and package name."
74 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
77 "Please include a <literal>Closes: #<replaceable>nnnnn</replaceable></"
78 "literal> entry in the changelog of the new package in order for the bug "
79 "report to be automatically closed once the new package is installed in the "
80 "archive (see <xref linkend=\"upload-bugfix\"/>)."
83 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
86 "If you think your package needs some explanations for the administrators of "
87 "the NEW package queue, include them in your changelog, send to &email-"
88 "ftpmaster; a reply to the email you receive as a maintainer after your "
89 "upload, or reply to the rejection email in case you are already re-uploading."
92 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
95 "When closing security bugs include CVE numbers as well as the "
96 "<literal>Closes: #<replaceable>nnnnn</replaceable></literal>. This is "
97 "useful for the security team to track vulnerabilities. If an upload is made "
98 "to fix the bug before the advisory ID is known, it is encouraged to modify "
99 "the historical changelog entry with the next upload. Even in this case, "
100 "please include all available pointers to background information in the "
101 "original changelog entry."
104 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
107 "There are a number of reasons why we ask maintainers to announce their "
111 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
114 "It helps the (potentially new) maintainer to tap into the experience of "
115 "people on the list, and lets them know if anyone else is working on it "
119 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
122 "It lets other people thinking about working on the package know that there "
123 "already is a volunteer, so efforts may be shared."
126 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
129 "It lets the rest of the maintainers know more about the package than the one "
130 "line description and the usual changelog entry ``Initial release'' that gets "
131 "posted to &email-debian-devel-changes;."
134 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
137 "It is helpful to the people who live off <literal>unstable</literal> (and "
138 "form our first line of testers). We should encourage these people."
141 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
144 "The announcements give maintainers and other interested parties a better "
145 "feel of what is going on, and what is new, in the project."
148 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
151 "Please see <ulink url=\"http://&ftp-master-host;/REJECT-FAQ.html\"></ulink> "
152 "for common rejection reasons for a new package."
155 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
157 msgid "Recording changes in the package"
160 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
163 "Changes that you make to the package need to be recorded in the "
164 "<filename>debian/changelog</filename>. These changes should provide a "
165 "concise description of what was changed, why (if it's in doubt), and note if "
166 "any bugs were closed. They also record when the package was completed. "
167 "This file will be installed in <filename>/usr/share/doc/"
168 "<replaceable>package</replaceable>/changelog.Debian.gz</filename>, or "
169 "<filename>/usr/share/doc/<replaceable>package</replaceable>/changelog.gz</"
170 "filename> for native packages."
173 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
176 "The <filename>debian/changelog</filename> file conforms to a certain "
177 "structure, with a number of different fields. One field of note, the "
178 "<literal>distribution</literal>, is described in <xref linkend=\"distribution"
179 "\"/>. More information about the structure of this file can be found in the "
180 "Debian Policy section titled <filename>debian/changelog</filename>."
183 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
186 "Changelog entries can be used to automatically close Debian bugs when the "
187 "package is installed into the archive. See <xref linkend=\"upload-bugfix\"/"
191 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
194 "It is conventional that the changelog entry of a package that contains a new "
195 "upstream version of the software looks like this:"
198 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><screen>
201 msgid " * New upstream release.\n"
204 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
207 "There are tools to help you create entries and finalize the "
208 "<filename>changelog</filename> for release — see <xref linkend=\"devscripts"
209 "\"/> and <xref linkend=\"dpkg-dev-el\"/>."
212 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
214 msgid "See also <xref linkend=\"bpp-debian-changelog\"/>."
217 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
219 msgid "Testing the package"
222 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
225 "Before you upload your package, you should do basic testing on it. At a "
226 "minimum, you should try the following activities (you'll need to have an "
227 "older version of the same Debian package around):"
230 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
233 "Install the package and make sure the software works, or upgrade the package "
234 "from an older version to your new version if a Debian package for it already "
238 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
241 "Run <command>lintian</command> over the package. You can run "
242 "<command>lintian</command> as follows: <literal>lintian -v "
243 "<replaceable>package-version</replaceable>.changes</literal>. This will "
244 "check the source package as well as the binary package. If you don't "
245 "understand the output that <command>lintian</command> generates, try adding "
246 "the <literal>-i</literal> switch, which will cause <command>lintian</"
247 "command> to output a very verbose description of the problem."
250 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
253 "Normally, a package should <emphasis>not</emphasis> be uploaded if it causes "
254 "<command>lintian</command> to emit errors (they will start with <literal>E</"
258 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
261 "For more information on <command>lintian</command>, see <xref linkend="
265 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
268 "Optionally run <command>debdiff</command> (see <xref linkend=\"debdiff\"/>) "
269 "to analyze changes from an older version, if one exists."
272 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
275 "Downgrade the package to the previous version (if one exists) — this tests "
276 "the <filename>postrm</filename> and <filename>prerm</filename> scripts."
279 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
281 msgid "Remove the package, then reinstall it."
284 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
287 "Copy the source package in a different directory and try unpacking it and "
288 "rebuilding it. This tests if the package relies on existing files outside "
289 "of it, or if it relies on permissions being preserved on the files shipped "
290 "inside the <filename>.diff.gz</filename> file."
293 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
295 msgid "Layout of the source package"
298 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
300 msgid "There are two types of Debian source packages:"
303 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
306 "the so-called <literal>native</literal> packages, where there is no "
307 "distinction between the original sources and the patches applied for Debian"
310 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
313 "the (more common) packages where there's an original source tarball file "
314 "accompanied by another file that contains the changes made by Debian"
317 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
320 "For the native packages, the source package includes a Debian source control "
321 "file (<filename>.dsc</filename>) and the source tarball (<filename>.tar.{gz,"
322 "bz2,lzma}</filename>). A source package of a non-native package includes a "
323 "Debian source control file, the original source tarball (<filename>.orig.tar."
324 "{gz,bz2,lzma}</filename>) and the Debian changes (<filename>.diff.gz</"
325 "filename> for the source format “1.0” or <filename>.debian.tar.{gz,bz2,lzma}"
326 "</filename> for the source format “3.0 (quilt)”)."
329 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
332 "With source format “1.0”, whether a package is native or not was determined "
333 "by <command>dpkg-source</command> at build time. Nowadays it is recommended "
334 "to be explicit about the desired source format by putting either “3.0 "
335 "(quilt)” or “3.0 (native)” in <filename>debian/source/format</filename>. "
336 "The rest of this section relates only to non-native packages."
339 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
342 "The first time a version is uploaded which corresponds to a particular "
343 "upstream version, the original source tar file should be uploaded and "
344 "included in the <filename>.changes</filename> file. Subsequently, this very "
345 "same tar file should be used to build the new diffs and <filename>.dsc</"
346 "filename> files, and will not need to be re-uploaded."
349 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
352 "By default, <command>dpkg-genchanges</command> and <command>dpkg-"
353 "buildpackage</command> will include the original source tar file if and only "
354 "if the current changelog entry has a different upstream version from the "
355 "preceding entry. This behavior may be modified by using <literal>-sa</"
356 "literal> to always include it or <literal>-sd</literal> to always leave it "
360 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
363 "If no original source is included in the upload, the original source tar-"
364 "file used by <command>dpkg-source</command> when constructing the <filename>."
365 "dsc</filename> file and diff to be uploaded <emphasis>must</emphasis> be "
366 "byte-for-byte identical with the one already in the archive."
369 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
372 "Please notice that, in non-native packages, permissions on files that are "
373 "not present in the <filename>*.orig.tar.{gz,bz2,lzma}</filename> will not be "
374 "preserved, as diff does not store file permissions in the patch. However "
375 "when using source format “3.0 (quilt)”, permissions of files inside the "
376 "<filename>debian</filename> directory are preserved since they are stored in "
380 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
382 msgid "Picking a distribution"
385 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
388 "Each upload needs to specify which distribution the package is intended "
389 "for. The package build process extracts this information from the first "
390 "line of the <filename>debian/changelog</filename> file and places it in the "
391 "<literal>Distribution</literal> field of the <filename>.changes</filename> "
395 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
398 "There are several possible values for this field: <literal>stable</literal>, "
399 "<literal>unstable</literal>, <literal>testing-proposed-updates</literal> and "
400 "<literal>experimental</literal>. Normally, packages are uploaded into "
401 "<literal>unstable</literal>."
404 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
407 "Actually, there are two other possible distributions: <literal>stable-"
408 "security</literal> and <literal>testing-security</literal>, but read <xref "
409 "linkend=\"bug-security\"/> for more information on those."
412 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
415 "It is not possible to upload a package into several distributions at the "
419 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
422 "Special case: uploads to the <literal>stable</literal> and "
423 "<literal>oldstable</literal> distributions"
426 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
429 "Uploading to <literal>stable</literal> means that the package will "
430 "transferred to the <literal>proposed-updates-new</literal> queue for review "
431 "by the stable release managers, and if approved will be installed in "
432 "<filename>stable-proposed-updates</filename> directory of the Debian "
433 "archive. From there, it will be included in <literal>stable</literal> with "
434 "the next point release."
437 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
440 "To ensure that your upload will be accepted, you should discuss the changes "
441 "with the stable release team before you upload. For that, send a mail to the "
442 "&email-debian-release; mailing list, including the patch you want to apply "
443 "to the package version currently in <literal>stable</literal>. Always be "
444 "verbose and detailed in your changelog entries for uploads to the "
445 "<literal>stable</literal> distribution."
448 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
451 "Extra care should be taken when uploading to <literal>stable</literal>. "
452 "Basically, a package should only be uploaded to <literal>stable</literal> if "
453 "one of the following happens:"
456 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
458 msgid "a truly critical functionality problem"
461 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
463 msgid "the package becomes uninstallable"
466 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
468 msgid "a released architecture lacks the package"
471 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
474 "In the past, uploads to <literal>stable</literal> were used to address "
475 "security problems as well. However, this practice is deprecated, as uploads "
476 "used for Debian security advisories are automatically copied to the "
477 "appropriate <filename>proposed-updates</filename> archive when the advisory "
478 "is released. See <xref linkend=\"bug-security\"/> for detailed information "
479 "on handling security problems. If the security teams deems the problem to be "
480 "too benign to be fixed through a <literal>DSA</literal>, the stable release "
481 "managers are usually willing to include your fix nonetheless in a regular "
482 "upload to <literal>stable</literal>."
485 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
488 "Changing anything else in the package that isn't important is discouraged, "
489 "because even trivial fixes can cause bugs later on."
492 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
495 "Packages uploaded to <literal>stable</literal> need to be compiled on "
496 "systems running <literal>stable</literal>, so that their dependencies are "
497 "limited to the libraries (and other packages) available in <literal>stable</"
498 "literal>; for example, a package uploaded to <literal>stable</literal> that "
499 "depends on a library package that only exists in <literal>unstable</literal> "
500 "will be rejected. Making changes to dependencies of other packages (by "
501 "messing with <literal>Provides</literal> or <filename>shlibs</filename> "
502 "files), possibly making those other packages uninstallable, is strongly "
506 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
509 "Uploads to the <literal>oldstable</literal> distributions are possible as "
510 "long as it hasn't been archived. The same rules as for <literal>stable</"
514 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
517 "Special case: uploads to <literal>testing/testing-proposed-updates</literal>"
520 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
523 "Please see the information in the <link linkend=\"t-p-u\">testing section</"
527 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
529 msgid "Uploading a package"
532 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
534 msgid "Uploading to <literal>ftp-master</literal>"
537 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
540 "To upload a package, you should upload the files (including the signed "
541 "changes and dsc-file) with anonymous ftp to <literal>&ftp-upload-host;</"
542 "literal> in the directory <ulink url=\"ftp://&ftp-upload-host;&upload-queue;"
543 "\">&upload-queue;</ulink>. To get the files processed there, they need to "
544 "be signed with a key in the Debian Developers keyring or the Debian "
545 "Maintainers keyring (see <ulink url=\"&url-wiki-dm;\"></ulink>)."
548 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
551 "Please note that you should transfer the changes file last. Otherwise, your "
552 "upload may be rejected because the archive maintenance software will parse "
553 "the changes file and see that not all files have been uploaded."
556 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
559 "You may also find the Debian packages <link linkend=\"dupload\">dupload</"
560 "link> or <link linkend=\"dput\">dput</link> useful when uploading packages."
561 "These handy programs help automate the process of uploading packages into "
565 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
568 "For removing packages, please see <ulink url=\"ftp://&ftp-upload-host;"
569 "&upload-queue;README\"/> and the Debian package <link linkend=\"dcut\">dcut</"
573 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
575 msgid "Delayed uploads"
578 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
581 "It is sometimes useful to upload a package immediately, but to want this "
582 "package to arrive in the archive only a few days later. For example, when "
583 "preparing a <link linkend=\"nmu\">Non-Maintainer Upload</link>, you might "
584 "want to give the maintainer a few days to react."
