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+ <!entity cvs-rev "$Revision: 1.145 $">
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<!--
<title>Debian Developer's Reference
<author>Adam Di Carlo, current maintainer <email>aph@debian.org</email>
+ <author>Raphaël Hertzog, co-maintainer <email>hertzog@debian.org</email>
<author>Christian Schwarz <email>schwarz@debian.org</email>
<author>Ian Jackson <email>ijackson@gnu.ai.mit.edu</email>
<version>ver. &version;, &date-en;
<copyright>
<copyrightsummary>
-copyright ©1998—2002 Adam Di Carlo</copyrightsummary>
+copyright © 1998—2002 Adam Di Carlo</copyrightsummary>
<copyrightsummary>
-copyright ©1997, 1998 Christian Schwarz</copyrightsummary>
+copyright © 2002 Raphaël Hertzog</copyrightsummary>
+ <copyrightsummary>
+copyright © 1997, 1998 Christian Schwarz</copyrightsummary>
<p>
This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it
under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
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>
<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-host;</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>
<sect id="rc-bugs">Managing release-critical bugs
<p>
-Release-critical bugs (RCB) are all bugs that have severity
-<em>critical</em>, <em>grave</em> or <em>serious</em>.
+Generally you should deal with bug reports on your packages as described in
+<ref id="bug-handling">. However, there's a special category of bugs that
+you need to take care of -- the so-called release-critical bugs (RC bugs).
+All bug reports that have severity <em>critical</em>, <em>grave</em> or
+<em>serious</em> are considered to have an impact on whether the package can
+be released in the next stable release of Debian.
Those bugs can delay the Debian release
and/or can justify the removal of a package at freeze time. That's why
-these bugs need to be corrected as quickly as possible. You must be
-aware that some developers who are part of the <url
-id="&url-debian-qa;" name="Debian Quality Assurance"> effort are
-following those bugs and try to help you whenever they are able. But if
-you can't fix such bugs within 2 weeks, you should either ask for help
+these bugs need to be corrected as quickly as possible.
+ <p>
+Developers who are part of the <url id="&url-debian-qa;"
+name="Quality Assurance"> group are following all such bugs, and trying
+to help whenever possible. If, for any reason, you aren't able fix an
+RC bug in a package of yours within 2 weeks, you should either ask for help
by sending a mail to the Quality Assurance (QA) group
&email-debian-qa;, or explain your difficulties and present a plan to fix
-them by sending a mail to the proper bug report. Otherwise, people
+them by sending a mail to the bug report. Otherwise, people
from the QA group may want to do a Non-Maintainer Upload (see
<ref id="nmu">) after trying to contact you (they might not wait as long as
usual before they do their NMU if they have seen no recent activity from you
<item>
Orphan all your packages, as described in <ref id="orphaning">.
<item>
-Send an email about how you are leaving the project to
+Send an email about why you are leaving the project to
&email-debian-private;.
<item>
Notify the Debian key ring maintainers that you are leaving by
<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
&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-host;</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 all
-hosted on the <url id="&url-openprojects;" name="OpenProjects"> network.
-The <tt>irc.debian.org</tt> DNS entry is just an alias to
+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 <em>#debian-devel</em> is very active since more
-than 150 persons are always logged in. It's a channel for people who work
+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
-always full of interesting information. Since it's an open channel, you
+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 a key protected channel
-<em>#debian-private</em> for that purpose. The key is available
-in the archives of debian-private in <file>&master-host;:&file-debian-private-archive;</file>, just <prgn>zgrep</prgn> for <em>#debian-private</em> 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 work on documentation like the one you are
+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>,
+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 channels exist, for example <em>#debian-devel-fr</em> for
+Some non-English developers' channels exist as well, for example
+<em>#debian-devel-fr</em> for
French speaking people interested in Debian's development.
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>
-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.
+Please do not put any material that doesn't relate to Debian on the Debian
+servers, unless you have prior permission.
+ <p>
+The current list of Debian machines is available at
+<url id="&url-devel-machines;">. That web page contains machine names,
+contact information, information about who can log in, SSH keys etc.
<p>
If you have a problem with the operation of a Debian server, and you
think that the system operators need to be notified of this problem,
-please find the contact address for the particular machine at <url
-id="&url-devel-machines;">. If you have a non-operating problems
-(such as packages to be removed, 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-host;</tt> is the canonical location for the Bug Tracking
+<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-host;</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-host;</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
-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 publicly 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
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 <file>Packages</file> and <file>Sources</file> files in the
+The <file>Packages</file> and <file>Sources</file> files in the
distribution subdirectories can reference files in the <file>pool/</file>
-directory.
