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- <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.103 $">
+ <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.133 $">
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<copyright>
<copyrightsummary>
-copyright ©1998–2002 Adam Di Carlo</copyrightsummary>
+copyright ©1998—2002 Adam Di Carlo</copyrightsummary>
<copyrightsummary>
copyright ©1997, 1998 Christian Schwarz</copyrightsummary>
<p>
<p>
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 website">. You can also obtain it by
+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>
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 wish to follow Debian's development.
+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> on the
-Linux People IRC network (e.g., <tt>irc.debian.org</tt>) can also be
+id="mentors"> for details. The IRC channel <tt>#debian</tt> can also be
helpful.
<p>
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 he
-is happy with the packaging work you have done. You can find a sponsor
+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
2440">.
<p>
The recommended public key algorithm for use in Debian development
-work is the DSA (sometimes call ``DSS'' or ``DH/ElGamal''). Other key
+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
<sect id="user-maint">Maintaining your Debian information
<p>
-There's a LDAP database containing many informations concerning all
+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
<sect id="key-maint">Maintaining your public key
<p>
Be very careful with your private keys. Do not place them on any
-public servers or multiuser machines, such as
-<tt>master.debian.org</tt>. Back your keys up; keep a copy offline.
+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 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
+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.
<sect id="voting">Voting
<p>
-&FIXME;<url id="url-vote">
+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
<item>
Notify the Debian key ring maintainers that you are leaving by
emailing to &email-debian-keyring;.
- </enumlist>
+</enumlist>
<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, other Debian machines
+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-host;</tt>. Mail
+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-mail-lists; 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>
-The following are the core Debian mailing lists: &email-debian-devel;,
-&email-debian-policy;, &email-debian-user;, &email-debian-private;,
-&email-debian-announce;, and &email-debian-devel-announce;. All
-developers are expected to be subscribed to at least
-&email-debian-devel-announce;. There are
-other mailing lists available for a variety of special topics; see
-<url id="&url-debian-lists-subscribe;"> for a list. Cross-posting
-(sending the same message to multiple lists) is discouraged.
+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. 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 publically.
+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>master.debian.org</tt> and looking
+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.
- <p>
-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-lists-archives;">.
+ <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>
-&FIXME; <url id="&url-devel-docs;">
-
+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 servers
+ <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>
-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.
+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 machine at <url
-id="&url-devel-machines;">. 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
+ <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; 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;.
+All Debian developers have accounts on <tt>bugs.debian.org</tt>.
<sect1 id="servers-ftp-master">The ftp-master server
<p>
-The ftp-master server, <tt>&ftp-master-host;</tt> (or
-<tt>auric.debian.org</tt>), holds the canonical copy of the Debian
+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>
an email to &email-ftpmaster;, but also see the procedures in
<ref id="archive-manip">.
- <sect1 id="servers-www">The WWW server
+ <sect1 id="servers-non-us">The non-US server
<p>
-The main web server, <tt>&www-host;</tt>, is also known as
-<tt>klecker.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 this by putting material in the
-<file>public_html</file> directory under your home directory. You should
-do this on <tt>klecker.debian.org</tt>. Any material you put in those areas
-are accessible via the URL
-<tt>http://people.debian.org/~<var>user-id</var>/</tt>.
-You should only use this particular location because it will be backed up,
-whereas on other hosts it won't. Please do not put any material on Debian
-servers not relating to Debian, unless you have prior permission.
-Send mail to &email-debian-devel; 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
+<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>klecker.debian.org</tt>,
-discussed above. If you need to use 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>
the Debian account that should own the CVS root area, and why you need it.
- <sect1 id="devel-db">The Developers Database
+ <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
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@debian.org</prgn> to see what it reports.
-
+<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>
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
+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
have accounts on these machines.
- <sect id="other-machines">Other Debian developer machines
- <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.
- <p>
-Aside from the servers mentioned in <ref id="server-machines">, there
-is a list of machines available to Debian developers at <url
-id="&url-devel-machines;">.