587 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
590 "An upload to the delayed directory keeps the package in <ulink url=\"http://"
591 "ftp-master.debian.org/deferred.html\">the deferred uploads queue</ulink>. "
592 "When the specified waiting time is over, the package is moved into the "
593 "regular incoming directory for processing. This is done through automatic "
594 "uploading to <literal>&ftp-upload-host;</literal> in upload-directory "
595 "<literal>DELAYED/[012345678]-day</literal>. 0-day is uploaded multiple times "
596 "per day to <literal>&ftp-upload-host;</literal>."
599 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
602 "With dput, you can use the <literal>--delayed <replaceable>DELAY</"
603 "replaceable></literal> parameter to put the package into one of the queues."
606 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
608 msgid "Security uploads"
611 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
614 "Do <emphasis role=\"strong\">NOT</emphasis> upload a package to the security "
615 "upload queue (<literal>oldstable-security</literal>, <literal>stable-"
616 "security</literal>, etc.) without prior authorization from the security "
617 "team. If the package does not exactly meet the team's requirements, it will "
618 "cause many problems and delays in dealing with the unwanted upload. For "
619 "details, please see <xref linkend=\"bug-security\"/>."
622 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
624 msgid "Other upload queues"
627 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
630 "There is an alternative upload queue in Europe at <ulink url=\"ftp://&ftp-eu-"
631 "upload-host;&upload-queue;\"/>. It operates in the same way as <literal>&ftp-"
632 "upload-host;</literal>, but should be faster for European developers."
635 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
638 "Packages can also be uploaded via ssh to <literal>&ssh-upload-host;</"
639 "literal>; files should be put <literal>/srv/upload.debian.org/UploadQueue</"
640 "literal>. This queue does not support <link linkend=\"delayed-incoming"
641 "\">delayed uploads</link>."
644 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
646 msgid "Notification that a new package has been installed"
649 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
652 "The Debian archive maintainers are responsible for handling package "
653 "uploads. For the most part, uploads are automatically handled on a daily "
654 "basis by the archive maintenance tools, <command>katie</command>. "
655 "Specifically, updates to existing packages to the <literal>unstable</"
656 "literal> distribution are handled automatically. In other cases, notably "
657 "new packages, placing the uploaded package into the distribution is handled "
658 "manually. When uploads are handled manually, the change to the archive may "
659 "take up to a month to occur. Please be patient."
662 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
665 "In any case, you will receive an email notification indicating that the "
666 "package has been added to the archive, which also indicates which bugs will "
667 "be closed by the upload. Please examine this notification carefully, "
668 "checking if any bugs you meant to close didn't get triggered."
671 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
674 "The installation notification also includes information on what section the "
675 "package was inserted into. If there is a disparity, you will receive a "
676 "separate email notifying you of that. Read on below."
679 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
682 "Note that if you upload via queues, the queue daemon software will also send "
683 "you a notification by email."
686 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
688 msgid "Specifying the package section, subsection and priority"
691 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
694 "The <filename>debian/control</filename> file's <literal>Section</literal> "
695 "and <literal>Priority</literal> fields do not actually specify where the "
696 "file will be placed in the archive, nor its priority. In order to retain "
697 "the overall integrity of the archive, it is the archive maintainers who have "
698 "control over these fields. The values in the <filename>debian/control</"
699 "filename> file are actually just hints."
702 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
705 "The archive maintainers keep track of the canonical sections and priorities "
706 "for packages in the <literal>override file</literal>. If there is a "
707 "disparity between the <literal>override file</literal> and the package's "
708 "fields as indicated in <filename>debian/control</filename>, then you will "
709 "receive an email noting the divergence when the package is installed into "
710 "the archive. You can either correct your <filename>debian/control</"
711 "filename> file for your next upload, or else you may wish to make a change "
712 "in the <literal>override file</literal>."
715 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
718 "To alter the actual section that a package is put in, you need to first make "
719 "sure that the <filename>debian/control</filename> file in your package is "
720 "accurate. Next, submit a bug against <systemitem role=\"package\">ftp."
721 "debian.org</systemitem> requesting that the section or priority for your "
722 "package be changed from the old section or priority to the new one. Use a "
723 "Subject like <literal>override: PACKAGE1:section/priority, [...], PACKAGEX:"
724 "section/priority</literal>, and include the justification for the change in "
725 "the body of the bug report."
728 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
731 "For more information about <literal>override files</literal>, see "
732 "<citerefentry> <refentrytitle>dpkg-scanpackages</refentrytitle> "
733 "<manvolnum>1</manvolnum> </citerefentry> and <ulink url=\"&url-bts-devel;"
734 "#maintincorrect\"></ulink>."
737 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
740 "Note that the <literal>Section</literal> field describes both the section as "
741 "well as the subsection, which are described in <xref linkend=\"archive-"
742 "sections\"/>. If the section is main, it should be omitted. The list of "
743 "allowable subsections can be found in <ulink url=\"&url-debian-policy;ch-"
744 "archive.html#s-subsections\"></ulink>."
747 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
749 msgid "Handling bugs"
752 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
755 "Every developer has to be able to work with the Debian <ulink url=\"&url-bts;"
756 "\">bug tracking system</ulink>. This includes knowing how to file bug "
757 "reports properly (see <xref linkend=\"submit-bug\"/>), how to update them "
758 "and reorder them, and how to process and close them."
761 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
764 "The bug tracking system's features are described in the <ulink url=\"&url-"
765 "bts-devel;\">BTS documentation for developers</ulink>. This includes "
766 "closing bugs, sending followup messages, assigning severities and tags, "
767 "marking bugs as forwarded, and other issues."
770 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
773 "Operations such as reassigning bugs to other packages, merging separate bug "
774 "reports about the same issue, or reopening bugs when they are prematurely "
775 "closed, are handled using the so-called control mail server. All of the "
776 "commands available on this server are described in the <ulink url=\"&url-bts-"
777 "control;\">BTS control server documentation</ulink>."
780 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
782 msgid "Monitoring bugs"
785 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
788 "If you want to be a good maintainer, you should periodically check the "
789 "<ulink url=\"&url-bts;\">Debian bug tracking system (BTS)</ulink> for your "
790 "packages. The BTS contains all the open bugs against your packages. You "
791 "can check them by browsing this page: <literal>http://&bugs-host;/"
792 "<replaceable>yourlogin</replaceable>@debian.org</literal>."
795 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
798 "Maintainers interact with the BTS via email addresses at <literal>&bugs-host;"
799 "</literal>. Documentation on available commands can be found at <ulink url="
800 "\"&url-bts;\"></ulink>, or, if you have installed the <systemitem role="
801 "\"package\">doc-debian</systemitem> package, you can look at the local files "
805 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
808 "Some find it useful to get periodic reports on open bugs. You can add a "
809 "cron job such as the following if you want to get a weekly email outlining "
810 "all the open bugs against your packages:"
813 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
817 "# ask for weekly reports of bugs in my packages\n"
818 "&cron-bug-report;\n"
821 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
824 "Replace <replaceable>address</replaceable> with your official Debian "
825 "maintainer address."
828 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
830 msgid "Responding to bugs"
833 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
836 "When responding to bugs, make sure that any discussion you have about bugs "
837 "is sent both to the original submitter of the bug, and to the bug itself (e."
838 "g., <email><replaceable>123</replaceable>@&bugs-host;</email>). If you're "
839 "writing a new mail and you don't remember the submitter email address, you "
840 "can use the <email><replaceable>123</replaceable>-submitter@&bugs-host;</"
841 "email> email to contact the submitter <emphasis>and</emphasis> to record "
842 "your mail within the bug log (that means you don't need to send a copy of "
843 "the mail to <email><replaceable>123</replaceable>@&bugs-host;</email>)."
846 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
849 "If you get a bug which mentions FTBFS, this means Fails to build from "
850 "source. Porters frequently use this acronym."
853 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
856 "Once you've dealt with a bug report (e.g. fixed it), mark it as "
857 "<literal>done</literal> (close it) by sending an explanation message to "
858 "<email><replaceable>123</replaceable>-done@&bugs-host;</email>. If you're "
859 "fixing a bug by changing and uploading the package, you can automate bug "
860 "closing as described in <xref linkend=\"upload-bugfix\"/>."
863 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
866 "You should <emphasis>never</emphasis> close bugs via the bug server "
867 "<literal>close</literal> command sent to &email-bts-control;. If you do so, "
868 "the original submitter will not receive any information about why the bug "
872 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
874 msgid "Bug housekeeping"
877 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
880 "As a package maintainer, you will often find bugs in other packages or have "
881 "bugs reported against your packages which are actually bugs in other "
882 "packages. The bug tracking system's features are described in the <ulink "
883 "url=\"&url-bts-devel;\">BTS documentation for Debian developers</ulink>. "
884 "Operations such as reassigning, merging, and tagging bug reports are "
885 "described in the <ulink url=\"&url-bts-control;\">BTS control server "
886 "documentation</ulink>. This section contains some guidelines for managing "
887 "your own bugs, based on the collective Debian developer experience."
890 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
893 "Filing bugs for problems that you find in other packages is one of the civic "
894 "obligations of maintainership, see <xref linkend=\"submit-bug\"/> for "
895 "details. However, handling the bugs in your own packages is even more "
899 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
901 msgid "Here's a list of steps that you may follow to handle a bug report:"
904 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
907 "Decide whether the report corresponds to a real bug or not. Sometimes users "
908 "are just calling a program in the wrong way because they haven't read the "
909 "documentation. If you diagnose this, just close the bug with enough "
910 "information to let the user correct their problem (give pointers to the good "
911 "documentation and so on). If the same report comes up again and again you "
912 "may ask yourself if the documentation is good enough or if the program "
913 "shouldn't detect its misuse in order to give an informative error message. "
914 "This is an issue that may need to be brought up with the upstream author."
917 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
920 "If the bug submitter disagrees with your decision to close the bug, they may "
921 "reopen it until you find an agreement on how to handle it. If you don't "
922 "find any, you may want to tag the bug <literal>wontfix</literal> to let "
923 "people know that the bug exists but that it won't be corrected. If this "
924 "situation is unacceptable, you (or the submitter) may want to require a "
925 "decision of the technical committee by reassigning the bug to <systemitem "
926 "role=\"package\">tech-ctte</systemitem> (you may use the clone command of "
927 "the BTS if you wish to keep it reported against your package). Before doing "
928 "so, please read the <ulink url=\"&url-tech-ctte;\">recommended procedure</"
932 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
935 "If the bug is real but it's caused by another package, just reassign the bug "
936 "to the right package. If you don't know which package it should be "
937 "reassigned to, you should ask for help on <link linkend=\"irc-channels"
938 "\">IRC</link> or on &email-debian-devel;. Please inform the maintainer(s) "
939 "of the package you reassign the bug to, for example by Cc:ing the message "
940 "that does the reassign to <email><replaceable>packagename</"
941 "replaceable>@packages.debian.org</email> and explaining your reasons in that "
942 "mail. Please note that a simple reassignment is <emphasis>not</emphasis> e-"
943 "mailed to the maintainers of the package being reassigned to, so they won't "
944 "know about it until they look at a bug overview for their packages."
947 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
950 "If the bug affects the operation of your package, please consider cloning "
951 "the bug and reassigning the clone to the package that really causes the "
952 "behavior. Otherwise, the bug will not be shown in your package's bug list, "
953 "possibly causing users to report the same bug over and over again. You "
954 "should block \"your\" bug with the reassigned, cloned bug to document the "
958 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
961 "Sometimes you also have to adjust the severity of the bug so that it matches "
962 "our definition of the severity. That's because people tend to inflate the "
963 "severity of bugs to make sure their bugs are fixed quickly. Some bugs may "
964 "even be dropped to wishlist severity when the requested change is just "
968 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
971 "If the bug is real but the same problem has already been reported by someone "
972 "else, then the two relevant bug reports should be merged into one using the "
973 "merge command of the BTS. In this way, when the bug is fixed, all of the "
974 "submitters will be informed of this. (Note, however, that emails sent to "
975 "one bug report's submitter won't automatically be sent to the other report's "
976 "submitter.) For more details on the technicalities of the merge command and "
977 "its relative, the unmerge command, see the BTS control server documentation."
980 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
983 "The bug submitter may have forgotten to provide some information, in which "
984 "case you have to ask them for the required information. You may use the "
985 "<literal>moreinfo</literal> tag to mark the bug as such. Moreover if you "
986 "can't reproduce the bug, you tag it <literal>unreproducible</literal>. "
987 "Anyone who can reproduce the bug is then invited to provide more information "
988 "on how to reproduce it. After a few months, if this information has not "
989 "been sent by someone, the bug may be closed."