+directory. The directory tree below each of the distributions is arranged
+in an identical manner. What we describe below for <em>stable</em> is
+equally applicable to the <em>unstable</em> and <em>testing</em>
+distributions.
<p>
<file>dists/stable</file> contains three directories, namely <file>main</file>,
-<file>contrib</file>, and <file>non-free</file>.
+<file>contrib</file>, and <file>non-free</file>.
<p>
In each of the areas, there is a directory for the source packages
(<file>source</file>) and a directory for each supported architecture
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
<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
and <tt>&non-us-host;</tt>.
<p>
Packages are uploaded by all the maintainers into a directory called
-<file>unchecked</file>. This directory is scanned every 15 minutes by the katie script
-that verifies the integrity of the uploaded packages and the cryptographic
+<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" is is moved in the <file>byhand</file> directory, where it waits
+"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>
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
The scripts are generating some output files to explain why some packages
are kept out of testing. They are available at <url
id="&url-testing-maint;">. Alternatively, it is possible to use
-the <prgn>grep-excuses</prgn> program part of the
-<package>devscripts</package> package. It can be easily put in a crontab
-to keep someone informed of the progression of his packages in testing.
+the <prgn>grep-excuses</prgn> program which is in the
+<package>devscripts</package> package. It can be easily put in a
+<manref name="crontab" section="5">
+to keep someone informed of the progression of his packages in <em>testing</em>.
<p>
The <file>update_excuses</file> file does not always give the precise reason
why the package is refused, one may have to find it on their own by looking
what would break with the inclusion of the package. The <url
-id="&url-testing-faq;" name="testing FAQ"> gives some more information
+id="&url-testing-maint;" name="testing overview"> 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 contain a lot of
-information. <tt>http://&packages-host;/<var>package-name</var></tt>
-will display each version of the package
-available in the various distributions. The per-version detailed
-information includes the package description,
-the dependencies and 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
+The bug tracking system track bugs for each package. You can
+view the bugs of a given package at the URL
<tt>http://&bugs-host;/<var>package-name</var></tt>.
<sect1 id="madison">The <prgn>madison</prgn> utility
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 Package Tracking System (PTS) is basically a tool to track by mail
the activity of a source package. You just have to subscribe
to a source package to start getting the mails related to it.
-You get the same mails than the maintainer. Each mail
+You get the same mails as the maintainer. Each mail
sent through the PTS is classified and associated to one of
the keyword listed below. This will let you select the mails that
you want to receive.
<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:
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>
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.
+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>.
+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>
-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>.
- <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
-<file>proposed-updates</file> 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
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
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
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
<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
+almost always 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>
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.</p>
+<file>debian/control</file> file.
+<example>
+Uploaders: John Buzz <jbuzz@debian.org>, Adam Rex <arex@debian.org>
+</example>
+</p>
</item>
<item>
<p>
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>
bug log (that means you don't need to send a copy of the mail to
<email>123@bugs.debian.org</email>).
<p>
+Once you've dealt with a bug report (e.g. fixed it), mark it as
+<em>done</em> (close it) by sending an explanation message to
+<email>123-done@bugs.debian.org</email>. If you're fixing a bug by
+changing and uploading the package, you can automate bug closing as
+described in <ref id="upload-bugfix">.
+ <p>
You should <em>never</em> close bugs via the bug server <tt>close</tt>
command sent to &email-bts-control;. If you do so, the original
submitter will not receive any information about why the bug was
<p>
As a package maintainer, you will often find bugs in other packages or
have bugs reported against your packages which are actually bugs in
-other packages. The <url id="&url-bts-control;" name="BTS
-instructions"> document the technical operations of the BTS, such as
-how to file, reassign, merge, and tag bugs. This section contains
+other packages. The bug tracking system's features interesting to developers
+are described in the <url id="&url-bts-devel;" name="BTS documentation for
+Debian developers">. Operations such as reassigning, merging, and tagging
+bug reports are described in the <url id="&url-bts-control;" name="BTS
+control bot documentation">. This section contains
some guidelines for managing your own bugs, based on the collective
Debian developer experience.