-
-
-
<sect id="archive">The Debian archive
<p>
The &debian-formal; distribution consists of a lot of packages
-(<tt>.deb</tt>'s, currently around &number-of-pkgs;) and a few
+(<file>.deb</file>'s, currently around &number-of-pkgs;) and a few
additional files (such documentation and installation disk images).
<p>
Here is an example directory tree of a complete Debian archive:
&sample-dist-dirtree;
<p>
As you can see, the top-level directory contains two directories,
-<tt>dists/</tt> and <tt>pool/</tt>. The latter is a “pool” in which the
+<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>.
-Each of those distribution directories is divided in equivalent
-subdirectories purpose of which is equal, so we will only explain how it
-looks in stable. The <tt>Packages</tt> and <tt>Sources</tt> files in the
-distribution subdirectories can reference files in the <tt>pool/</tt>
-directory.
+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>
-<tt>dists/stable</tt> contains three directories, namely <em>main</em>,
-<em>contrib</em>, and <em>non-free</em>.
+<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
-(<tt>source</tt>) and a directory for each supported architecture
-(<tt>binary-i386</tt>, <tt>binary-m68k</tt>, etc.).
+(<file>source</file>) and a directory for each supported architecture
+(<file>binary-i386</file>, <file>binary-m68k</file>, etc.).
<p>
-The <em>main</em> area contains additional directories which holds
+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.).
+(<file>disks-i386</file>, <file>disks-m68k</file>, etc.).
<sect1>Sections
ships for the <em>i386</em>, <em>m68k</em>, <em>alpha</em>, and
<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>,
+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
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
+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.).
<p>
The directory system described in the previous chapter is itself
contained within <em>distribution directories</em>. Each
-distribution is actually contained in the <tt>pool</tt> directory in the
+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 <tt>/pub/debian</tt>).
+(another is <file>/pub/debian</file>).
<p>
A distribution is comprised of Debian source and binary packages, and the
-respective <tt>Sources</tt> and <tt>Packages</tt> index files, containing
+respective <file>Sources</file> and <file>Packages</file> index files, containing
the header information from all those packages. The former are kept in the
-<tt>pool/</tt> directory, while the latter are kept in the <tt>dists/</tt>
-directory of the archive (because of backwards compatibility).
+<file>pool/</file> directory, while the latter are kept in the <file>dists/</file>
+directory of the archive (for backwards compatibility).
<sect2 id="sec-dists">Stable, testing, and unstable
<p>
There are always distributions called <em>stable</em> (residing in
-<tt>dists/stable</tt>), one called <em>testing</em> (residing in
-<tt>dists/testing</tt>), and one called <em>unstable</em> (residing in
-<tt>dists/unstable</tt>). This reflects the development process of the
+<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
to make sure everything in this distribution is working properly, it is
sometimes literally unstable.
<p>
-The testing distribution is generated automatically by taking
+<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.
-<ref id="testing-scripts"> are launched each day after the
+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 testing are
+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
This development cycle is based on the assumption that the
<em>unstable</em> distribution becomes <em>stable</em> after passing a
period of being in <em>testing</em>. Even once a distribution is
-considered stable, a few bugs inevitably remain &mdash that's why the
+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
+<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
<em>unstable</em>.
<p>
An alternative to <em>experimental</em> is to use your personal web space
-on <tt>people.debian.org</tt> (<tt>klecker.debian.org</tt>).
+on <tt>people.debian.org</tt>.
<sect1 id="codenames">Release code names
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 an <tt>unchecked</tt>
-directory. This directory is scanned every 15 minutes by the katie script
-that verifies the integrity of the package and the cryptographic
-signature. If the package is considered ready to be installed, it
-is moved into an <tt>accepted</tt> directory. If it is the first upload of
-the package then it is moved in a <tt>new</tt> directory waiting an
-approval of the ftpmasters. If the package contains files to be installed
-"by-hand" is is moved in the <tt>byhand</tt> directory waiting a manual
-installation by the ftpmasters. Otherwise, if any error has been detected,
-the package is refused and is moved in the <tt>reject</tt> directory.
