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- <!-- CVS revision of this document -->
- <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.34 $">
- <!-- if you are translating this document, please notate the RCS
+ <!-- CVS revision of this document -->
+ <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.133 $">
+ <!-- if you are translating this document, please notate the CVS
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+ <!entity FIXME "<em>FIXME:</em> ">
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]>
<debiandoc>
<!--
<author>Adam Di Carlo, current maintainer <email>aph@debian.org</email>
<author>Christian Schwarz <email>schwarz@debian.org</email>
<author>Ian Jackson <email>ijackson@gnu.ai.mit.edu</email>
- <version>ver. &version;, &date;
+ <version>ver. &version;, &date-en;
<copyright>
<copyrightsummary>
-copyright ©1998, 1999 Adam Di Carlo</copyrightsummary>
+copyright ©1998—2002 Adam Di Carlo</copyrightsummary>
<copyrightsummary>
copyright ©1997, 1998 Christian Schwarz</copyrightsummary>
<p>
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
<p>
-A copy of the GNU General Public License is available as
-<file>/usr/doc/copyright/GPL</file> in the Debian GNU/Linux
-distribution or on the World Wide Web at <url
-id="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html" name="the GNU website">.
-You can also obtain it by writing to the &fsf-addr;.
+A copy of the GNU General Public License is available as &file-GPL; in
+the &debian-formal; distribution or on the World Wide Web at <url
+id="&url-gpl;" name="the GNU web site">. You can also obtain it by
+writing to the &fsf-addr;.
- <toc detail="sect2">
+ <toc detail="sect1">
<chapt id="scope">Scope of This Document
<p>
The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the
recommended procedures and the available resources for Debian
developers.
+
+<!-- FIXME: rewrites -->
<p>
The procedures discussed within include how to become a maintainer
(<ref id="new-maintainer">); how to upload new packages (<ref
(<ref id="bug-handling">).
<p>
The resources discussed in this reference include the mailing lists
-and servers (<ref id="servers">); a discussion of the structure of the
-Debian archive (<ref id="archive">); explanation of the different
-servers which accept package uploads (<ref id="upload-master">); and a
-discussion of resources which can help maintainers with the quality of
-their packages (<ref id="tools">).
+(<ref id="mailing-lists">) and servers (<ref id="server-machines">); a
+discussion of the structure of the Debian archive (<ref
+id="archive">); explanation of the different servers which accept
+package uploads (<ref id="upload-ftp-master">); and a discussion of
+resources which can help maintainers with the quality of their
+packages (<ref id="tools">).
<p>
It should be clear that this reference does not discuss the technical
-details of the Debian package nor how to generate Debian packages;
-that information is discussed in the <url id="&url-pkg-manual;"
-name="Debian Packaging Manual">. Nor does this reference detail the
-standards to which Debian software must comply; that information can
-be found in the <url id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy
-Manual">.
+details of the Debian package nor how to generate Debian packages.
+Nor does this reference detail the standards to which Debian software
+must comply. All of such information can be found in the <url
+id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy Manual">.
<p>
Furthermore, this document is <em>not an expression of formal
-policy</em>. It contains documentation for the Debian system, and
-generally agreed-upon best practices.
+policy</em>. It contains documentation for the Debian system and
+generally agreed-upon best practices. Thus, it is what is called a
+``normative'' document.
<chapt id="new-maintainer">Applying to Become a Maintainer
- <sect>Getting started
- <p>
-So, you've read all the documentation, you understand what everything
-in the <package>hello</package> example package is for, and you're about to
-Debianize your favourite piece of software. How do you actually
-become a Debian developer so that your work can be incorporated into
-the Project?
- <p>
-Firstly, subscribe to <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> if
-you haven't already. Send the word <tt>subscribe</tt> in the
-<em>Subject</em> of an email to
-<email>debian-devel-REQUEST@lists.debian.org</email>. In case of
-problems, contact the list administrator at
-<email>listmaster@lists.debian.org</email>. More information on
-available mailing lists can be found in <ref id="mailing-lists">.
- <p>
-You should subscribe and lurk for a bit before doing any coding, and
-you should post about your intentions to work on something to avoid
-duplicated effort.
- <p>
-Another good list to subscribe to is
-<email>debian-mentors@lists.debian.org</email>. See <ref
-id="mentors"> for details. The IRC channel <tt>#debian</tt> on the
-Linux People IRC network (i.e., <tt>irc.debian.org</tt>) can also be
+ <sect id="getting-started">Getting started
+ <p>
+So, you've read all the documentation, you've gone through the <url
+id="&url-newmaint-guide;" name="Debian New Maintainers' Guide">,
+understand what everything in the <package>hello</package> example
+package is for, and you're about to Debianize your favorite piece of
+software. How do you actually become a Debian developer so that your
+work can be incorporated into the Project?
+ <p>
+Firstly, subscribe to &email-debian-devel; if you haven't already.
+Send the word <tt>subscribe</tt> in the <em>Subject</em> of an email
+to &email-debian-devel-req;. In case of problems, contact the list
+administrator at &email-listmaster;. More information on available
+mailing lists can be found in <ref id="mailing-lists">.
+&email-debian-devel-announce; is another list which is mandatory
+for anyone who wishes to follow Debian's development.
+ <p>
+You should subscribe and lurk (that is, read without posting) for a
+bit before doing any coding, and you should post about your intentions
+to work on something to avoid duplicated effort.
+ <p>
+Another good list to subscribe to is &email-debian-mentors;. See <ref
+id="mentors"> for details. The IRC channel <tt>#debian</tt> can also be
helpful.
+ <p>
+When you know how you want to contribute to &debian-formal;, you
+should get in contact with existing Debian maintainers who are working
+on similar tasks. That way, you can learn from experienced developers.
+For example, if you are interested in packaging existing software for
+Debian you should try to get a sponsor. A sponsor will work together
+with you on your package and upload it to the Debian archive once they
+are happy with the packaging work you have done. You can find a sponsor
+by mailing the &email-debian-mentors; mailing list, describing your
+package and yourself and asking for a sponsor (see <ref id="sponsoring">
+for more information on sponsoring). On the other hand, if you are
+interested in porting Debian to alternative architectures or kernels
+you can subscribe to port specific mailing lists and ask there how to
+get started. Finally, if you are interested in documentation or
+Quality Assurance (QA) work you can join maintainers already working on
+these tasks and submit patches and improvements.
+
<sect id="registering">Registering as a Debian developer
<p>
-Before you decide to register with the Debian Project, you will need
-to read the <url id="&url-social-contract;" name="Debian Social
-Contract">. Registering as a developer means that you agree with and
-pledge to uphold the Debian Social Contract; it is very important that
-maintainers are in accord with the essential ideas behind Debian
-GNU/Linux. Reading the <url id="&url-gnu-manifesto;" name="GNU
+Before you decide to register with &debian-formal;, you will need to
+read all the information available at the <url id="&url-newmaint;"
+name="New Maintainer's Corner">. It describes exactly the
+preparations you have to do before you can register to become a Debian
+developer.
+
+For example, before you apply, you have to to read the <url
+id="&url-social-contract;" name="Debian Social Contract">.
+Registering as a developer means that you agree with and pledge to
+uphold the Debian Social Contract; it is very important that
+maintainers are in accord with the essential ideas behind
+&debian-formal;. Reading the <url id="&url-gnu-manifesto;" name="GNU
Manifesto"> would also be a good idea.
<p>
The process of registering as a developer is a process of verifying
-your identity and intentions. As the number of people working on
-Debian GNU/Linux has grown to over &number-of-maintainers; people and
-our systems are used in several very important places we have to be
-careful about being compromised. Therefore, we need to verify new
-maintainers before we can give them accounts on our servers and
-letting them upload packages.
- <p>
-Registration requires that the following information be sent to
-<email>new-maintainer@debian.org</email> as part of the registration
-application:
-<list>
- <item>
-Your name.
- <item>
-Your preferred login name on <tt>master</tt> (eight characters or
-less), as well as the email address at which you'd prefer to be
-subscribed to <email>debian-private@lists.debian.org</email>
-(typically this will be either your primary mail address or your new
-<tt>debian.org</tt> address).
- <item>
-A phone number where we can call you. Remember that the new
-maintainer team usually calls during evening hours to save on long
-distance tolls. Please do not give a work number, unless you are
-generally there in the evening.
- <item>
-A statement of intention, that is, what package(s) you intend to work
-on, which Debian port you will be assisting, or how you intend to
-contribute to Debian.
- <item>
-A statement that you have read and agree to uphold the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/social_contract" name="Debian Social
-Contract">.
- <item>
-Some mechanism by which we can verify your real-life identity. For
-example, any of the following mechanisms would suffice:
-<list>
- <item>
-A PGP key signed by any well-known signature, such as:
-<list>
- <item>
-Any current Debian developer you have met <em>in real life</em>.
- <item>
-Any formal certification service (such as Verisign, etc.) that
-verifies your identity. A certification that verifies your email
-address, and not you identity, is not sufficient.
- </list>
- <item>
-Alternatively, you may identify yourself with a scanned (or physically
-mailed) copy of any formal documents certifying your identity (such as
-a birth certificate, national ID card, U.S. Driver's License, etc.).
-If emailed, please sign the mail with your PGP key.
- </list>
- </list>
- <p>
-If you do not have a PGP key yet, generate one. Every developer needs
-a PGP key in order to sign and verify package uploads. You should read
-the PGP manual, since it has much important information which is
-critical to its security. Many more security failures are due to
-human error than to software failure or high-powered spy techniques.
- <p>
-Our standard is to use <prgn>pgp</prgn> version 2.x. You can use
-<prgn>pgp</prgn> version 5, if and only if you make an RSA key. Note
-that we are also working with the <prgn>gpg</prgn> team so that we can
-have a free alternative to PGP; however, this may take a little bit of
-time.
- <p>
-Your PGP key must be at least 1024 bits long. There is no reason to
-use a smaller key, and doing so would be much less secure. Your key
-must be signed with at least your own user ID. This prevents user ID
-tampering. You can do it by executing <tt>pgp -ks
-<var>your_userid</var></tt>.
- <p>
-If your PGP key isn't on public key servers such as
-&pgp-keyserv;, please read the documentation available
-locally <tt>/usr/doc/pgp/keyserv.doc</tt>. That document contains
-instructions on how to put your key on the public key servers. The
-New Maintainer Group will put your public key on the servers if it
-isn't already there.
- <p>
-Due to export restrictions by the United States government some Debian
-packages, including PGP, have been moved to an ftp site outside of the
-United States. You can find the current locations of those packages on
-<ftpsite>ftp.debian.org</ftpsite> or
-<ftpsite>ftp.us.debian.org</ftpsite> in the
-<ftppath>/pub/debian/README.non-US</ftppath> file.
+your identity and intentions, and checking your technical skills. As
+the number of people working on &debian-formal; has grown to over
+&number-of-maintainers; people and our systems are used in several
+very important places we have to be careful about being compromised.
+Therefore, we need to verify new maintainers before we can give them
+accounts on our servers and let them upload packages.
+ <p>
+Before you actually register you should have shown that you can do
+competent work and will be a good contributor. You can show this by
+submitting patches through the Bug Tracking System or having a package
+sponsored by an existing maintainer for a while. Also, we expect that
+contributors are interested in the whole project and not just in
+maintaining their own packages. If you can help other maintainers by
+providing further information on a bug or even a patch, then do so!
+ <p>
+Registration requires that you are familiar with Debian's philosophy
+and technical documentation. Furthermore, you need a GnuPG key which
+has been signed by an existing Debian maintainer. If your GnuPG key
+is not signed yet, you should try to meet a Debian maintainer in
+person to get your key signed. There's a <url id="&url-gpg-coord;"
+name="GnuPG Key Signing Coordination page"> which should help you find
+a maintainer close to you (If you cannot find a Debian maintainer
+close to you, there's an alternative way to pass the ID check. You
+can send in a photo ID signed with your GnuPG key. Having your GnuPG
+key signed is the preferred way, however. See the
+<url id="&url-newmaint-id;" name="identification page"> for more
+information about these two options.)
+
+ <p>
+If you do not have an OpenPGP key yet, generate one. Every developer
+needs a OpenPGP key in order to sign and verify package uploads. You
+should read the manual for the software you are using, since it has
+much important information which is critical to its security. Many
+more security failures are due to human error than to software failure
+or high-powered spy techniques. See <ref id="key-maint"> for more
+information on maintaining your public key.
+ <p>
+Debian uses the <prgn>GNU Privacy Guard</prgn> (package
+<package>gnupg</package> version 1 or better) as its baseline standard.
+You can use some other implementation of OpenPGP as well. Note that
+OpenPGP is an open standard based on <url id="&url-rfc2440;" name="RFC
+2440">.
+ <p>
+The recommended public key algorithm for use in Debian development
+work is DSA (sometimes call ``DSS'' or ``DH/ElGamal''). Other key
+types may be used however. Your key length must be at least 1024
+bits; there is no reason to use a smaller key, and doing so would be
+much less secure. Your key must be signed with at least your own user
+ID; this prevents user ID tampering. <prgn>gpg</prgn> does this
+automatically.
+ <p>
+If your public key isn't on public key servers such as &pgp-keyserv;,
+please read the documentation available locally in &file-keyservs;.
+That document contains instructions on how to put your key on the
+public key servers. The New Maintainer Group will put your public key
+on the servers if it isn't already there.
<p>
Some countries restrict the use of cryptographic software by their
citizens. This need not impede one's activities as a Debian package
maintainer however, as it may be perfectly legal to use cryptographic
-products for authentication, rather than encryption purposes (as is
-the case in France). The Debian Project does not require the use of
-cryptography <em>qua</em> cryptography in any manner. If you live in a
-country where use of cryptography even for authentication is forbidden
+products for authentication, rather than encryption purposes.
+&debian-formal; does not require the use of cryptography <em>qua</em>
+cryptography in any manner. If you live in a country where use of
+cryptography even for authentication is forbidden
then please contact us so we can make special arrangements.
<p>
-Once you have all your information ready, and your public key is
-available on public key servers, send a message to
-<email>new-maintainer@debian.org</email> to register as an offical
-Debian developer so that you will be able to upload your packages.
-This message must contain all the information discussed above. The
-message must also contain your PGP or RSA public key (extracted using
-<tt>pgp -kxa</tt> in the case of PGP) for the database of keys which
-is distributed from <ftpsite>ftp.debian.org</ftpsite> in
-<ftppath>/pub/debian/doc/debian-keyring.tar.gz</ftppath>, or the
-<package>debian-keyring</package> package. Please be sure to sign
-your request message with your chosen public key.
- <p>
-Once this information is received and processed, you should be
-contacted with information about your new Debian maintainer account.
-If you don't hear anything within 7-14 days, please send a followup
-message asking if your original application was received. Do
-<em>not</em> re-send your original application, that will just confuse
-the new-maintainer team. Please be patient, especially near release
-points; mistakes do occasionally happen, and people do sometimes run
-out of volunteer time.
-
-
- <sect id="mentors">Debian Mentors
- <p>
-A mailing list called <email>debian-mentors@lists.debian.org</email>
-which has been set up for novice maintainers who seek help with
-initial packaging and other developer-related issues. Every new
-developer is invited to subscribe to that list (see <ref
-id="mailing-lists"> for details).
+To apply as a new maintainer, you need an existing Debian maintainer
+to verify your application (an <em>advocate</em>). After you have
+contributed to Debian for a while, and you want to apply to become a
+registered developer, an existing developer with whom you
+have worked over the past months has to express his belief that you
+can contribute to Debian successfully.
+ <p>
+When you have found an advocate, have your GnuPG key signed and have
+already contributed to Debian for a while, you're ready to apply.
+You can simply register on our <url id="&url-newmaint-apply;"
+name="application page">. After you have signed up, your advocate
+has to confirm your application. When your advocate has completed
+this step you will be assigned an Application Manager who will
+go with you through the necessary steps of the New Maintainer process.
+You can always check your status on the <url id="&url-newmaint-db;"
+name="applications status board">.
+ <p>
+For more details, please consult <url id="&url-newmaint;" name="New
+Maintainer's Corner"> at the Debian web site. Make sure that you
+are familiar with the necessary steps of the New Maintainer process
+before actually applying. If you are well prepared, you can save
+a lot of time later on.
+
+
+ <sect id="mentors">Debian mentors and sponsors
+ <p>
+The mailing list &email-debian-mentors; has been set up for novice
+maintainers who seek help with initial packaging and other
+developer-related issues. Every new developer is invited to subscribe
+to that list (see <ref id="mailing-lists"> for details).
<p>
Those who prefer one-on-one help (e.g., via private email) should also
post to that list and an experienced developer will volunteer to help.
+ <p>
+In addition, if you have some packages ready for inclusion in Debian,
+but are waiting for your new maintainer application to go through, you
+might be able find a sponsor to upload your package for you. Sponsors
+are people who are official Debian maintainers, and who are willing to
+criticize and upload your packages for you. Those who are seeking a
+sponsor can request one at <url id="&url-sponsors;">.
+ <p>
+If you wish to be a mentor and/or sponsor, more information is
+available in <ref id="newmaint">.
- <chapt id="user-maint">Maintaining Your Debian Information
+ <chapt id="developer-duties">Debian Developer's Duties
- <sect id="key-maint">Maintaining Your Public Key
+ <sect id="user-maint">Maintaining your Debian information
+ <p>
+There's a LDAP database containing information about all
+developers, you can access it at <url id="&url-debian-db;">. You can
+update your password (this password is propagated to most of the machines
+that are accessible to you), your address, your country, the latitude and
+longitude of the point where you live, phone and fax numbers, your
+preferred shell, your IRC nickname, your web page and the email that
+you're using as alias for your debian.org email. Most of the information
+is not accessible to the public, for more details about this
+database, please read its online documentation that you can find
+at <url id="&url-debian-db-doc;">.
+ <p>
+You have to keep the information available there up-to-date.
+
+ <sect id="key-maint">Maintaining your public key
<p>
Be very careful with your private keys. Do not place them on any
-public servers. Back them up. Read the documentation that comes with
-your software (either PGP or GNUPG); read the FAQs too, for good
-measure.
+public servers or multiuser machines, such as the Debian servers
+(see <ref id="server-machines">). Back your keys up; keep a copy offline.
+Read the documentation that comes with your software; read the <url
+id="&url-pgp-faq;" name="PGP FAQ">.
<p>
-If you add or remove signatures from your public key, or add or remove
-user identities, you need to update the key servers and mail your
-public key to <email>keyring-maint@debian.org</email>. The same key
-extraction routines discussed in <ref id="registering"> apply.
+If you add signatures to your public key, or add user identities, you
+can update the Debian key ring by sending your key to the key server at
+<tt>&keyserver-host;</tt>. If you need to add a completely new key,
+or remove an old key, send mail to &email-debian-keyring;. The same
+key extraction routines discussed in <ref id="registering"> apply.
<p>
You can find a more in-depth discussion of Debian key maintenance in
-the documentation for the <package>debian-keyring</package> package.
-
- <sect>Retiring Gracefully
+the documentation of the <package>debian-keyring</package> package.
+
+
+ <sect id="voting">Voting
+ <p>
+Even if Debian is not always a real democracy, Debian has democratic
+tools and uses a democratic process to elect its leader or
+to approve a general resolution. Those processes are described in
+the <url id="&url-constitution;" name="Debian Constitution">.
+ <p>
+Democratic processes work well only if everybody take part in the
+vote, that's why you have to vote. To be able to vote you have to
+subscribe to &email-debian-devel-announce; since call for votes are sent
+there. If you want to follow the debate preceding a vote, you
+may want to subscribe to &email-debian-vote;.
+ <p>
+The list of all the proposals (past and current) is available on the
+<url id="&url-vote;" name="Debian Voting Information"> page. You will find
+there additional information about how to make a vote proposal.
+
+
+ <sect id="inform-vacation">Going on vacation gracefully
+ <p>
+Most developers take vacations, and usually this means that they can't
+work for Debian and they can't be reached by email if any problem occurs.
+The other developers need to know that you're on vacation so that they'll
+do whatever is needed when such a problem occurs. Usually this means that
+other developers are allowed to NMU (see <ref id="nmu">) your package if a
+big problem (release critical bugs, security update, etc.) occurs while
+you're on vacation.
+ <p>
+In order to inform the other developers, there's two things that you should do.
+First send a mail to &email-debian-private; giving the period of time when
+you will be on vacation. You can also give some special instructions on what to
+do if any problem occurs. Be aware that some people don't care for vacation
+notices and don't want to read them; you should prepend "[VAC] " to the
+subject of your message so that it can be easily filtered.
+ <p>
+Next you should update your information
+available in the Debian LDAP database and mark yourself as ``on vacation''
+(this information is only accessible to debian developers). Don't forget
+to remove the ``on vacation'' flag when you come back!
+
+ <sect id="upstream-coordination">Coordination with upstream developers
+ <p>
+A big part of your job as Debian maintainer will be to stay in contact
+with the upstream developers. Debian users will sometimes report bugs
+to the Bug Tracking System that are not specific to Debian. You
+must forward these bug reports to the upstream developers so that
+they can be fixed in a future release. It's not your job to fix
+non-Debian specific bugs. However, if you are able to do so, you are
+encouraged to contribute to upstream development of the package by
+providing a fix for the bug. Debian users and developers will often
+submit patches to fix upstream bugs, and you should evaluate and
+forward these patches upstream.
+ <p>
+If you need to modify the upstream sources in order to build a policy
+compliant package, then you should propose a nice fix to the upstream
+developers which can be included there, so that you won't have to
+modify the sources of the next upstream version. Whatever changes you
+need, always try not to fork from the upstream sources.
+
+ <sect id="rc-bugs">Managing release-critical bugs
+ <p>
+Release-critical bugs (RCB) are all bugs that have severity
+<em>critical</em>, <em>grave</em> or <em>serious</em>.
+Those bugs can delay the Debian release
+and/or can justify the removal of a package at freeze time. That's why
+these bugs need to be corrected as quickly as possible. You must be
+aware that some developers who are part of the <url
+id="&url-debian-qa;" name="Debian Quality Assurance"> effort are
+following those bugs and try to help you whenever they are able. But if
+you can't fix such bugs within 2 weeks, you should either ask for help
+by sending a mail to the Quality Assurance (QA) group
+&email-debian-qa;, or explain your difficulties and present a plan to fix
+them by sending a mail to the proper bug report. Otherwise, people
+from the QA group may want to do a Non-Maintainer Upload (see
+<ref id="nmu">) after trying to contact you (they might not wait as long as
+usual before they do their NMU if they have seen no recent activity from you
+in the BTS).
+
+
+ <sect>Retiring
<p>
If you choose to leave the Debian project, you should make sure you do
the following steps:
Orphan all your packages, as described in <ref id="orphaning">.
<item>
Send an email about how you are leaving the project to
-<email>debian-private@lists.debian.org</email>.
+&email-debian-private;.
<item>
-Notify the Debian key ring maintainers that you are leaving by emailing
-to <email>keyring-maint@debian.org</email>.
- </enumlist>
+Notify the Debian key ring maintainers that you are leaving by
+emailing to &email-debian-keyring;.