<p>
Filing bugs for problems that you find in other packages is one of
the "civic obligations" of maintainership, see <ref id="submit-bug">
-for details. However handling the bugs on your own packages is
+for details. However, handling the bugs in your own packages is
even more important.
<p>
Here's a list of steps that you may follow to handle a bug report:
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).
-<!-- FIXME: Follow the procedure described at
- tech-ctte-url (there's no such url yet). -->
+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
read <ref id="upload-bugfix">.
</enumlist>
+ <sect1 id="bug-security">Handling security-related bugs
+ <p>
+Due to their sensitive nature, security-related bugs must be handled
+carefully. The Debian Security Team exists to coordinate this
+activity, keeping track of outstanding security problems, helping
+maintainers with security problems or fix them themselves, sending
+security advisories, and maintaining security.debian.org.
+
+<!-- information about the security database goes here once it's ready -->
+<!-- (mdz) -->
+
+ <sect2 id="bug-security-you">What to do when you learn of a
+ security problem
+ <p>
+When you become aware of a security-related bug in a Debian package,
+whether or not you are the maintainer, collect pertinent information
+about the problem, and promptly contact the security team at
+&email-security-team;.
+Useful information includes, for example:
+
+<list compact>
+ <item>What versions of the package are known to be affected by the
+ bug. Check each version that is present in a supported Debian
+ release, as well as testing and unstable.
+
+ <item>The nature of the fix, if any is available (patches are
+ especially helpful)
+
+ <item>Any fixed packages that you have prepared yourself (send only
+ the <tt>.diff.gz</tt> and <tt>.dsc</tt> files)
+
+ <item>Any information needed for the advisory (see <ref
+ id="bug-security-advisories">)
+
+</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
+ <item>References to upstream advisories, <url
+ id="http://cve.mitre.org" name="CVE"> identifiers, and any other
+ information useful in cross-referencing the vulnerability
+</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.
+<p>
+Review and test your changes as much as possible. Check the
+differences from the previous version repeatedly
+(<prgn>interdiff</prgn> and <prgn>debdiff</prgn> are useful tools for
+this).
+
+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>, and for the previous
+ stable release, this is <tt>oldstable-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>If the upstream source has been uploaded to
+ security.debian.org before (by a previous security update), build
+ the upload without the upstream source (<tt>dpkg-buildpackage
+ -sd</tt>). Otherwise, build with full source
+ (<tt>dpkg-buildpackage -sa</tt>).
+
+ <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>
+<em>DO NOT</em> upload your fix to proposed-updates without
+coordinating with the security team. Packages from
+security.debian.org will be copied into the proposed-updates directory
+automatically. If a package with the same or a higher version number
+is already installed into the archive, the security update will be
+rejected by the archive system. That way, the stable distribution
+will end up without a security update for this package instead.
+<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>
notification that your updated package has been installed into the
archive, you can and should close the bug in the BTS.
<p>
-If you are using a new version of <package>dpkg-dev</package> and you do
-your changelog entry properly, the archive maintenance software will close
-the bugs automatically. All you have to do is follow a certain syntax in
-your <file>debian/changelog</file> file:
+However, it's possible to avoid having to manually close bugs after the
+upload -- just list the fixed bugs in your <file>debian/changelog</file>
+file, following a certain syntax, and the archive maintenance software
+will close the bugs for you. For example:
+
<example>
acme-cannon (3.1415) unstable; urgency=low
one of the most concise and easiest to integrate with the text of the
<file>changelog</file>.
<p>
-If you want to close bugs the old fashioned, manual way, it is usually
-sufficient to mail the <file>.changes</file> file to
+If you happen to mistype a bug number or forget one in the changelog file,
+don't hesitate to undo any damage the error caused. To reopen wrongly closed
+bugs, send an <tt>reopen <var>XXX</var></tt> command in the bug tracking
+system's control bot. To close any remaining bugs that were fixed by your
+upload, email the <file>.changes</file> file to
<email>XXX-done@bugs.debian.org</email>, where <var>XXX</var> is your
bug number.
+ <p>
+Bear in mind that it is not obligatory to close bugs using the changelog
+like described above -- if you simply want to close bugs that don't have
+anything to do with an upload of yours, do it simply by emailing an
+explanation to <email>XXX-done@bugs.debian.org</email>.
- <sect1 id="lintian-reports">Lintian reports
- <p>
-You should periodically get the new <package>lintian</package> from
-`unstable' and check over all your packages. Alternatively you can
-check for your maintainer email address at the <url id="&url-lintian;"
-name="online lintian report">. That report, which is updated
-automatically, contains <prgn>lintian</prgn> reports against the
-latest version of the distribution (usually from 'unstable') using the
-latest <package>lintian</package>.