992 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
995 "If the bug is related to the packaging, you just fix it. If you are not "
996 "able to fix it yourself, then tag the bug as <literal>help</literal>. You "
997 "can also ask for help on &email-debian-devel; or &email-debian-qa;. If it's "
998 "an upstream problem, you have to forward it to the upstream author. "
999 "Forwarding a bug is not enough, you have to check at each release if the bug "
1000 "has been fixed or not. If it has, you just close it, otherwise you have to "
1001 "remind the author about it. If you have the required skills you can prepare "
1002 "a patch that fixes the bug and send it to the author at the same time. Make "
1003 "sure to send the patch to the BTS and to tag the bug as <literal>patch</"
1007 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
1010 "If you have fixed a bug in your local copy, or if a fix has been committed "
1011 "to the VCS repository, you may tag the bug as <literal>pending</literal> to "
1012 "let people know that the bug is corrected and that it will be closed with "
1013 "the next upload (add the <literal>closes:</literal> in the "
1014 "<filename>changelog</filename>). This is particularly useful if you are "
1015 "several developers working on the same package."
1018 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
1021 "Once a corrected package is available in the archive, the bug should be "
1022 "closed indicating the version in which it was fixed. This can be done "
1023 "automatically, read <xref linkend=\"upload-bugfix\"/>."
1026 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1028 msgid "When bugs are closed by new uploads"
1031 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1034 "As bugs and problems are fixed in your packages, it is your responsibility "
1035 "as the package maintainer to close these bugs. However, you should not "
1036 "close a bug until the package which fixes the bug has been accepted into the "
1037 "Debian archive. Therefore, once you get notification that your updated "
1038 "package has been installed into the archive, you can and should close the "
1039 "bug in the BTS. Also, the bug should be closed with the correct version."
1042 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1045 "However, it's possible to avoid having to manually close bugs after the "
1046 "upload — just list the fixed bugs in your <filename>debian/changelog</"
1047 "filename> file, following a certain syntax, and the archive maintenance "
1048 "software will close the bugs for you. For example:"
1051 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
1055 "acme-cannon (3.1415) unstable; urgency=low\n"
1057 " * Frobbed with options (closes: Bug#98339)\n"
1058 " * Added safety to prevent operator dismemberment, closes: bug#98765,\n"
1059 " bug#98713, #98714.\n"
1060 " * Added man page. Closes: #98725.\n"
1063 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1066 "Technically speaking, the following Perl regular expression describes how "
1067 "bug closing changelogs are identified:"
1070 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
1073 msgid " /closes:\\s*(?:bug)?\\#\\s*\\d+(?:,\\s*(?:bug)?\\#\\s*\\d+)*/ig\n"
1076 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1079 "We prefer the <literal>closes: #<replaceable>XXX</replaceable></literal> "
1080 "syntax, as it is the most concise entry and the easiest to integrate with "
1081 "the text of the <filename>changelog</filename>. Unless specified different "
1082 "by the <literal>-v</literal>-switch to <command>dpkg-buildpackage</command>, "
1083 "only the bugs closed in the most recent changelog entry are closed "
1084 "(basically, exactly the bugs mentioned in the changelog-part in the "
1085 "<filename>.changes</filename> file are closed)."
1088 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1091 "Historically, uploads identified as <link linkend=\"nmu\">non-maintainer "
1092 "upload (NMU)</link> were tagged <literal>fixed</literal> instead of being "
1093 "closed, but that practice was ceased with the advent of version-tracking. "
1094 "The same applied to the tag <literal>fixed-in-experimental</literal>."
1097 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1100 "If you happen to mistype a bug number or forget a bug in the changelog "
1101 "entries, don't hesitate to undo any damage the error caused. To reopen "
1102 "wrongly closed bugs, send a <literal>reopen <replaceable>XXX</replaceable></"
1103 "literal> command to the bug tracking system's control address, &email-bts-"
1104 "control;. To close any remaining bugs that were fixed by your upload, email "
1105 "the <filename>.changes</filename> file to <email><replaceable>XXX</"
1106 "replaceable>-done@&bugs-host;</email>, where <replaceable>XXX</replaceable> "
1107 "is the bug number, and put Version: <replaceable>YYY</replaceable> and an "
1108 "empty line as the first two lines of the body of the email, where "
1109 "<replaceable>YYY</replaceable> is the first version where the bug has been "
1113 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1116 "Bear in mind that it is not obligatory to close bugs using the changelog as "
1117 "described above. If you simply want to close bugs that don't have anything "
1118 "to do with an upload you made, do it by emailing an explanation to "
1119 "<email><replaceable>XXX</replaceable>-done@&bugs-host;</email>. Do "
1120 "<emphasis role=\"strong\">not</emphasis> close bugs in the changelog entry "
1121 "of a version if the changes in that version of the package don't have any "
1122 "bearing on the bug."
1125 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1128 "For general information on how to write your changelog entries, see <xref "
1129 "linkend=\"bpp-debian-changelog\"/>."
1132 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1134 msgid "Handling security-related bugs"
1137 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1140 "Due to their sensitive nature, security-related bugs must be handled "
1141 "carefully. The Debian Security Team exists to coordinate this activity, "
1142 "keeping track of outstanding security problems, helping maintainers with "
1143 "security problems or fixing them themselves, sending security advisories, "
1144 "and maintaining <literal>security.debian.org</literal>."
1147 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1150 "When you become aware of a security-related bug in a Debian package, whether "
1151 "or not you are the maintainer, collect pertinent information about the "
1152 "problem, and promptly contact the security team at &email-security-team; as "
1153 "soon as possible. <emphasis role=\"strong\">DO NOT UPLOAD</emphasis> any "
1154 "packages for <literal>stable</literal> without contacting the team. Useful "
1155 "information includes, for example:"
1158 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1161 "Which versions of the package are known to be affected by the bug. Check "
1162 "each version that is present in a supported Debian release, as well as "
1163 "<literal>testing</literal> and <literal>unstable</literal>."
1166 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1169 "The nature of the fix, if any is available (patches are especially helpful)"
1172 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1175 "Any fixed packages that you have prepared yourself (send only the <filename>."
1176 "diff.gz</filename> and <filename>.dsc</filename> files and read <xref "
1177 "linkend=\"bug-security-building\"/> first)"
1180 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1183 "Any assistance you can provide to help with testing (exploits, regression "
1187 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1190 "Any information needed for the advisory (see <xref linkend=\"bug-security-"
1194 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1197 "As the maintainer of the package, you have the responsibility to maintain "
1198 "it, even in the stable release. You are in the best position to evaluate "
1199 "patches and test updated packages, so please see the sections below on how "
1200 "to prepare packages for the Security Team to handle."
1203 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
1205 msgid "The Security Tracker"
1208 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1211 "The security team maintains a central database, the <ulink url=\"http://"
1212 "security-tracker.debian.org/\">Debian Security Tracker</ulink>. This "
1213 "contains all public information that is known about security issues: which "
1214 "packages and versions are affected or fixed, and thus whether stable, "
1215 "testing and/or unstable are vulnerable. Information that is still "
1216 "confidential is not added to the tracker."
1219 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1222 "You can search it for a specific issue, but also on package name. Look for "
1223 "your package to see which issues are still open. If you can, please provide "
1224 "more information about those issues, or help to address them in your "
1225 "package. Instructions are on the tracker web pages."
1228 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
1230 msgid "Confidentiality"
1233 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1236 "Unlike most other activities within Debian, information about security "
1237 "issues must sometimes be kept private for a time. This allows software "
1238 "distributors to coordinate their disclosure in order to minimize their "
1239 "users' exposure. Whether this is the case depends on the nature of the "
1240 "problem and corresponding fix, and whether it is already a matter of public "
1244 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1246 msgid "There are several ways developers can learn of a security problem:"
1249 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1251 msgid "they notice it on a public forum (mailing list, web site, etc.)"
1254 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1256 msgid "someone files a bug report"
1259 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1261 msgid "someone informs them via private email"
1264 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1267 "In the first two cases, the information is public and it is important to "
1268 "have a fix as soon as possible. In the last case, however, it might not be "
1269 "public information. In that case there are a few possible options for "
1270 "dealing with the problem:"
1273 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1276 "If the security exposure is minor, there is sometimes no need to keep the "
1277 "problem a secret and a fix should be made and released."
1280 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1283 "If the problem is severe, it is preferable to share the information with "
1284 "other vendors and coordinate a release. The security team keeps in contact "
1285 "with the various organizations and individuals and can take care of that."
1288 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1291 "In all cases if the person who reports the problem asks that it not be "
1292 "disclosed, such requests should be honored, with the obvious exception of "
1293 "informing the security team in order that a fix may be produced for a stable "
1294 "release of Debian. When sending confidential information to the security "
1295 "team, be sure to mention this fact."
1298 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1301 "Please note that if secrecy is needed you may not upload a fix to "
1302 "<literal>unstable</literal> (or anywhere else, such as a public VCS "
1303 "repository). It is not sufficient to obfuscate the details of the change, "
1304 "as the code itself is public, and can (and will) be examined by the general "
1308 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1311 "There are two reasons for releasing information even though secrecy is "
1312 "requested: the problem has been known for a while, or the problem or exploit "
1313 "has become public."
1316 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1319 "The Security Team has a PGP-key to enable encrypted communication about "
1320 "sensitive issues. See the <ulink url=\"http://www.debian.org/security/"
1321 "faq#contact\">Security Team FAQ</ulink> for details."
1324 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
1326 msgid "Security Advisories"
1329 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1332 "Security advisories are only issued for the current, released stable "
1333 "distribution, and <emphasis>not</emphasis> for <literal>testing</literal> or "
1334 "<literal>unstable</literal>. When released, advisories are sent to the "
1335 "&email-debian-security-announce; mailing list and posted on <ulink url="
1336 "\"&url-debian-security-advisories;\">the security web page</ulink>. "
1337 "Security advisories are written and posted by the security team. However "
1338 "they certainly do not mind if a maintainer can supply some of the "
1339 "information for them, or write part of the text. Information that should be "
1340 "in an advisory includes:"
1343 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1345 msgid "A description of the problem and its scope, including:"
1348 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1350 msgid "The type of problem (privilege escalation, denial of service, etc.)"
1353 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1355 msgid "What privileges may be gained, and by whom (if any)"
1358 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1360 msgid "How it can be exploited"
1363 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1365 msgid "Whether it is remotely or locally exploitable"
1368 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1370 msgid "How the problem was fixed"
1373 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1375 msgid "This information allows users to assess the threat to their systems."
1378 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1380 msgid "Version numbers of affected packages"
1383 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1385 msgid "Version numbers of fixed packages"
1388 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1391 "Information on where to obtain the updated packages (usually from the Debian "
1395 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1398 "References to upstream advisories, <ulink url=\"http://cve.mitre.org\">CVE</"
1399 "ulink> identifiers, and any other information useful in cross-referencing "
1403 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
1405 msgid "Preparing packages to address security issues"
1408 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1411 "One way that you can assist the security team in their duties is to provide "
1412 "them with fixed packages suitable for a security advisory for the stable "
1416 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1419 "When an update is made to the stable release, care must be taken to avoid "
1420 "changing system behavior or introducing new bugs. In order to do this, make "
1421 "as few changes as possible to fix the bug. Users and administrators rely on "
1422 "the exact behavior of a release once it is made, so any change that is made "
1423 "might break someone's system. This is especially true of libraries: make "
1424 "sure you never change the API or ABI, no matter how small the change."
1427 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1430 "This means that moving to a new upstream version is not a good solution. "
1431 "Instead, the relevant changes should be back-ported to the version present "
1432 "in the current stable Debian release. Generally, upstream maintainers are "
1433 "willing to help if needed. If not, the Debian security team may be able to "
1437 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1440 "In some cases, it is not possible to back-port a security fix, for example "
1441 "when large amounts of source code need to be modified or rewritten. If this "
1442 "happens, it may be necessary to move to a new upstream version. However, "
1443 "this is only done in extreme situations, and you must always coordinate that "
1444 "with the security team beforehand."
1447 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1450 "Related to this is another important guideline: always test your changes. "
1451 "If you have an exploit available, try it and see if it indeed succeeds on "
1452 "the unpatched package and fails on the fixed package. Test other, normal "
1453 "actions as well, as sometimes a security fix can break seemingly unrelated "
1454 "features in subtle ways."
1457 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1460 "Do <emphasis role=\"strong\">NOT</emphasis> include any changes in your "
1461 "package which are not directly related to fixing the vulnerability. These "
1462 "will only need to be reverted, and this wastes time. If there are other "
1463 "bugs in your package that you would like to fix, make an upload to proposed-"
1464 "updates in the usual way, after the security advisory is issued. The "
1465 "security update mechanism is not a means for introducing changes to your "
1466 "package which would otherwise be rejected from the stable release, so please "
1467 "do not attempt to do this."
1470 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1473 "Review and test your changes as much as possible. Check the differences "
1474 "from the previous version repeatedly (<command>interdiff</command> from the "
1475 "<systemitem role=\"package\">patchutils</systemitem> package and "
1476 "<command>debdiff</command> from <systemitem role=\"package\">devscripts</"
1477 "systemitem> are useful tools for this, see <xref linkend=\"debdiff\"/>)."