+</enumlist>
- <chapt id="servers">Mailing Lists, Servers, and Other Machines
- <p>
+
+ <chapt id="resources">Resources for Debian Developers
+ <p>
In this chapter you will find a very brief road map of the Debian
-mailing lists, the main Debian servers, and other Debian machines
-which may be available to you as a developer.
+mailing lists, the Debian machines
+which may be available to you as a developer, and all the other
+resources that are available to help you in your maintainer work.
<sect id="mailing-lists">Mailing lists
<p>
-The mailing list server is at <tt>lists.debian.org</tt>. Mail
-<tt>debian-<var>foo</var>-REQUEST@lists.debian.org</tt>, where
+The mailing list server is at <tt>&lists-host;</tt>.
+ <p>
+Online archives of mailing lists are available at <url
+id="&url-lists-archives;">.
+
+ <sect1 id="core-devel-mailing-lists">Core development mailing lists
+ <p>
+The core Debian mailing lists that developers should use are:
+<list>
+ <item>&email-debian-devel-announce;, used to announce important things to
+ developers.
+ All developers are expected to be subscribed to this list.
+ </item>
+ <item>&email-debian-devel;, used to discuss various development related
+ technical issues.
+ </item>
+ <item>&email-debian-policy;, where the Debian Policy is discussed and
+ voted on.
+ </item>
+ <item>&email-debian-project;, used to discuss various non-technical
+ issues related to the project.
+ </item>
+</list>
+ <p>
+There are
+other mailing lists available for a variety of special topics; see
+<url id="&url-debian-lists-subscribe;"> for a list.
+
+ <sect1 id="mailing-lists-subunsub">Subscribing and unsubscribing
+ <p>
+To subscribe to or unsubscribe from any of the Debian mailing lists, email
+<tt>debian-<var>foo</var>-REQUEST@&lists-host;</tt>, where
<tt>debian-<var>foo</var></tt> is the name of the list, with the word
<tt>subscribe</tt> in the <em>Subject</em> to subscribe to the list or
-<tt>unsubscribe</tt> to unsubscribe. More detailed instructions on
-how to subscribe and unsubscribe to the mailing lists can be found at
-<url id="&url-debian-lists-subscribe;">, <url id="&url-debian-lists;">
-or locally in <file>/usr/doc/debian/mailing-lists.txt</file> if you
-have the <package>doc-debian</package> package installed.
+<tt>unsubscribe</tt> to unsubscribe.
+ <p>
+If you prefer to use a web page to subscribe to multiple mailing lists,
+there's one at <url id="&url-debian-lists-subscribe;">.
+ <p>
+You can download the current list of mailing lists and basic usage
+instructions from <url id="&url-debian-lists-txt;">
+or install the <package>doc-debian</package> package and have it
+locally in &file-mail-lists;.
+
+ <sect1 id="mailing-lists-rules">Basic rules for use
<p>
When replying to messages on the mailing list, please do not send a
carbon copy (<tt>CC</tt>) to the original poster unless they explicitly
request to be copied. Anyone who posts to a mailing list should read
it to see the responses.
<p>
-In addition, all messages should usually only be sent to one of the
-following mailing lists: <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>,
-<email>debian-policy@lists.debian.org</email>,
-<email>debian-user@lists.debian.org</email>,
-<email>debian-announce@lists.debian.org</email>, or
-<email>debian-devel-announce@lists.debian.org</email>. Additional
-mailing lists are available for special purposes; see <url
-id="&url-debian-lists-subscribe;">. Cross-posting
-(sending the same message to multiple lists) is discouraged.
- <p>
-<email>debian-private@lists.debian.org</email> is a special mailing
-lists for private discussions amongst Debian developers. It is meant
-to be used for posts which for whatever reason should not be published
-publically. As such, it is a low volume list, and users are urged not
-to use <email>debian-private@lists.debian.org</email> unless it is
-really necessary. Moreover, do <em>not</em> forward email from that
-list to anyone.
- <p>
+Cross-posting (sending the same message to multiple lists) is discouraged.
As ever on the net, please trim down the quoting of articles you're
replying to. In general, please adhere to the usual conventions for
-posting messages.
- <p>
-Online archives of mailing lists are available at <url
-id="&url-debian-list-archives;">.
-
- <sect id="server-machines">Debian servers
- <p>
-Debian servers are well known servers which serve critical functions
-in the Debian project. Every developer should know what these servers
-are and what they do.
- <p>
-If you have a problem with the operation of Debian server, and you
+posting messages. Please read the <url name="code of conduct"
+id="&url-debian-lists;"> for more information.
+
+ <sect1 id="mailing-lists-special">Special lists
+ <p>
+&email-debian-private; is a special mailing list for private
+discussions amongst Debian developers. It is meant to be used for
+posts which for whatever reason should not be published publicly.
+As such, it is a low volume list, and users are urged not to use
+&email-debian-private; unless it is really necessary. Moreover, do
+<em>not</em> forward email from that list to anyone. Archives of this
+list are not available on the web for obvious reasons, but you can see
+them using your shell account on <tt>lists.debian.org</tt> and looking
+in the <file>~debian/archive/debian-private</file> directory.
+ <p>
+&email-debian-email; is a special mailing list used as a grab-bag
+for Debian related correspondence such as contacting upstream authors
+about licenses, bugs, etc. or discussing the project with others where it
+might be useful to have the discussion archived somewhere.
+
+ <sect id="irc-channels">IRC channels
+ <p>
+Several IRC channels are dedicated to Debian's development. They are mainly
+hosted on the <url id="&url-openprojects;" name="freenode"> network
+(previously known as Open Projects Network).
+The <tt>irc.debian.org</tt> DNS entry is an alias to
+<tt>irc.openprojects.net</tt>.
+ <p>
+The main channel for Debian in general is <em>#debian</em>. This is a large,
+general-purpose channel where users can find recent news in the topic and
+served by bots. <em>#debian</em> is for English speakers; there are also
+<em>#debian.de</em>, <em>#debian-fr</em>, <em>#debian-br</em> and other
+similarly named channels for speakers of other languages.
+ <p>
+The main channel for Debian development is <em>#debian-devel</em>.
+It is a very active channel since usually over 150 people are always
+logged in. It's a channel for people who work
+on Debian, it's not a support channel (there's <em>#debian</em> for that).
+It is however open to anyone who wants to lurk (and learn). Its topic is
+commonly full of interesting information for developers.
+ <p>
+Since <em>#debian-devel</em> it's an open channel, you
+should not speak there of issues that are discussed in
+&email-debian-private;. There's another channel for this purpose,
+it's called <em>#debian-private</em> and it's protected by a key.
+This key is available in the archives of debian-private in
+<file>master.debian.org:&file-debian-private-archive;</file>,
+just <prgn>zgrep</prgn> for <em>#debian-private</em> in
+all the files.
+ <p>
+There are other additional channels dedicated to specific subjects.
+<em>#debian-bugs</em> is used for coordinating bug squash parties.
+<em>#debian-boot</em> is used to coordinate the work on the boot
+floppies (i.e. the installer). <em>#debian-doc</em> is
+occasionally used to talk about documentation, like the document you are
+reading. Other channels are dedicated to an architecture or a set of
+packages: <em>#debian-bsd</em>, <em>#debian-kde</em>, <em>#debian-jr</em>,
+<em>#debian-edu</em>,
+<em>#debian-sf</em> (SourceForge package), <em>#debian-oo</em> (OpenOffice
+package) ...
+ <p>
+Some non-English developers' channels exist as well, for example
+<em>#debian-devel-fr</em> for
+French speaking people interested in Debian's development.
+
+
+ <sect id="doc-rsrcs">Documentation
+ <p>
+This document contains a lot of information very useful to Debian developers,
+but it can not contain everything. Most of the other interesting documents
+are linked from <url id="&url-devel-docs;" name="The Developers' Corner">.
+Take the time to browse all the links, you will learn many more things.
+
+
+ <sect id="server-machines">Debian machines
+ <p>
+Debian has several computers working as servers, most of which serve
+critical functions in the Debian project. Most of the machines are used
+for porting activities, and they all have a permanent connection to the
+Internet.
+ <p>
+Most of the machines are available for individual developers to use,
+as long as the developers follow the rules set forth in the
+<url name="Debian Machine Usage Policies" id="&url-dmup;">.
+ <p>
+Generally speaking, you can use these machines for Debian-related purposes
+as you see fit. Please be kind to system administrators, and do not use
+up tons and tons of disk space, network bandwidth, or CPU without first
+getting the approval of the system administrators. Usually these machines are run by
+volunteers.
+ <p>
+Please take care to protect your Debian passwords and SSH keys installed on
+Debian machines. Avoid login or upload methods which send passwords over
+the Internet in the clear, such as telnet, FTP, POP etc.
+ <p>
+Please do not put any material that doesn't relate to Debian on the Debian
+servers, unless you have prior permission.
+ <p>
+The current list of Debian machines is available at
+<url id="&url-devel-machines;">. That web page contains machine names,
+contact information, information about who can log in, SSH keys etc.
+ <p>
+If you have a problem with the operation of a Debian server, and you
think that the system operators need to be notified of this problem,
-please find the contact address for the particular role at <url
-id="&url-debian-contacts;">. If you have a non-operating problems
-(such as packages to be remove, suggestions for the web site, etc.),
+the Debian system administrator team is reachable at
+<email>debian-admin@lists.debian.org</email>.
+ <p>
+If you have a problem with a certain service, not related to the system
+administration (such as packages to be removed from the archive,
+suggestions for the web site, etc.),
generally you'll report a bug against a ``pseudo-package''. See <ref
id="submit-bug"> for information on how to submit bugs.
- <sect1 id="servers-master">The master server
- <p>
-The master server, <tt>master.debian.org</tt>, holds the canonical copy
-of the Debian archive (excluding the non-U.S. packages). Generally,
-package uploads go to this server; see <ref id="upload">.
+ <sect1 id="servers-bugs">The bugs server
<p>
-<tt>master.debian.org</tt> is the canonical location for the Bug
-Tracking System (BTS). If you plan on doing some statistical analysis
-or processing of Debian bugs, this would be the place to do it.
-Please describe your plans on
-<email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> before implementing
+<tt>bugs.debian.org</tt> is the canonical location for the Bug Tracking
+System (BTS). If you plan on doing some statistical analysis or
+processing of Debian bugs, this would be the place to do it. Please
+describe your plans on &email-debian-devel; before implementing
anything, however, to reduce unnecessary duplication of effort or
wasted processing time.
<p>
-All Debian developers have accounts on <tt>master.debian.org</tt>. Please
-take care to protect your password to this machine. Try to avoid
-login or upload methods which send passwords over the Internet in the
-clear.
- <p>
-If you find a problem with <tt>master.debian.org</tt> such as disk full,
-suspicious activity, or whatever, send an email to
-<email>debian-admin@debian.org</email>. Problems with the Debian FTP
-archive generally need to be reported as bugs against the
-<package>ftp.debian.org</package> pseudo-package or an email to
-<email>ftpmaster@debian.org</email>, but also see the procedures in
+All Debian developers have accounts on <tt>bugs.debian.org</tt>.
+
+ <sect1 id="servers-ftp-master">The ftp-master server
+ <p>
+The <tt>ftp-master.debian.org</tt> server holds the canonical copy of the Debian
+archive (excluding the non-US packages). Generally, package uploads
+go to this server; see <ref id="upload">.
+ <p>
+Problems with the Debian FTP archive generally need to be reported as
+bugs against the <package>ftp.debian.org</package> pseudo-package or
+an email to &email-ftpmaster;, but also see the procedures in
<ref id="archive-manip">.
- <sect1 id="servers-www">The WWW servers
+ <sect1 id="servers-non-us">The non-US server
<p>
-The main web server, <tt>www.debian.org</tt>, is also known as
-<tt>va.debian.org</tt>. All developers are given accounts on this
-machine.
+The non-US server, <tt>non-us.debian.org</tt>,
+holds the canonical copy of the non-US part of the Debian archive.
+If you need to upload a package into one of the non-US sections, upload it
+to this server; see <ref id="upload-non-us">.
<p>
-If you have some Debian-specific information which you want to serve
-up on the web, you can do do this by putting material in the
-<file>public_html</file> directory under your home directory. You can
-do this on either <tt>va.debian.org</tt> or
-<tt>master.debian.org</tt>. Any material you put in those areas are
-accessible via the URLs
-<tt>http://www.debian.org/~<var>user-id</var>/</tt> and
-<tt>http://master.debian.org/~<var>user-id</var>/</tt>, respectively.
-Generally, you'll want to use <tt>va</tt>, for the
-<tt>www.debian.org</tt> address, although in some cases you may need
-to put it on <tt>master</tt>. Please do not put any material on
-Debian servers not relating to Debian, unless you have prior
-permission. Send mail to <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>
-if you have any questions.
+Problems with the non-US package archive should generally be submitted as
+bugs against the <package>nonus.debian.org</package> pseudo-package (notice
+the lack of hyphen between "non" and "us" in the pseudo-package name
+— that's for backwards compatibility). Remember to check whether or
+not someone else has already reported the problem on the
+<url id="http://bugs.debian.org/nonus.debian.org" name="Bug Tracking System">.
+
+ <sect1 id="servers-www">The www-master server
+ <p>
+The main web server is <tt>www-master.debian.org</tt>.
+It holds the official web pages, the face
+of Debian for most newbies.
<p>
If you find a problem with the Debian web server, you should generally
submit a bug against the pseudo-package,
-<package>www.debian.org</package>. First check whether or not someone
-else has already reported the problem on the <url
-id="&url-bts;db/pa/lwww.debian.org.html" name="Bug Tracking System">.
+<package>www.debian.org</package>. Remember to check whether or not someone
+else has already reported the problem on the
+<url id="http://bugs.debian.org/www.debian.org" name="Bug Tracking System">.
+ <sect1 id="servers-people">The people web server
+ <p>
+<tt>people.debian.org</tt> is the server used
+for developers' own web pages about anything related to Debian.
+ <p>
+If you have some Debian-specific information which you want to serve
+on the web, you can do this by putting material in the
+<file>public_html</file> directory under your home directory on
+<tt>people.debian.org</tt>.
+This will be accessible at the URL
+<tt>http://people.debian.org/~<var>your-user-id</var>/</tt>.
+ <p>
+You should only use this particular location because it will be backed up,
+whereas on other hosts it won't.
+ <p>
+Usually the only reason to use a different host is when you need to publish
+materials subject to the U.S. export restrictions, in which case you can use
+one of the other servers located outside the United States, such as the
+aforementioned <tt>non-us.debian.org</tt>.
+ <p>
+Send mail to &email-debian-devel; if you have any questions.
<sect1 id="servers-cvs">The CVS server
<p>
-<tt>cvs.debian.org</tt> is also known as <tt>va.debian.org</tt>,
-discussed above. If you need the use of a publically accessible CVS
+Our CVS server is located on <tt>cvs.debian.org</tt>.
+ <p>
+If you need to use a publicly accessible CVS
server, for instance, to help coordinate work on a package between
many different developers, you can request a CVS area on the server.
<p>
Generally, <tt>cvs.debian.org</tt> offers a combination of local CVS
access, anonymous client-server read-only access, and full
client-server access through <prgn>ssh</prgn>. Also, the CVS area can
-be accessed read-only via the Web at <url
-id="http://cvs.debian.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb">.
+be accessed read-only via the Web at <url id="&url-cvsweb;">.
<p>
To request a CVS area, send a request via email to
-<email>debian-admin@debian.org</email>. Include the name of the
-requested CVS area, what <tt>va.debian.org</tt> user account should
-own the CVSROOT, and why you need it.
+&email-debian-admin;. Include the name of the requested CVS area,
+the Debian account that should own the CVS root area, and why you need it.
- <sect1 id="servers-mirrors">Mirrors of Debian servers
+ <sect id="devel-db">The Developers Database
+ <p>
+The Developers Database, at <url id="&url-debian-db;">, is an LDAP
+directory for managing Debian developer attributes. You can use this
+resource to search the list of Debian developers. For information on
+keeping your entry the developer database up-to-date, see <ref
+id="user-maint">. Part of this information is also available through
+the finger service on Debian servers, try
+<prgn>finger yourlogin@db.debian.org</prgn> to see what it reports.
+ <p>
+This database lets you register some other information like public SSH
+keys that will be automatically installed on the official debian machines
+or like *.debian.net DNS entry. Those features are documented
+at <url id="&url-debian-db-mail-gw;">.
+
+ <sect id="servers-mirrors">Mirrors of Debian servers
<p>
The web and FTP servers have several mirrors available. Please do not
put heavy load on the canonical FTP or web servers. Ideally, the
that newer push mirroring techniques ensure that mirrors are as
up-to-date as they can be.
<p>
-The main web page listing the available public FTP (and, usually,
-HTTP) servers can be found at <url
-id="&url-debian-mirrors">. More information
-concerning Debian mirrors can be found at <url
-id="&url-debian-mirroring">. This useful page includes
-information and tools which can be helpful if you are interested in
-setting up your own mirror, either for internal or public access.
+The main web page listing the available public FTP/HTTP
+servers can be found at <url id="&url-debian-mirrors;">. More
+information concerning Debian mirrors can be found at <url
+id="&url-debian-mirroring;">. This useful page includes information
+and tools which can be helpful if you are interested in setting up
+your own mirror, either for internal or public access.
<p>
Note that mirrors are generally run by third-parties who are
interested in helping Debian. As such, developers generally do not
have accounts on these machines.
- <p>
-Please do not mirror off of <tt>master.debian.org</tt>. This host
-already has too much load. Check the sites above for information, or
-email <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>.
- <sect id="other-machines">Other Debian Machines
+ <sect id="archive">The Debian archive
<p>
-There are other Debian machines which may be made available to you.
-You can use these for Debian-related purposes as you see fit. Please
-be kind to system administrators, and do not use up tons and tons of
-disk space, network bandwidth, or CPU without first getting the
-approval of the local maintainers. Usually these machines are run by
-volunteers. Generally, these machines are for porting activities.
+The &debian-formal; distribution consists of a lot of packages
+(<file>.deb</file>'s, currently around &number-of-pkgs;) and a few
+additional files (such documentation and installation disk images).
<p>
-Aside from the servers mentioned in <ref id="server-machines">, the
-following machines are, or may be made, available to you. If an email
-address is listed, generally that person is the party to contact about
-issues on the machine. Otherwise, the machine is probably managed by
-<email>debian-admin@debian.org</email>.
-
-<taglist>
- <tag><tt>faure.debian.org</tt></tag>
- <item>
-An Alpha; if you have an account on <tt>master</tt>, you probably
-already have an account here.
-
- <tag><tt>kubrick.debian.org</tt></tag>
- <item>
-A SPARC; if you have an account on <tt>master</tt>, you probably
-already have an account here.
-
- <tag><tt>pandora.debian.org</tt></tag>
- <item>
-An i386; if you have an account on <tt>master</tt>, you probably
-already have an account here.
-
- <tag><tt>albert.debian.org</tt></tag>
- <item>
-An Alpha; you probably want to use <tt>faure</tt> instead, but you may
-request an account from <email>debian-admin@debian.org</email>.
-
- <tag><tt>powerpc.debian.org</tt></tag>
- <item>
-A PowerPC; also known as <tt>tervola.infodrom.north.de</tt>. You may
-request an account from <email>joey@debian.org</email> or
-<email>koptein@debian.org</email>.
-
- <tag><tt>m68k.debian.org</tt></tag>
- <item>
-A Motorola 6800x0 machine; you may request an account from
-<email>joey@debian.org</email> or <email>james@nocrew.org</email>.
-Runs an autobuilder.
-
- <tag><tt>alpha.debian.nl</tt></tag>
- <item>
-An Alpha; you may request an account from
-<email>debian@cistron.nl</email>.
-
- <tag><tt>xia0[123].kachinatech.com</tt></tag>
- <item>
-SPARC and UltraSPARC machines. <tt>xia0[12]</tt> are used for
-automatic compilation; you can request an account on xia03 (an
-UltraSPARC) from <email>wdeng@kachinatech.com</email>.
-
- </taglist>
-
-
-
- <chapt id="archive">The Debian Archive
-
- <sect>Overview
- <p>
-The Debian GNU/Linux distribution consists of a lot of Debian packages
-(<tt>.deb</tt>'s, currently around &number-of-pkgs;) and a few
-additional files (documentation, installation disk images, etc.).
- <p>
-Here is an example directory tree of a complete Debian distribution:
+Here is an example directory tree of a complete Debian archive:
<p>
&sample-dist-dirtree;
<p>
-As you can see, the top-level directory of the distribution contains
-three directories, namely <em>main</em>, <em>contrib</em>, and
-<em>non-free</em>. These directories are called <em>sections</em>.
- <p>
-In each section, there is a directory with the source packages
-(source), a directory for each supported architecture
-(<tt>binary-i386</tt>, <tt>binary-m68k</tt>, etc.), and a directory
-for architecture independent packages (<tt>binary-all</tt>).
- <p>
-The <em>main</em> section contains additional directories which holds
+As you can see, the top-level directory contains two directories,
+<file>dists/</file> and <file>pool/</file>. The latter is a “pool” in which the
+packages actually are, and which is handled by the archive maintenance
+database and the accompanying programs. The former contains the
+distributions, <em>stable</em>, <em>testing</em> and <em>unstable</em>.
+The <file>Packages</file> and <file>Sources</file> files in the
+distribution subdirectories can reference files in the <file>pool/</file>
+directory. The directory tree below each of the distributions is arranged
+in an identical manner. What we describe below for <em>stable</em> is
+equally applicable to the <em>unstable</em> and <em>testing</em>
+distributions.
+ <p>
+<file>dists/stable</file> contains three directories, namely <file>main</file>,
+<file>contrib</file>, and <file>non-free</file>.
+ <p>
+In each of the areas, there is a directory for the source packages
+(<file>source</file>) and a directory for each supported architecture
+(<file>binary-i386</file>, <file>binary-m68k</file>, etc.).
+ <p>
+The <file>main</file> area contains additional directories which holds
the disk images and some essential pieces of documentation required
for installing the Debian distribution on a specific architecture
-(<tt>disks-i386</tt>, <tt>disks-m68k</tt>, etc.).
- <p>
-The <em>binary</em> and <em>source</em> directories are divided
-further into <em>subsections</em>.
+(<file>disks-i386</file>, <file>disks-m68k</file>, etc.).
- <sect>Sections
+ <sect1>Sections
<p>
-The <em>main</em> section is what makes up the <em>official Debian
-GNU/Linux distribution</em>. The <em>main</em> section is official
-because it fully complies with all our guidelines. The other two
-sections do not, to different degrees; as such, they are not
-officially part of Debian.
+The <em>main</em> section of the Debian archive is what makes up the
+<strong>official &debian-formal; distribution</strong>. The
+<em>main</em> section is official because it fully complies with all
+our guidelines. The other two sections do not, to different degrees;
+as such, they are <strong>not</strong> officially part of
+&debian-formal;.
<p>
Every package in the main section must fully comply with the <url
id="&url-dfsg;" name="Debian Free Software Guidelines"> (DFSG) and
with all other policy requirements as described in the <url
id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy Manual">. The DFSG is
-our definition of ``free software.'' Check out the Debian Policy
+our definition of “free software.” Check out the Debian Policy
Manual for details.