<chapt id="best-pkging-practices">
<heading>Best Packaging Practices</heading>
<p>
-Debian's quality is largely due to its Policy that all packages
-follow. But it's also because we accumulated years of experience
-in packaging; very talented people created great tools to make
-good packages without much troubles.
+Debian's quality is largely due to the <url id="&url-debian-policy;"
+name="Debian Policy">, which defines explicit baseline requirements
+which all Debian packages must fulfill. Yet there is also a shared
+history of experience which goes beyond the Debian Policy, an
+accumulatation of years of experience in packaging. Many very
+talented people have created great tools, tools which help you, the
+Debian maintainer, create and maintain excellent packages.
<p>
-This chapter provides the best known solutions to common problems
-faced during packaging. It also lists various advice collected on
-several mailing lists. By following them, you will make Debian's quality
-even better.
-
- <sect id="packaging-tools">
- <heading>Packaging tools and common cases</heading>
+This chapter provides some best practices for Debian developers. All
+recommendations are merely that, and are not requirements or policy.
+These are just some subjective hints, advice and pointers collected
+from Debian developers. Feel free to pick and choose whatever works
+best for you.
+
+ <sect id="bpp-debian-rules">
+ <heading>Best Practices for <file>debian/rules</file></heading>
+ <p>
+The following recommendations apply to the <file>debian/rules</file>
+file. Since <file>debian/rules</file> controls the build process and
+selects the files which go into the package (directly or indirectly),
+it's usually the file maintainers spend the most time on.
<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
-some very good <file>rules</file> file. Many examples are available
-at <url id="&url-rules-files;">.
+The rationale for using helper scripts in <file>debian/rules</file> is
+that lets maintainers use and share common logic among many packages.
+Take for instance the question of installing menu entries: you need to
+put the file into <file>/usr/lib/menu</file>, and add commands to the
+maintainer scripts to register and unregister the menu entries. Since
+this is a very common thing for packages to do, why should each
+maintainer rewrite all this on their own, sometimes with bugs? Also,
+supposing the menu directory changed, every package would have to be
+changed.
+ <p>
+Helper scripts take care of these issues. Assuming you comply with
+the conventions expected by the helper script, the helper takes care
+of all the details. Changes in policy can be made in the helper
+script, then packages just need to be rebuilt with the new version of
+the helper and no other changes.
+ <p>
+<ref id="tools"> contains a couple of different helpers. The most
+common and best (in our opinion) helper system is
+<package>debhelper</package>. Previous helper systems, such as
+<package>debmake</package>, were "monolithic": you couldn't pick and
+choose which part of the helper you found useful, but had to use the
+helper to do everything. <package>debhelper</package>, however, is a
+number of seperate little <prgn>dh_*</prgn> programs. For instance,
+<prgn>dh_installman</prgn> installs and compresses manpages,
+<prgn>dh_installmenu</prgn> installs menu files, and so on. Thus, it
+offers enough flexibility to be able to use the little helper scripts,
+where useful, in conjunction with hand-crafted commands in
+<file>debian/rules</file>.
+ <p>
+You can get started with <package>debhelper</package> by reading
+<manref name="debhelper" section="1">, and looking at the examples
+that come with the package. <prgn>dh_make</prgn>, from the
+<package>dh-make</package> package (see <ref id="dh-make">), can be
+used to convert a "vanilla" source package to a
+<package>debhelper</package>ized package. This shortcut, though,
+should not convince you that you do not need to bother understanding
+the individual <prgn>dh_*</prgn> helpers. If you are going to use a
+helper, you do need to take the time to learn to use that helper, to
+learn its expectations and behavior.
+ <p>
+Some people feel that vanilla <file>debian/rules</file> files are
+better, since you don't have to learn the intricies of any helper
+system. This decision is completely up to you. Use what works for
+you. Many examples of vanilla <file>debian/rules</file> files are
+available at <url id="&url-rules-files;">.
+
+
+ <sect1 id="multiple-patches">
+ <heading>Patching source versus patching at build time</heading>
+ <p>
+Big, complex packages may have many bugs that you need to deal with.