1480 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1482 msgid "Be sure to verify the following items:"
1485 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1488 "<emphasis role=\"strong\">Target the right distribution</emphasis> in your "
1489 "<filename>debian/changelog</filename>. For <literal>stable</literal> this "
1490 "is <literal>stable-security</literal> and for <literal>testing</literal> "
1491 "this is <literal>testing-security</literal>, and for the previous stable "
1492 "release, this is <literal>oldstable-security</literal>. Do not target "
1493 "<replaceable>distribution</replaceable><literal>-proposed-updates</literal> "
1494 "or <literal>stable</literal>!"
1497 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1500 "The upload should have <emphasis role=\"strong\">urgency=high</emphasis>."
1503 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1506 "Make descriptive, meaningful changelog entries. Others will rely on them to "
1507 "determine whether a particular bug was fixed. Add <literal>closes:</"
1508 "literal> statements for any <emphasis role=\"strong\">Debian bugs</emphasis> "
1509 "filed. Always include an external reference, preferably a <emphasis role="
1510 "\"strong\">CVE identifier</emphasis>, so that it can be cross-referenced. "
1511 "However, if a CVE identifier has not yet been assigned, do not wait for it "
1512 "but continue the process. The identifier can be cross-referenced later."
1515 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1518 "Make sure the <emphasis role=\"strong\">version number</emphasis> is "
1519 "proper. It must be greater than the current package, but less than package "
1520 "versions in later distributions. If in doubt, test it with <literal>dpkg --"
1521 "compare-versions</literal>. Be careful not to re-use a version number that "
1522 "you have already used for a previous upload, or one that conflicts with a "
1523 "binNMU. The convention is to append <literal>+</"
1524 "literal><replaceable>codename</replaceable><literal>1</literal>, e.g. "
1525 "<literal>1:2.4.3-4+lenny1</literal>, of course increasing 1 for any "
1526 "subsequent uploads."
1529 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1532 "Unless the upstream source has been uploaded to <literal>security.debian."
1533 "org</literal> before (by a previous security update), build the upload "
1534 "<emphasis role=\"strong\">with full upstream source</emphasis> "
1535 "(<literal>dpkg-buildpackage -sa</literal>). If there has been a previous "
1536 "upload to <literal>security.debian.org</literal> with the same upstream "
1537 "version, you may upload without upstream source (<literal>dpkg-buildpackage -"
1541 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1544 "Be sure to use the <emphasis role=\"strong\">exact same <filename>*.orig.tar."
1545 "{gz,bz2,lzma}</filename></emphasis> as used in the normal archive, otherwise "
1546 "it is not possible to move the security fix into the main archives later."
1549 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
1552 "Build the package on a <emphasis role=\"strong\">clean system</emphasis> "
1553 "which only has packages installed from the distribution you are building "
1554 "for. If you do not have such a system yourself, you can use a debian.org "
1555 "machine (see <xref linkend=\"server-machines\"/>) or setup a chroot (see "
1556 "<xref linkend=\"pbuilder\"/> and <xref linkend=\"debootstrap\"/>)."
1559 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
1561 msgid "Uploading the fixed package"
1564 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1567 "Do <emphasis role=\"strong\">NOT</emphasis> upload a package to the security "
1568 "upload queue (<literal>oldstable-security</literal>, <literal>stable-"
1569 "security</literal>, etc.) without prior authorization from the security "
1570 "team. If the package does not exactly meet the team's requirements, it will "
1571 "cause many problems and delays in dealing with the unwanted upload."
1574 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1577 "Do <emphasis role=\"strong\">NOT</emphasis> upload your fix to "
1578 "<literal>proposed-updates</literal> without coordinating with the security "
1579 "team. Packages from <literal>security.debian.org</literal> will be copied "
1580 "into the <literal>proposed-updates</literal> directory automatically. If a "
1581 "package with the same or a higher version number is already installed into "
1582 "the archive, the security update will be rejected by the archive system. "
1583 "That way, the stable distribution will end up without a security update for "
1584 "this package instead."
1587 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1590 "Once you have created and tested the new package and it has been approved by "
1591 "the security team, it needs to be uploaded so that it can be installed in "
1592 "the archives. For security uploads, the place to upload to is "
1593 "<literal>ftp://security-master.debian.org/pub/SecurityUploadQueue/</literal>."
1596 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1599 "Once an upload to the security queue has been accepted, the package will "
1600 "automatically be built for all architectures and stored for verification by "
1601 "the security team."
1604 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1607 "Uploads which are waiting for acceptance or verification are only accessible "
1608 "by the security team. This is necessary since there might be fixes for "
1609 "security problems that cannot be disclosed yet."
1612 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1615 "If a member of the security team accepts a package, it will be installed on "
1616 "<literal>security.debian.org</literal> as well as proposed for the proper "
1617 "<replaceable>distribution</replaceable><literal>-proposed-updates</literal> "
1618 "on <literal>&ftp-master-host;</literal>."
1621 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
1623 msgid "Moving, removing, renaming, adopting, and orphaning packages"
1626 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
1629 "Some archive manipulation operations are not automated in the Debian upload "
1630 "process. These procedures should be manually followed by maintainers. This "
1631 "chapter gives guidelines on what to do in these cases."
1634 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1636 msgid "Moving packages"
1639 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para><footnote><para>
1642 "See the <ulink url=\"&url-debian-policy;\">Debian Policy Manual</ulink> for "
1643 "guidelines on what section a package belongs in."
1646 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1649 "Sometimes a package will change its section. For instance, a package from "
1650 "the `non-free' section might be GPL'd in a later version, in which case the "
1651 "package should be moved to `main' or `contrib'.<placeholder type=\"footnote"
1655 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1658 "If you need to change the section for one of your packages, change the "
1659 "package control information to place the package in the desired section, and "
1660 "re-upload the package (see the <ulink url=\"&url-debian-policy;\">Debian "
1661 "Policy Manual</ulink> for details). You must ensure that you include the "
1662 "<filename>.orig.tar.{gz,bz2,lzma}</filename> in your upload (even if you are "
1663 "not uploading a new upstream version), or it will not appear in the new "
1664 "section together with the rest of the package. If your new section is "
1665 "valid, it will be moved automatically. If it does not, then contact the "
1666 "ftpmasters in order to understand what happened."
1669 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1672 "If, on the other hand, you need to change the <literal>subsection</literal> "
1673 "of one of your packages (e.g., ``devel'', ``admin''), the procedure is "
1674 "slightly different. Correct the subsection as found in the control file of "
1675 "the package, and re-upload that. Also, you'll need to get the override file "
1676 "updated, as described in <xref linkend=\"override-file\"/>."
1679 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1681 msgid "Removing packages"
1684 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1687 "If for some reason you want to completely remove a package (say, if it is an "
1688 "old compatibility library which is no longer required), you need to file a "
1689 "bug against <literal>ftp.debian.org</literal> asking that the package be "
1690 "removed; as all bugs, this bug should normally have normal severity. The "
1691 "bug title should be in the form <literal>RM: <replaceable>package</"
1692 "replaceable> <replaceable>[architecture list]</replaceable> -- "
1693 "<replaceable>reason</replaceable></literal>, where <replaceable>package</"
1694 "replaceable> is the package to be removed and <replaceable>reason</"
1695 "replaceable> is a short summary of the reason for the removal request. "
1696 "<replaceable>[architecture list]</replaceable> is optional and only needed "
1697 "if the removal request only applies to some architectures, not all. Note "
1698 "that the <command>reportbug</command> will create a title conforming to "
1699 "these rules when you use it to report a bug against the <literal>ftp.debian."
1700 "org</literal> pseudo-package."
1703 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1706 "If you want to remove a package you maintain, you should note this in the "
1707 "bug title by prepending <literal>ROM</literal> (Request Of Maintainer). "
1708 "There are several other standard acronyms used in the reasoning for a "
1709 "package removal, see <ulink url=\"http://&ftp-master-host;/removals.html\"></"
1710 "ulink> for a complete list. That page also provides a convenient overview of "
1711 "pending removal requests."
1714 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1717 "Note that removals can only be done for the <literal>unstable</literal>, "
1718 "<literal>experimental</literal> and <literal>stable</literal> distribution. "
1719 "Packages are not removed from <literal>testing</literal> directly. Rather, "
1720 "they will be removed automatically after the package has been removed from "
1721 "<literal>unstable</literal> and no package in <literal>testing</literal> "
1725 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1728 "There is one exception when an explicit removal request is not necessary: If "
1729 "a (source or binary) package is an orphan, it will be removed semi-"
1730 "automatically. For a binary-package, this means if there is no longer any "
1731 "source package producing this binary package; if the binary package is just "
1732 "no longer produced on some architectures, a removal request is still "
1733 "necessary. For a source-package, this means that all binary packages it "
1734 "refers to have been taken over by another source package."
1737 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1740 "In your removal request, you have to detail the reasons justifying the "
1741 "request. This is to avoid unwanted removals and to keep a trace of why a "
1742 "package has been removed. For example, you can provide the name of the "
1743 "package that supersedes the one to be removed."
1746 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1749 "Usually you only ask for the removal of a package maintained by yourself. "
1750 "If you want to remove another package, you have to get the approval of its "
1751 "maintainer. Should the package be orphaned and thus have no maintainer, you "
1752 "should first discuss the removal request on &email-debian-qa;. If there is a "
1753 "consensus that the package should be removed, you should reassign and "
1754 "retitle the <literal>O:</literal> bug filed against the <literal>wnpp</"
1755 "literal> package instead of filing a new bug as removal request."
1758 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1761 "Further information relating to these and other package removal related "
1762 "topics may be found at <ulink url=\"http://wiki.debian.org/ftpmaster_Removals"
1763 "\"></ulink> and <ulink url=\"&url-debian-qa;howto-remove.html\"></ulink>."
1766 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1769 "If in doubt concerning whether a package is disposable, email &email-debian-"
1770 "devel; asking for opinions. Also of interest is the <command>apt-cache</"
1771 "command> program from the <systemitem role=\"package\">apt</systemitem> "
1772 "package. When invoked as <literal>apt-cache showpkg <replaceable>package</"
1773 "replaceable></literal>, the program will show details for "
1774 "<replaceable>package</replaceable>, including reverse depends. Other useful "
1775 "programs include <command>apt-cache rdepends</command>, <command>apt-"
1776 "rdepends</command>, <command>build-rdeps</command> (in the <systemitem role="
1777 "\"package\">devscripts</systemitem> package) and <command>grep-dctrl</"
1778 "command>. Removal of orphaned packages is discussed on &email-debian-qa;."
1781 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1784 "Once the package has been removed, the package's bugs should be handled. "
1785 "They should either be reassigned to another package in the case where the "
1786 "actual code has evolved into another package (e.g. <literal>libfoo12</"
1787 "literal> was removed because <literal>libfoo13</literal> supersedes it) or "
1788 "closed if the software is simply no longer part of Debian. When closing the "
1789 "bugs, to avoid marking the bugs as fixed in versions of the packages in "
1790 "previous Debian releases, they should be marked as fixed in the version "
1791 "<literal><most-recent-version-ever-in-Debian>+rm</literal>."
1794 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
1796 msgid "Removing packages from <filename>Incoming</filename>"
1799 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
1802 "In the past, it was possible to remove packages from <filename>incoming</"
1803 "filename>. However, with the introduction of the new incoming system, this "
1804 "is no longer possible. Instead, you have to upload a new revision of your "
1805 "package with a higher version than the package you want to replace. Both "
1806 "versions will be installed in the archive but only the higher version will "
1807 "actually be available in <literal>unstable</literal> since the previous "
1808 "version will immediately be replaced by the higher. However, if you do "
1809 "proper testing of your packages, the need to replace a package should not "
1810 "occur too often anyway."
1813 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1815 msgid "Replacing or renaming packages"
1818 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1821 "When the upstream maintainers for one of your packages chose to rename their "
1822 "software (or you made a mistake naming your package), you should follow a "
1823 "two-step process to rename it. In the first step, change the "
1824 "<filename>debian/control</filename> file to reflect the new name and to "
1825 "replace, provide and conflict with the obsolete package name (see the <ulink "
1826 "url=\"&url-debian-policy;\">Debian Policy Manual</ulink> for details). "
1827 "Please note that you should only add a <literal>Provides</literal> relation "
1828 "if all packages depending on the obsolete package name continue to work "
1829 "after the renaming. Once you've uploaded the package and the package has "
1830 "moved into the archive, file a bug against <literal>ftp.debian.org</literal> "
1831 "asking to remove the package with the obsolete name (see <xref linkend="
1832 "\"removing-pkgs\"/>). Do not forget to properly reassign the package's bugs "
1836 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1839 "At other times, you may make a mistake in constructing your package and wish "
1840 "to replace it. The only way to do this is to increase the version number "
1841 "and upload a new version. The old version will be expired in the usual "
1842 "manner. Note that this applies to each part of your package, including the "
1843 "sources: if you wish to replace the upstream source tarball of your package, "
1844 "you will need to upload it with a different version. An easy possibility is "
1845 "to replace <filename>foo_1.00.orig.tar.gz</filename> with "
1846 "<filename>foo_1.00+0.orig.tar.gz</filename> or <filename>foo_1.00.orig.tar."