<p>
-The packages which do not apply to the DFSG are placed in the
+Packages in the <em>contrib</em> section have to comply with the DFSG,
+but may fail other requirements. For instance, they may depend on
+non-free packages.
+ <p>
+Packages which do not conform to the DFSG are placed in the
<em>non-free</em> section. These packages are not considered as part
of the Debian distribution, though we support their use, and we
provide infrastructure (such as our bug-tracking system and mailing
lists) for non-free software packages.
<p>
-Packages in the <em>contrib</em> section have to comply with the DFSG,
-but may fail other requirements. For instance, they may depend on
-non-free packages.
- <p>
The <url id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy Manual">
contains a more exact definition of the three sections. The above
discussion is just an introduction.
<p>
On the other hand, a CD-ROM vendor could easily check the individual
package licenses of the packages in <em>non-free</em> and include as
-many on the CD-ROMs as he's allowed. (Since this varies greatly from
+many on the CD-ROMs as he's allowed to. (Since this varies greatly from
vendor to vendor, this job can't be done by the Debian developers.)
- <sect>Architectures
+ <sect1>Architectures
<p>
In the first days, the Linux kernel was only available for the Intel
i386 (or greater) platforms, and so was Debian. But when Linux became
680x0 (like Atari, Amiga and Macintoshes), MIPS, and PowerPC. The
Linux 2.2 kernel supports even more architectures, including ARM and
UltraSPARC. Since Linux supports these platforms, Debian decided that
-it should, too. Therefore, Debian has ports underway. In fact, we
+it should, too. Therefore, Debian has ports underway; in fact, we
also have ports underway to non-Linux kernel. Aside from
<em>i386</em> (our name for Intel x86), there is <em>m68k</em>,
<em>alpha</em>, <em>powerpc</em>, <em>sparc</em>, <em>hurd-i386</em>,
-and <em>arm</em>, as of this writing.
-
+<em>arm</em>, <em>ia64</em>, <em>hppa</em>, <em>s390</em>, <em>mips</em>,
+<em>mipsel</em> and <em>sh</em> as of this writing.
<p>
-Debian GNU/Linux 1.3 is only available as <em>i386</em>. Debian 2.0
+&debian-formal; 1.3 is only available as <em>i386</em>. Debian 2.0
shipped for <em>i386</em> and <em>m68k</em> architectures. Debian 2.1
ships for the <em>i386</em>, <em>m68k</em>, <em>alpha</em>, and
-<em>sparc</em> architectures.
+<em>sparc</em> architectures. Debian 2.2 added support for the
+<em>powerpc</em> and <em>arm</em> architectures. Debian 3.0 adds
+support of five new architectures: <em>ia64</em>, <em>hppa</em>,
+<em>s390</em>, <em>mips</em> and <em>mipsel</em>.
+ <p>
+Information for developers or uses about the specific ports are
+available at the <url id="&url-debian-ports;" name="Debian Ports web
+pages">.
- <sect>Subsections
+<!-- <sect1>Subsections
<p>
The sections <em>main</em>, <em>contrib</em>, and <em>non-free</em>
are split into <em>subsections</em> to simplify the installation
-process and the maintainance of the archive. Subsections are not
-formally defined, excepting perhaps the `base' subsection.
-Subsections exist simply to simplify the organization and browsing of
-available packages. Please check the current Debian distribution to
-see which sections are available.
+process and the maintenance of the archive. Subsections simply exist to
+simplify the organization and browsing of available packages. The
+<url id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy Manual"> gives
+the authoritative list of subsections.
+ <p>
+Note however that with the introduction of package pools (see the top-level
+<em>pool/</em> directory), the subsections in the form of subdirectories
+will eventually cease to exist. They will be kept in the packages' `Section'
+header fields, though. -->
- <sect>Packages
+ <sect1>Packages
<p>
There are two types of Debian packages, namely <em>source</em> and
<em>binary</em> packages.
<p>
-Source packages consist of either two or three files: a <tt>.dsc</tt>
-file, and either a <tt>.tar.gz</tt> file or both an
-<tt>.orig.tar.gz</tt> and a <tt>.diff.gz</tt> file.
+Source packages consist of either two or three files: a <file>.dsc</file>
+file, and either a <file>.tar.gz</file> file or both an
+<file>.orig.tar.gz</file> and a <file>.diff.gz</file> file.
<p>
If a package is developed specially for Debian and is not distributed
-outside of Debian, there is just one <tt>.tar.gz</tt> file which
+outside of Debian, there is just one <file>.tar.gz</file> file which
contains the sources of the program. If a package is distributed
-elsewhere too, the <tt>.orig.tar.gz</tt> file stores the so-called
+elsewhere too, the <file>.orig.tar.gz</file> file stores the so-called
<em>upstream source code</em>, that is the source code that's
distributed from the <em>upstream maintainer</em> (often the author of
-the software). In this case, the <tt>.diff.gz</tt> contains the
+the software). In this case, the <file>.diff.gz</file> contains the
changes made by the Debian maintainer.
<p>
-The <tt>.dsc</tt> lists all the files in the source package together
-with checksums (md5sums) and some additional info about the package
-(maintainer, version, etc.).
+The <file>.dsc</file> file lists all the files in the source package together
+with checksums (<prgn>md5sums</prgn>) and some additional info about
+the package (maintainer, version, etc.).
- <sect>Distribution directories
+ <sect1>Distribution directories
<p>
-The directory system described in the previous chapter, are themselves
-contained within <em>distribution directories</em>. Every
-distribution is contained in the <tt>dists</tt> directory in the
-top-level of the Debian archive itself (the symlinks from the
-top-level directory to the distributions themselves are for backwards
-compatability and are deprecated).
+The directory system described in the previous chapter is itself
+contained within <em>distribution directories</em>. Each
+distribution is actually contained in the <file>pool</file> directory in the
+top-level of the Debian archive itself.
<p>
To summarize, the Debian archive has a root directory within an FTP
server. For instance, at the mirror site,
<ftpsite>ftp.us.debian.org</ftpsite>, the Debian archive itself is
contained in <ftppath>/debian</ftppath>, which is a common location
-(another is <ftppath>/pub/debian</ftppath>).
- <p>
-Within that archive root, the actual distributions are contained in
-the <tt>dists</tt> directory. Here is an overview of the layout:
+(another is <file>/pub/debian</file>).
<p>
-<example>
-<var>archive root</var>/dists/<var>distribution</var>/<var>section</var>/<var>architecture</var>/<var>subsection</var>/<var>packages</var>
-</example>
+A distribution is comprised of Debian source and binary packages, and the
+respective <file>Sources</file> and <file>Packages</file> index files, containing
+the header information from all those packages. The former are kept in the
+<file>pool/</file> directory, while the latter are kept in the <file>dists/</file>
+directory of the archive (for backwards compatibility).
-Extrapolating from this layout, you know that to find the i386 base
-packages for the distribution <em>slink</em>, you would look in
-<ftppath>/debian/dists/slink/main/binary-i386/base/</ftppath>.
- <sect1>Stable, unstable, and sometimes frozen
+ <sect2 id="sec-dists">Stable, testing, and unstable
<p>
-There is always a distribution called <em>stable</em> (residing in
-<tt>dists/stable</tt>) and one called <em>unstable</em> (residing in
-<tt>dists/unstable</tt>). This reflects the development process of the
+There are always distributions called <em>stable</em> (residing in
+<file>dists/stable</file>), one called <em>testing</em> (residing in
+<file>dists/testing</file>), and one called <em>unstable</em> (residing in
+<file>dists/unstable</file>). This reflects the development process of the
Debian project.
<p>
Active development is done in the <em>unstable</em> distribution
(that's why this distribution is sometimes called the <em>development
distribution</em>). Every Debian developer can update his or her
packages in this distribution at any time. Thus, the contents of this
-distribution change from day-to-day. Since no special effort is done
-to test this distribution, it is sometimes ``unstable.''
- <p>
-After a period of development, the <em>unstable</em> distribution is
-copied in a new distribution directory, called <em>frozen</em>. When
-that occurs, no changes are allowed to the frozen distribution except
-bug fixes; that's why it's called ``frozen.'' After another month or
-a little longer, the <em>frozen</em> distribution is renamed to
-<em>stable</em>, overriding the old <em>stable</em> distribution,
-which is removed at that time.
+distribution changes from day-to-day. Since no special effort is done
+to make sure everything in this distribution is working properly, it is
+sometimes literally unstable.
+ <p>
+<ref id="testing"> is generated automatically by taking
+packages from unstable if they satisfy certain criteria. Those
+criteria should ensure a good quality for packages within testing.
+The update to testing is launched each day after the
+new packages have been installed.
+ <p>
+After a period of development, once the release manager deems fit, the
+<em>testing</em> distribution is frozen, meaning that the policies
+which control how packages move from <em>unstable</em> to <em>testing</em> are
+tightened. Packages which are too buggy are removed. No changes are
+allowed into <em>testing</em> except for bug fixes. After some time
+has elapsed, depending on progress, the <em>testing</em> distribution
+goes into a `deep freeze', when no changes are made to it except those
+needed for the installation system. This is called a “test cycle”,
+and it can last up to two weeks. There can be several test cycles,
+until the distribution is prepared for release, as decided by the
+release manager. At the end of the last test cycle, the
+<em>testing</em> distribution is renamed to <em>stable</em>,
+overriding the old <em>stable</em> distribution, which is removed at
+that time (although it can be found at <tt>&archive-host;</tt>).
<p>
This development cycle is based on the assumption that the
<em>unstable</em> distribution becomes <em>stable</em> after passing a
-period of testing as <em>frozen</em>. Even once a distribution is
-considered stable, a few bugs inevitably remain--that's why the stable
-distribution is updated every now and then. However, these updates are
-tested very carefully and have to be introduced into the archive
-individually to reduce the risk of introducing new bugs. You can find
-proposed additions to <em>stable</em> in the <tt>proposed-updates</tt>
-directory. Those packages in <tt>proposed-updates</tt> that pass
-muster are periodically moved as a batch into the stable distribution
-and the revision level of the stable distribution is incremented
-(e.g., `1.3' becomes `1.3r1', `2.0r2' becomes `2.0r3', and so forth).
- <p>
-Note that development under <em>unstable</em> is continued during the
-``freeze'' period, since a new <em>unstable</em> distribution is be
-created when the older <em>unstable</em> is moved to <em>frozen</em>.
-Another wrinkle is that when the <em>frozen</em> distribution is
-offically released, the old stable distribution is completely removed
-from the Debian archives (although they do live on at
-<tt>archive-host;</tt>).
- <p>
-In summary, there is always a <em>stable</em> and an <em>unstable</em>
-distribution available, and the <em>frozen</em> distribution shows up
-for a month or so from time to time.
-
-
- <sect1>Experimental
- <p>
-The <em>experimental</em> distribution is a specialty distribution.
-It is not a full distribution in the same sense that `stable' and
+period of being in <em>testing</em>. Even once a distribution is
+considered stable, a few bugs inevitably remain — that's why the
+stable distribution is updated every now and then. However, these
+updates are tested very carefully and have to be introduced into the
+archive individually to reduce the risk of introducing new bugs. You
+can find proposed additions to <em>stable</em> in the
+<file>proposed-updates</file> directory. Those packages in
+<file>proposed-updates</file> that pass muster are periodically moved as a
+batch into the stable distribution and the revision level of the
+stable distribution is incremented (e.g., ‘3.0’ becomes
+‘3.0r1’, ‘2.2r4’ becomes ‘2.2r5’, and
+so forth).
+ <p>
+Note that development under <em>unstable</em> continues during the
+freeze period, since the <em>unstable</em> distribution remains in
+place in parallel with <em>testing</em>.
+
+ <sect2>Experimental
+ <p>
+The <em>experimental</em> distribution is a special distribution.
+It is not a full distribution in the same sense as `stable' and
`unstable' are. Instead, it is meant to be a temporary staging area
for highly experimental software where there's a good chance that the
-software could break your system. Users who download and install
+software could break your system, or software that's just too unstable
+even for the <em>unstable</em> distribution (but there is a reason to
+package it nevertheless). Users who download and install
packages from <em>experimental</em> are expected to have been duly
warned. In short, all bets are off for the <em>experimental</em>
distribution.
<p>
-Developers should be very selective in the use of the
-<em>experimental</em> distribution. Even if a package is highly
-unstable, it could well still go into <em>unstable</em>; just state a
-few warnings in the description. However, if there is a chance that
-the software could do grave damage to a system, it might be better to
-put it into <em>experimental</em>.
- <p>
-For instance, an experimental encrypted file system should probably go
-into <em>experimental</em>. A new, beta, version of some software
-which uses completely different configuration might go into
-<em>experimental</em> at the maintainer's discretion. New software
-which isn't likely to damage your system can go into
-<em>unstable</em>. If you are working on an incompatible or complex
-upgrade situation, you can also use <em>experimental</em> as a staging
-area, so that testers can get early access.
- <p>
-However, using <em>experimental</em> as a personal staging area is not
-always the best idea. You can't replace or upgrade the files in there
-on your own (<prgn>dinstall</prgn> and the Debian archive maintainers
-do that). Additionally, you'll have to remember to ask the archive
-maintainers to delete the package one you have uploaded it to
-<em>unstable</em>. Using your personal web space on
-<tt>va.debian.org</tt> is generally a better idea, so that you put
-less strain on the Debian archive maintainers.
-
-
- <sect id="codenames">Release code names
+If there is a chance that the software could do grave damage to a system,
+it is likely to be better to put it into <em>experimental</em>.
+For instance, an experimental compressed file system should probably go
+into <em>experimental</em>.
+ <p>
+Whenever there is a new upstream version of a package that introduces new
+features but breaks a lot of old ones, it should either not be uploaded, or
+be uploaded to <em>experimental</em>. A new, beta, version of some software
+which uses completely different configuration can go into
+<em>experimental</em>, at the maintainer's discretion. If you are working
+on an incompatible or complex upgrade situation, you can also use
+<em>experimental</em> as a staging area, so that testers can get early
+access.
+ <p>
+Some experimental software can still go into <em>unstable</em>, with a few
+warnings in the description, but that isn't recommended because packages
+from <em>unstable</em> are expected to propagate to <em>testing</em> and
+thus to <em>stable</em>. You should not be afraid to use
+<em>experimental</em> since it does not cause any pain to the ftpmasters,
+the experimental packages are automatically removed once you upload
+the package in <em>unstable</em> with a higher version number.
+ <p>
+New software which isn't likely to damage your system can go directly into
+<em>unstable</em>.
+ <p>
+An alternative to <em>experimental</em> is to use your personal web space
+on <tt>people.debian.org</tt>.
+
+
+ <sect1 id="codenames">Release code names
<p>
Every released Debian distribution has a <em>code name</em>: Debian
1.1 is called `buzz'; Debian 1.2, `rex'; Debian 1.3, `bo'; Debian 2.0,
-`hamm'; Debian 2.1, `slink'; and Debian 2.2, `potato'. There is also
-a ``pseudo-distribution'', called `sid' which is contains packages for
-architectures which are not yet officially supported or released by
-Debian. These architectures are planned to be integrated into the
-mainstream distribution at some future date.
- <p>
-Since the Debian has an open development model (i.e., everyone can
-participate and follow the development) even the unstable distribution
-is distributed via the Internet on the Debian FTP and HTTP server
-network. Thus, if we had called the directory which contains the
-development version `unstable', then we would have to rename it to
-`stable' when the version is released, which would cause all FTP
-mirrors to re-retrieve the whole distribution (which is already very
-large!).
+`hamm'; Debian 2.1, `slink'; Debian 2.2, `potato'; and Debian 3.0, `woody'. There is also
+a ``pseudo-distribution'', called `sid', which is the current
+`unstable' distribution; since packages are moved from `unstable' to
+`testing' as they approach stability, `sid' itself is never released.
+As well as the usual contents of a Debian distribution, `sid' contains
+packages for architectures which are not yet officially supported or
+released by Debian. These architectures are planned to be integrated
+into the mainstream distribution at some future date.
+ <p>
+Since Debian has an open development model (i.e., everyone can
+participate and follow the development) even the `unstable' and `testing'
+distributions are distributed to the Internet through the Debian FTP and
+HTTP server network. Thus, if we had called the directory which contains
+the release candidate version `testing', then we would have to rename it
+to `stable' when the version is released, which would cause all FTP
+mirrors to re-retrieve the whole distribution (which is quite large).
<p>
On the other hand, if we called the distribution directories
<em>Debian-x.y</em> from the beginning, people would think that Debian
1.1, and not 1.0.)
<p>
Thus, the names of the distribution directories in the archive are
-determined by their code names and not their release status (i.e.,
+determined by their code names and not their release status (e.g.,
`slink'). These names stay the same during the development period and
-after the release; symbolic links, which can be changed, are made to
+after the release; symbolic links, which can be changed easily,
indicate the currently released stable distribution. That's why the
-real distribution directories use the <em>code names</em> and symbolic
-links for <em>stable</em>, <em>unstable</em>, and <em>frozen</em>
-point to the appropriate release directories.
+real distribution directories use the <em>code names</em>, while
+symbolic links for <em>stable</em>, <em>testing</em>, and
+<em>unstable</em> point to the appropriate release directories.
+
+ <sect id="incoming-system">
+ <heading>The Incoming system
+ <p>
+The Incoming system is responsible of collecting updated packages and
+installing them in the Debian archive. It consists of a set of
+directories and scripts that are installed both on <tt>&ftp-master-host;</tt>
+and <tt>&non-us-host;</tt>.
+ <p>
+Packages are uploaded by all the maintainers into a directory called
+<file>unchecked</file>. This directory is scanned every 15 minutes by
+the <prgn>katie</prgn> script, which verifies the integrity of the uploaded packages and the cryptographic
+signatures. If the package is considered ready to be installed, it
+is moved into the <file>accepted</file> directory. If this is the first upload of
+the package, it is moved in the <file>new</file> directory, where it waits
+for an approval of the ftpmasters. If the package contains files to be installed
+"by-hand" it is moved in the <file>byhand</file> directory, where it waits
+for a manual installation by the ftpmasters. Otherwise, if any error has been detected,
+the package is refused and is moved in the <file>reject</file> directory.
+ <p>
+Once the package is accepted the system sends a confirmation
+mail to the maintainer, closes all the bugs marked as fixed by the upload
+and the auto-builders may start recompiling it. The package is now publicly
+accessible at <url id="&url-incoming;"> (there is no
+such URL for packages in the non-US archive) until it is really installed
+in the Debian archive. This happens only once a day, the package
+is then removed from incoming and installed in the pool along with all
+the other packages. Once all the other updates (generating new
+<file>Packages</file> and <file>Sources</file> index files for example) have been
+made, a special script is called to ask all the primary mirrors to update
+themselves.
+ <p>
+All debian developers have write access to the <file>unchecked</file>
+directory in order to upload their packages, they also have that access
+to the <file>reject</file> directory in order to remove their bad uploads
+or to move some files back in the <file>unchecked</file> directory. But
+all the other directories are only writable by the ftpmasters, that is
+why you can not remove an upload once it has been accepted.
+
+ <sect1 id="delayed-incoming">Delayed incoming
+ <p>
+The <file>unchecked</file> directory has a special <file>DELAYED</file>
+subdirectory. It is itself subdivided in nine directories
+called <file>1-day</file> to <file>9-day</file>. Packages which are uploaded in
+one of those directories will be moved in the real unchecked
+directory after the corresponding number of days.
+This is done by a script that is run each day and which moves the
+packages between the directories. Those which are in "1-day" are
+installed in <file>unchecked</file> while the others are moved in the
+adjacent directory (for example, a package in <file>5-day</file> will
+be moved in <file>4-day</file>). This feature is particularly useful
+for people who are doing non-maintainer uploads. Instead of
+waiting before uploading a NMU, it is uploaded as soon as it is
+ready but in one of those <file>DELAYED/<var>x</var>-day</file> directories.
+That leaves the corresponding number of days for the maintainer
+to react and upload another fix themselves if they are not
+completely satisfied with the NMU. Alternatively they can remove
+the NMU.
+ <p>
+The use of that delayed feature can be simplified with a bit
+of integration with your upload tool. For instance, if you use
+<prgn>dupload</prgn> (see <ref id="dupload">), you can add this
+snippet to your configuration file:
+<example>
+$delay = ($ENV{DELAY} || 7);
+$cfg{'delayed'} = {
+ fqdn => "&ftp-master-host;",
+ login => "yourdebianlogin",
+ incoming => "/org/ftp.debian.org/incoming/DELAYED/$delay-day/",
+ dinstall_runs => 1,
+ method => "scpb"
+};
+</example>
+Once you've made that change, <prgn>dupload</prgn> can be used to
+easily upload a package in one of the delayed directories:
+<example>DELAY=5 dupload --to delayed <changes-file></example>
+
+ <sect id="testing">
+ <heading>The "testing" distribution</heading>
+ <p>
+The scripts that update the <em>testing</em> distribution are run each day
+after the installation of the
+updated packages. They generate the <file>Packages</file> files for
+the <em>testing</em> distribution, but they do so in an intelligent manner
+trying to avoid any inconsistency and trying to use only
+non-buggy packages.
+ <p>The inclusion of a package from <em>unstable</em> is conditional on the following:
+<list>
+ <item>
+The package must have been available in <em>unstable</em> for several days;
+the precise number depends on the upload's urgency field. It
+is 10 days for low urgency, 5 days for medium urgency and 2 days for high
+urgency. Those delays may be doubled during a freeze;
+ <item>
+It must have less release-critical bugs than the version available
+in <em>testing</em>;
+ <item>
+It must be available on all architectures on which it has been
+previously built. <ref id="madison"> may be of interest to
+check that information;
+ <item>
+It must not break any dependency of a package that is already available
+in <em>testing</em>;
+ <item>
+The packages on which it depends must either be available in <em>testing</em>
+or they must be accepted into <em>testing</em> at the same time (and they will
+if they respect themselves all the criteria);
+</list>
+ <p>
+The scripts are generating some output files to explain why some packages
+are kept out of testing. They are available at <url
+id="&url-testing-maint;">. Alternatively, it is possible to use
+the <prgn>grep-excuses</prgn> program part of the
+<package>devscripts</package> package. It can be easily put in a crontab
+to keep someone informed of the progression of his packages in <em>testing</em>.
+ <p>
+The <file>update_excuses</file> file does not always give the precise reason
+why the package is refused, one may have to find it on their own by looking
+what would break with the inclusion of the package. The <url
+id="&url-testing-faq;" name="testing FAQ"> gives some more information
+about the usual problems which may be causing such troubles.
+ <p>
+Sometimes, some packages never enter <em>testing</em> because the set of
+inter-relationship is too complicated and can not be sorted out
+by the scripts. In that case, the release manager must be
+contacted, and he will force the inclusion of the packages.
+
+ <sect id="pkg-info">Package information
+ <p>
+
+ <sect1 id="pkg-info-web">On the web
+ <p>
+Each package has several dedicated web pages.
+<tt>http://&packages-host;/<var>package-name</var></tt>
+displays each version of the package
+available in the various distributions. Each version links to a page
+which provides information, including the package description,
+the dependencies and package download links.
+ <p>
+The bug tracking system track bugs for each package. You can
+view the bugs of a given package at the URL
+<tt>http://&bugs-host;/<var>package-name</var></tt>.