+If you correct a number of bug directly in the source, if you're not
+careful, it can get hard to differentiate the various patches that you
+applied. It can get quite messy when you have to update the package
+to a new upstream version which integrates some of the fixes (but not
+all). You can't take the total set of diffs (e.g., from
+<file>.diff.gz</file>) and work out which patch sets to back out as a
+unit as bugs are fixed upstream.
+ <p>
+One good solution is to keep separate patches under the
+<file>debian</file> directory and apply the patches at build time. The
+<package>dbs</package> package provides an convenient means for
+applying patches at build time (and unapplying them at clean time).
+<package>dbs</package> also provides facilities for creating the
+patches and keeping track of what they are for. As always when using
+maintainer tools, you'll have to read the accompanying documentation.
+The package <package>hello-dbs</package> is a simple example that
+demonstrates how to use <package>dbs</package>.
+
+
+ <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 <package>vim-*</package> packages) or to make several small
+packages instead of a big one (e.g., if the user can install only the
+subset she needs, and thus save some disk space).
+ <p>
+The second case can be easily managed in <file>debian/rules</file>.
+You just need to move the appropriate files from the build directory
+into the package's temporary trees. You can do this using
+<prgn>install</prgn> (vanilla approach) or <prgn>dh_install</prgn>
+(from <package>debhelper</package>). Be sure to check the different
+permutations of the various packages, ensuring that you have the
+inter-package dependancies set right in <file>debian/control</file>.
+ <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 using an hand-crafted <file>debian/rules</file> file.
+
+<!-- &FIXME; Find a good debhelper example with multile configure/make
+ cycles -->
+ </sect1>
+ </sect>
<!--
<sect1 id="pkg-mgmt-cvs">Managing a package with CVS
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).
+ <sect id="bpp-config-mgmt">
+ <heading>Configuration management with <package>debconf</package></heading>
+
<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>.
+<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>
-Additionally, dbs provides facilities to create the patches and to keep
-track of what they are for.
+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.
+ </sect>
- <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="bpp-i18n">
+ <heading>Internationalization</heading>
+ <sect1 id="bpp-i18n-debconf">
+ <heading>Handling debconf translations</heading>
+ <p>
+Like porters, translators have a difficult task. They work on many
+packages and must collaborate with many different
+maintainers. Moreover, most of the time, they are not native English
+speakers, so you may need to be particularly patient with them.
+ <p>
+The goal of <package>debconf</package> was to make packages
+configuration easier for maintainers and for users. Originally,
+translation of debconf templates was handled with
+<prgn>debconf-mergetemplate</prgn>. However, that technique is now
+deprecated; the best way to accomplish <package>debconf</package>
+internationalization is by using the <package>po-debconf</package>
+package. This method is easier both for maintainer and translators;
+transition scripts are provided.
+ <p>
+Using <package>po-debconf</package>, the translation is stored in
+<file>po</file> files (drawing from <prgn>gettext</prgn> translation
+techniques). Special template files contain the original messages and
+mark which fields are translatable. When you change the value of a
+translatable field, by calling <prgn>debconf-updatepo</prgn>, the
+translation is marked as needing attention from the translators. Then,
+at build time, the <prgn>dh_installdebconf</prgn> program takes care
+of all the needed magic to add the template along with the up-to-date
+translations into the binary packages. Refer to the <manref
+name="po-debconf" section="7"> manual page for details.
+ </sect1>
+
+ <sect1 id="bpp-i18n-docs">
+ <heading>Internationalized Documentation</heading>
+ <p>
+Internationalizing documentation is crucial for users, but a lot of
+labor. There's no way to eliminate all that work, but you can make things
+easier for translators.
+ <p>
+If you maintain documentation of any size, its easier for translators
+if they have access to a source control system. That lets translators
+see the differences between two versions of the documentation, so, for
+instance, they can see what needs to be retranslated. It is
+recommended that the translated documentation maintain a note about
+what source control revision the translation is based on. An
+interesting system is provided by <url id="&url-i18n-doc-check;"
+name="doc-check"> in the <package>boot-floppies</package> package,
+which shows an overview of the translation status for any given
+language, using structured comments for the current revision of the
+file to be translated and, for a translated file, the revision of the
+original file the translation is based on. You might wish to adapt
+and provide that in your CVS area.
+ <p>
+If you maintain XML or SGML documentation, we suggest that you isolate
+any language-independant information and define those as entities in a
+separate file which is included by all the different
+translations. This makes it much easier, for instance, to keep URLs
+up-to-date across multiple files.