1847 "bz2</filename>. This restriction gives each file on the ftp site a unique "
1848 "name, which helps to ensure consistency across the mirror network."
1851 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1853 msgid "Orphaning a package"
1856 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1859 "If you can no longer maintain a package, you need to inform others, and see "
1860 "that the package is marked as orphaned. You should set the package "
1861 "maintainer to <literal>Debian QA Group &orphan-address;</literal> and submit "
1862 "a bug report against the pseudo package <systemitem role=\"package\">wnpp</"
1863 "systemitem>. The bug report should be titled <literal>O: "
1864 "<replaceable>package</replaceable> -- <replaceable>short description</"
1865 "replaceable></literal> indicating that the package is now orphaned. The "
1866 "severity of the bug should be set to <literal>normal</literal>; if the "
1867 "package has a priority of standard or higher, it should be set to "
1868 "important. If you feel it's necessary, send a copy to &email-debian-devel; "
1869 "by putting the address in the X-Debbugs-CC: header of the message (no, don't "
1870 "use CC:, because that way the message's subject won't indicate the bug "
1874 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1877 "If you just intend to give the package away, but you can keep maintainership "
1878 "for the moment, then you should instead submit a bug against <systemitem "
1879 "role=\"package\">wnpp</systemitem> and title it <literal>RFA: "
1880 "<replaceable>package</replaceable> -- <replaceable>short description</"
1881 "replaceable></literal>. <literal>RFA</literal> stands for <literal>Request "
1882 "For Adoption</literal>."
1885 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1888 "More information is on the <ulink url=\"&url-wnpp;\">WNPP web pages</ulink>."
1891 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1893 msgid "Adopting a package"
1896 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1899 "A list of packages in need of a new maintainer is available in the <ulink "
1900 "url=\"&url-wnpp;\">Work-Needing and Prospective Packages list (WNPP)</"
1901 "ulink>. If you wish to take over maintenance of any of the packages listed "
1902 "in the WNPP, please take a look at the aforementioned page for information "
1906 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1909 "It is not OK to simply take over a package that you feel is neglected — that "
1910 "would be package hijacking. You can, of course, contact the current "
1911 "maintainer and ask them if you may take over the package. If you have "
1912 "reason to believe a maintainer has gone AWOL (absent without leave), see "
1913 "<xref linkend=\"mia-qa\"/>."
1916 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1919 "Generally, you may not take over the package without the assent of the "
1920 "current maintainer. Even if they ignore you, that is still not grounds to "
1921 "take over a package. Complaints about maintainers should be brought up on "
1922 "the developers' mailing list. If the discussion doesn't end with a positive "
1923 "conclusion, and the issue is of a technical nature, consider bringing it to "
1924 "the attention of the technical committee (see the <ulink url=\"&url-tech-"
1925 "ctte;\">technical committee web page</ulink> for more information)."
1928 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1931 "If you take over an old package, you probably want to be listed as the "
1932 "package's official maintainer in the bug system. This will happen "
1933 "automatically once you upload a new version with an updated "
1934 "<literal>Maintainer</literal> field, although it can take a few hours after "
1935 "the upload is done. If you do not expect to upload a new version for a "
1936 "while, you can use <xref linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/> to get the bug "
1937 "reports. However, make sure that the old maintainer has no problem with the "
1938 "fact that they will continue to receive the bugs during that time."
1941 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
1943 msgid "Porting and being ported"
1946 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
1949 "Debian supports an ever-increasing number of architectures. Even if you are "
1950 "not a porter, and you don't use any architecture but one, it is part of your "
1951 "duty as a maintainer to be aware of issues of portability. Therefore, even "
1952 "if you are not a porter, you should read most of this chapter."
1955 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
1958 "Porting is the act of building Debian packages for architectures that are "
1959 "different from the original architecture of the package maintainer's binary "
1960 "package. It is a unique and essential activity. In fact, porters do most "
1961 "of the actual compiling of Debian packages. For instance, when a maintainer "
1962 "uploads a (portable) source packages with binaries for the <literal>i386</"
1963 "literal> architecture, it will be built for each of the other architectures, "
1964 "amounting to &number-of-arches; more builds."
1967 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
1969 msgid "Being kind to porters"
1972 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1975 "Porters have a difficult and unique task, since they are required to deal "
1976 "with a large volume of packages. Ideally, every source package should build "
1977 "right out of the box. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. This "
1978 "section contains a checklist of ``gotchas'' often committed by Debian "
1979 "maintainers — common problems which often stymie porters, and make their "
1980 "jobs unnecessarily difficult."
1983 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1986 "The first and most important thing is to respond quickly to bug or issues "
1987 "raised by porters. Please treat porters with courtesy, as if they were in "
1988 "fact co-maintainers of your package (which, in a way, they are). Please be "
1989 "tolerant of succinct or even unclear bug reports; do your best to hunt down "
1990 "whatever the problem is."
1993 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
1996 "By far, most of the problems encountered by porters are caused by "
1997 "<emphasis>packaging bugs</emphasis> in the source packages. Here is a "
1998 "checklist of things you should check or be aware of."
2001 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2004 "Make sure that your <literal>Build-Depends</literal> and <literal>Build-"
2005 "Depends-Indep</literal> settings in <filename>debian/control</filename> are "
2006 "set properly. The best way to validate this is to use the <systemitem role="
2007 "\"package\">debootstrap</systemitem> package to create an <literal>unstable</"
2008 "literal> chroot environment (see <xref linkend=\"debootstrap\"/>). Within "
2009 "that chrooted environment, install the <systemitem role=\"package\">build-"
2010 "essential</systemitem> package and any package dependencies mentioned in "
2011 "<literal>Build-Depends</literal> and/or <literal>Build-Depends-Indep</"
2012 "literal>. Finally, try building your package within that chrooted "
2013 "environment. These steps can be automated by the use of the "
2014 "<command>pbuilder</command> program which is provided by the package of the "
2015 "same name (see <xref linkend=\"pbuilder\"/>)."
2018 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2021 "If you can't set up a proper chroot, <command>dpkg-depcheck</command> may be "
2022 "of assistance (see <xref linkend=\"dpkg-depcheck\"/>)."
2025 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2028 "See the <ulink url=\"&url-debian-policy;\">Debian Policy Manual</ulink> for "
2029 "instructions on setting build dependencies."
2032 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2035 "Don't set architecture to a value other than <literal>all</literal> or "
2036 "<literal>any</literal> unless you really mean it. In too many cases, "
2037 "maintainers don't follow the instructions in the <ulink url=\"&url-debian-"
2038 "policy;\">Debian Policy Manual</ulink>. Setting your architecture to only "
2039 "one architecture (such as <literal>i386</literal> or <literal>amd64</"
2040 "literal>) is usually incorrect."
2043 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2046 "Make sure your source package is correct. Do <literal>dpkg-source -x "
2047 "<replaceable>package</replaceable>.dsc</literal> to make sure your source "
2048 "package unpacks properly. Then, in there, try building your package from "
2049 "scratch with <command>dpkg-buildpackage</command>."
2052 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2055 "Make sure you don't ship your source package with the <filename>debian/"
2056 "files</filename> or <filename>debian/substvars</filename> files. They "
2057 "should be removed by the <literal>clean</literal> target of <filename>debian/"
2061 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2064 "Make sure you don't rely on locally installed or hacked configurations or "
2065 "programs. For instance, you should never be calling programs in <filename>/"
2066 "usr/local/bin</filename> or the like. Try not to rely on programs being "
2067 "setup in a special way. Try building your package on another machine, even "
2068 "if it's the same architecture."
2071 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2074 "Don't depend on the package you're building being installed already (a sub-"
2075 "case of the above issue). There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, but "
2076 "be aware that any case like this needs manual bootstrapping and cannot be "
2077 "done by automated package builders."
2080 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2083 "Don't rely on the compiler being a certain version, if possible. If not, "
2084 "then make sure your build dependencies reflect the restrictions, although "
2085 "you are probably asking for trouble, since different architectures sometimes "
2086 "standardize on different compilers."
2089 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2092 "Make sure your <filename>debian/rules</filename> contains separate "
2093 "<literal>binary-arch</literal> and <literal>binary-indep</literal> targets, "
2094 "as the Debian Policy Manual requires. Make sure that both targets work "
2095 "independently, that is, that you can call the target without having called "
2096 "the other before. To test this, try to run <command>dpkg-buildpackage -B</"
2100 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2102 msgid "Guidelines for porter uploads"
2105 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2108 "If the package builds out of the box for the architecture to be ported to, "
2109 "you are in luck and your job is easy. This section applies to that case; it "
2110 "describes how to build and upload your binary package so that it is properly "
2111 "installed into the archive. If you do have to patch the package in order to "
2112 "get it to compile for the other architecture, you are actually doing a "
2113 "source NMU, so consult <xref linkend=\"nmu-guidelines\"/> instead."
2116 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2119 "For a porter upload, no changes are being made to the source. You do not "
2120 "need to touch any of the files in the source package. This includes "
2121 "<filename>debian/changelog</filename>."
2124 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2127 "The way to invoke <command>dpkg-buildpackage</command> is as <literal>dpkg-"
2128 "buildpackage -B -m<replaceable>porter-email</replaceable></literal>. Of "
2129 "course, set <replaceable>porter-email</replaceable> to your email address. "
2130 "This will do a binary-only build of only the architecture-dependent portions "
2131 "of the package, using the <literal>binary-arch</literal> target in "
2132 "<filename>debian/rules</filename>."
2135 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2138 "If you are working on a Debian machine for your porting efforts and you need "
2139 "to sign your upload locally for its acceptance in the archive, you can run "
2140 "<command>debsign</command> on your <filename>.changes</filename> file to "
2141 "have it signed conveniently, or use the remote signing mode of <command>dpkg-"
2145 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
2147 msgid "Recompilation or binary-only NMU"
2150 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2153 "Sometimes the initial porter upload is problematic because the environment "
2154 "in which the package was built was not good enough (outdated or obsolete "
2155 "library, bad compiler, etc.). Then you may just need to recompile it in an "
2156 "updated environment. However, you have to bump the version number in this "
2157 "case, so that the old bad package can be replaced in the Debian archive "
2158 "(<command>dak</command> refuses to install new packages if they don't have a "
2159 "version number greater than the currently available one)."
2162 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2165 "You have to make sure that your binary-only NMU doesn't render the package "
2166 "uninstallable. This could happen when a source package generates arch-"
2167 "dependent and arch-independent packages that have inter-dependencies "
2168 "generated using dpkg's substitution variable <literal>$(Source-Version)</"
2172 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2175 "Despite the required modification of the changelog, these are called binary-"
2176 "only NMUs — there is no need in this case to trigger all other architectures "
2177 "to consider themselves out of date or requiring recompilation."
2180 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2183 "Such recompilations require special ``magic'' version numbering, so that the "
2184 "archive maintenance tools recognize that, even though there is a new Debian "
2185 "version, there is no corresponding source update. If you get this wrong, "
2186 "the archive maintainers will reject your upload (due to lack of "
2187 "corresponding source code)."
2190 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para><footnote><para>
2193 "In the past, such NMUs used the third-level number on the Debian part of the "
2194 "revision to denote their recompilation-only status; however, this syntax was "
2195 "ambiguous with native packages and did not allow proper ordering of "
2196 "recompile-only NMUs, source NMUs, and security NMUs on the same package, and "
2197 "has therefore been abandoned in favor of this new syntax."
2200 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2203 "The ``magic'' for a recompilation-only NMU is triggered by using a suffix "
2204 "appended to the package version number, following the form "
2205 "<literal>b<replaceable>number</replaceable></literal>. For instance, if the "
2206 "latest version you are recompiling against was version <literal>2.9-3</"
2207 "literal>, your binary-only NMU should carry a version of <literal>2.9-3+b1</"
2208 "literal>. If the latest version was <literal>3.4+b1</literal> (i.e, a "
2209 "native package with a previous recompilation NMU), your binary-only NMU "
2210 "should have a version number of <literal>3.4+b2</literal>.<placeholder type="
2211 "\"footnote\" id=\"0\"/>"
2214 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2217 "Similar to initial porter uploads, the correct way of invoking <command>dpkg-"
2218 "buildpackage</command> is <literal>dpkg-buildpackage -B</literal> to only "
2219 "build the architecture-dependent parts of the package."
2222 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
2224 msgid "When to do a source NMU if you are a porter"
2227 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2230 "Porters doing a source NMU generally follow the guidelines found in <xref "
2231 "linkend=\"nmu\"/>, just like non-porters. However, it is expected that the "
2232 "wait cycle for a porter's source NMU is smaller than for a non-porter, since "
2233 "porters have to cope with a large quantity of packages. Again, the "
2234 "situation varies depending on the distribution they are uploading to. It "
2235 "also varies whether the architecture is a candidate for inclusion into the "
2236 "next stable release; the release managers decide and announce which "
2237 "architectures are candidates."