+
+ <sect1 id="madison">The <prgn>madison</prgn> utility
+ <p>
+<prgn>madison</prgn> is a command-line utility that is available
+on both <tt>&ftp-master-host;</tt> and <tt>&non-us-host;</tt>. It
+uses a single argument corresponding to a package name. In result
+it displays which version of the package is available for each
+architecture and distribution combination. An example will explain
+it better.
+ <p>
+<example>
+$ madison libdbd-mysql-perl
+libdbd-mysql-perl | 1.2202-4 | stable | source, alpha, arm, i386, m68k, powerpc, sparc
+libdbd-mysql-perl | 1.2216-2 | testing | source, arm, hppa, i386, ia64, m68k, mips, mipsel, powerpc, s390, sparc
+libdbd-mysql-perl | 1.2216-2.0.1 | testing | alpha
+libdbd-mysql-perl | 1.2219-1 | unstable | source, alpha, arm, hppa, i386, ia64, m68k, mips, mipsel, powerpc, s390, sparc
+</example>
+ <p>
+In this example, you can see that the version in <em>unstable</em> differs from
+the version in <em>testing</em> and that there has been a binary-only NMU of the
+package for the alpha architecture. Each time the package has been
+recompiled on most of the architectures.
+ <sect id="pkg-tracking-system">The Package Tracking System
+ <p>
+The Package Tracking System (PTS) is basically a tool to track by mail
+the activity of a source package. You just have to subscribe
+to a source package to start getting the mails related to it.
+You get the same mails than the maintainer. Each mail
+sent through the PTS is classified and associated to one of
+the keyword listed below. This will let you select the mails that
+you want to receive.
+ <p>
+By default you will get:
+<taglist>
+ <tag><tt>bts</tt>
+ <item>
+All the bug reports and following discussions.
+
+ <tag><tt>bts-control</tt>
+ <item>
+The control mails notifying a status change in one of the bugs.
+
+ <tag><tt>upload-source</tt>
+ <item>
+The confirmation mail from <prgn>katie</prgn> when an uploaded source
+package is accepted.
+
+ <tag><tt>katie-other</tt>
+ <item>
+Other warning and error mails from <prgn>katie</prgn> (like the
+override disparity for the section or priority field).
+
+ <tag><tt>default</tt>
+ <item>
+Any non-automatic mail sent to the PTS by people who wanted to
+contact the subscribers of the package.
+
+ <tag><tt>summary</tt>
+ <item>
+In the future, you may receive regular summary mails to keep you
+informed of the package's status (bug statistics, porting overview,
+progression in <em>testing</em>, ...).
+</taglist>
+ <p>
+You can also decide to receive some more information:
+<taglist>
+ <tag><tt>upload-binary</tt>
+ <item>
+The confirmation mail from <prgn>katie</prgn> when an uploaded binary
+package is accepted (to check that your package is recompiled for all
+architectures).
- <chapt id="upload">Package uploads
+ <tag><tt>cvs</tt>
+ <item>
+CVS commits if the maintainer has setup a system to forward commit
+notification to the PTS.
+</taglist>
- <sect>Announcing new packages
+ <sect1 id="pts-commands">The PTS email interface
+ <p>
+You can control your subscription(s) to the PTS by sending
+various commands to <email>pts@qa.debian.org</email>.
+
+<taglist>
+
+<tag><tt>subscribe <srcpackage> [<email>]</tt>
+<item>
+ Subscribes <var>email</var> to communications related to the source package
+ <var>srcpackage</var>. Sender address is used if the second argument is
+ not present. If <var>srcpackage</var> is not a valid source package,
+ you'll get a warning. However if it's a valid binary package, the PTS
+ will subscribe you to the corresponding source package.
+
+<tag><tt>unsubscribe <srcpackage> [<email>]</tt>
+<item>
+ Removes a previous subscription to the source package <var>srcpackage</var>
+ using the specified email address or the sender address if the second
+ argument is left out.
+
+<tag><tt>which [<email>]</tt>
+<item>
+ Lists all subscriptions for the sender or the email address optionally
+ specified.
+
+<tag><tt>keyword [<email>]</tt>
+<item>
+ Tells you the keywords that you are accepting. Each mail sent through
+ the Package Tracking System is associated to a keyword and you receive
+ only the mails associated to keywords that you are accepting. Here is
+ the list of available keywords:
+ <list>
+ <item><tt>bts</tt>: mails coming from the Debian Bug Tracking System
+ <item><tt>bts-control</tt>: reply to mails sent to
+ <email>control@bugs.debian.org</email>
+ <item><tt>summary</tt>: automatic summary mails about the state of a package
+ <item><tt>cvs</tt>: notification of CVS commits
+ <item><tt>upload-source</tt>: announce of a new source upload that
+ has been accepted
+ <item><tt>upload-binary</tt>: announce of a new binary-only upload (porting)
+ <item><tt>katie-other</tt>: other mails from ftpmasters
+ (override disparity, etc.)
+ <item><tt>default</tt>: all the other mails (those which aren't "automatic")
+ </list>
+
+<tag><tt>keyword <srcpackage> [<email>]</tt>
+<item>
+ Same as previous item but for the given source package since
+ you may select a different set of keywords for each source package.
+
+<tag><tt>keyword [<email>] {+|-|=} <list of keywords></tt>
+<item>
+ Accept (+) or refuse (-) mails associated to the given keyword(s).
+ Define the list (=) of accepted keywords.
+
+<tag><tt>keyword <srcpackage> [<email>] {+|-|=} <list of keywords></tt>
+<item>
+ Same as previous item but overrides the keywords list for the
+ indicated source package.
+
+<tag><tt>quit | thanks | --</tt>
+<item>
+ Stops processing commands. All following lines are ignored by
+ the bot.
+</taglist>
+
+ <sect1 id="pts-mail-filtering">Filtering PTS mails
+ <p>
+Once you are subscribed to a package, you will get the mails sent to
+<tt><var>srcpackage</var>@packages.qa.debian.org</tt>. Those mails
+have special headers appended to let you filter them in a special
+mailbox with <prgn>procmail</prgn>. The added headers are
+<tt>X-Loop</tt>, <tt>X-PTS-Package</tt>, <tt>X-PTS-Keyword</tt> and
+<tt>X-Unsubscribe</tt>.
+ <p>
+Here is an example of added headers for a source upload notification
+on the <package>dpkg</package> package:
+<example>
+X-Loop: dpkg@&pts-host;
+X-PTS-Package: dpkg
+X-PTS-Keyword: upload-source
+X-Unsubscribe: echo 'unsubscribe dpkg' | mail pts@qa.debian.org
+</example>
+
+ <sect1 id="pts-cvs-commit">Forwarding CVS commits in the PTS
+ <p>
+If you use a publicly accessible CVS repository for maintaining
+your Debian package you may want to forward the commit notification
+to the PTS so that the subscribers (possible co-maintainers) can
+closely follow the package's evolution.
+ <p>
+It's very easy to setup. Once your CVS repository generates commit
+notifications, you just have to make sure it sends a copy of those mails
+to <tt><var>srcpackage</var>_cvs@&pts-host;</tt>. Only people who
+accepts the <em>cvs</em> keyword will receive the notifications.
+
+ <sect id="ddpo">Developer's packages overview
+ <p>
+A QA (quality assurance) web portal is available at <url
+ id="&url-ddpo;"> which displays a table listing all the packages
+of a single developer (including those where the party is listed as
+a co-maintainer). The table gives a good summary about the developer's
+packages: number of bugs by severity, list of available versions in each
+distribution, testing status and much more including links to any other
+useful information.
+ <p>
+It is a good idea to look up your own data regularly so that
+you don't forget any open bug, and so that you don't forget which
+packages are under your responsibility.
+
+
+ <chapt id="pkgs">Managing Packages
+ <p>
+This chapter contains information related to creating, uploading,
+maintaining, and porting packages.
+
+ <sect id="upload">Package uploads
+
+ <sect1>New packages
<p>
If you want to create a new package for the Debian distribution, you
-should first check the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/doc/prospective-packages.html"
-name="Work-Needing and Prospective Packages (WNPP)"> list. Checking
-the WNPP ensures that no one is already working on packaging that
-software, and that effort is not duplicated. Assuming no one else is
-already working on your prospective package, you must then send a
-short email to <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> describing
-your plan to create a new package. You should set the subject of the
-email to ``intent to package <var>foobar</var>'', substituting the
-name of the new package for <var>foobar</var>.
- <p>
-There are a number of reasons why we ask maintainers to follow these
-steps:
+should first check the <url id="&url-wnpp;" name="Work-Needing and
+Prospective Packages (WNPP)"> list. Checking the WNPP list ensures that
+no one is already working on packaging that software, and that effort is
+not duplicated. Read the <url id="&url-wnpp;" name="WNPP web pages"> for
+more information.
+ <p>
+Assuming no one else is already working on your prospective package,
+you must then submit a bug report (<ref id="submit-bug">) against the
+pseudo-package <package>wnpp</package>
+describing your plan to create a new package, including, but not
+limiting yourself to, a description of the package, the license of the
+prospective package and the current URL where it can be downloaded
+from.
+ <p>
+You should set the subject of the bug to ``ITP: <var>foo</var>
+-- <var>short description</var>'', substituting the name of the new
+package for <var>foo</var>. The severity of the bug report must be set
+to <em>wishlist</em>. If you feel it's necessary, send a copy to
+&email-debian-devel; by putting the address in the <tt>X-Debbugs-CC:</tt> header
+of the message (no, don't use <tt>CC:</tt>, because that way the message's subject
+won't indicate the bug number).
+ <p>
+Please include a <tt>Closes: bug#<var>nnnnn</var></tt> entry on the
+changelog of the new package in order for the bug report to be
+automatically closed once the new package is installed on the archive
+(<ref id="upload-bugfix">).
+ <p>
+There are a number of reasons why we ask maintainers to announce their
+intentions:
<list compact>
<item>
It helps the (potentially new) maintainer to tap into the experience
-of people on the list, and lets them know if any one else is working
+of people on the list, and lets them know if anyone else is working
on it already.
<item>
It lets other people thinking about working on the package know that
-there already is a volunteer, and efforts may be shared. The ``intent
-to package'' message to <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>
-will be picked up the the WNPP maintainer, and your intention will be
-published in subsequent versions of the WNPP document.
+there already is a volunteer, so efforts may be shared.
<item>
It lets the rest of the maintainers know more about the package than
-the one line description and the changelog entry ``Initial version''
-that generally gets posted to <tt>debian-devel-changes</tt> by
-default.
+the one line description and the usual changelog entry ``Initial release''
+that gets posted to <tt>debian-devel-changes</tt>.
<item>
It is helpful to the people who live off unstable (and form our first
-line of testers); we should encourage these people.
+line of testers). We should encourage these people.
<item>
The announcements give maintainers and other interested parties a
better feel of what is going on, and what is new, in the project.
</list>
-
- <sect id="uploading">Uploading a package
-
- <sect1>Generating the changes file
- <p>
-When a package is uploaded to the Debian FTP archive, it must be
-accompanied by a <tt>.changes</tt> file, which gives directions to the
-archive maintainers for its handling. This is usually generated by
-<prgn>dpkg-genchanges</prgn> during the normal package build process.
- <p>
-The changes file is a control file with the following fields:
+ <sect1 id="changelog-entries">
+ <heading>Adding an entry to <file>debian/changelog</file></heading>
<p>
-<list compact>
- <item><tt>Format</tt>
- <item><tt>Date</tt>
- <item><tt>Source</tt>
- <item><tt>Binary</tt>
- <item><tt>Architecture</tt>
- <item><tt>Version</tt>
- <item><tt>Distribution</tt>
- <item><tt>Urgency</tt>
- <item><tt>Maintainer</tt>
- <item><tt>Description</tt>
- <item><tt>Changes</tt>
- <item><tt>Files</tt>
- </list>
+Changes that you make to the package need to be recorded in the
+<file>debian/changelog</file>. These changes should provide a concise
+description of what was changed, why (if it's in doubt), and note if
+any bugs were closed. They also record when the package was
+completed. This file will be installed in
+<file>/usr/share/doc/<var>package</var>/changelog.Debian.gz</file>, or
+<file>/usr/share/doc/<var>package</var>/changelog.gz</file> for native
+packages.
<p>
-All of these fields are mandatory for a Debian upload. See the list
-of control fields in the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/packaging.html/"
-name="Debian Packaging Manual"> for the contents of these fields.
-Only the <tt>Distribution</tt> field is discussed here, since it
-relates to the archive maintenance policies.
-
- <sect1 id="upload-dist">Picking a distribution
- <p>
-Notably, the <tt>Distribution</tt> field, which originates from the
-<file>debian/changelog</file> file, indicates which distribution the
-package is intended for. There are four possible values for this
-field: `stable', `unstable', `frozen', or `experimental'; these values
-can also be combined. For instance, if you have a crucial security
-fix release of a package, and the package has not diverged between the
-<em>stable</em> and <em>unstable</em> distributions, then you might
-put `stable unstable' in the <file>changelog</file>'s
-<tt>Distribution</tt> field. Or, if Debian has been frozen, and you
-want to get a bug-fix release into <em>frozen</em>, you would set the
-distribution to `frozen unstable'. (See <ref id="upload-frozen"> for
-more information on when to upload to <em>frozen</em>.) Note that
-setting the distribution to `stable' means that the package will be
-placed into the <tt>proposed-updates</tt> directory of the Debian
-archive for further testing before it is actually included in
-<em>stable</em>. Also note that it never makes sense to combine the
-<em>experimental</em> distribution with anything else.
+The <file>debian/changelog</file> file conforms to a certain structure,
+with a number of different fields. One field of note, the
+<em>distribution</em>, is described in <ref id="upload-dist">. More
+information about the structure of this file can be found in
+the Debian Policy section titled "<file>debian/changelog</file>".
<p>
-The first time a version is uploaded which corresponds to a particular
-upstream version the original source tar file should be uploaded and
-included in the <tt>.changes</tt> file; subsequent times the very same
-tar file should be used to build the new diffs and <tt>.dsc</tt>
-files, and it need not then be uploaded.
+Changelog entries can be used to automatically close Debian bugs when
+the package is installed into the archive. See <ref
+id="upload-bugfix">.
<p>
-By default <prgn>dpkg-genchanges</prgn> and
-<prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn> will include the original source tar
-file if and only if the Debian revision part of the source version
-number is <tt>0</tt> or <tt>1</tt>, indicating a new upstream version.
-This behaviour may be modified by using <tt>-sa</tt> to always include
-it or <tt>-sd</tt> to always leave it out.
+It is conventional that the changelog entry notating of a package that
+contains a new upstream version of the software looks like this:
+<example>
+ * new upstream version
+</example>
<p>
-If no original source is included in the upload then the original
-source tar-file used by <prgn>dpkg-source</prgn> when constructing the
-<tt>.dsc</tt> file and diff to be uploaded <em>must</em> be
-byte-for-byte identical with the one already in the archive. If there
-is some reason why this is not the case then the new version of the
-original source should be uploaded, possibly by using the <tt>-sa</tt>
-flag.
+There are tools to help you create entries and finalize the
+<file>changelog</file> for release — see <ref id="devscripts">
+and <ref id="dpkg-dev-el">.
- <sect2 id="upload-frozen">Uploading to <em>frozen</em>
- <p>
-The Debian freeze is a crucial time for Debian. It is our chance to
-synchronize and stabilize our distribution as a whole. Therefore,
-care must be taken when uploading to <em>frozen</em>.
- <p>
-It is tempting to always try to get the newest release of software
-into the release. However, it's much more important that the system
-as a whole is stable and works as expected.
- <p>
-The watchword for uploading to <em>frozen</em> is <strong>no new
-code</strong>. This is a difficult thing to quantify, so here are
-some guidelines:
- <p>
-<list>
- <item>
-Fixes for bugs of severity <em>critical</em>, <em>grave</em>, or
-<em>important</em> severity are always allowed for those packages that
-must exist in the final release
- <item>
-<em>critical</em>, <em>grave</em>, and <em>important</em> bug fixes
-are only allowed for non-necessary packages if they don't add any new
-features
- <item>
-normal bug fixes are allowed (though discouraged) on all packages if
-and only if there are no new features
- <item>
-wishlist fixes are not allowed (they are, after all, not really bugs)
- <item>
-documentation bug fixes are allowed, since good documentation is
-important
- </list>
- <p>
-Remember, there is statistically a 15% chance that every bug fix will
-introduce a new bug. The introduction and discovery of new bugs
-either delays release or weakens the final product. There is little
-correlation between the severity of the original bug and the severity
-of the introduced bug.
-
- <sect1 id="upload-checking">Checking the package prior to upload
+ <sect1 id="upload-checking">Checking the package prior to upload
<p>
-Before you upload your package, you should do basic testing on it.
-Make sure you try the following activities (you'll need to have an
-older version of the Debian package around).
+Before you upload your package, you should do basic testing on it. At
+a minimum, you should try the following activities (you'll need to
+have an older version of the same Debian package around):
<list>
<item>
Install the package and make sure the software works, or upgrade the
<p>
For more information on <prgn>lintian</prgn>, see <ref id="lintian">.
<item>
-Downgrade the package to the previous version (if one exists) -- this
-tests the <tt>postrm</tt> and <tt>prerm</tt> scripts.
+Downgrade the package to the previous version (if one exists) — this
+tests the <file>postrm</file> and <file>prerm</file> scripts.
<item>
Remove the package, then reinstall it.
</list>
- <sect1 id="upload-master">Uploading to <tt>master</tt>
+ <sect1>Generating the changes file
+ <p>
+When a package is uploaded to the Debian FTP archive, it must be
+accompanied by a <file>.changes</file> file, which gives directions to the
+archive maintainers for its handling. This is usually generated by
+<prgn>dpkg-genchanges</prgn> during the normal package build process.
+ <p>
+The changes file is a control file with the following fields:
+ <p>
+&control-file-fields;
+ <p>
+All of these fields are mandatory for a Debian upload. See the list
+of control fields in the <url id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian
+Policy Manual"> for the contents of these fields. You can close bugs
+automatically using the <tt>Description</tt> field, see <ref
+id="upload-bugfix">.
+
+
+ <sect2>The original source tarball
+ <p>
+The first time a version is uploaded which corresponds to a particular
+upstream version, the original source tar file should be uploaded and
+included in the <file>.changes</file> file. Subsequently, this very same
+tar file should be used to build the new diffs and <file>.dsc</file>
+files, and will not need to be re-uploaded.
+ <p>
+By default, <prgn>dpkg-genchanges</prgn> and
+<prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn> will include the original source tar
+file if and only if the Debian revision part of the source version
+number is 0 or 1, indicating a new upstream version. This behavior
+may be modified by using <tt>-sa</tt> to always include it or
+<tt>-sd</tt> to always leave it out.
+ <p>
+If no original source is included in the upload, the original
+source tar-file used by <prgn>dpkg-source</prgn> when constructing the
+<file>.dsc</file> file and diff to be uploaded <em>must</em> be
+byte-for-byte identical with the one already in the archive.
+
+
+ <sect2 id="upload-dist">Picking a distribution
+ <p>
+The <tt>Distribution</tt> field, which originates from the first line of
+the <file>debian/changelog</file> file, indicates which distribution the
+package is intended for.
+ <p>
+There are several possible values for this field: `stable', `unstable',
+`testing-proposed-updates' and `experimental'. Normally, packages are uploaded into
+<em>unstable</em>. Actually, there are two other possible distributions:
+`stable-security' and `testing-security'. However they are used by the
+security team; do not upload there without their agreement.
+ <p>
+It is technically possible to upload a package into several distributions
+at the same time but it usually doesn't make sense to use that feature
+because the dependencies of the package may vary with the distribution.
+In particular, it never makes sense to combine the <em>experimental</em>
+distribution with anything else.
+
+
+ <sect3 id="upload-stable">Uploading to <em>stable</em>
+ <p>
+Uploading to <em>stable</em> means that the package will be placed into the
+<file>stable-proposed-updates</file> directory of the Debian archive for further
+testing before it is actually included in <em>stable</em>.
+ <p>
+Extra care should be taken when uploading to <em>stable</em>. Basically, a
+package should only be uploaded to stable if one of the following happens:
+<list>
+ <item>a security problem (e.g. a Debian security advisory)
+ <item>a truly critical functionality problem
+ <item>the package becomes uninstallable
+ <item>a released architecture lacks the package
+</list>
+ <p>
+It is discouraged to change anything else in the package that isn't
+important, because even trivial fixes can cause bugs later on. Uploading
+new upstream versions to fix security problems is deprecated; applying the
+specific patch from the new upstream version to the old one ("back-porting"
+the patch) is the right thing to do in most cases.
+ <p>
+Packages uploaded to <em>stable</em> need to be compiled on systems running
+<em>stable</em>, so that their dependencies are limited to the libraries
+(and other packages) available in <em>stable</em>; for example, a package
+uploaded to <em>stable</em> that depends on a library package that only
+exists in unstable will be rejected. Making changes to dependencies of other
+packages (by messing with <tt>Provides</tt> or shlibs files), possibly making
+those other packages uninstallable, is strongly discouraged.
+ <p>
+The Release Team (which can be reached at &email-debian-release;) will
+regularly evaluate the uploads in <em>stable-proposed-updates</em> and decide if
+your package can be included in <em>stable</em>. Please be clear (and
+verbose, if necessary) in your changelog entries for uploads to
+<em>stable</em>, because otherwise the package won't be considered for
+inclusion.
+
+ <sect3 id="upload-t-p-u">Uploading to <em>testing-proposed-updates</em>
+ <p>
+The testing distribution is fed with packages from unstable according to the rules
+explained in <ref id="testing">. However, the release manager may stop the testing
+scripts when he wants to freeze the distribution. In that case, you may want to
+upload to <em>testing-proposed-updates</em> to provide fixed packages during the freeze.
+ <p>
+Keep in mind that packages uploaded there are not automatically processed, they
+have to go through the hands of the release manager. So you'd better have a good
+reason to upload there. In order to know what a good reason is in the
+release manager's eyes, you should read the instructions that he regularly
+gives on &email-debian-devel-announce;.
+ <p>
+You should not upload to <em>testing-proposed-updates</em> when you can update your
+packages through <em>unstable</em>. If you can't (for example because you have a
+newer development version in unstable), you may use it but it is recommended to ask
+the authorization of the release manager before.
+
+ <sect1 id="uploading">Uploading a package
+
+ <sect2 id="upload-ftp-master">Uploading to <tt>ftp-master</tt>
<p>
To upload a package, you need a personal account on
-<ftpsite>master.debian.org</ftpsite>. All maintainers should already
-have this account, see <ref id="servers-master">. You can use either
-<prgn>ssh</prgn> or <prgn>ftp</prgn> to transfer the files. In either
-case, the files need to be placed into
-<ftppath>/home/Debian/ftp/private/project/Incoming</ftppath>. (You
-cannot upload to Incoming on master using anonymous FTP -- you must
-use your user-name and password.)