+ </sect1>
+ </sect>
- <sect id="specific-practices">
- <heading>Specific packaging practices</heading>
+ <sect id="bpp-common-situations">
+ <heading>Common Situations</heading>
<!--
<sect1 id="bpp-kernel">Kernel modules/patches
/etc/modutils/ for module configuration.
-->
+ <sect1 id="bpp-autotools">
+ <heading>Packages using
+ <prgn>autoconf</prgn>/<prgn>automake</prgn></heading>
+ <p>
+Keeping <prgn>autoconf</prgn>'s <file>config.sub</file> and
+<file>config.guess</file> files up-to-date is critical for porters,
+especially on more volatile architectures. Some very good packaging
+practices for any package 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 to
-break...
+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
+ <sect1 id="bpp-other">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;">,
+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).
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
+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">The wise use of debconf
- <p>
-Debconf is a configuration management system, it is used by all the
-various packaging scripts (postinst mainly) to request feedback from the
-user concerning how to configure the package. Direct user interactions
-must now be avoided in favor of debconf interaction. This will enable
-non-interactive installations in the future.
- <p>
-Debconf is a great tool but it is often badly 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>
+ </sect>
<!--
<sect1 id="custom-config-files">Custom configuration files
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">
<sect id="qa-effort">Quality Assurance effort
+
+ <sect1 id="qa-daily-work">Daily work
<p>
Even though there is a dedicated group of people for Quality
Assurance, QA duties are not reserved solely for them. You can
participate in this effort by keeping your packages as bug-free as
-possible, and as lintian-clean (see <ref id="lintian-reports">) as
+possible, and as lintian-clean (see <ref id="lintian">) as
possible. If you do not find that possible, then you should consider
orphaning some of your packages (see <ref
id="orphaning">). Alternatively, you may ask the help of other people
in order to catch up the backlog of bugs that you have (you can ask
-for help on &email-debian-qa; or &email-debian-devel;).
+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>
must build and test the package on your own system before uploading.
<p>
You can not simply upload a binary <file>.deb</file> from the sponsoree. In
-theory, you should only ask only for the diff file, and the location of the
+theory, you should only ask for the diff file and the location of the
original source tarball, and then you should download the source and apply
the diff yourself. In practice, you may want to use the source package
built by your sponsoree. In that case, you have to check that they haven't
<p>
Once the package meets Debian standards, build the package with
<example>dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc</example> and sign it
-with <example>debsign -m <your-email-addr> <changes-file></example>
+with <example>debsign -m"<var>FULLNAME</var> <var>email-addr</var>" <var>changes-file</var></example>
before uploading it to the incoming directory.
<p>
The Maintainer field of the <file>control</file> file and the
<p>
<package>Lintian</package> dissects Debian packages and reports bugs
and policy violations. It contains automated checks for many aspects
-of Debian policy as well as some checks for common errors. The use of
-<package>lintian</package> has already been discussed in <ref
-id="upload-checking"> and <ref id="lintian-reports">.
+of Debian policy as well as some checks for common errors.
+ <p>
+You should periodically get the newest <package>lintian</package> from
+`unstable' and check over all your packages. Notice that the <tt>-i</tt>
+option provides detailed explanations of what each error or warning means,
+what is its basis in Policy, and commonly how you can fix the problem.
+ <p>
+Refer to <ref id="upload-checking"> for more information on how and when
+to use Lintian.
+ <p>
+You can also see a summary of all problems reported by Lintian on your
+packages at <url id="&url-lintian;">. Those reports contain the latest
+<prgn>lintian</prgn> output on the whole development distribution
+("unstable").
<sect id="debconf">
<package>debmake</package>.
+ <sect id="dh-make">
+ <heading><package>dh-make</package>
+ <p>
+The <package/dh-make/ package contains <prgn/dh_make/, a program that
+creates a skeleton of files necessary to build a Debian package out of
+a source tree. As the name suggests, <prgn/dh_make/ is a rewrite of
+<package/debmake/ and its template files use dh_* programs from
+<package/debhelper/.
+ <p>
+While the rules files generated by <prgn/dh_make/ are in general a
+sufficient basis for a working package, they are still just the groundwork:
+the burden still lies on the maintainer to finely tune the generated files
+and make the package entirely functional and Policy-compliant.
+
+
<sect id="yada">
<heading><package>yada</package>
<p>
<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.
~ianmdlvl / developers-reference.git / blobdiff