2240 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2243 "If you are a porter doing an NMU for <literal>unstable</literal>, the above "
2244 "guidelines for porting should be followed, with two variations. Firstly, "
2245 "the acceptable waiting period — the time between when the bug is submitted "
2246 "to the BTS and when it is OK to do an NMU — is seven days for porters "
2247 "working on the <literal>unstable</literal> distribution. This period can be "
2248 "shortened if the problem is critical and imposes hardship on the porting "
2249 "effort, at the discretion of the porter group. (Remember, none of this is "
2250 "Policy, just mutually agreed upon guidelines.) For uploads to "
2251 "<literal>stable</literal> or <literal>testing</literal>, please coordinate "
2252 "with the appropriate release team first."
2255 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2258 "Secondly, porters doing source NMUs should make sure that the bug they "
2259 "submit to the BTS should be of severity <literal>serious</literal> or "
2260 "greater. This ensures that a single source package can be used to compile "
2261 "every supported Debian architecture by release time. It is very important "
2262 "that we have one version of the binary and source package for all "
2263 "architectures in order to comply with many licenses."
2266 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2269 "Porters should try to avoid patches which simply kludge around bugs in the "
2270 "current version of the compile environment, kernel, or libc. Sometimes such "
2271 "kludges can't be helped. If you have to kludge around compiler bugs and the "
2272 "like, make sure you <literal>#ifdef</literal> your work properly; also, "
2273 "document your kludge so that people know to remove it once the external "
2274 "problems have been fixed."
2277 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2280 "Porters may also have an unofficial location where they can put the results "
2281 "of their work during the waiting period. This helps others running the port "
2282 "have the benefit of the porter's work, even during the waiting period. Of "
2283 "course, such locations have no official blessing or status, so buyer beware."
2286 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2288 msgid "Porting infrastructure and automation"
2291 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2294 "There is infrastructure and several tools to help automate package porting. "
2295 "This section contains a brief overview of this automation and porting to "
2296 "these tools; see the package documentation or references for full "
2300 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
2302 msgid "Mailing lists and web pages"
2305 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2308 "Web pages containing the status of each port can be found at <ulink url="
2309 "\"&url-debian-ports;\"></ulink>."
2312 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2315 "Each port of Debian has a mailing list. The list of porting mailing lists "
2316 "can be found at <ulink url=\"&url-debian-port-lists;\"></ulink>. These "
2317 "lists are used to coordinate porters, and to connect the users of a given "
2318 "port with the porters."
2321 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
2323 msgid "Porter tools"
2326 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2329 "Descriptions of several porting tools can be found in <xref linkend=\"tools-"
2333 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
2335 msgid "<systemitem role=\"package\">wanna-build</systemitem>"
2338 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2341 "The <systemitem role=\"package\">wanna-build</systemitem> system is used as "
2342 "a distributed, client-server build distribution system. It is usually used "
2343 "in conjunction with build daemons running the <systemitem role=\"package"
2344 "\">buildd</systemitem> program. <literal>Build daemons</literal> are "
2345 "``slave'' hosts which contact the central <systemitem role=\"package\">wanna-"
2346 "build</systemitem> system to receive a list of packages that need to be "
2350 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2353 "<systemitem role=\"package\">wanna-build</systemitem> is not yet available "
2354 "as a package; however, all Debian porting efforts are using it for automated "
2355 "package building. The tool used to do the actual package builds, "
2356 "<systemitem role=\"package\">sbuild</systemitem> is available as a package, "
2357 "see its description in <xref linkend=\"sbuild\"/>. Please note that the "
2358 "packaged version is not the same as the one used on build daemons, but it is "
2359 "close enough to reproduce problems."
2362 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2365 "Most of the data produced by <systemitem role=\"package\">wanna-build</"
2366 "systemitem> which is generally useful to porters is available on the web at "
2367 "<ulink url=\"&url-buildd;\"></ulink>. This data includes nightly updated "
2368 "statistics, queueing information and logs for build attempts."
2371 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2374 "We are quite proud of this system, since it has so many possible uses. "
2375 "Independent development groups can use the system for different sub-flavors "
2376 "of Debian, which may or may not really be of general interest (for instance, "
2377 "a flavor of Debian built with <command>gcc</command> bounds checking). It "
2378 "will also enable Debian to recompile entire distributions quickly."
2381 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2384 "The wanna-build team, in charge of the buildds, can be reached at "
2385 "<literal>debian-wb-team@lists.debian.org</literal>. To determine who (wanna-"
2386 "build team, release team) and how (mail, BTS) to contact, refer to <ulink "
2387 "url=\"&url-wb-team;\"></ulink>."
2390 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
2393 "When requesting binNMUs or give-backs (retries after a failed build), please "
2394 "use the format described at <ulink url=\"&url-release-wb;\"/>."
2397 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2399 msgid "When your package is <emphasis>not</emphasis> portable"
2402 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2405 "Some packages still have issues with building and/or working on some of the "
2406 "architectures supported by Debian, and cannot be ported at all, or not "
2407 "within a reasonable amount of time. An example is a package that is SVGA-"
2408 "specific (only available for <literal>i386</literal> and <literal>amd64</"
2409 "literal>), or uses other hardware-specific features not supported on all "
2413 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2416 "In order to prevent broken packages from being uploaded to the archive, and "
2417 "wasting buildd time, you need to do a few things:"
2420 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2423 "First, make sure your package <emphasis>does</emphasis> fail to build on "
2424 "architectures that it cannot support. There are a few ways to achieve "
2425 "this. The preferred way is to have a small testsuite during build time that "
2426 "will test the functionality, and fail if it doesn't work. This is a good "
2427 "idea anyway, as this will prevent (some) broken uploads on all "
2428 "architectures, and also will allow the package to build as soon as the "
2429 "required functionality is available."
2432 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2435 "Additionally, if you believe the list of supported architectures is pretty "
2436 "constant, you should change <literal>any</literal> to a list of supported "
2437 "architectures in <filename>debian/control</filename>. This way, the build "
2438 "will fail also, and indicate this to a human reader without actually trying."
2441 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2444 "In order to prevent autobuilders from needlessly trying to build your "
2445 "package, it must be included in <filename>Packages-arch-specific</filename>, "
2446 "a list used by the <command>wanna-build</command> script. The current "
2447 "version is available as <ulink url=\"&url-buildd-p-a-s;\"/>; please see the "
2448 "top of the file for whom to contact for changes."
2451 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2454 "Please note that it is insufficient to only add your package to "
2455 "<filename>Packages-arch-specific</filename> without making it fail to build "
2456 "on unsupported architectures: A porter or any other person trying to build "
2457 "your package might accidently upload it without noticing it doesn't work. "
2458 "If in the past some binary packages were uploaded on unsupported "
2459 "architectures, request their removal by filing a bug against <systemitem "
2460 "role=\"package\">ftp.debian.org</systemitem>."
2463 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
2465 msgid "Non-Maintainer Uploads (NMUs)"
2468 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
2471 "Every package has one or more maintainers. Normally, these are the people "
2472 "who work on and upload new versions of the package. In some situations, it "
2473 "is useful that other developers can upload a new version as well, for "
2474 "example if they want to fix a bug in a package they don't maintain, when the "
2475 "maintainer needs help to respond to issues. Such uploads are called "
2476 "<emphasis>Non-Maintainer Uploads (NMU)</emphasis>."
2479 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2481 msgid "When and how to do an NMU"
2484 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2486 msgid "Before doing an NMU, consider the following questions:"
2489 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2492 "Does your NMU really fix bugs? Fixing cosmetic issues or changing the "
2493 "packaging style in NMUs is discouraged."
2496 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2499 "Did you give enough time to the maintainer? When was the bug reported to the "
2500 "BTS? Being busy for a week or two isn't unusual. Is the bug so severe that "
2501 "it needs to be fixed right now, or can it wait a few more days?"
2504 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2507 "How confident are you about your changes? Please remember the Hippocratic "
2508 "Oath: \"Above all, do no harm.\" It is better to leave a package with an "
2509 "open grave bug than applying a non-functional patch, or one that hides the "
2510 "bug instead of resolving it. If you are not 100% sure of what you did, it "
2511 "might be a good idea to seek advice from others. Remember that if you break "
2512 "something in your NMU, many people will be very unhappy about it."
2515 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2518 "Have you clearly expressed your intention to NMU, at least in the BTS? It is "
2519 "also a good idea to try to contact the maintainer by other means (private "
2523 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2526 "If the maintainer is usually active and responsive, have you tried to "
2527 "contact him? In general it should be considered preferable that a maintainer "
2528 "takes care of an issue himself and that he is given the chance to review and "
2529 "correct your patch, because he can be expected to be more aware of potential "
2530 "issues which an NMUer might miss. It is often a better use of everyone's "
2531 "time if the maintainer is given an opportunity to upload a fix on their own."
2534 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2537 "When doing an NMU, you must first make sure that your intention to NMU is "
2538 "clear. Then, you must send a patch with the differences between the current "
2539 "package and your proposed NMU to the BTS. The <command>nmudiff</command> "
2540 "script in the <systemitem role=\"package\">devscripts</systemitem> package "
2544 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2547 "While preparing the patch, you should better be aware of any package-"
2548 "specific practices that the maintainer might be using. Taking them into "
2549 "account reduces the burden of getting your changes integrated back in the "
2550 "normal package workflow and thus increases the possibilities that that will "
2551 "happen. A good place where to look for for possible package-specific "
2552 "practices is <ulink url=\"&url-debian-policy;ch-source.html#s-readmesource"
2553 "\"><filename>debian/README.source</filename></ulink>."
2556 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2559 "Unless you have an excellent reason not to do so, you must then give some "
2560 "time to the maintainer to react (for example, by uploading to the "
2561 "<literal>DELAYED</literal> queue). Here are some recommended values to use "
2565 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2567 msgid "Upload fixing only release-critical bugs older than 7 days: 2 days"
2570 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2572 msgid "Upload fixing only release-critical and important bugs: 5 days"
2575 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2577 msgid "Other NMUs: 10 days"
2580 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2583 "Those delays are only examples. In some cases, such as uploads fixing "
2584 "security issues, or fixes for trivial bugs that blocking a transition, it is "
2585 "desirable that the fixed package reaches <literal>unstable</literal> sooner."
2588 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2591 "Sometimes, release managers decide to allow NMUs with shorter delays for a "
2592 "subset of bugs (e.g release-critical bugs older than 7 days). Also, some "
2593 "maintainers list themselves in the <ulink url=\"&url-low-threshold-nmu;"
2594 "\">Low Threshold NMU list</ulink>, and accept that NMUs are uploaded without "
2595 "delay. But even in those cases, it's still a good idea to give the "
2596 "maintainer a few days to react before you upload, especially if the patch "
2597 "wasn't available in the BTS before, or if you know that the maintainer is "
2601 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2604 "After you upload an NMU, you are responsible for the possible problems that "
2605 "you might have introduced. You must keep an eye on the package (subscribing "
2606 "to the package on the PTS is a good way to achieve this)."
2609 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2612 "This is not a license to perform NMUs thoughtlessly. If you NMU when it is "
2613 "clear that the maintainers are active and would have acknowledged a patch in "
2614 "a timely manner, or if you ignore the recommendations of this document, your "
2615 "upload might be a cause of conflict with the maintainer. You should always "
2616 "be prepared to defend the wisdom of any NMU you perform on its own merits."
2619 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2621 msgid "NMUs and <filename>debian/changelog</filename>"
2624 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2627 "Just like any other (source) upload, NMUs must add an entry to "
2628 "<filename>debian/changelog</filename>, telling what has changed with this "
2629 "upload. The first line of this entry must explicitely mention that this "
2630 "upload is an NMU, e.g.:"
2633 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
2636 msgid " * Non-maintainer upload.\n"
2639 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2641 msgid "The way to version NMUs differs for native and non-native packages."
2644 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2647 "If the package is a native package (without a Debian revision in the version "
2648 "number), the version must be the version of the last maintainer upload, plus "
2649 "<literal>+nmu<replaceable>X</replaceable></literal>, where <replaceable>X</"
2650 "replaceable> is a counter starting at <literal>1</literal>. If the last "
2651 "upload was also an NMU, the counter should be increased. For example, if "
2652 "the current version is <literal>1.5</literal>, then an NMU would get version "
2653 "<literal>1.5+nmu1</literal>."
2656 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2659 "If the package is a not a native package, you should add a minor version "
2660 "number to the Debian revision part of the version number (the portion after "
2661 "the last hyphen). This extra number must start at <literal>1</literal>. For "
2662 "example, if the current version is <literal>1.5-2</literal>, then an NMU "
2663 "would get version <literal>1.5-2.1</literal>. If a new upstream version is "
2664 "packaged in the NMU, the Debian revision is set to <literal>0</literal>, for "
2665 "example <literal>1.6-0.1</literal>."