+<ftpsite>&ftp-master-host;</ftpsite>, which you should have as an
+official maintainer. If you use <prgn>scp</prgn> or <prgn>rsync</prgn>
+to transfer the files, place them into &us-upload-dir;;
+if you use anonymous FTP to upload, place them into
+&upload-queue;. Please note that you should transfer
+the changes file last. Otherwise, your upload may be rejected because the
+archive maintenance software will parse the changes file and see that not
+all files have been uploaded. If you don't want to bother with transferring
+the changes file last, you can simply copy your files to a temporary
+directory on <tt>ftp-master</tt> and then move them to
+&us-upload-dir;.
<p>
-<em>Note:</em> Do not upload packages containing software that is
-export-controlled by the United States government to <tt>master</tt>,
-or to the overseas upload queues on <tt>chiark</tt> or
-<tt>erlangen</tt>. This prohibition covers almost all cryptographic
-software, and even sometimes software that contains ``hooks'' to
-cryptographic software, such as electronic mail readers that support
-PGP encryption and authentication. Uploads of such software should go
-to <tt>non-us</tt> (see below). If you are not sure whether
-U.S. export controls apply to your package, post a message to
-<email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> and ask.
- <p>
-You may also find the Debian package <package>dupload</package> useful
-when uploading packages. This handy program is distributed with
-defaults for uploading via <prgn>ftp</prgn> to <tt>master</tt>,
-<tt>chiark</tt>, and <tt>erlangen</tt>. It can also be configured to
-use <prgn>ssh</prgn>. See <manref name="dupload" section="1"> and
-<manref name="dupload" section="5"> for more information.
-
-
- <sect1>Uploads via <tt>chiark</tt>
- <p>
-If you have a slow network connection to <tt>master</tt>, there are
-alternatives. One is to upload files to <tt>Incoming</tt> via a
+<em>Note:</em> Do not upload to <tt>ftp-master</tt> cryptographic
+packages which belong to <em>contrib</em> or <em>non-free</em>. Uploads of
+such software should go to <tt>non-us</tt> (see <ref
+id="upload-non-us">). Furthermore packages containing code that is
+patent-restricted by the United States government can not be uploaded to
+<tt>ftp-master</tt>; depending on the case they may still be uploaded to
+<file>non-US/non-free</file> (it's in non-free because of distribution issues
+and not because of the license of the software). If you can't upload it to
+<tt>ftp-master</tt>, then neither can you upload it to the overseas upload
+queues on <tt>chiark</tt> or <tt>erlangen</tt>. If you are not sure
+whether U.S. patent controls or cryptographic controls apply to your
+package, post a message to &email-debian-devel; and ask.
+ <p>
+You may also find the Debian packages <ref id="dupload"> or
+<ref id="dput"> useful
+when uploading packages. These handy programs help automate the
+process of uploading packages into Debian.
+ <p>
+After uploading your package, you can check how the archive
+maintenance software will process it by running <prgn>dinstall</prgn>
+on your changes file: <example>dinstall -n foo.changes</example>.
+Note that <prgn>dput</prgn> can do this for you automatically.
+
+ <sect2 id="upload-non-us">Uploading to <tt>non-US</tt>
+ <p>
+As discussed above, export controlled software should not be uploaded
+to <tt>ftp-master</tt>. Instead, upload the package to
+<ftpsite>non-us.debian.org</ftpsite>, placing the files in
+&non-us-upload-dir; (again, both <ref id="dupload"> and <ref
+id="dput"> can do this for you if invoked properly). By default,
+you can use the same account/password that works on
+<tt>ftp-master</tt>. If you use anonymous FTP to upload, place the
+files into &upload-queue;.
+ <p>
+You can check your upload the same way it's done on <tt>ftp-master</tt>,
+with:
+<example>dinstall -n foo.changes</example>
+ <p>
+Note that U.S. residents or citizens are subject to restrictions on
+export of cryptographic software. As of this writing, U.S. citizens
+are allowed to export some cryptographic software, subject to
+notification rules by the U.S. Department of Commerce. However, this
+restriction has been waived for software which is already available
+outside the U.S. Therefore, any cryptographic software which belongs
+in the <em>main</em> section of the Debian archive and does not depend
+on any package outside of <em>main</em> (e.g., does not depend on
+anything in <em>non-US/main</em>) can be uploaded to <tt>ftp-master</tt>
+or its queues, described above.
+ <p>
+Debian policy does not prevent upload to non-US by U.S. residents or
+citizens, but care should be taken in doing so. It is recommended that
+developers take all necessary steps to ensure that they are not
+breaking current US law by doing an upload to non-US, <em>including
+consulting a lawyer</em>.
+ <p>
+For packages in <em>non-US/main</em>, <em>non-US/contrib</em>,
+developers should at least follow the <url id="&url-u.s.-export;"
+name="procedure outlined by the US Government">. Maintainers of
+<em>non-US/non-free</em> packages should further consult the <url
+id="&url-notification-of-export;" name="rules on notification of
+export"> of non-free software.
+ <p>
+This section is for information only and does not constitute legal
+advice. Again, it is strongly recommended that U.S. citizens and
+residents consult a lawyer before doing uploads to non-US.
+
+
+ <sect2>Uploads via <tt>chiark</tt>
+ <p>
+If you have a slow network connection to <tt>ftp-master</tt>, there are
+alternatives. One is to upload files to <file>Incoming</file> via a
upload queue in Europe on <tt>chiark</tt>. For details connect to
-<ftpsite>ftp.chiark.greenend.org.uk</ftpsite> using anonymous FTP and
-read
-<ftppath>/pub/debian/private/project/README.how-to-upload</ftppath>.
+<url id="&url-chiark-readme;">.
<p>
<em>Note:</em> Do not upload packages containing software that is
export-controlled by the United States government to the queue on
-<tt>chiark</tt>. Since this upload queue goes to <tt>master</tt>, the
-prescription found in <ref id="upload-master"> applies here as well.
+<tt>chiark</tt>. Since this upload queue goes to <tt>ftp-master</tt>, the
+prescription found in <ref id="upload-ftp-master"> applies here as well.
<p>
-The program <tt>dupload</tt> supports uploads to <tt>chiark</tt>; please refer
-to the documentation that comes with the program for details.
+The program <prgn>dupload</prgn> comes with support for uploading to
+<tt>chiark</tt>; please refer to the documentation that comes with the
+program for details.
- <sect1>Uploads via <tt>erlangen</tt>
+ <sect2>Uploads via <tt>erlangen</tt>
<p>
Another upload queue is available in Germany: just upload the files
-via anonymous FTP to <url
-id="ftp://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/debian/UploadQueue">.
+via anonymous FTP to <url id="&url-upload-erlangen;">.
<p>
The upload must be a complete Debian upload, as you would put it into
-<tt>master</tt>'s <tt>Incoming</tt>, i.e., a <tt>.changes</tt> files
-along with the other files mentioned in the <tt>.changes</tt>. The
-queue daemon also checks that the <tt>.changes</tt> is correctly
-PGP-signed by a Debian developer, so that no bogus files can find
-their way to <tt>master</tt> via the queue. Please also make sure that
-the <tt>Maintainer</tt> field in the <tt>.changes</tt> contains
+<tt>ftp-master</tt>'s <file>Incoming</file>, i.e., a <file>.changes</file> files
+along with the other files mentioned in the <file>.changes</file>. The
+queue daemon also checks that the <file>.changes</file> is correctly
+signed with GnuPG or OpenPGP by a Debian developer, so that no bogus files can find
+their way to <tt>ftp-master</tt> via this queue. Please also make sure that
+the <tt>Maintainer</tt> field in the <file>.changes</file> contains
<em>your</em> e-mail address. The address found there is used for all
-replies, just as on <tt>master</tt>.
+replies, just as on <tt>ftp-master</tt>.
<p>
There's no need to move your files into a second directory after the
-upload as on <tt>chiark</tt>. And, in any case, you should get some
-mail reply from the queue daemon what happened to your
-upload. Hopefully it should have been moved to <tt>master</tt>, but in
+upload, as on <tt>chiark</tt>. And, in any case, you should get a
+mail reply from the queue daemon explaining what happened to your
+upload. Hopefully it should have been moved to <tt>ftp-master</tt>, but in
case of errors you're notified, too.
<p>
<em>Note:</em> Do not upload packages containing software that is
export-controlled by the United States government to the queue on
-<tt>erlangen</tt>. Since this upload queue goes to <tt>master</tt>, the
-prescription found in <ref id="upload-master"> applies here as well.
+<tt>erlangen</tt>. Since this upload queue goes to <tt>ftp-master</tt>, the
+prescription found in <ref id="upload-ftp-master"> applies here as well.
<p>
-The program <prgn>dupload</prgn> supports uploads to
+The program <prgn>dupload</prgn> comes with support for uploading to
<tt>erlangen</tt>; please refer to the documentation that comes with
the program for details.
- <sect1>Uploading to the non-us server
+ <sect2>Other upload queues
+ <p>
+Another upload queue is available which is based in the US, and is a
+good backup when there are problems reaching <tt>ftp-master</tt>. You can
+upload files, just as in <tt>erlangen</tt>, to <url
+id="&url-upload-samosa;">.
<p>
-To upload a package to the <em>non-us</em> server you just have to
-transfer the files via anonymous ftp to <url
-id="ftp://non-us.debian.org/pub/debian-non-US/Incoming">. Note, that
-the <tt>.changes</tt> file must have a valid PGP signature from one of
-the keys of the developers key-ring.
+An upload queue is available in Japan: just upload the files via
+anonymous FTP to <url id="&url-upload-jp;">.
+
- <sect id="upload-announce">Announcing package uploads
+ <sect1 id="upload-announce">Announcing package uploads
<p>
-When a package is uploaded an announcement should be posted to one of
-the ``debian-changes'' lists. The announcement should give the
-(source) package name and version number, and a very short summary of
-the changes, in the <em>Subject</em> field, and should contain the
-PGP-signed <tt>.changes</tt> file. Some additional explanatory text
-may be added before the start of the <tt>.changes</tt> file.
+When a package is uploaded, an announcement should be posted to one of
+the ``debian-changes'' lists. This is now done automatically by the archive
+maintenance software when it runs (usually once a day). You just need to use
+a recent <package>dpkg-dev</package> (>= 1.4.1.2). The mail generated by
+the archive maintenance software will contain the OpenPGP/GnuPG signed
+<file>.changes</file> files that you uploaded with your package.
+Previously, <prgn>dupload</prgn> used to send those announcements, so
+please make sure that you configured your <prgn>dupload</prgn> not to
+send those announcements (check its documentation and look for
+``dinstall_runs'').
<p>
If a package is released with the <tt>Distribution:</tt> set to
-`stable', the announcement is sent to
-<email>debian-changes@lists.debian.org</email>. If a package is
-released with <tt>Distribution:</tt> set to `unstable',
-`experimental', or `frozen' (when present), the announcement should be
-posted to <email>debian-devel-changes@lists.debian.org</email>
-instead.
- <p>
-On occasion, it is necessary to upload a package to both the
-<em>stable</em> and <em>unstable</em> distributions; this is done by
-putting both distributions in the <tt>Distribution:</tt> line. In
-such a case the upload announcement should go to both of the above
-mailing lists.
- <p>
-The <prgn>dupload</prgn> program is clever enough to determine for itself
-where the announcement should go, and will automatically mail the
-announcement to the right list. See <ref id="dupload">.
-
- <sect id="upload-notification">
+`stable', the announcement is sent to &email-debian-changes;. If a
+package is released with <tt>Distribution:</tt> set to `unstable',
+or `experimental', the announcement will be
+posted to &email-debian-devel-changes; instead.
+
+ <sect1 id="upload-notification">
<heading>Notification that a new package has been installed</heading>
<p>
The Debian archive maintainers are responsible for handling package
uploads. For the most part, uploads are automatically handled on a
-daily basis by an archive maintenance tool called
-<prgn>dinstall</prgn>. Specifically, updates to existing packages to
+daily basis by the archive maintenance tools, <prgn>katie</prgn>.
+Specifically, updates to existing packages to
the `unstable' distribution are handled automatically. In other cases,
notably new packages, placing the uploaded package into the
distribution is handled manually. When uploads are handled manually,
-the change to the archive may take up to a week to occur (please be
-patient).
+the change to the archive may take up to a month to occur. Please be
+patient.
+ <p>
+In any case, you will receive an email notification indicating that the
+package has been added to the archive, which also indicates which bugs will
+be closed by the upload. Please examine this notification carefully,
+checking if any bugs you meant to close didn't get triggered.
<p>
-In any case, you will receive notification indicating that the package
-has been uploaded via email. Please examine this notification
-carefully. You may notice that the package didn't go into the section
-you thought you set it to go into. Read on for why.
+The installation notification also includes information on what
+section the package was inserted into. If there is a disparity, you
+will receive a separate email notifying you of that. Read on below.
- <sect1 id="override-file">The override file
+ <sect2 id="override-file">The override file
<p>
The <file>debian/control</file> file's <tt>Section</tt> and
<tt>Priority</tt> fields do not actually specify where the file will
<file>debian/control</file> file are actually just hints.
<p>
The archive maintainers keep track of the canonical sections and
-priorities for packages in the <em>override file</em>. Sometimes the
-<em>override file</em> needs correcting. Simply changing the
-package's <file>control</file> file is not going to work. Instead,
-you should email <email>override-change@debian.org</email> or submit a
-bug against <package>ftp.debian.org</package>.
+priorities for packages in the <em>override file</em>. If there is a
+disparity between the <em>override file</em> and the package's fields
+as indicated in <file>debian/control</file>, then you will receive an
+email noting the divergence when the package is installed into the
+archive. You can either correct your <file>debian/control</file> file
+for your next upload, or else you may wish to make a change in the
+<em>override file</em>.
+ <p>
+To alter the actual section that a package is put in, you need to
+first make sure that the <file>debian/control</file> in your package
+is accurate. Next, send an email &email-override; or submit a bug
+against <package>ftp.debian.org</package> requesting that the section
+or priority for your package be changed from the old section or
+priority to the new one. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
<p>
For more information about <em>override files</em>, see <manref
-name="dpkg-scanpackages" section="8">,
-<file>/usr/doc/debian/bug-log-mailserver.txt</file>, and
-<file>/usr/doc/debian/bug-maint-info.txt</file>.
+name="dpkg-scanpackages" section="8">, &file-bts-mailing;, and
+&file-bts-info;.
- <chapt id="nmu">Non-Maintainer Uploads (NMUs)
+ <sect id="nmu">Non-Maintainer Uploads (NMUs)
<p>
Under certain circumstances it is necessary for someone other than the
official package maintainer to make a release of a package. This is
called a non-maintainer upload, or NMU.
<p>
-Debian porters, who compile packages for different architectures, do
-NMUs as part of their normal porting activity (see <ref
-id="porting">). Another reason why NMUs are done is when a Debian
-developers needs to fix another developers' packages in order to
+Debian porters, who compile packages for different architectures,
+occasionally do binary-only NMUs as part of their porting activity
+(see <ref id="porting">). Another reason why NMUs are done is when a
+Debian developers needs to fix another developers' packages in order to
address serious security problems or crippling bugs, especially during
the freeze, or when the package maintainer is unable to release a fix
in a timely fashion.
<p>
This chapter contains information providing guidelines for when and
how NMUs should be done. A fundamental distinction is made between
-source and binary NMUs, which is explained in the next section.
+source and binary-only NMUs, which is explained in the next section.
- <sect id="nmu-terms">Terminology
+ <sect1 id="nmu-terms">Terminology
<p>
-There are two new terms used throughout this section: ``binary NMU''
+There are two new terms used throughout this section: ``binary-only NMU''
and ``source NMU''. These terms are used with specific technical
-meaning throughout this document. Both binary and source NMUs are
+meaning throughout this document. Both binary-only and source NMUs are
similar, since they involve an upload of a package by a developer who
is not the official maintainer of that package. That is why it's a
<em>non-maintainer</em> upload.
<p>
-A source NMU is a upload of a package by a developer who is not the
+A source NMU is an upload of a package by a developer who is not the
official maintainer, for the purposes of fixing a bug in the package.
Source NMUs always involves changes to the source (even if it is just
-a change to <file>debian/changelog</file>). This can be either a change
-to the upstream source, or a change to the Debian bits of the source.
- <p>
-A binary NMU is a recompilation and upload of a binary package for a
-new architecture. As such, it is usually part of a porting effort. A
-binary NMU is non-maintainer uploaded binary version of a package
-(often for another architecture), with no source changes required.
-There are many cases where porters must fix problems in the source in
-order to get them to compile for their target architecture; that would
-be considered a source NMU rather than a binary NMU. As you can see,
-we don't distinguish in terminology between porter NMUs and non-porter
-NMUs.
- <p>
-Both classes of NMUs, source and binary, can be lumped by the term
-``NMU''. However, this often leads to confusion, since most people
-think ``source NMU'' when they think ``NMU''. So it's best to be
-careful. In this chapter, if I use the unqualified term ``NMU'', I
-mean both source and binary NMUs.
-
-
- <sect id="nmu-who">Who can do an NMU
+a change to <file>debian/changelog</file>). This can be either a
+change to the upstream source, or a change to the Debian bits of the
+source. Note, however, that source NMUs may also include
+architecture-dependent packages, as well as an updated Debian diff.
+ <p>
+A binary-only NMU is a recompilation and upload of a binary package
+for a given architecture. As such, it is usually part of a porting
+effort. A binary-only NMU is a non-maintainer uploaded binary version
+of a package, with no source changes required. There are many cases
+where porters must fix problems in the source in order to get them to
+compile for their target architecture; that would be considered a
+source NMU rather than a binary-only NMU. As you can see, we don't
+distinguish in terminology between porter NMUs and non-porter NMUs.
+ <p>
+Both classes of NMUs, source and binary-only, can be lumped by the
+term ``NMU''. However, this often leads to confusion, since most
+people think ``source NMU'' when they think ``NMU''. So it's best to
+be careful. In this chapter, if we use the unqualified term ``NMU'',
+we refer to any type of non-maintainer upload NMUs, whether source and
+binary, or binary-only.
+
+
+ <sect1 id="nmu-who">Who can do an NMU
<p>
Only official, registered Debian maintainers can do binary or source
NMUs. An official maintainer is someone who has their key in the
quality patches and bug reports.
- <sect id="nmu-when">When to do a source NMU
+ <sect1 id="nmu-when">When to do a source NMU
<p>
Guidelines for when to do a source NMU depend on the target
-distribution, i.e., stable, unstable, or frozen. Porters have
+distribution, i.e., stable, unstable, or experimental. Porters have
slightly different rules than non-porters, due to their unique
circumstances (see <ref id="source-nmu-when-porter">).
<p>
-Only critical changes or security bug fixes make it into stable. When
-a security bug is detected a fixed package should be uploaded as soon
-as possible. In this case, the Debian Security Managers should get in
-contact with the package maintainer to make sure a fixed package is
-uploaded within a reasonable time (less than 48 hours). If the package
-maintainer cannot provide a fixed package fast enough or if he/she
-cannot be reached in time, the Security Manager may upload a fixed
-package (i.e., do a source NMU).
- <p>
-During the release freeze (see <ref id="upload-frozen">), NMUs which
-fix important or higher severity bugs are encouraged and accepted.
-Even during this window, however, you should endeavor to reach the
-current maintainer of the package; they might be just about to upload
-a fix for the problem. As with any source NMU, the guidelines found
-in <ref id="nmu-guidelines"> need to be followed.
- <p>
-Bug fixes to unstable by non-maintainers are also acceptable, but only
-as a last resort or with permission. Try the following steps first,
-and if they don't work, it is probably OK to do an NMU:
+When a security bug is detected, the security team may do an NMU.
+Please refer to <ref id="bug-security"> for more information.
+ <p>
+During the release cycle (see <ref id="sec-dists">), NMUs which fix
+serious or higher severity bugs are encouraged and accepted. Even
+during this window, however, you should endeavor to reach the current
+maintainer of the package; they might be just about to upload a fix
+for the problem. As with any source NMU, the guidelines found in <ref
+id="nmu-guidelines"> need to be followed. Special exceptions are made
+for <ref id="qa-bsp">.
+ <p>
+Uploading bug fixes to unstable by non-maintainers should only be done
+by following this protocol:
<p>
<list>
<item>
-Make sure that the package bug is in the Debian Bug Tracking System
-(BTS). If not, submit a bug.
+Make sure that the package's bugs that the NMU is meant to address are all
+filed in the Debian Bug Tracking System (BTS).
+If they are not, submit them immediately.
<item>
-Email the maintainer, and offer to help fix the package bug. Give it a
-few days.
- <item>
-Go ahead and fix the bug, submitting a patch to the right bug in the
-BTS. Build the package and test it as discussed in <ref
-id="upload-checking">. Use it locally.
- <item>
-Wait a couple of weeks for a response.
- <item>
-Email the maintainer, asking if it is OK to do an NMU.
+Wait a few days the response from the maintainer. If you don't get
+any response, you may want to help him by sending the patch that fixes
+the bug. Don't forget to tag the bug with the "patch" keyword.
<item>
+Wait a few more days. If you still haven't got an answer from the
+maintainer, send him a mail announcing your intent to NMU the package.
+Prepare an NMU as described in <ref id="nmu-guidelines">, test it
+carefully on your machine (cf. <ref id="upload-checking">).
Double check that your patch doesn't have any unexpected side effects.
-Make sure your patch is as small and as non-disruptive as it can be.
+Make sure your patch is as small and as non-disruptive as it can be.
<item>
-Wait another week for a response.
+Upload your package to incoming in <file>DELAYED/7-day</file> (cf.
+<ref id="delayed-incoming">), send the final patch to the maintainer via
+the BTS, and explain to them that they have 7 days to react if they want
+to cancel the NMU.
<item>
-Go ahead and do the source NMU, as described in <ref
-id="nmu-guidelines">.
- </list>
-
-
+Follow what happens, you're responsible for any bug that you introduced
+with your NMU. You should probably use <ref id="pkg-tracking-system"> (PTS)
+to stay informed of the state of the package after your NMU.
+</list>
+ <p>
+At times, the release manager or an organized group of developers can
+announce a certain period of time in which the NMU rules are relaxed.
+This usually involves shortening the period during which one is to wait
+before uploading the fixes, and shortening the DELAYED period. It is
+important to notice that even in these so-called "bug squashing party"
+times, the NMU'er has to file bugs and contact the developer first,
+and act later.
- <sect id="nmu-guidelines">How to do a source NMU
+ <sect1 id="nmu-guidelines">How to do a source NMU
<p>
The following applies to porters insofar as they are playing the dual
role of being both package bug-fixers and package porters. If a
upload.
- <sect1 id="nmu-version">Source NMU version numbering
+ <sect2 id="nmu-version">Source NMU version numbering
<p>
Whenever you have made a change to a package, no matter how trivial,
the version number needs to change. This enables our packing system
make a release based on a new upstream version then the person making
the release should start with the <var>debian-revision</var> value
`0.1'. The usual maintainer of a package should start their
-<var>debian-revision</var> numbering at `1'. Note that if you do
-this, you'll have to invoke <prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn> with the
-<tt>-sa</tt> switch to force the build system to pick up the new
-source package (normally it only looks for Debian revisions of '0' or
-'1' -- it's not yet clever enough to know about `0.1').
- <p>
-Remember, porters who are simply recompiling a package for a different
-architecture do not need to renumber. Porters should use new version
-numbers if and only if they actually have to modify the source package
-in some way, i.e., if they are doing a source NMU and not a binary
-NMU.