+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 autobuilders may start recompiling it. The package is now publically
+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
-<tt>Packages</tt> and <tt>Sources</tt> index files for example) have been
+<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 <tt>unchecked</tt>
+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 <tt>reject</tt> directory in order to remove their bad uploads
-or to move some files back in the <tt>unchecked</tt> directory. But
+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 <tt>unchecked</tt> directory has a special <tt>DELAYED</tt>
-subdirectory. It is itself subdivised in nine directories
-called <tt>1-day</tt> to <tt>9-day</tt>. Packages which are uploaded in
+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 <tt>unchecked</tt> while the others are moved in the
-adjacent directory (for example, a package in <tt>5-day</tt> will
-be moved in <tt>4-day</tt>). This feature is particularly useful
+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 <tt>DELAYED/x-day</tt> directories.
-That leaves the corresponding number of days to the maintainer
-in order to react and upload himself another fix if he is not
-completely satisfied with the NMU. Alternatively he can remove
-the NMU by himself.
+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, the following addition to
-the <prgn>dupload</prgn> configuration file should be
-considered.
- <p>
+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);
$cfg{'delayed'} = {
- fqdn => "ftp-master.debian.org",
+ fqdn => "&ftp-master-host;",
login => "yourdebianlogin",
incoming => "/org/ftp.debian.org/incoming/DELAYED/$delay-day/",
- visibleuser => "yourdebianlogin",
- visiblename => "debian.org",
- fullname => "Your Full Name",
dinstall_runs => 1,
method => "scpb"
};
</example>
- <p>
-<prgn>dupload</prgn> can now be used to easily upload a package
-in one of the delayed directories :
+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-scripts">
- <heading>The testing scripts</heading>
+ <sect id="testing">
+ <heading>The "testing" distribution</heading>
<p>
-The testing scripts are run each day after the installation of the
+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 conditionned:
+ <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 urgency field's value of the upload. It
+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>
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 testing.
+to keep someone informed of the progression of his packages in <em>testing</em>.
<p>
-The <tt>update_excuses</tt> file does not always give the precise reason
-why the package is refused, one may have to find it by himself by looking
+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 testing because the set of
+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's information
+ <sect id="pkg-info">Package information
<p>
<sect1 id="pkg-info-web">On the web
<p>
-Each package has several dedicated web pages that contains many
-informations. First <tt>http://&packages-host;/<package></tt>
-will let you discover a presentation of each version of the package
-available in the various distributions. It includes its description,
-the dependencies and some links to download the package.
+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 sorts the bugs by package, you can
-watch the bugs of each package at
-<tt>http://&bugs-host;/<package></tt>.
+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 madison utility
+ <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
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 unstable differs from
-the version in testing and that there has been a binary-only NMU of the
+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.
the keyword listed below. This will let you select the mails that
you want to receive.
<p>
-By default you will get :
+By default you will get:
<taglist>
<tag><tt>bts</tt>
<item>
<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 testing, ...).
+progression in <em>testing</em>, ...).
</taglist>
<p>
-You can also decide to receive some more information :
+You can also decide to receive some more information:
<taglist>
<tag><tt>upload-binary</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 :
+ 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
+ <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
+ <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
+ <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")
+ <item><tt>default</tt>: all the other mails (those which aren't "automatic")
</list>
<tag><tt>keyword <srcpackage> [<email>]</tt>
<tt>X-Unsubscribe</tt>.
<p>
Here is an example of added headers for a source upload notification
-on the <package>dpkg</package> package :
+on the <package>dpkg</package> package:
<example>
X-Loop: dpkg@&pts-host;
X-PTS-Package: dpkg
<sect1 id="pts-cvs-commit">Forwarding CVS commits in the PTS
<p>
-If you use a publically accessible CVS repository for maintaining
+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
+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>
<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 <tt>wnpp</tt>
+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
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.
+tests the <file>postrm</file> and <file>prerm</file> scripts.
<item>
Remove the package, then reinstall it.
</list>
<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
+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>
<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. Subsequently, this very same
-tar file should be used to build the new diffs and <tt>.dsc</tt>
+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
<p>
If no original source is included in the upload, 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
+<file>.dsc</file> file and diff to be uploaded <em>must</em> be
byte-for-byte identical with the one already in the archive.