2668 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2671 "In both cases, if the last upload was also an NMU, the counter should be "
2672 "increased. For example, if the current version is <literal>1.5+nmu3</"
2673 "literal> (a native package which has already been NMUed), the NMU would get "
2674 "version <literal>1.5+nmu4</literal>."
2677 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2680 "A special versioning scheme is needed to avoid disrupting the maintainer's "
2681 "work, since using an integer for the Debian revision will potentially "
2682 "conflict with a maintainer upload already in preparation at the time of an "
2683 "NMU, or even one sitting in the ftp NEW queue. It also has the benefit of "
2684 "making it visually clear that a package in the archive was not made by the "
2685 "official maintainer."
2688 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2691 "If you upload a package to testing or stable, you sometimes need to \"fork\" "
2692 "the version number tree. This is the case for security uploads, for "
2693 "example. For this, a version of the form <literal>+deb<replaceable>XY</"
2694 "replaceable>u<replaceable>Z</replaceable></literal> should be used, where "
2695 "<replaceable>X</replaceable> and <replaceable>Y</replaceable> are the major "
2696 "and minor release numbers, and <replaceable>Z</replaceable> is a counter "
2697 "starting at <literal>1</literal>. When the release number is not yet known "
2698 "(often the case for <literal>testing</literal>, at the beginning of release "
2699 "cycles), the lowest release number higher than the last stable release "
2700 "number must be used. For example, while Lenny (Debian 5.0) is stable, a "
2701 "security NMU to stable for a package at version <literal>1.5-3</literal> "
2702 "would have version <literal>1.5-3+deb50u1</literal>, whereas a security NMU "
2703 "to Squeeze would get version <literal>1.5-3+deb60u1</literal>. After the "
2704 "release of Squeeze, security uploads to the <literal>testing</literal> "
2705 "distribution will be versioned <literal>+deb61uZ</literal>, until it is "
2706 "known whether that release will be Debian 6.1 or Debian 7.0 (if that becomes "
2707 "the case, uploads will be versioned as <literal>+deb70uZ</literal>)."
2710 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2712 msgid "Using the <literal>DELAYED/</literal> queue"
2715 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2718 "Having to wait for a response after you request permission to NMU is "
2719 "inefficient, because it costs the NMUer a context switch to come back to the "
2720 "issue. The <literal>DELAYED</literal> queue (see <xref linkend=\"delayed-"
2721 "incoming\"/>) allows the developer doing the NMU to perform all the "
2722 "necessary tasks at the same time. For instance, instead of telling the "
2723 "maintainer that you will upload the updated package in 7 days, you should "
2724 "upload the package to <literal>DELAYED/7</literal> and tell the maintainer "
2725 "that he has 7 days to react. During this time, the maintainer can ask you "
2726 "to delay the upload some more, or cancel your upload."
2729 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2732 "The <literal>DELAYED</literal> queue should not be used to put additional "
2733 "pressure on the maintainer. In particular, it's important that you are "
2734 "available to cancel or delay the upload before the delay expires since the "
2735 "maintainer cannot cancel the upload himself."
2738 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2741 "If you make an NMU to <literal>DELAYED</literal> and the maintainer updates "
2742 "his package before the delay expires, your upload will be rejected because a "
2743 "newer version is already available in the archive. Ideally, the maintainer "
2744 "will take care to include your proposed changes (or at least a solution for "
2745 "the problems they address) in that upload."
2748 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2750 msgid "NMUs from the maintainer's point of view"
2753 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2756 "When someone NMUs your package, this means they want to help you to keep it "
2757 "in good shape. This gives users fixed packages faster. You can consider "
2758 "asking the NMUer to become a co-maintainer of the package. Receiving an NMU "
2759 "on a package is not a bad thing; it just means that the package is "
2760 "interesting enough for other people to work on it."
2763 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2766 "To acknowledge an NMU, include its changes and changelog entry in your next "
2767 "maintainer upload. If you do not acknowledge the NMU by including the NMU "
2768 "changelog entry in your changelog, the bugs will remain closed in the BTS "
2769 "but will be listed as affecting your maintainer version of the package."
2772 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2774 msgid "Source NMUs vs Binary-only NMUs (binNMUs)"
2777 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2780 "The full name of an NMU is <emphasis>source NMU</emphasis>. There is also "
2781 "another type, namely the <emphasis>binary-only NMU</emphasis>, or "
2782 "<emphasis>binNMU</emphasis>. A binNMU is also a package upload by someone "
2783 "other than the package's maintainer. However, it is a binary-only upload."
2786 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2789 "When a library (or other dependency) is updated, the packages using it may "
2790 "need to be rebuilt. Since no changes to the source are needed, the same "
2791 "source package is used."
2794 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2797 "BinNMUs are usually triggered on the buildds by wanna-build. An entry is "
2798 "added to <filename>debian/changelog</filename>, explaining why the upload "
2799 "was needed and increasing the version number as described in <xref linkend="
2800 "\"binary-only-nmu\"/>. This entry should not be included in the next upload."
2803 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2806 "Buildds upload packages for their architecture to the archive as binary-only "
2807 "uploads. Strictly speaking, these are binNMUs. However, they are not "
2808 "normally called NMU, and they don't add an entry to <filename>debian/"
2809 "changelog</filename>."
2812 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2814 msgid "NMUs vs QA uploads"
2817 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2820 "NMUs are uploads of packages by somebody else than their assigned "
2821 "maintainer. There is another type of upload where the uploaded package is "
2822 "not yours: QA uploads. QA uploads are uploads of orphaned packages."
2825 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2828 "QA uploads are very much like normal maintainer uploads: they may fix "
2829 "anything, even minor issues; the version numbering is normal, and there is "
2830 "no need to use a delayed upload. The difference is that you are not listed "
2831 "as the <literal>Maintainer</literal> or <literal>Uploader</literal> for the "
2832 "package. Also, the changelog entry of a QA upload has a special first line:"
2835 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
2838 msgid " * QA upload.\n"
2841 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2844 "If you want to do an NMU, and it seems that the maintainer is not active, it "
2845 "is wise to check if the package is orphaned (this information is displayed "
2846 "on the package's Package Tracking System page). When doing the first QA "
2847 "upload to an orphaned package, the maintainer should be set to "
2848 "<literal>Debian QA Group <packages@qa.debian.org></literal>. Orphaned "
2849 "packages which did not yet have a QA upload still have their old maintainer "
2850 "set. There is a list of them at <ulink url=\"&url-orphaned-not-qa;\"/>."
2853 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2856 "Instead of doing a QA upload, you can also consider adopting the package by "
2857 "making yourself the maintainer. You don't need permission from anybody to "
2858 "adopt an orphaned package, you can just set yourself as maintainer and "
2859 "upload the new version (see <xref linkend=\"adopting\"/>)."
2862 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
2864 msgid "NMUs vs team uploads"
2867 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
2870 "Sometimes you are fixing and/or updating a package because you are member of "
2871 "a packaging team (which uses a mailing list as <literal>Maintainer</literal> "
2872 "or <literal>Uploader</literal>, see <xref linkend=\"collaborative-maint\"/>) "
2873 "but you don't want to add yourself to <literal>Uploaders</literal> because "
2874 "you do not plan to contribute regularly to this specific package. If it "
2875 "conforms with your team's policy, you can perform a normal upload without "
2876 "being listed directly as <literal>Maintainer</literal> or <literal>Uploader</"
2877 "literal>. In that case, you should start your changelog entry with the "
2881 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
2884 msgid " * Team upload.\n"
2887 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
2889 msgid "Collaborative maintenance"
2892 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
2895 "Collaborative maintenance is a term describing the sharing of Debian package "
2896 "maintenance duties by several people. This collaboration is almost always a "
2897 "good idea, since it generally results in higher quality and faster bug fix "
2898 "turnaround times. It is strongly recommended that packages with a priority "
2899 "of <literal>standard</literal> or which are part of the base set have co-"
2903 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
2906 "Generally there is a primary maintainer and one or more co-maintainers. The "
2907 "primary maintainer is the person whose name is listed in the "
2908 "<literal>Maintainer</literal> field of the <filename>debian/control</"
2909 "filename> file. Co-maintainers are all the other maintainers, usually "
2910 "listed in the <literal>Uploaders</literal> field of the <filename>debian/"
2911 "control</filename> file."
2914 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
2917 "In its most basic form, the process of adding a new co-maintainer is quite "
2921 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2924 "Setup the co-maintainer with access to the sources you build the package "
2925 "from. Generally this implies you are using a network-capable version "
2926 "control system, such as <literal>CVS</literal> or <literal>Subversion</"
2927 "literal>. Alioth (see <xref linkend=\"alioth\"/>) provides such tools, "
2931 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2934 "Add the co-maintainer's correct maintainer name and address to the "
2935 "<literal>Uploaders</literal> field in the first paragraph of the "
2936 "<filename>debian/control</filename> file."
2939 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><screen>
2942 msgid "Uploaders: John Buzz <jbuzz@debian.org>, Adam Rex <arex@debian.org>\n"
2945 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
2948 "Using the PTS (<xref linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/>), the co-maintainers "
2949 "should subscribe themselves to the appropriate source package."
2952 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
2955 "Another form of collaborative maintenance is team maintenance, which is "
2956 "recommended if you maintain several packages with the same group of "
2957 "developers. In that case, the <literal>Maintainer</literal> and "
2958 "<literal>Uploaders</literal> field of each package must be managed with "
2959 "care. It is recommended to choose between one of the two following schemes:"
2962 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2965 "Put the team member mainly responsible for the package in the "
2966 "<literal>Maintainer</literal> field. In the <literal>Uploaders</literal>, "
2967 "put the mailing list address, and the team members who care for the package."
2970 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><orderedlist><listitem><para>
2973 "Put the mailing list address in the <literal>Maintainer</literal> field. In "
2974 "the <literal>Uploaders</literal> field, put the team members who care for "
2975 "the package. In this case, you must make sure the mailing list accept bug "
2976 "reports without any human interaction (like moderation for non-subscribers)."
2979 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
2982 "In any case, it is a bad idea to automatically put all team members in the "
2983 "<literal>Uploaders</literal> field. It clutters the Developer's Package "
2984 "Overview listing (see <xref linkend=\"ddpo\"/>) with packages one doesn't "
2985 "really care for, and creates a false sense of good maintenance. For the same "
2986 "reason, team members do not need to add themselves to the "
2987 "<literal>Uploaders</literal> field just because they are uploading the "
2988 "package once, they can do a “Team upload” (see <xref linkend=\"nmu-team-"
2989 "upload\"/>). Conversely, it is a bad idea to keep a package with only the "
2990 "mailing list address as a <literal>Maintainer</literal> and no "
2991 "<literal>Uploaders</literal>."
2994 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
2996 msgid "The testing distribution"
2999 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
3004 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3007 "Packages are usually installed into the <literal>testing</literal> "
3008 "distribution after they have undergone some degree of <literal>testing</"
3009 "literal> in <literal>unstable</literal>."
3012 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3015 "They must be in sync on all architectures and mustn't have dependencies that "
3016 "make them uninstallable; they also have to have generally no known release-"
3017 "critical bugs at the time they're installed into <literal>testing</"
3018 "literal>. This way, <literal>testing</literal> should always be close to "
3019 "being a release candidate. Please see below for details."
3022 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
3024 msgid "Updates from unstable"
3027 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3030 "The scripts that update the <literal>testing</literal> distribution are run "
3031 "twice each day, right after the installation of the updated packages; these "
3032 "scripts are called <literal>britney</literal>. They generate the "
3033 "<filename>Packages</filename> files for the <literal>testing</literal> "
3034 "distribution, but they do so in an intelligent manner; they try to avoid any "
3035 "inconsistency and to use only non-buggy packages."
3038 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3041 "The inclusion of a package from <literal>unstable</literal> is conditional "
3045 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3048 "The package must have been available in <literal>unstable</literal> for 2, 5 "
3049 "or 10 days, depending on the urgency (high, medium or low). Please note "
3050 "that the urgency is sticky, meaning that the highest urgency uploaded since "
3051 "the previous <literal>testing</literal> transition is taken into account. "
3052 "Those delays may be doubled during a freeze, or <literal>testing</literal> "
3053 "transitions may be switched off altogether;"
3056 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3059 "It must not have new release-critical bugs (RC bugs affecting the version "
3060 "available in <literal>unstable</literal>, but not affecting the version in "
3061 "<literal>testing</literal>);"
3064 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3067 "It must be available on all architectures on which it has previously been "
3068 "built in <literal>unstable</literal>. <link linkend=\"dak-ls\">dak ls</link> "
3069 "may be of interest to check that information;"
3072 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3075 "It must not break any dependency of a package which is already available in "
3076 "<literal>testing</literal>;"
3079 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3082 "The packages on which it depends must either be available in "
3083 "<literal>testing</literal> or they must be accepted into <literal>testing</"
3084 "literal> at the same time (and they will be if they fulfill all the "
3085 "necessary criteria)."