+<var>debian-revision</var> numbering at `1'.
- <sect1 id="nmu-changelog">
+ <sect2 id="nmu-changelog">
<heading>Source NMUs must have a new changelog entry</heading>
<p>
A non-maintainer doing a source NMU must create a changelog entry,
describing which bugs are fixed by the NMU, and generally why the NMU
was required and what it fixed. The changelog entry will have the
non-maintainer's email address in the log entry and the NMU version
-number in it.</p>
+number in it.
<p>
By convention, source NMU changelog entries start with the line
<example>
* Non-maintainer upload
-</example></p></sect1>
+</example>
- <sect1 id="nmu-patch">Source NMUs and the Bug Tracking System
+ <sect2 id="nmu-patch">Source NMUs and the Bug Tracking System
<p>
Maintainers other than the official package maintainer should make as
few changes to the package as possible, and they should always send a
patch as a unified context diff (<tt>diff -u</tt>) detailing their
changes to the Bug Tracking System.
<p>
-What if you are simply recompiling the package? In this case, the
-process is different for porters than it is for non-porters, as
-mentioned above. If you are not a porter and are doing an NMU that
-simply requires a recompile (i.e., a new shared library is available
-to be linked against, a bug was fixed in
-<package>debhelper</package>), there must still be a changelog entry;
-therefore, there will be a patch. If you are a porter, you are
-probably just doing a binary NMU. (Note: this leaves out in the cold
-porters who have to do recompiles -- chalk it up as a weakness in how
-we maintain our archive.)
+What if you are simply recompiling the package? If you just need to
+recompile it for a single architecture, then you may do a binary-only
+NMU as described in <ref id="binary-only-nmu"> which doesn't require any
+patch to be sent. If you want the package to be recompiled for all
+architectures, then you do a source NMU as usual and you will have to
+send a patch.
<p>
If the source NMU (non-maintainer upload) fixes some existing bugs,
-the bugs in the Bug Tracking System which are fixed need to be
-<em>notified</em> but not actually <em>closed</em> by the
-non-maintainer. Technically, only the official package maintainer or
-the original bug submitter are allowed to close bugs. However, the
-person making the non-maintainer release must send a short message to
-the relevant bugs explaining that the bugs have been fixed by the NMU.
-Using <email>control@bugs.debian.org</email>, the party doing the NMU
-should also set the severity of the bugs fixed in the NMU to `fixed'.
-This ensures that everyone knows that the bug was fixed in an NMU;
-however the bug is left open until the changes in the NMU are
-incorporated officially into the package by the official package
-maintainer. Also, open a bug with the patches needed to fix the
-problem, or make sure that one of the other (already open) bugs has
-the patches.
- <p>
-The normal maintainer will either apply the patch or employ an
-alternate method of fixing the problem. Sometimes bugs are fixed
-independently upstream, which is another good reason to back out an
-NMU's patch. If the maintainer decides not to apply the NMU's patch
-but to release a new version, the maintainer needs to ensure that the
-new upstream version really fixes each problem that was fixed in the
-non-maintainer release.
+these bugs should be tagged <em>fixed</em> in the Bug Tracking
+System rather than closed. By convention, only the official package
+maintainer or the original bug submitter are allowed to close bugs.
+Fortunately, Debian's archive system recognizes NMUs and thus marks
+the bugs fixed in the NMU appropriately if the person doing the NMU
+has listed all bugs in the changelog with the <tt>Closes:
+bug#<var>nnnnn</var></tt> syntax (see <ref id="upload-bugfix"> for
+more information describing how to close bugs via the changelog).
+Tagging the bugs <em>fixed</em> ensures that everyone knows that the
+bug was fixed in an NMU; however the bug is left open until the
+changes in the NMU are incorporated officially into the package by
+the official package maintainer.
+ <p>
+Also, after doing an NMU, you have to open a new bug and include a
+patch showing all the changes you have made. Alternatively you can send
+that information to the existing bugs that are fixed by your NMU.
+The normal maintainer will either apply the patch or employ an alternate
+method of fixing the problem. Sometimes bugs are fixed independently
+upstream, which is another good reason to back out an NMU's patch.
+If the maintainer decides not to apply the NMU's patch but to release a
+new version, the maintainer needs to ensure that the new upstream version
+really fixes each problem that was fixed in the non-maintainer release.
<p>
In addition, the normal maintainer should <em>always</em> retain the
entry in the changelog file documenting the non-maintainer upload.
- <sect1 id="nmu-build">Building source NMUs
+ <sect2 id="nmu-build">Building source NMUs
<p>
Source NMU packages are built normally. Pick a distribution using the
same rules as found in <ref id="upload-dist">. Just as described in
<ref id="uploading">, a normal changes file, etc., will be built. In
-fact, all the prescriptions from <ref id="upload"> apply, including
-the need to announce the NMU to the proper lists.
+fact, all the prescriptions from <ref id="upload"> apply.
<p>
Make sure you do <em>not</em> change the value of the maintainer in
-the <file>debian/control</file> file. Your name from the NMU entry of
+the <file>debian/control</file> file. Your name as given in the NMU entry of
the <file>debian/changelog</file> file will be used for signing the
changes file.
+ <sect1 id="ack-nmu">Acknowledging an NMU
+ <p>
+If one of your packages has been NMU'ed, you have to incorporate the
+changes in your copy of the sources. This is easy, you just have
+to apply the patch that has been sent to you. Once this is done, you
+have to close the bugs that have been tagged fixed by the NMU. You
+can either close them manually by sending the required mails to the
+BTS or by adding the required <tt>closes: #nnnn</tt> in the changelog
+entry of your next upload.
+ <p>
+In any case, you should not be upset by the NMU. An NMU is not a
+personal attack against the maintainer. It is a proof that
+someone cares enough about the package and that they were willing to help
+you in your work, so you should be thankful. You may also want to
+ask them if they would be interested to help you on a more frequent
+basis as co-maintainer or backup maintainer
+(see <ref id="collaborative-maint">).
-
- <chapt id="porting">Porting and Being Ported
+ <sect id="porting">Porting and Being Ported
<p>
Debian supports an ever-increasing number of architectures. Even if
you are not a porter, and you don't use any architecture but one, it
portability. Therefore, even if you are not a porter, you should read
most of this chapter.
<p>
-Porting is the act of building Debian packages for architectures which
+Porting is the act of building Debian packages for architectures that
is different from the original architecture of the package
maintainer's binary package. It is a unique and essential activity.
In fact, porters do most of the actual compiling of Debian packages.
-For instance, for one <em>i386</em> binary package, there has to be a
-recompile for each architecture, which is around five more builds.
+For instance, for a single <em>i386</em> binary package, there must be
+a recompile for each architecture, which amounts to
+&number-of-arches; more builds.
- <sect id="kind-to-porters">Being Kind to Porters
+ <sect1 id="kind-to-porters">Being kind to porters
<p>
Porters have a difficult and unique task, since they are required to
deal with a large volume of packages. Ideally, every source package
-should build right out of the box; unfortunately, this is often not
+should build right out of the box. Unfortunately, this is often not
the case. This section contains a checklist of ``gotchas'' often
-committed by Debian maintainers -- common problems which often stymie
-porters, and make their jobs unnecessarily more difficult.
+committed by Debian maintainers — common problems which often stymie
+porters, and make their jobs unnecessarily difficult.
<p>
The first and most important watchword is to respond quickly to bug or
issues raised by porters. Please treat porters with courtesy, as if
they were in fact co-maintainers of your package (which in a way, they
-are).
+are). Please be tolerant of succinct or even unclear bug reports,
+doing your best to hunt down whatever the problem is.
<p>
By far, most of the problems encountered by porters are caused by
<em>packaging bugs</em> in the source packages. Here is a checklist
<enumlist>
<item>
+Make sure that your <tt>Build-Depends</tt> and
+<tt>Build-Depends-Indep</tt> settings in <file>debian/control</file>
+are set properly. The best way to validate this is to use the
+<package>debootstrap</package> package to create an unstable chroot
+environment. Within that chrooted environment, install the
+<package>build-essential</package> package and any package
+dependencies mentioned in <tt>Build-Depends</tt> and/or
+<tt>Build-Depends-Indep</tt>. Finally, try building your package
+within that chrooted environment. These steps can be automated
+by the use of the <prgn>pbuilder</prgn> program which is provided by
+the package of the same name.
+ <p>
+See the <url id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy
+Manual"> for instructions on setting build dependencies.
+ <item>
Don't set architecture to a value other than ``all'' or ``any'' unless
you really mean it. In too many cases, maintainers don't follow the
-instructions in the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/packaging.html/"
-name="Debian Packaging Manual">. Setting your architecture to ``i386''
-is usually incorrect.
+instructions in the <url id="&url-debian-policy;" name="Debian Policy
+Manual">. Setting your architecture to ``i386'' is usually incorrect.
<item>
Make sure your source package is correct. Do <tt>dpkg-source -x
<var>package</var>.dsc</tt> to make sure your source package unpacks
properly. Then, in there, try building your package from scratch with
-<tt>dpkg-buildpackage</tt>.
+<prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn>.
<item>
Make sure you don't ship your source package with the
<file>debian/files</file> or <file>debian/substvars</file> files.
be setup in a special way. Try building your package on another
machine, even if it's the same architecture.
<item>
-Don't depend on the package your building already being installed (a
+Don't depend on the package you're building already being installed (a
sub-case of the above issue).
<item>
-Don't rely on <prgn>egcc</prgn> being available; don't rely on
-<prgn>gcc</prgn> being a certain version.
+Don't rely on the compiler being a certain version, if possible. If
+not, then make sure your build dependencies reflect the restrictions,
+although you are probably asking for trouble, since different
+architectures sometimes standardize on different compilers.
<item>
Make sure your debian/rules contains separate ``binary-arch'' and
-``binary-indep'' targets, as the Debian Packaging Manual requires.
+``binary-indep'' targets, as the Debian Policy Manual requires.
Make sure that both targets work independently, that is, that you can
call the target without having called the other before. To test this,
try to run <tt>dpkg-buildpackage -b</tt>.
</enumlist>
- <sect id="porter-guidelines">Guidelines for Porter Uploads
+ <sect1 id="porter-guidelines">Guidelines for porter uploads
<p>
If the package builds out of the box for the architecture to be ported
to, you are in luck and your job is easy. This section applies to
-that case; it describes how to build and upload your binary NMU so
+that case; it describes how to build and upload your binary package so
that it is properly installed into the archive. If you do have to
patch the package in order to get it to compile for the other
architecture, you are actually doing a source NMU, so consult <ref
id="nmu-guidelines"> instead.
<p>
-In a binary NMU, no real changes are being made to the source. You do
+For a porter upload, no changes are being made to the source. You do
not need to touch any of the files in the source package. This
includes <file>debian/changelog</file>.
<p>
The way to invoke <prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn> is as
<tt>dpkg-buildpackage -B -m<var>porter-email</var></tt>. Of course,
set <var>porter-email</var> to your email address. This will do a
-binary-only build of only the architecture-dependant portions of the
+binary-only build of only the architecture-dependent portions of the
package, using the `binary-arch' target in <file>debian/rules</file>.
-
- <sect1 id="source-nmu-when-porter">
+ <sect2 id="binary-only-nmu">
+ <heading>Recompilation or binary-only NMU</heading>
+ <p>
+Sometimes the initial porter upload is problematic because the environment
+in which the package was built was not good enough (outdated or obsolete
+library, bad compiler, ...). Then you may just need to recompile it in
+an updated environment. However, you have to bump the version number in
+this case, so that the old bad package can be replaced in the Debian archive
+(<prgn>katie</prgn> refuses to install new packages if they don't have a
+version number greater than the currently available one). Despite the
+required modification of the changelog, these are called binary-only NMUs
+— there is no need in this case to trigger all other architectures
+to consider themselves out of date or requiring recompilation.
+ <p>
+Such recompilations require special ``magic'' version numbering, so that
+the archive maintenance tools recognize that, even though there is a
+new Debian version, there is no corresponding source update. If you
+get this wrong, the archive maintainers will reject your upload (due
+to lack of corresponding source code).
+ <p>
+The ``magic'' for a recompilation-only NMU is triggered by using the
+third-level number on the Debian part of the version. For instance,
+if the latest version you are recompiling against was version
+``2.9-3'', your NMU should carry a version of ``2.9-3.0.1''. If the
+latest version was ``3.4-2.1'', your NMU should have a version number
+of ``3.4-2.1.1''.
+
+
+ <sect2 id="source-nmu-when-porter">
<heading>When to do a source NMU if you are a porter</heading>
<p>
Porters doing a source NMU generally follow the guidelines found in
the wait cycle for a porter's source NMU is smaller than for a
non-porter, since porters have to cope with a large quantity of
packages.
- <p>
Again, the situation varies depending on the distribution they are
-uploading to. Crucial fixes (i.e., changes need to get a source
+uploading to.
+
+<!--
+FIXME: commented out until I can work out how to upload to testing directly
+
+ Crucial fixes (i.e., changes need to get a source
package to compile for a released-targeted architecture) can be
uploaded with <em>no</em> waiting period for the `frozen' distribution.
+ -->
<p>
However, if you are a porter doing an NMU for `unstable', the above
guidelines for porting should be followed, with two variations.
-Firstly, the acceptable waiting period -- the time between when the
-bug is submitted to the BTS and when it is OK to do an NMU -- is seven
+Firstly, the acceptable waiting period — the time between when the
+bug is submitted to the BTS and when it is OK to do an NMU — is seven
days for porters working on the unstable distribution. This period
can be shortened if the problem is critical and imposes hardship on
the porting effort, at the discretion of the porter group. (Remember,
none of this is Policy, just mutually agreed upon guidelines.)
<p>
Secondly, porters doing source NMUs should make sure that the bug they
-submit to the BTS should be of severity `important' or greater. This
+submit to the BTS should be of severity `serious' or greater. This
ensures that a single source package can be used to compile every
supported Debian architecture by release time. It is very important
that we have one version of the binary and source package for all
blessing or status, so buyer, beware.
- <sect>Tools for Porters
+ <sect1>Tools for porters
<p>
There are several tools available for the porting effort. This section
contains a brief introduction to these tools; see the package
documentation or references for full information.
- <sect1 id="quinn-diff">
+ <sect2 id="quinn-diff">
<heading><package>quinn-diff</package>
<p>
<package>quinn-diff</package> is used to locate the differences from
architecture <var>X</var>.
- <sect1 id="buildd">
+ <sect2 id="buildd">
<heading><package>buildd</package>
<p>
The <package>buildd</package> system is used as a distributed,
which simply check out and attempt to auto-build packages which need
to be ported. There is also an email interface to the system, which
allows porters to ``check out'' a source package (usually one which
-cannot yet be autobuilt) and work on it.
+cannot yet be auto-built) and work on it.
<p>
<package>buildd</package> is not yet available as a package; however,
most porting efforts are either using it currently or planning to use
it in the near future. It collects a number of as yet unpackaged
components which are currently very useful and in use continually,
-such as <prgn>sbuild</prgn> and <prgn>wanna-build</prgn>.
+such as <prgn>andrea</prgn>, <prgn>sbuild</prgn> and
+<prgn>wanna-build</prgn>.
+ <p>
+Some of the data produced by <package>buildd</package> which is
+generally useful to porters is available on the web at <url
+id="&url-buildd;">. This data includes nightly updated information
+from <prgn>andrea</prgn> (source dependencies) and
+<package>quinn-diff</package> (packages needing recompilation).
<p>
We are very excited about this system, since it potentially has so
many uses. Independent development groups can use the system for
distributions quickly.
- <sect1 id="dpkg-cross">
+ <sect2 id="dpkg-cross">
<heading><package>dpkg-cross</package>
<p>
<package>dpkg-cross</package> is a tool for installing libraries and
enhanced to support cross-compiling.
-
-
- <chapt id="archive-manip">
+ <sect id="collaborative-maint">
+ <heading>Collaborative maintenance</heading>
+ <p>
+"Collaborative maintenance" is a term describing the sharing of Debian
+package maintenance duties by several people. This collaboration is
+almost a good idea, since it generally results in higher quality and
+faster bug fix turnaround time. It is strongly recommended that
+packages in which a priority of <tt>Standard</tt> or which are part of
+the base set have co-maintainers.</p>
+ <p>
+Generally there is a primary maintainer and one or more
+co-maintainers. The primary maintainer is the whose name is listed in
+the <tt>Maintainer</tt> field of the <file>debian/control</file> file.
+Co-maintainers are all the other maintainers.</p>
+ <p>
+In its most basic form, the process of adding a new co-maintainer is
+quite easy:<list>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+Setup the co-maintainer with access to the sources you build the
+package from. Generally this implies you are using a network-capable
+version control system, such as <prgn>CVS</prgn> or
+<prgn>Subversion</prgn>.</p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+Add the co-maintainer's correct maintainer name and address to the
+<tt>Uploaders</tt> field in the global part of the
+<file>debian/control</file> file.
+<example>
+Uploaders: John Buzz <jbuzz@debian.org>, Adam Rex <arex@debian.org>
+</example>
+</p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+Using the PTS (<ref id="pkg-tracking-system">), the co-maintainers
+should subscribe themselves to the appropriate source package.</p>
+ </item>
+ </list></p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect id="archive-manip">
<heading>Moving, Removing, Renaming, Adopting, and Orphaning
Packages</heading>
<p>
-Some archive manipulation operation are not automated in the Debian
+Some archive manipulation operations are not automated in the Debian
upload process. These procedures should be manually followed by
maintainers. This chapter gives guidelines in what to do in these
cases.
- <sect>Moving packages
+ <sect1 id="moving-pkgs">Moving packages
<p>
-Sometimes a package will change either its section or its subsection.
-For instance, a package from the `non-free' section might be GPL'd in
-a later version; in this case you should consider moving it to `main'
-or `contrib' (see the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/" name="Debian Policy
-Manual"> for guidelines).
+Sometimes a package will change its section. For instance, a
+package from the `non-free' section might be GPL'd in a later version,
+in which case, the package should be moved to `main' or
+`contrib'.<footnote> See the <url id="&url-debian-policy;"
+name="Debian Policy Manual"> for guidelines on what section a package
+belongs in.
+ </footnote>
<p>
-In this case, it is sufficient to edit the package control information
-normally and re-upload the package (see the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/packaging.html/"
-name="Debian Packaging Manual"> for details). Carefully examine the
-installation log sent to you when the package is installed into the
-archive. If for some reason the old location of the package remains,
-file a bug against <tt>ftp.debian.org</tt> asking that the old
-location be removed. Give details on what you did, since it might be
-a <prgn>dinstall</prgn> bug.
+If you need to change the section for one of your packages, change the
+package control information to place the package in the desired
+section, and re-upload the package (see the <url id="&url-debian-policy;"
+name="Debian Policy Manual"> for details). If your new section is
+valid, it will be moved automatically. If it does not, then contact
+the ftpmasters in order to understand what happened.
+ <p>
+If, on the other hand, you need to change the <em>subsection</em> of
+one of your packages (e.g., ``devel'', ``admin''), the procedure is
+slightly different. Correct the subsection as found in the control
+file of the package, and re-upload that. Also, you'll need to get the
+override file updated, as described in <ref id="override-file">.
- <sect>Removing packages
+ <sect1 id="removing-pkgs">Removing packages
<p>
If for some reason you want to completely remove a package (say, if it
-is an old compatibility library which is not longer required), you
+is an old compatibility library which is no longer required), you
need to file a bug against <tt>ftp.debian.org</tt> asking that the
package be removed. Make sure you indicate which distribution the
-package should be removed from.
+package should be removed from. Normally, you can only have packages
+removed from <em>unstable</em> and <em>experimental</em>. Packages
+are not removed from <em>testing</em> directly. Rather, they will be
+removed automatically after the package has been removed from
+<em>unstable</em> and no package in <em>testing</em> depends on it.
+ <p>
+You also have to detail the reasons justifying that request. This is to
+avoid unwanted removals and to keep a trace of why a package has been
+removed. For example, you can provide the name of the package that
+supersedes the one to be removed.
+ <p>
+Usually you only ask the removal of a package maintained by yourself.
+If you want to remove another package, you have to get the approval
+of its last maintainer.
<p>
If in doubt concerning whether a package is disposable, email
-<email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> asking for opinions.
-Also of interest is the <prgn>apt-cache</prgn> program from the
-<package>apt</package> package. When invoked as <tt>apt-cache showpkg
-/var/cache/apt/pkgcache.bin <var>package</var></tt>, the program will
-show details for <var>package</var>, including reverse depends.
-
- <sect1>Removing packages from <tt>Incoming</tt>
+&email-debian-devel; asking for opinions. Also of interest is the
+<prgn>apt-cache</prgn> program from the <package>apt</package>
+package. When invoked as <tt>apt-cache showpkg
+<var>package</var></tt>, the program will show details for
+<var>package</var>, including reverse depends.
+ <p>
+Once the package has been removed, the package's bugs should be handled.
+They should either be reassigned to another package in the case where
+the actual code has evolved into another package (e.g. <tt>libfoo12</tt>
+was removed because <tt>libfoo13</tt> supersedes it) or closed if the
+software is simply no more part of Debian.
+
+ <sect2>Removing packages from <file>Incoming</file>
<p>
-If you decide to remove a package from <tt>Incoming</tt>, it is nice
-but not required to send a notification of that to the appropriate
-announce list (either <email>debian-changes@lists.debian.org</email>
-or <email>debian-devel-changes@lists.debian.org</email>).
+In the past, it was possible to remove packages from <file>incoming</file>.
+However, with the introduction of the new incoming system, this is no longer
+possible. Instead, you have to upload a new revision of your package with
+a higher version as the package you want to replace. Both versions will be
+installed in the archive but only the higher version will actually be
+available in <em>unstable</em> since the previous version will immediately
+be replaced by the higher. However, if you do proper testing of your
+packages, the need to replace a package should not occur too often anyway.
- <sect>Replacing or renaming packages
+ <sect1>Replacing or renaming packages
<p>
Sometimes you made a mistake naming the package and you need to rename
it. In this case, you need to follow a two-step process. First, set
your <file>debian/control</file> file to replace and conflict with the
-obsolete name of the package (see the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/packaging.html/"
-name="Debian Packaging Manual"> for details). Once you've uploaded
-that package, and the package has moved into the archive, file a bug
+obsolete name of the package (see the <url id="&url-debian-policy;"
+name="Debian Policy Manual"> for details). Once you've uploaded
+the package and the package has moved into the archive, file a bug
against <tt>ftp.debian.org</tt> asking to remove the package with the
-obsolete name.
-
-
-
- <sect id="orphaning">Orphaning a package
- <p>
-If you can no longer maintain a package, then you should set the
-package maintainer to <tt>Debian QA Group
-<debian-qa@lists.debian.org></tt> and email
-<email>wnpp@debian.org</email> indicating that the package is now
-orphaned. If the package is especially crucial to Debian, you should
-instead email <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> asking for
-a new maintainer.
-
-
- <sect id="adopting">Adopting a package
- <p>
-Periodically, a listing of packages in need of new maintainers will be
-sent to <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> list. This list
-is also available at in the Work-Needing and Prospective Packages
-document (WNPP), <url
-id="ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/doc/package-developer/prospective-packages.html">
-and at <url id="http://www.debian.org/doc/prospective-packages.html">.