<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 three possible values for this field: `stable', `unstable',
-and `experimental'. Normally, packages are uploaded into
-<em>unstable</em>.
+package is intended for.
<p>
-You should avoid combining `stable' with others because of potential
-problems with library dependencies (for your package and for the package
-built by the build daemons for other architecture).
-See <ref id="upload-stable"> for more information on when and how to
-upload to <em>stable</em>.
+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 never makes sense to combine the <em>experimental</em> distribution
-with anything else.
-
-<!--
- <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>serious</em> severity are always allowed for those packages that
-must exist in the final release
- <item>
-<em>critical</em>, <em>grave</em>, and <em>serious</em> bug fixes are
-allowed for non-necessary packages but only if they don't add any new
-features
- <item>
-important, normal and minor 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>
-Experience has shown that 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 fixed and the severity of the bug newly introduced by the
-fix.
-
- -->
+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
-<tt>proposed-updates</tt> directory of the Debian archive for further
+<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
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>proposed-updates</em> and decide if
+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>ftp-master.debian.org</ftpsite>, which you should have as an
+<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 <tt>&us-upload-dir;</tt>;
+to transfer the files, place them into &us-upload-dir;;
if you use anonymous FTP to upload, place them into
-<ftppath>/pub/UploadQueue/</ftppath>. Please note that you should transfer
+&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
-<tt>&us-upload-dir;</tt>.
+&us-upload-dir;.
<p>
<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
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
-<tt>non-US/non-free</tt> (it's in non-free because of distribution issues
+<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 <package>dupload</package> or
-<package>dput</package> useful
-when uploading packages. These handy programs are distributed with
-defaults for uploading via <prgn>ftp</prgn> to <tt>ftp-master</tt>,
-<tt>chiark</tt>, and <tt>erlangen</tt>. They can also be configured to
-use <prgn>ssh</prgn> or <prgn>rsync</prgn>. See <manref name="dupload"
-section="1">, <manref name="dupload" section="5"> and <manref name="dput"
-section="1"> for more information.
+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>
+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> (pandora)
+ <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
-<tt>&non-us-upload-dir;</tt> (both <ref id="dupload"> and <ref
-id="dput"> can be used also, with the right invocation). By default,
+&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 <ftppath>/pub/UploadQueue/</ftppath>.
+files into &upload-queue;.
<p>
You can check your upload the same way it's done on <tt>ftp-master</tt>,
with:
<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 <tt>Incoming</tt> via a
+alternatives. One is to upload files to <file>Incoming</file> via a
upload queue in Europe on <tt>chiark</tt>. For details connect to
<url id="&url-chiark-readme;">.
<p>
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>ftp-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
+<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 <tt>.changes</tt> contains
+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>ftp-master</tt>.
<p>
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
-<tt>.changes</tt> files that you uploaded with your package.
+<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
slightly different rules than non-porters, due to their unique
circumstances (see <ref id="source-nmu-when-porter">).
<p>
-When a security bug is detected, a fixed package should be uploaded
-as soon as possible. In this case, the Debian security officers 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, a security officer may upload a fixed
-package (i.e., do a source 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.
+id="nmu-guidelines"> need to be followed. Special exceptions are made
+for <ref id="qa-bsp">.
<p>
-Bug fixes to unstable by non-maintainers are also acceptable, but only
-as a last resort or with permission. The following protocol should
-be respected to do an NMU :
+Uploading bug fixes to unstable by non-maintainers should only be done
+by following this protocol:
<p>
<list>
<item>
-Make sure that the package's 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>
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
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.
<item>
-Upload your package to incoming in <tt>DELAYED/7-day</tt> (cf.
+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 him that he has 7 days to react if he wants to cancel
-the NMU.
+the BTS, and explain to them that they have 7 days to react if they want
+to cancel the NMU.
<item>
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>
+</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.
<sect1 id="nmu-guidelines">How to do a source NMU
<p>
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').
+<var>debian-revision</var> numbering at `1'.
<sect2 id="nmu-changelog">
<sect1 id="ack-nmu">Acknowledging an NMU
<p>
-If one of your packages has been NMUed, you have to incorporate the
+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
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 just the proof that
-someone cares enough about the package and was willing to help
-you in your work. You should be thankful to him and you may want to
-ask him if he would be interested to help you on a more frequent
+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">).