3088 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3091 "To find out whether a package is progressing into <literal>testing</literal> "
3092 "or not, see the <literal>testing</literal> script output on the <ulink url="
3093 "\"&url-testing-maint;\">web page of the testing distribution</ulink>, or use "
3094 "the program <command>grep-excuses</command> which is in the <systemitem role="
3095 "\"package\">devscripts</systemitem> package. This utility can easily be "
3096 "used in a <citerefentry> <refentrytitle>crontab</refentrytitle> "
3097 "<manvolnum>5</manvolnum> </citerefentry> to keep yourself informed of the "
3098 "progression of your packages into <literal>testing</literal>."
3101 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3104 "The <filename>update_excuses</filename> file does not always give the "
3105 "precise reason why the package is refused; you may have to find it on your "
3106 "own by looking for what would break with the inclusion of the package. The "
3107 "<ulink url=\"&url-testing-maint;\">testing web page</ulink> gives some more "
3108 "information about the usual problems which may be causing such troubles."
3111 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3114 "Sometimes, some packages never enter <literal>testing</literal> because the "
3115 "set of interrelationship is too complicated and cannot be sorted out by the "
3116 "scripts. See below for details."
3119 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3122 "Some further dependency analysis is shown on <ulink url=\"http://release."
3123 "debian.org/migration/\"></ulink> — but be warned, this page also shows build "
3124 "dependencies which are not considered by britney."
3127 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3132 #. FIXME: better rename this file than document rampant professionalism?
3133 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3136 "For the <literal>testing</literal> migration script, outdated means: There "
3137 "are different versions in <literal>unstable</literal> for the release "
3138 "architectures (except for the architectures in fuckedarches; fuckedarches is "
3139 "a list of architectures that don't keep up (in <filename>update_out.py</"
3140 "filename>), but currently, it's empty). outdated has nothing whatsoever to "
3141 "do with the architectures this package has in <literal>testing</literal>."
3144 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3146 msgid "Consider this example:"
3149 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><thead><row><entry>
3150 #: pkgs.dbk:2423 pkgs.dbk:2456
3154 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><thead><row><entry>
3155 #: pkgs.dbk:2424 pkgs.dbk:2457
3159 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><thead><row><entry>
3160 #: pkgs.dbk:2429 pkgs.dbk:2463 pkgs.dbk:2525
3164 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3165 #: pkgs.dbk:2430 pkgs.dbk:2435 pkgs.dbk:2464 pkgs.dbk:2465 pkgs.dbk:2472
3169 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3170 #: pkgs.dbk:2431 pkgs.dbk:2466 pkgs.dbk:2471
3174 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><thead><row><entry>
3175 #: pkgs.dbk:2434 pkgs.dbk:2469 pkgs.dbk:2526
3179 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3180 #: pkgs.dbk:2436 pkgs.dbk:2470
3184 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3187 "The package is out of date on <literal>alpha</literal> in <literal>unstable</"
3188 "literal>, and will not go to <literal>testing</literal>. Removing the "
3189 "package would not help at all, the package is still out of date on "
3190 "<literal>alpha</literal>, and will not propagate to <literal>testing</"
3194 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3197 "However, if ftp-master removes a package in <literal>unstable</literal> "
3198 "(here on <literal>arm</literal>):"
3201 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><thead><row><entry>
3206 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3209 "In this case, the package is up to date on all release architectures in "
3210 "<literal>unstable</literal> (and the extra <literal>hurd-i386</literal> "
3211 "doesn't matter, as it's not a release architecture)."
3214 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3217 "Sometimes, the question is raised if it is possible to allow packages in "
3218 "that are not yet built on all architectures: No. Just plainly no. (Except "
3219 "if you maintain glibc or so.)"
3222 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3224 msgid "Removals from testing"
3227 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3230 "Sometimes, a package is removed to allow another package in: This happens "
3231 "only to allow <emphasis>another</emphasis> package to go in if it's ready in "
3232 "every other sense. Suppose e.g. that <literal>a</literal> cannot be "
3233 "installed with the new version of <literal>b</literal>; then <literal>a</"
3234 "literal> may be removed to allow <literal>b</literal> in."
3237 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3240 "Of course, there is another reason to remove a package from "
3241 "<literal>testing</literal>: It's just too buggy (and having a single RC-bug "
3242 "is enough to be in this state)."
3245 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3248 "Furthermore, if a package has been removed from <literal>unstable</literal>, "
3249 "and no package in <literal>testing</literal> depends on it any more, then it "
3250 "will automatically be removed."
3253 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3255 msgid "Circular dependencies"
3258 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3261 "A situation which is not handled very well by britney is if package "
3262 "<literal>a</literal> depends on the new version of package <literal>b</"
3263 "literal>, and vice versa."
3266 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3268 msgid "An example of this is:"
3271 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3276 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3278 msgid "1; depends: b=1"
3281 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3283 msgid "2; depends: b=2"
3286 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3291 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3293 msgid "1; depends: a=1"
3296 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><informaltable><tgroup><tbody><row><entry>
3298 msgid "2; depends: a=2"
3301 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3304 "Neither package <literal>a</literal> nor package <literal>b</literal> is "
3305 "considered for update."
3308 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3311 "Currently, this requires some manual hinting from the release team. Please "
3312 "contact them by sending mail to &email-debian-release; if this happens to "
3313 "one of your packages."
3316 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3318 msgid "Influence of package in testing"
3321 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3324 "Generally, there is nothing that the status of a package in "
3325 "<literal>testing</literal> means for transition of the next version from "
3326 "<literal>unstable</literal> to <literal>testing</literal>, with two "
3327 "exceptions: If the RC-bugginess of the package goes down, it may go in even "
3328 "if it is still RC-buggy. The second exception is if the version of the "
3329 "package in <literal>testing</literal> is out of sync on the different "
3330 "arches: Then any arch might just upgrade to the version of the source "
3331 "package; however, this can happen only if the package was previously forced "
3332 "through, the arch is in fuckedarches, or there was no binary package of that "
3333 "arch present in <literal>unstable</literal> at all during the "
3334 "<literal>testing</literal> migration."
3337 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3340 "In summary this means: The only influence that a package being in "
3341 "<literal>testing</literal> has on a new version of the same package is that "
3342 "the new version might go in easier."
3345 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3350 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3352 msgid "If you are interested in details, this is how britney works:"
3355 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3358 "The packages are looked at to determine whether they are valid candidates. "
3359 "This gives the update excuses. The most common reasons why a package is not "
3360 "considered are too young, RC-bugginess, and out of date on some arches. For "
3361 "this part of britney, the release managers have hammers of various sizes to "
3362 "force britney to consider a package. (Also, the base freeze is coded in "
3363 "that part of britney.) (There is a similar thing for binary-only updates, "
3364 "but this is not described here. If you're interested in that, please peruse "
3368 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3371 "Now, the more complex part happens: Britney tries to update "
3372 "<literal>testing</literal> with the valid candidates. For that, britney "
3373 "tries to add each valid candidate to the testing distribution. If the number "
3374 "of uninstallable packages in <literal>testing</literal> doesn't increase, "
3375 "the package is accepted. From that point on, the accepted package is "
3376 "considered to be part of <literal>testing</literal>, such that all "
3377 "subsequent installability tests include this package. Hints from the "
3378 "release team are processed before or after this main run, depending on the "
3382 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3385 "If you want to see more details, you can look it up on <ulink url=\"http://"
3386 "&ftp-master-host;/testing/update_output/\"></ulink>."
3389 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3392 "The hints are available via <ulink url=\"http://&ftp-master-host;/testing/"
3393 "hints/\"></ulink>."
3396 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
3398 msgid "Direct updates to testing"
3401 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3404 "The <literal>testing</literal> distribution is fed with packages from "
3405 "<literal>unstable</literal> according to the rules explained above. "
3406 "However, in some cases, it is necessary to upload packages built only for "
3407 "<literal>testing</literal>. For that, you may want to upload to "
3408 "<literal>testing-proposed-updates</literal>."
3411 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3414 "Keep in mind that packages uploaded there are not automatically processed, "
3415 "they have to go through the hands of the release manager. So you'd better "
3416 "have a good reason to upload there. In order to know what a good reason is "
3417 "in the release managers' eyes, you should read the instructions that they "
3418 "regularly give on &email-debian-devel-announce;."
3421 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3424 "You should not upload to <literal>testing-proposed-updates</literal> when "
3425 "you can update your packages through <literal>unstable</literal>. If you "
3426 "can't (for example because you have a newer development version in "
3427 "<literal>unstable</literal>), you may use this facility, but it is "
3428 "recommended that you ask for authorization from the release manager first. "
3429 "Even if a package is frozen, updates through <literal>unstable</literal> are "
3430 "possible, if the upload via <literal>unstable</literal> does not pull in any "
3434 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3437 "Version numbers are usually selected by adding the codename of the "
3438 "<literal>testing</literal> distribution and a running number, like "
3439 "<literal>1.2squeeze1</literal> for the first upload through <literal>testing-"
3440 "proposed-updates</literal> of package version <literal>1.2</literal>."
3443 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
3445 msgid "Please make sure you didn't miss any of these items in your upload:"
3448 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3451 "Make sure that your package really needs to go through <literal>testing-"
3452 "proposed-updates</literal>, and can't go through <literal>unstable</literal>;"
3455 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3457 msgid "Make sure that you included only the minimal amount of changes;"
3460 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3463 "Make sure that you included an appropriate explanation in the changelog;"
3466 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3469 "Make sure that you've written <literal>testing</literal> or <literal>testing-"
3470 "proposed-updates</literal> into your target distribution;"
3473 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3476 "Make sure that you've built and tested your package in <literal>testing</"
3477 "literal>, not in <literal>unstable</literal>;"
3480 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3483 "Make sure that your version number is higher than the version in "
3484 "<literal>testing</literal> and <literal>testing-proposed-updates</literal>, "
3485 "and lower than in <literal>unstable</literal>;"
3488 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
3491 "After uploading and successful build on all platforms, contact the release "
3492 "team at &email-debian-release; and ask them to approve your upload."
3495 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
3497 msgid "Frequently asked questions"
3500 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3502 msgid "What are release-critical bugs, and how do they get counted?"
3505 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3508 "All bugs of some higher severities are by default considered release-"
3509 "critical; currently, these are <literal>critical</literal>, <literal>grave</"
3510 "literal> and <literal>serious</literal> bugs."
3513 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3516 "Such bugs are presumed to have an impact on the chances that the package "
3517 "will be released with the <literal>stable</literal> release of Debian: in "
3518 "general, if a package has open release-critical bugs filed on it, it won't "
3519 "get into <literal>testing</literal>, and consequently won't be released in "
3520 "<literal>stable</literal>."
3523 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3526 "The <literal>unstable</literal> bug count are all release-critical bugs "
3527 "which are marked to apply to <replaceable>package</replaceable>/"
3528 "<replaceable>version</replaceable> combinations that are available in "
3529 "unstable for a release architecture. The <literal>testing</literal> bug "
3530 "count is defined analogously."
3533 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><title>
3536 "How could installing a package into <literal>testing</literal> possibly "
3537 "break other packages?"
3540 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3543 "The structure of the distribution archives is such that they can only "
3544 "contain one version of a package; a package is defined by its name. So when "
3545 "the source package <literal>acmefoo</literal> is installed into "
3546 "<literal>testing</literal>, along with its binary packages <literal>acme-foo-"
3547 "bin</literal>, <literal>acme-bar-bin</literal>, <literal>libacme-foo1</"
3548 "literal> and <literal>libacme-foo-dev</literal>, the old version is removed."
3551 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3554 "However, the old version may have provided a binary package with an old "
3555 "soname of a library, such as <literal>libacme-foo0</literal>. Removing the "
3556 "old <literal>acmefoo</literal> will remove <literal>libacme-foo0</literal>, "
3557 "which will break any packages which depend on it."
3560 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3563 "Evidently, this mainly affects packages which provide changing sets of "
3564 "binary packages in different versions (in turn, mainly libraries). However, "
3565 "it will also affect packages upon which versioned dependencies have been "
3566 "declared of the ==, <=, or << varieties."
3569 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3572 "When the set of binary packages provided by a source package change in this "
3573 "way, all the packages that depended on the old binaries will have to be "
3574 "updated to depend on the new binaries instead. Because installing such a "
3575 "source package into <literal>testing</literal> breaks all the packages that "
3576 "depended on it in <literal>testing</literal>, some care has to be taken now: "
3577 "all the depending packages must be updated and ready to be installed "
3578 "themselves so that they won't be broken, and, once everything is ready, "
3579 "manual intervention by the release manager or an assistant is normally "
3583 #. type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><section><para>
3586 "If you are having problems with complicated groups of packages like this, "
3587 "contact &email-debian-devel; or &email-debian-release; for help."
~ianmdlvl / developers-reference.git / blob