-If you wish to take over maintenance of any of the packages listed in
-the WNPP, or if you can no longer maintain a packages you have, or you
-simply want to know if any one is working on a new package, send a
-message to <email>wnpp@debian.org</email>.
+obsolete name. Do not forget to properly reassign the package's bugs
+at the same time.
+ <p>
+At other times, you may make a mistake in constructing your package and
+wish to replace it. The only way to do this is to increase the version
+number and upload a new version. The old version will be expired in
+the usual manner. Note that this applies to each part of your package,
+including the sources: if you wish to replace the upstream source tarball
+of your package, you will need to upload it with a different version. An
+easy possibility is to replace <file>foo_1.00.orig.tar.gz</file> with
+<file>foo_1.00+0.orig.tar.gz</file>. This restriction gives each file
+on the ftp site a unique name, which helps to ensure consistency across the
+mirror network.
+
+ <sect1 id="orphaning">Orphaning a package
+ <p>
+If you can no longer maintain a package, you need to inform the others
+about that, and see that the package is marked as orphaned.
+You should set the package maintainer to <tt>Debian QA Group
+&orphan-address;</tt> and submit a bug report
+against the pseudo package <package>wnpp</package>. The bug report should be
+titled <tt>O: <var>package</var> -- <var>short description</var></tt>
+indicating that the package is now orphaned. The severity of the bug
+should be set to <em>normal</em>. If you feel it's necessary, send a copy
+to &email-debian-devel; by putting the address in the X-Debbugs-CC: header
+of the message (no, don't use CC:, because that way the message's subject
+won't indicate the bug number).
+ <p>
+If the package is especially crucial to Debian, you should instead submit
+a bug against <package>wnpp</package> and title it <tt>RFA: <var>package</var> --
+<var>short description</var></tt> and set its severity to
+<em>important</em>. <tt>RFA</tt> stands for <em>Request For Adoption</em>.
+Definitely copy the message to debian-devel in this case, as described
+above.
+ <p>
+Read instructions on the <url id="&url-wnpp;" name="WNPP web pages">
+for more information.
+
+ <sect1 id="adopting">Adopting a package
+ <p>
+A list of packages in need of a new maintainer is available at in the
+<url name="Work-Needing and Prospective Packages list (WNPP)"
+id="&url-wnpp;">. If you wish to take over maintenance of any of the
+packages listed in the WNPP, please take a look at the aforementioned
+page for information and procedures.
<p>
It is not OK to simply take over a package that you feel is neglected
--- that would be package hijacking. You can, of course, contact the
+— that would be package hijacking. You can, of course, contact the
current maintainer and ask them if you may take over the package.
However, without their assent, you may not take over the package.
Even if they ignore you, that is still not grounds to take over a
package. If you really feel that a maintainer has gone AWOL (absent
-without leave), post a query to
-<email>debian-private@lists.debian.org</email>.
+without leave), post a query to &email-debian-private;. You may also
+inform the QA group (cf. <ref id="mia-qa">).
<p>
If you take over an old package, you probably want to be listed as the
package's official maintainer in the bug system. This will happen
automatically once you upload a new version with an updated
-<tt>Maintainer:</tt> field, although it can take a couple of weeks. If
-you do not expect to upload a new version for a while, send an email
-to <email>override-change@debian.org</email> so that bug reports will
-go to you right away.
+<tt>Maintainer:</tt> field, although it can take a few hours after the
+upload is done. If you do not expect to upload a new version for a while,
+you can use <ref id="pkg-tracking-system"> to get the bug reports. However,
+make sure that the old maintainer has no problem with the fact that
+they will continue to receive the bugs during that time.
+ <sect id="bug-handling">Handling package bugs
+ <p>
+Often as a package maintainer, you find bugs in other packages or else
+have bugs reported to your packages which need to be reassigned. The
+<url id="&url-bts-control;" name="BTS instructions"> can tell you how
+to do this. Some information on filing bugs can be found in <ref
+id="submit-bug">.
-
- <chapt id="bug-handling">Handling Bugs
-
- <sect>Monitoring bugs
+ <sect1>Monitoring bugs
<p>
If you want to be a good maintainer, you should periodically check the
-<url id="http://www.debian.org/Bugs/" name="Debian bug tracking system
-(BTS)"> for your packages. The BTS contains all the open bugs against
-your packages.
+<url id="&url-bts;" name="Debian bug tracking system (BTS)"> for your
+packages. The BTS contains all the open bugs against your packages.
+You can check them by browsing this page:
+<tt>http://&bugs-host;/<var>yourlogin</var>@debian.org</tt>.
<p>
Maintainers interact with the BTS via email addresses at
-<tt>bugs.debian.org</tt>. Documentation on available commands can be
-found at <url id="http://www.debian.org/Bugs/">, or, if you have
-installed the <package>debian-doc</package> package, you can look at
-the local files <file>/usr/doc/debian/bug-*</file>.
+<tt>&bugs-host;</tt>. Documentation on available commands can be
+found at <url id="&url-bts;">, or, if you have installed the
+<package>doc-debian</package> package, you can look at the local files
+&file-bts-docs;.
<p>
Some find it useful to get periodic reports on open bugs. You can add
a cron job such as the following if you want to get a weekly email
outlining all the open bugs against your packages:
<example>
# ask for weekly reports of bugs in my packages
-0 17 * * fri echo "index maint <var>maintainer-address</var>" | mail request@bugs.debian.org
+&cron-bug-report;
</example>
-Replace <var>maintainer-address</var> with you official Debian
+Replace <var>address</var> with your official Debian
maintainer address.
- <sect id="submit-bug">Submitting Bugs
- <p>
-Often as a package maintainer, you find bugs in other packages or else
-have bugs reported to your packages which need to be reassigned. The
-BTS <url id="http://www.debian.org/Bugs/server-control.html"
-name="instructions"> can tell you how to do this.
- <p>
-We encourage you to file bugs when there are problems. Try to submit
-the bug from a normal user account at which you are likely to receive
-mail. Do not submit bugs as root.
+ <sect1 id="bug-answering">Responding to bugs
<p>
-Make sure the bug is not already filed against a package. Try to do a
-good job reporting a bug and redirecting it to the proper location.
-For extra credit, you can go through other packages, merging bugs
-which are reported more than once, or setting bug severities to
-`fixed' when they have already been fixed. Note that when you are
-neither the bug submitter nor the package maintainer, you are should
-not actually close the bug (unless you secure permission from the
-maintainer).
-
- <sect>Responding to Bugs
- <p>
-Make sure that any discussions you have about bugs are sent both to
-the original submitter of the bug, and the bug itself (i.e.,
+Make sure that any discussion you have about bugs are sent both to
+the original submitter of the bug, and the bug itself (e.g.,
+<email>123@bugs.debian.org</email>). If you're writing a new
+mail and you don't remember the submitter email address, you can
+use the <email>123-submitter@bugs.debian.org</email> email to
+contact the submitter <em>and</em> to record your mail within the
+bug log (that means you don't need to send a copy of the mail to
<email>123@bugs.debian.org</email>).
<p>
-You should <em>never</em> close bugs via the bug server `close'
-command sent to <email>control@bugs.debian.org</email>. If you do so,
-the original submitter will not receive any feedback on why the bug
-was closed.
+You should <em>never</em> close bugs via the bug server <tt>close</tt>
+command sent to &email-bts-control;. If you do so, the original
+submitter will not receive any information about why the bug was
+closed.
+
+ <sect1 id="bug-housekeeping">Bug housekeeping
+ <p>
+As a package maintainer, you will often find bugs in other packages or
+have bugs reported against your packages which are actually bugs in
+other packages. The <url id="&url-bts-control;" name="BTS
+instructions"> document the technical operations of the BTS, such as
+how to file, reassign, merge, and tag bugs. This section contains
+some guidelines for managing your own bugs, based on the collective
+Debian developer experience.
+ <p>
+Filing bugs for problems that you find in other packages is one of
+the "civic obligations" of maintainership, see <ref id="submit-bug">
+for details. However handling the bugs on your own packages is
+even more important.
+ <p>
+Here's a list of steps that you may follow to handle a bug report:
+<enumlist>
+ <item>
+Decide whether the report corresponds to a real bug or not. Sometimes
+users are just calling a program in the wrong way because they haven't
+read the documentation. If you diagnose this, just close the bug with
+enough information to let the user correct his problem (give pointers
+to the good documentation and so on). If the same report comes up
+again and again you may ask yourself if the documentation is good
+enough or if the program shouldn't detect its misuse in order to
+give an informative error message. This is an issue that may need
+to be brought to the upstream author.
+ <p>
+If the bug submitter disagree with your decision to close the bug,
+they may reopen it until you find an agreement on how to handle it.
+If you don't find any, you may want to tag the bug <tt>wontfix</tt>
+to let people know that the bug exists but that it won't be corrected.
+If this situation is unacceptable, you (or the submitter) may want to
+require a decision of the technical committee by reassigning the bug
+to <package>tech-ctte</package> (you may use the clone command of
+the BTS if you wish to keep it reported against your package). Before
+doing so, please read the <url id="&url-tech-ctte;" name="recommended procedure">.
+ <item>
+If the bug is real but it's caused by another package, just reassign
+the bug the right package. If you don't know which package it should
+be reassigned to, you may either ask for help on &email-debian-devel; or
+reassign it to <package>debian-policy</package> to let them decide which
+package is in fault.
+ <p>
+Sometimes you also have to adjust the severity of the bug so that it
+matches our definition of the severity. That's because people tend to
+inflate the severity of bugs to make sure their bugs are fixed quickly.
+Some bugs may even be dropped to wishlist severity when the requested
+change is just cosmetic.
+ <item>
+The bug submitter may have forgotten to provide some information, in that
+case you have to ask him the information required. You may use the
+<tt>moreinfo</tt> tag to mark the bug as such. Moreover if you can't
+reproduce the bug, you tag it <tt>unreproducible</tt>. Anyone who
+can reproduce the bug is then invited to provide more information
+on how to reproduce it. After a few months, if this information has not
+been sent by someone, the bug may be closed.
+ <item>
+If the bug is related to the packaging, you just fix it. If you are not
+able to fix it yourself, then tag the bug as <tt>help</tt>. You can
+also ask for help on &email-debian-devel; or &email-debian-qa;. If it's an
+upstream problem, you have to forward it to the upstream author.
+Forwarding a bug is not enough, you have to check at each release if
+the bug has been fixed or not. If it has, you just close it, otherwise
+you have to remind the author about it. If you have the required skills
+you can prepare a patch that fixes the bug and that you send at the
+same time to the author. Make sure to send the patch in the BTS and to
+tag the bug as <tt>patch</tt>.
+ <item>
+If you have fixed a bug in your local copy, or if a fix has been
+committed to the CVS repository, you may tag the bug as
+<tt>pending</tt> to let people know that the bug is corrected and that
+it will be closed with the next upload (add the <tt>closes:</tt> in
+the <file>changelog</file>). This is particularly useful if you
+are several developers working on the same package.
+ <item>
+Once a corrected package is available in the <em>unstable</em>
+distribution, you can close the bug. This can be done automatically,
+read <ref id="upload-bugfix">.
+</enumlist>
+
+ <sect1 id="bug-security">Handling security-related bugs
+ <p>
+Due to their sensitive nature, security-related bugs must be handled
+carefully. The Debian Security Team exists to coordinate this
+activity, keeping track of outstanding security problems, helping
+maintainers with security problems or fix them themselves, sending
+security advisories, and maintaining security.debian.org.
+
+<!-- information about the security database goes here once it's ready -->
+<!-- (mdz) -->
+
+ <sect2 id="bug-security-you">What to do when you learn of a
+ security problem
+ <p>
+When you become aware of a security-related bug in a Debian package,
+whether or not you are the maintainer, collect pertinent information
+about the problem, and promptly contact the security team at
+&email-security-team;.
+Useful information includes, for example:
+
+<list compact>
+ <item>What versions of the package are known to be affected by the
+ bug.
+
+ <item>The nature of the exposure (root compromise, user compromise,
+ remote/local attack)
+
+ <item>The nature of the fix, if any is available (patches are
+ especially helpful)
+</list>
- <sect>When bugs are closed by new uploads
+ <sect2 id="bug-security-confidentiality">Confidentiality
+ <p>
+Unlike most other activities within Debian, information about security
+issues must sometimes be kept private for a time. Whether this is the
+case depends on the nature of the problem and corresponding fix, and
+whether it is already a matter of public knowledge.
+<p>
+There are a few ways a developer can learn of a security problem:
+
+<list compact>
+ <item>he notices it on a public forum (mailing list, web site, etc.)
+ <item>someone files a bug report
+ <item>someone informs him via private email
+</list>
+
+ In the first two cases, the information is public and it is important
+ to have a fix as soon as possible. In the last case, however, it
+ might not be public information. In that case there are a few
+ possible options for dealing with the problem:
+
+<list>
+ <item>if it is a trivial problem (like insecure temporary files)
+ there is no need to keep the problem a secret and a fix should be
+ made and released.
+
+ <item>if the problem is severe (remotely exploitable, possibility to
+ gain root privileges) it is preferable to share the information with
+ other vendors and coordinate a release. The security team keeps
+ contacts with the various organizations and individuals and can take
+ care of that.
+</list>
+
+<p>
+ In all cases if the person who reports the problem asks to not
+ disclose the information that should be respected, with the obvious
+ exception of informing the security team (make sure you tell the
+ security team that the information can not be disclosed).
+
+<p>
+Please note that if secrecy is needed you can also not upload a fix to
+unstable (or anywhere else), since the changelog and diff information
+for unstable is public.
+
+<p>
+There are two reasons for releasing information even though secrecy is
+requested: the problem has been known for a while, or that the problem
+or exploit has become public.
+
+ <sect2 id="bug-security-advisories">Security Advisories
+ <p>
+Security advisories are only issued for the current, released stable
+distribution, not for testing or unstable. When released, advisories
+are sent to the &email-debian-security-announce;
+mailing list and posted on <url
+id="&url-debian-security-advisories;" name="the security web page">.
+Security advisories are written and posted by the security
+team. However they certainly do not mind if a maintainer can supply
+some of the information for them, or write part of the
+text. Information that should be in an advisory includes:
+
+<list compact>
+ <item>A description of the problem and its scope, including:
+ <list>
+ <item>The type of problem (privilege escalation, denial of
+ service, etc.)
+ <item>How it can be exploited
+ <item>Whether it is remotely or locally exploitable
+ <item>How the problem was fixed
+ </list>
+ <item>Version numbers of affected packages
+ <item>Version numbers of fixed packages
+ <item>Information on where to obtain the updated packages
+</list>
+
+ <sect2 id="bug-security-building">
+ <heading>Preparing packages to address security issues</heading>
+ <p>
+One way that you can assist the security team in their duties is to
+provide fixed packages suitable for a security advisory for the stable
+Debian release.
+ <p>
+ When an update is made to the stable release, care must be taken to
+ avoid changing system behavior or introducing new bugs. In order to
+ do this, make as few changes as possible to fix the bug. Users and
+ administrators rely on the exact behavior of a release once it is
+ made, so any change that is made might break someone's system.
+ This is especially true of libraries: make sure you never change the
+ API or ABI, no matter how small the change.
+<p>
+This means that moving to a new upstream version is not a good
+solution. Instead, the relevant changes should be back-ported to the
+version present in the current stable Debian release. Generally,
+upstream maintainers are willing to help if needed. If not, the
+Debian security team may be able to help.
+<p>
+In some cases, it is not possible to back-port a security fix, for
+example when large amounts of source code need to be modified or
+rewritten. If this happens, it may be necessary to move to a new
+upstream version. However, you must always coordinate that with the
+security team beforehand.
+<p>
+Related to this is another important guideline: always test your
+changes. If you have an exploit available, try it and see if it
+indeed succeeds on the unpatched package and fails on the fixed
+package. Test other, normal actions as well, as sometimes a security
+fix can break seemingly unrelated features in subtle ways.
+
+When packaging the fix, keep the following points in mind:
+
+<list>
+ <item>Make sure you target the right distribution in your
+ <file>debian/changelog</file>. For stable this is <tt>stable-security</tt> and for
+ testing this is <tt>testing-security</tt>. Do not target
+ <var>distribution</var>-proposed-updates!
+
+ <item>Make sure the version number is proper. It must be greater
+ than the current package, but less than package versions in later
+ distributions. If in doubt, test it with <tt>dpkg
+ --compare-versions</tt>. For <em>testing</em>, there must be
+ a higher version in <em>unstable</em>. If there is none yet (for example,
+ if <em>testing</em> and <em>unstable</em> have the same version) you must upload a
+ new version to unstable first.
+
+ <item>Do not make source-only uploads if your package has any
+ binary-all packages (do not use the <tt>-S</tt> option to
+ <prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn>). The <prgn>buildd</prgn> infrastructure will
+ not build those. This point applies to normal package uploads as
+ well.
+
+ <item>Always build with full source (use the <tt>-sa</tt> option
+ for <prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn>).
+
+ <item>Be sure to use the exact same <file>*.orig.tar.gz</file> as used in the
+ normal archive, otherwise it is not possible to move the security
+ fix into the main archives later.
+
+ <item>Be sure, when compiling a package, to compile on a clean
+ system which only has packages installed from the distribution you
+ are building for. If you do not have such a system yourself, you
+ can use a debian.org machine (see <ref id="server-machines">)
+ or setup a chroot (see <ref id="pbuilder"> and
+ <ref id="debootstrap">).
+</list>
+
+ <sect2 id="bug-security-upload">Uploading the fixed package
+<p>
+<em>DO NOT</em> upload a package to the security upload queue without
+prior authorization from the security team. If the package does not
+exactly meet the team's requirements, it will cause many problems and
+delays in dealing with the unwanted upload.
+<p>
+Once you have created and tested the new package and it has been
+approved by the security team, it needs to be uploaded so that it can
+be installed in the archives. For security uploads, the place to
+upload to is
+<tt>ftp://security.debian.org/pub/SecurityUploadQueue/</tt> .
+
+<p>
+Once an upload to the security queue has been accepted, the package
+will automatically be rebuilt for all architectures and stored for
+verification by the security team.
+
+<p>
+Uploads which are waiting for acceptance or verification are only
+accessible by the security team. This is necessary since there might
+be fixes for security problems that cannot be disclosed yet.
+
+<p>
+If a member of the security team accepts a package, it will be
+installed on security.debian.org as well as the proper
+<var>distribution</var>-proposed-updates on ftp-master or in the non-US
+archive.
+
+ <sect1 id="upload-bugfix">When bugs are closed by new uploads
<p>
If you fix a bug in your packages, it is your responsibility as the
package maintainer to close the bug when it has been fixed. However,
notification that your updated package has been installed into the
archive, you can and should close the bug in the BTS.
<p>
-Again, see the BTS documentation for details on how to do this.
-Often, it is sufficient to mail the <tt>.changes</tt> file to
+If you are using a new version of <package>dpkg-dev</package> and you do
+your changelog entry properly, the archive maintenance software will close
+the bugs automatically. All you have to do is follow a certain syntax in
+your <file>debian/changelog</file> file:
+<example>
+acme-cannon (3.1415) unstable; urgency=low
+
+ * Frobbed with options (closes: Bug#98339)
+ * Added safety to prevent operator dismemberment, closes: bug#98765,
+ bug#98713, #98714.
+ * Added man page. Closes: #98725.
+</example>
+
+Technically speaking, the following Perl regular expression is what is
+used:
+<example>
+ /closes:\s*(?:bug)?\#\s*\d+(?:,\s*(?:bug)?\#\s*\d+)*/ig
+</example>
+
+The author prefers the <tt>closes: #<var>XXX</var></tt> syntax, as
+one of the most concise and easiest to integrate with the text of the
+<file>changelog</file>.
+ <p>
+If you want to close bugs the old fashioned, manual way, it is usually
+sufficient to mail the <file>.changes</file> file to
<email>XXX-done@bugs.debian.org</email>, where <var>XXX</var> is your
bug number.
- <sect id="lintian-reports">Lintian reports
+ <sect1 id="lintian-reports">Lintian reports
<p>
You should periodically get the new <package>lintian</package> from
`unstable' and check over all your packages. Alternatively you can
-check for your maintainer email address at the <url
-id="http://www.debian.org/lintian/" name="online lintian report">.
-That report, which is updated automatically, contains
-<prgn>lintian</prgn> reports against the latest version of the
-distribution (usually from 'unstable') using the latest
-<package>lintian</package>.
+check for your maintainer email address at the <url id="&url-lintian;"
+name="online lintian report">. That report, which is updated
+automatically, contains <prgn>lintian</prgn> reports against the
+latest version of the distribution (usually from 'unstable') using the
+latest <package>lintian</package>.
+
+
+ <chapt id="best-pkging-practices">
+ <heading>Best Packaging Practices</heading>
+ <p>
+Debian's quality is largely due to its Policy that all packages
+follow. But it's also because we accumulated years of experience
+in packaging; very talented people created great tools to make
+good packages without much troubles.
+ <p>
+This chapter provides the best known solutions to common problems
+faced during packaging. It also lists various advice collected on
+several mailing lists. By following them, you will make Debian's quality
+even better.
+
+ <sect id="packaging-tools">
+ <heading>Packaging tools and common cases</heading>
+
+ <sect1 id="helper-scripts">Helper scripts
+ <p>
+To help you in your packaging effort, you can use helper scripts.
+The best scripts available are provided by <package>debhelper</package>.
+With <prgn>dh_make</prgn> (package <package>dh-make</package>), you can
+generate in a few seconds a package that is mostly ready. However that
+apparent simplicity is hiding many things done by the helper scripts.
+You have to know what is done by them, that's why you are strongly
+encouraged to read the corresponding manual pages, starting with
+<tt>debhelper(1)</tt>. That's required because you'll have to
+understand what is going on to be able to use them wisely and to
+fix bugs in a pretty way.
+ <p>
+debhelper is very useful because it lets you follow the latest Debian policy
+without doing many modifications since the changes that can be automated are
+almost always automatically done by a debhelper script. Furthermore it
+offers enough flexibility to be able to use it in conjunction with
+some hand crafted shell invocations within the <file>rules</file> file.
+ <p>
+You can however decide to not use any helper script and still write
+excellent <file>rules</file> file. Many examples are available
+at <url id="&url-rules-files;">.
+<!--
+ <sect1 id="pkg-mgmt-cvs">Managing a package with CVS
+ <p>
+ &FIXME; presentation of cvs-buildpackage, updating sources
+ via CVS (debian/rules refresh).
+-->
- <sect>Reporting lots of bugs at once
+ <sect1 id="multiple-patches">Package with multiple patches
+ <p>
+Big packages tend to have many upstream bugs that you want to fix within
+the Debian package. If you just correct the bug in the source, all the
+fixes are directly integrated in the <file>.diff.gz</file> file and you
+can't easily differentiate the various patches that you applied. It gets
+very messy when you have to update the package to a new upstream version
+which integrates some of the fixes (but not all).
+ <p>
+The good solution is to keep separate patches within the
+<file>debian/patches</file> directory and to apply them on the fly at
+build time. The package <package>dbs</package> provides an
+implementation of such a system, you just have to build-depend on dbs to
+be able to use its functionalities. The package
+<package>hello-dbs</package> is a simple example that demonstrates how to
+use <package>dbs</package>.