<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.
+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.
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.
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
enhanced to support cross-compiling.
- <sect id="collaborative-maint">Collaborative maintenance
- <p>
-&FIXME; Speak about Uploaders: field, about the intelligent use
-of the PTS. Insist that it's a "must have" for base and standard
-packages.
-
+ <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
was removed because <tt>libfoo13</tt> supersedes it) or closed if the
software is simply no more part of Debian.
- <sect2>Removing packages from <tt>Incoming</tt>
+ <sect2>Removing packages from <file>Incoming</file>
<p>
-In the past, it was possible to remove packages from <tt>incoming</tt>.
-With the introduction of the New Incoming system this is no longer
+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
your <file>debian/control</file> file to replace and conflict with the
obsolete name of the package (see the <url id="&url-debian-policy;"
name="Debian Policy Manual"> for details). Once you've uploaded
-that package, and the package has moved into the archive, file a bug
+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. 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>
won't indicate the bug number).
<p>
If the package is especially crucial to Debian, you should instead submit
-a bug against <tt>wnpp</tt> and title it <tt>RFA: <var>package</var> --
+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
<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 is not embarassed by the fact that
-he will continue to receive the bugs during that time.
+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
<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;/yourlogin@debian.org</tt>.
+<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
+<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>
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.
+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>
-&FIXME;Talk about tags, forwarding bugs, or else break it into
-different sections...
+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>
+ <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>
<file>changelog</file>.
<p>
If you want to close bugs the old fashioned, manual way, it is usually
-sufficient to mail the <tt>.changes</tt> file to
+sufficient to mail the <file>.changes</file> file to
<email>XXX-done@bugs.debian.org</email>, where <var>XXX</var> is your
bug number.
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).
+-->
+
+ <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>Miscellaenous advice</heading>
+ <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 he installs it. As such, it should
+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
-website if there's any. If the package is not yet considered stable
+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;.
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 choosing what is
+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">
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;/your-email@your-isp.com</tt>.
+<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 &mdash i.e., more than 10 &mdash 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
<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
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;).
+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>
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 he was last seen. Collect any important package names
-he maintains and any Release Critical bugs filled against them.
+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.
simply remind someone that a new upstream version is available
and that you need it.
<p>
-Whatever the reason, it is a pain to lookup the email address of the
-maintainer of the package that you are interested in. Fortunately, you
-can use a simple email alias : <tt><package>@&packages-host;</tt>.
-<tt><package></tt> can be the name of a source or a binary package.
+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 by contacting the persons who are
+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>@&pts-host;</tt>
+You can do so by using the <tt><package-name>@&pts-host;</tt>
email address.
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 FTP admins will also have to
+(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
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 <tt>.deb</tt> from the sponsoree. In
-theory, you should only ask only for the diff file, and the location of the
+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 he hasn't
-altered the upstream files in the <tt>.orig.tar.gz</tt> file that he's
-providing.
+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
<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.com <var>changes file</var></example>
+with <example>debsign -m <your-email-addr> <changes-file></example>
before uploading it to the incoming directory.
<p>
-The Maintainer field of the <tt>control</tt> file and the
-<tt>changelog</tt> should list the person who did the packaging, i.e. the
+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>
Most of the descriptions of these packages come from the actual
package descriptions themselves. Further information can be found in
the package documentation itself. You can also see more info with the
-command <tt>apt-cache show <var>package_name</var></tt>.
+command <tt>apt-cache show <package-name></tt>.
<sect id="dpkg-dev">
<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.
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 <tt>dinstall</tt> in dry-run mode after the
+possibility of running <prgn>dinstall</prgn> in dry-run mode after the
upload.
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
+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>.
-
+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">
<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 (although
-<tt>apt-get source <var>package</var></tt> does pretty much the same
+<tt>apt-get source <package-name></tt> does pretty much the same
thing).
alien
dpkg-repack
grep-dctrl
- pbuilder -->
+-->
</book>
~ianmdlvl / developers-reference.git / blobdiff