+ <p>
+Additionally, dbs provides facilities to create the patches and to keep
+track of what they are for.
+
+ <sect1 id="multiple-binary">Multiple binary packages
+ <p>
+A single source package will often build several binary packages, either
+to provide several flavors of the same software (examples are the
+vim-* packages) or to make several small packages instead of a big one
+(it's interesting if the user doesn't need all the packages and can thus
+save some disk space).
+ <p>
+The second case can be easily managed by <prgn>dh_install</prgn> (from
+<package>debhelper</package>) to move files from the build directory to
+the package's temporary trees.
+ <p>
+The first case is a bit more difficult since it involves multiple recompiles
+of the same software but with different configure options. The
+<package>vim</package> is an example of how to manage this with an
+hand crafted rules file.
+<!-- &FIXME; Find a good debhelper example with multile configure/make
+ cycles -->
+
+ <sect1 id="handling-debconf-translations">Handling debconf translations
+ <p>
+Like porters, translators have a difficult task. Since they work on many
+packages, they cannot keep track of every change in packages in order to
+be informed when a translated string is outdated. Fortunately
+<package>debconf</package> can automatically report outdated translations,
+if package maintainers follow some basic guidelines described below.
+ <p>
+Translators can use <prgn>debconf-getlang</prgn> (package
+<package>debconf-utils</package>) to write a <file>templates.xx</file>
+file containing both English and localized fields (where <em>xx</em> is
+the language code, may be followed by a country code). This file can be
+put into the <file>debian</file> subdirectory without any change.
+ <p>
+When building a binary package, <file>debian/templates.xx</file> files are
+merged along with <file>debian/templates</file> to generate the
+<file>templates</file> file contained in the binary package. This is
+automatically done by <prgn>dh_installdebconf</prgn> (package
+<package>debhelper</package>). If you do not use debhelper, you can
+do the same with <prgn>debconf-mergetemplate</prgn>
+(package <package>debconf-utils</package>).
+ <p>
+When the package maintainer needs to update the templates file, they only
+change <file>debian/templates</file>. When English strings in this file
+and in <file>debian/templates.xx</file> differ, translators do know that
+their translation is outdated.
+ <p>
+Please see the page about
+<url id="&url-debconf-l10n-help;" name="localizing debconf templates files">
+at the Debian web site, it contains more detailed instructions, including a
+full example.
+
+
+ <sect id="specific-practices">
+ <heading>Specific packaging practices</heading>
+
+<!--
+ <sect1 id="bpp-kernel">Kernel modules/patches
+ <p>
+ &FIXME; Heavy use of kernel-package. provide files in
+ /etc/modutils/ for module configuration.
+-->
+
+ <sect1 id="bpp-autotools">
+ <heading>Packages using
+ <prgn>autoconf</prgn>/<prgn>automake</prgn></heading>
+ <p>
+Some very good packaging practices for packages using
+<prgn>autoconf</prgn> and/or <prgn>automake</prgn> have been
+synthesized in &file-bpp-autotools;. You're strongly encouraged to
+read this file and to follow the given recommendations.
+
+
+ <sect1 id="bpp-libraries">Libraries
+ <p>
+Libraries are always difficult to package for various reasons. The policy
+imposes many constraints to ease their maintenance and to make sure
+upgrades are as simple as possible when a new upstream version comes out.
+A breakage in a library can result in dozens of dependent packages
+breaking.
+ <p>
+Good practices for library packaging have been grouped in
+<url id="&url-libpkg-guide;" name="the library packaging guide">.
+
+ <sect1 id="bpp-other-specific-practices">Other specific packages
+ <p>
+Several subsets of packages have special sub-policies and corresponding
+packaging rules and practices:
+<list>
+ <item>
+Perl related packages have a <url name="Perl policy" id="&url-perl-policy;">,
+some examples of packages following that policy are
+<package>libdbd-pg-perl</package> (binary perl module) or
+<package>libmldbm-perl</package> (arch independent perl module).
+ <item>
+Python related packages have their python policy:
+&file-python-policy; (in the python package).
+ <item>
+Emacs related packages have the <url id="&url-emacs-policy;"
+name="emacs policy">.
+ <item>
+Java related packages have their <url id="&url-java-policy;"
+name="java policy">.
+ <item>
+Ocaml related packages have their Ocaml policy: &file-ocaml-policy; (in
+the <package>ocaml</package> package). A good example is the <package>camlzip</package>
+source package.
+</list>
+
+ <sect id="config-mgmt">
+ <heading>Configuration management</heading>
+
+ <sect1 id="config-wise-debconf">
+ <heading>Proper use of <package>debconf</package></heading>
+ <p>
+<package>Debconf</package> is a configuration management system which
+can be used by all the various packaging scripts
+(<file>postinst</file> mainly) to request feedback from the user
+concerning how to configure the package. Direct user interactions must
+now be avoided in favor of <package>debconf</package>
+interaction. This will enable non-interactive installations in the
+future.
+ <p>
+Debconf is a great tool but it is often poorly used. Many common mistakes
+are listed in the <manref name="debconf-devel" section="8"> man page.
+It is something that you must read if you decide to use debconf.
+
+<!--
+ <sect1 id="custom-config-files">Custom configuration files
+ <p>
+ &FIXME; speak of "ucf", explain solution with a template,
+ explain conf.d directories
+
+ <sect1 id="config-with-db">Use of an external database
+ <p>
+ &FIXME; The software may require a database that you need to setup.
+ But the database may be local or distant. Thus you can't depend
+ on a database server but just on the corresponding library.
+
+ sympa may be an example package
+-->
+
+ <sect id="misc-advice">
+ <heading>Miscellaneous advice</heading>
+
+ <sect1 id="writing-desc">
+ <heading>Writing useful descriptions</heading>
+ <p>
+The description of the package (as defined by the corresponding field
+in the <file>control</file> file) is usually the first information
+available to the user before they install it. As such, it should
+provide all the required information to let him decide whether
+to install the package.
+ <p>
+For example, apart from the usual description that you adapt from the
+upstream <file>README</file>, you should include the URL of the
+web site if there's any. If the package is not yet considered stable
+by the author, you may also want to warn the user that the
+package is not ready for production use.
+ <p>
+For consistency and for an aesthetic concern, you should capitalize the
+first letter of the description.
+ <p>
+Last but not least, since the first user impression is based on
+that description, you should be careful to avoid English
+mistakes. Ensure that you spell check it.
+<prgn>ispell</prgn> has a special option (<tt>-g</tt>) for that:
+<example>ispell -d american -g debian/control</example>.
+If you want someone to proofread the description that you
+intend to use you may ask on &email-debian-l10n-english;.
+
+
+
+ <chapt id="beyond-pkging">
+ <heading>Beyond Packaging</heading>
+ <p>
+Debian is about a lot more than just packaging software and
+maintaining those packages. This chapter contains information about
+ways, often really critical ways, to contribute to Debian beyond
+simply creating and maintaining packages.
+ <p>
+As a volunteer organization, Debian relies on the discretion of its
+members in choosing what they want to work on and in choosing
+the most critical thing to spend their time on.
+
+ <sect id="submit-bug">
+ <heading>Bug Reporting</heading>
+ <p>
+We encourage you to file bugs as you find them in Debian packages. In
+fact, Debian developers are often the first line testers. Finding and
+reporting bugs in other developer's packages improves the quality of
+Debian.
+ <p>
+Try to submit the bug from a normal user account at which you are
+likely to receive mail. Do not submit bugs as root.
+ <p>
+Make sure the bug is not already filed against a package. Try to do a
+good job reporting a bug and redirecting it to the proper location.
+For extra credit, you can go through other packages, merging bugs
+which are reported more than once, or setting bug severities to
+`fixed' when they have already been fixed. Note that when you are
+neither the bug submitter nor the package maintainer, you should
+not actually close the bug (unless you secure permission from the
+maintainer).
+ <p>
+From time to time you may want to check what has been going on
+with the bug reports that you submitted. Take this opportunity to
+close those that you can't reproduce anymore. To find
+out all the bugs you submitted, you just have to visit
+<tt>http://&bugs-host;/from:<your-email-addr></tt>.
+
+ <sect1 id="submit-many-bugs">Reporting lots of bugs at once
<p>
Reporting a great number of bugs for the same problem on a great
-number of different packages -- i.e., more than 10 -- is a deprecated
+number of different packages — i.e., more than 10 — is a deprecated
practice. Take all possible steps to avoid submitting bulk bugs at
all. For instance, if checking for the problem can be automated, add
a new check to <package>lintian</package> so that an error or warning
is emitted.
<p>
If you report more than 10 bugs on the same topic at once, it is
-recommended that you send a message to
-<email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> describing your intention
-before submitting the report. This will allow other developers to
-verify that the bug is a real problem. In addition, it will help
-prevent a situation in which several maintainers start filing the same
-bug report simultaneously.
+recommended that you send a message to &email-debian-devel; describing
+your intention before submitting the report. This will allow other
+developers to verify that the bug is a real problem. In addition, it
+will help prevent a situation in which several maintainers start
+filing the same bug report simultaneously.
<p>
Note that when sending lots of bugs on the same subject, you should
send the bug report to <email>maintonly@bugs.debian.org</email> so
list.
- <chapt id="tools">Overview of Debian Maintainer Tools
+ <sect id="qa-effort">Quality Assurance effort
+
+ <sect1 id="qa-daily-work">Daily work
+ <p>
+Even though there is a dedicated group of people for Quality
+Assurance, QA duties are not reserved solely for them. You can
+participate in this effort by keeping your packages as bug-free as
+possible, and as lintian-clean (see <ref id="lintian-reports">) as
+possible. If you do not find that possible, then you should consider
+orphaning some of your packages (see <ref
+id="orphaning">). Alternatively, you may ask the help of other people
+in order to catch up the backlog of bugs that you have (you can ask
+for help on &email-debian-qa; or &email-debian-devel;). At the same
+time, you can look for co-maintainers (see <ref id="collaborative-maint">).
+
+ <sect1 id="qa-bsp">Bug Squashing Parties
+ <p>
+From time to time the QA group organizes bug squashing parties to get rid of
+as many problems as possible. They are announced on &email-debian-devel-announce;
+and the announce explains what area will be focused on during the party:
+usually they focus on release critical bugs but it may happen that they
+decide to help finish a major upgrade going on (like a new perl version
+which requires recompilation of all the binary modules).
+ <p>
+The rules for non-maintainer uploads differ during the parties because
+the announce of the party is considered like a prior notice for NMU. If
+you have packages that may be affected by the party (because they have
+release critical bugs for example), you should send an update to each of
+the corresponding bug to explain their current status and what you expect
+from the party. If you don't want an NMU, or if you're only interested in a
+patch, or if you will deal yourself with the bug, please explain that in
+the BTS.
+ <p>
+People participating in the party have special rules for NMU, they can
+NMU without prior notice if they upload their NMU to
+DELAYED/3-day at least. All other NMU rules applies as usually, they
+should send the patch of the NMU in the BTS (in one of the open bugs
+fixed by the NMU or in a new bug tagged fixed). They should
+also respect the maintainer's wishes if he expressed some.
+ <p>
+If someone doesn't feel confident with an NMU, he should just send a patch
+to the BTS. It's far better than a broken NMU.
+
+ <sect id="mia-qa">Dealing with unreachable maintainers
+ <p>
+If you notice that a package is lacking maintenance, you should
+make sure the maintainer is active and will continue to work on
+his packages. Try contacting him yourself.
+ <p>
+If you do not get a reply after a few weeks you should collect all
+useful information about this maintainer. Start by logging into
+the <url id="&url-debian-db;" name="Debian Developer's Database">
+and doing a full search to check whether the maintainer is on vacation
+and when they were last seen. Collect any important package names
+they maintain and any Release Critical bugs filed against them.
+ <p>
+Send all this information to &email-debian-qa;, in order to let the
+QA people do whatever is needed.
+
+ <sect id="contacting-maintainers">Contacting other maintainers
+ <p>
+During your lifetime within Debian, you will have to contact other
+maintainers for various reasons. You may want to discuss a new
+way of cooperating between a set of related packages, or you may
+simply remind someone that a new upstream version is available
+and that you need it.
+ <p>
+Looking up the email address of the maintainer for the package can be
+distracting. Fortunately, there is a simple email alias,
+<tt><package>@&packages-host;</tt>, which provides a way to
+email the maintainer, whatever their individual email address (or
+addresses) may be. Replace <tt><package></tt> with the name of
+a source or a binary package.
+ <p>
+You may also be interested in contacting the persons who are
+subscribed to a given source package via <ref id="pkg-tracking-system">.
+You can do so by using the <tt><package-name>@&pts-host;</tt>
+email address.
+
+
+ <sect id="newmaint">
+ <heading>Interacting with prospective Debian developers</heading>
+ <p>
+Debian's success depends on its ability to attract and retain new and
+talented volunteers. If you are an experienced developer, we
+recommend that you get involved with the process of bringing in new
+developers. This section describes how to help new prospective
+developers.
+
+
+ <sect1 id="sponsoring">Sponsoring packages
+ <p>
+Sponsoring a package means uploading a package for a maintainer who is not
+able to do it on their own, a new maintainer applicant. Sponsoring a package
+also means accepting responsibility for it.
+ <p>
+If you wish to volunteer as a sponsor, you can sign up at <url
+id="&url-sponsors;">.
+ <p>
+New maintainers usually have certain difficulties creating Debian packages
+— this is quite understandable. That is why the sponsor is there, to check
+the package and verify that it is good enough for inclusion in Debian.
+(Note that if the sponsored package is new, the ftpmasters will also have to
+inspect it before letting it in.)
+ <p>
+Sponsoring merely by signing the upload or just recompiling is
+<strong>definitely not recommended</strong>. You need to build the source
+package just like you would build a package of your own. Remember that it
+doesn't matter that you left the prospective developer's name both in the
+changelog and the control file, the upload can still be traced to you.
+ <p>
+If you are an application manager for a prospective developer, you can also
+be their sponsor. That way you can also verify how the applicant is
+handling the 'Tasks and Skills' part of their application.
+
+ <sect1>Managing sponsored packages
+ <p>
+By uploading a sponsored package to Debian, you are certifying that
+the package meets minimum Debian standards. That implies that you
+must build and test the package on your own system before uploading.
+ <p>
+You can not simply upload a binary <file>.deb</file> from the sponsoree. In
+theory, you should only ask only for the diff file and the location of the
+original source tarball, and then you should download the source and apply
+the diff yourself. In practice, you may want to use the source package
+built by your sponsoree. In that case, you have to check that they haven't
+altered the upstream files in the <file>.orig.tar.gz</file> file that
+they're providing.
+ <p>
+Do not be afraid to write the sponsoree back and point out changes
+that need to be made. It often takes several rounds of back-and-forth
+email before the package is in acceptable shape. Being a sponsor
+means being a mentor.
+ <p>
+Once the package meets Debian standards, build the package with
+<example>dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc</example> and sign it
+with <example>debsign -m <your-email-addr> <changes-file></example>
+before uploading it to the incoming directory.
+ <p>
+The Maintainer field of the <file>control</file> file and the
+<file>changelog</file> should list the person who did the packaging, i.e. the
+sponsoree. The sponsoree will therefore get all the BTS mail about the
+package.
+ <p>
+If you prefer to leave a more evident trace of your sponsorship job, you
+can add a line stating it in the most recent changelog entry.
+ <p>
+You are encouraged to keep tabs on the package you sponsor using
+<ref id="pkg-tracking-system">.
+
+ <sect1>Advocating new developers
+ <p>
+See the page about <url id="&url-newmaint-advocate;"
+name="advocating a prospective developer"> at the Debian web site.
+
+ <sect1>Handling new maintainer applications
+ <p>
+Please see <url id="&url-newmaint-amchecklist;" name="Checklist for
+Application Managers"> at the Debian web site.
+
+
+
+ <appendix id="tools">Overview of Debian Maintainer Tools
<p>
This section contains a rough overview of the tools available to
-maintainers. These tools are meant to help convenience developers and
-free their time for critical tasks.
+maintainers. The following is by no means complete or definitive, but
+just a guide to some of the more popular tools.
+ <p>
+Debian maintainer tools are meant to help convenience developers and
+free their time for critical tasks. As Larry Wall says, there's more
+than one way to do it.
<p>
Some people prefer to use high-level package maintenance tools and
some do not. Debian is officially agnostic on this issue; any tool
<p>
Most of the descriptions of these packages come from the actual
package descriptions themselves. Further information can be found in
-the package documentation itself.
+the package documentation itself. You can also see more info with the
+command <tt>apt-cache show <package-name></tt>.
<sect id="dpkg-dev">
id="upload-checking"> and <ref id="lintian-reports">.
+ <sect id="debconf">
+ <heading><package>debconf</package></heading>
+ <p>
+<package>debconf</package> provides a consistent interface to
+configuring packages interactively. It is user interface
+independent, allowing end-users to configure packages with a
+text-only interface, an HTML interface, or a dialog interface. New
+interfaces can be added modularly.
+ <p>
+You can find documentation for this package in the
+<package>debconf-doc</package> package.
+ <p>
+Many feel that this system should be used for all packages requiring
+interactive configuration. <package>debconf</package> is not
+currently required by Debian Policy, however, that may change in the
+future.
+ <p>
+
+
<sect id="debhelper">
<heading><package>debhelper</package>
<p>
various files into your package, compress files, fix file permissions,
integrate your package with the Debian menu system.
<p>
-Unlike <package>debmake</package>, <package>debhelper</package> is
-broken into several small, granular commands which act in a consistent
-manner. As such, it allows a greater granularity of control than
-<package>debmake</package>.
+Unlike some approaches, <package>debhelper</package> is broken into
+several small, granular commands which act in a consistent manner. As
+such, it allows a greater granularity of control than some of the
+other "debian/rules tools".
+ <p>
+There are a number of little <package>debhelper</package> add-on
+packages, too transient to document. You can see the list of most of
+them by doing <tt>apt-cache search ^dh-</tt>.
<sect id="debmake">
favor of <package>debhelper</package>. However, it's not a bug to use
<package>debmake</package>.
+
<sect id="yada">
<heading><package>yada</package>
<p>
-<package>yada</package> is a new packaging helper tool with a slightly
-different philosophy. It uses a <file>debian/packages</file> file to
-auto-generate other necessary files in the <file>debian/</file>
-subdirectory.
+<package>yada</package> is another packaging helper tool. It uses a
+<file>debian/packages</file> file to auto-generate
+<file>debian/rules</file> and other necessary files in the
+<file>debian/</file> subdirectory.
+ <p>
+Note that <package>yada</package> is called "essentially unmaintained"
+by it's own maintainer, Charles Briscoe-Smith. As such, it can be
+considered deprecated.
+
+
+ <sect id="equivs">
+ <heading><package>equivs</package>
+ <p>
+<package>equivs</package> is another package for making packages. It
+is often suggested for local use if you need to make a package simply
+to fulfill dependencies. It is also sometimes used when making
+``meta-packages'', which are packages whose only purpose is to depend
+on other packages.
<sect id="cvs-buildpackage">
<p>
These utilities provide an infrastructure to facilitate the use of CVS
by Debian maintainers. This allows one to keep separate CVS branches
-of a package for <em>stable</em>, <em>unstable</em>, and possibly
+of a package for <em>stable</em>, <em>unstable</em> and possibly
<em>experimental</em> distributions, along with the other benefits of
a version control system.
<sect id="dupload">
<heading><package>dupload</package>
<p>
-<package>dupload</package> is a package and a script to automagically
+<package>dupload</package> is a package and a script to automatically
upload Debian packages to the Debian archive, to log the upload, and
to send mail about the upload of a package. You can configure it for
new upload locations or methods.
+ <sect id="dput">
+ <heading><package>dput</package>
+ <p>
+The <package>dput</package> package and script does much the same
+thing as <package>dupload</package>, but in a different way. It has
+some features over <package>dupload</package>, such as the ability to
+check the GnuPG signature and checksums before uploading, and the
+possibility of running <prgn>dinstall</prgn> in dry-run mode after the
+upload.
+
+
<sect id="fakeroot">
<heading><package>fakeroot</package>
<p>
<package>fakeroot</package> simulates root privileges. This enables
you to build packages without being root (packages usually want to
install files with root ownership). If you have
-<package>fakeroot</package> installed, you can say, i.e.,
-<tt>dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot</tt> as a user.
+<package>fakeroot</package> installed, you can build packages as a
+user: <tt>dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot</tt>.
+
+
+ <sect id="debootstrap">
+ <heading><package>debootstrap</package>
+ <p>
+The <package>debootstrap</package> package and script allows you to
+"bootstrap" a Debian base system into any part of your file-system.
+By "base system", we mean the bare minimum of packages required to
+operate and install the rest of the system.
+ <p>
+Having a system like this can be useful in many ways. For instance,
+you can <prgn>chroot</prgn> into it if you want to test your build
+depends. Or, you can test how your package behaves when installed
+into a bare base system.
+
+
+ <sect id="pbuilder">
+ <heading><package>pbuilder</package>
+ <p>
+<package>pbuilder</package> constructs a chrooted system, and builds
+a package inside the chroot. It is very useful to check that
+a package's build-dependencies are correct, and to be sure that
+unnecessary and wrong build dependencies will not exist in the
+resulting package.
<sect id="devscripts">
<heading><package>devscripts</package>
<p>
<package>devscripts</package> is a package containing a few wrappers
-and tools which you may find helpful for maintaining your Debian
-packages. Example scripts include <prgn>debchange</prgn>, which will
-manipulate your <file>debian/changelog</file> file from the
-command-line, and <prgn>debuild</prgn>, which is a wrapper around
-<prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn>.
+and tools which are very helpful for maintaining your Debian
+packages. Example scripts include <prgn>debchange</prgn> and
+<prgn>dch</prgn>, which manipulate your <file>debian/changelog</file>
+file from the command-line, and <prgn>debuild</prgn>, which is a
+wrapper around <prgn>dpkg-buildpackage</prgn>. The <prgn>bts</prgn>
+utility is also very helpful to update the state of bug reports on the
+command line, as is <prgn>uscan</prgn> to watch for new upstream
+versions of your packages. Check the <tt>devscripts(1)</tt> manual
+page for a complete list of available scripts.
+
+
+ <sect id="dpkg-dev-el">
+ <heading><package>dpkg-dev-el</package>
+ <p>
+<package>dpkg-dev-el</package> is an Emacs lisp package which provides
+assistance when editing some of the files in the <file>debian</file>
+directory of your package. For instance, when editing
+<file>debian/changelog</file>, there are handy functions for
+finalizing a version and listing the package's current bugs.
<sect id="debget">
<p>
<package>debget</package> is a package containing a convenient script
which can be helpful in downloading files from the Debian archive.
-You can use it to download source packages, for instance.
+You can use it to download source packages, for instance (although
+<tt>apt-get source <package-name></tt> does pretty much the same
+thing).
+
+
+<!-- FIXME: add the following
+ dpkg-awk
+ alien
+ dpkg-repack
+ grep-dctrl
+-->
</book>
~ianmdlvl / developers-reference.git / blobdiff