doc/apt-get.8.yo

   1 mailto(apt@packages.debian.org)
   2 manpage(apt-get)(8)(4 Dec 1998)(apt)()
   3 manpagename(apt-get)(APT package handling utility -- command-line interface)
   4
   5 manpagesynopsis()
   6   apt-get [options] [command] [package ...]
   7
   8 manpagedescription()
   9
  10 apt-get is the command-line tool for handling packages, and may be considered
  11 the user's "back-end" to apt(8).
  12
  13 em(command) is one of:
  14 itemize(
  15   it() update
  16   it() upgrade
  17   it() dselect-upgrade
  18   it() dist-upgrade
  19   it() install package1 [package2] [...]
  20   it() remove package1 [package2] [...]
  21   it() source package1 [package2] [...]
  22   it() check
  23   it() clean
  24   it() autoclean
  25 )
  26
  27 Unless the -h, or --help option is given one of the above commands
  28 must be present.
  29
  30 startdit()
  31 dit(bf(update))
  32 bf(update) is used to resynchronize the package overview files from their
  33 sources. The overviews of available packages are fetched from the
  34 location(s) specified in bf(/etc/apt/sources.list).
  35 For example, when using a Debian archive, this command retrieves and
  36 scans the bf(Packages.gz) files, so that information about new and updated
  37 packages is available. An bf(update) should always be performed before an
  38 bf(upgrade) bf(dist-upgrade). Please be aware that the overall progress
  39 meter will be incorrect as the size of the package files cannot be known in
  40 advance.
  41
  42 dit(bf(upgrade))
  43 bf(upgrade) is used to install the newest versions of all packages currently
  44 installed on the system from the sources enumerated in
  45 bf(/etc/apt/sources.list). Packages currently installed with new versions
  46 available are retrieved and upgraded; under no circumstances are currently
  47 installed packages removed, or packages not already installed retrieved and
  48 installed. New versions of currently installed packages that cannot be
  49 upgraded without changing the install status of another package will be left
  50 at their current version. An bf(update) must be performed first so that
  51 bf(apt-get) knows that new versions of packages are available.
  52
  53 dit(bf(dselect-upgrade))
  54 bf(dselect-upgrade)
  55 is used in conjunction with the traditional Debian GNU/Linux packaging
  56 front-end, bf(dselect (8)). bf(dselect-upgrade)
  57 follows the changes made by bf(dselect) to the em(Status)
  58 field of available packages, and performs the actions necessary to realize
  59 that state (for instance, the removal of old and the installation of new
  60 packages).
  61
  62 dit(bf(dist-upgrade))
  63 bf(dist-upgrade),in addition to performing the function of bf(upgrade),
  64 also intelligently handles changing dependencies with new versions of
  65 packages; bf(apt-get) has a "smart" conflict resolution system, and it will
  66 attempt to upgrade the most important packages at the expense of less
  67 important ones if necessary. The bf(/etc/apt/sources.list) file contains a
  68 list of locations from which to retrieve desired package files.
  69
  70 dit(bf(install))
  71 bf(install) is followed by one or more em(packages) desired for installation.
  72 Each em(package) is a package name, not a fully qualified filename
  73 (for instance, in a Debian GNU/Linux system, em(ldso) would be the argument
  74 provided, not em(ldso_1.9.6-2.deb)). All packages required by the package(s)
  75 specified for installation will also be retrieved and installed. The
  76 bf(/etc/apt/sources.list) file is used to locate the desired packages. If a
  77 hyphen is appended to the package name (with no intervening space), the
  78 identified package will be removed if it is installed. This latter feature
  79 may be used to override decisions made by apt-get's conflict resolution system.
  80
  81 If no package matches the given expression and the expression contains one
  82 of '.', '?' or '*' then it is assumed to be a POSIX regex and it is applied
  83 to all package names in the database. Any matches are then installed (or
  84 removed). Note that matching is done by substring so 'lo*' matches 'how-lo'
  85 and 'lowest'. If this is undesired prefix with a '^' character.
  86
  87 dit(bf(remove))
  88 bf(remove) is identical to bf(install) except that packages are removed
  89 instead of installed. If a plus sign is appended to the package name (with no
  90 intervening space), the identified package will be installed.
  91
  92 dit(bf(source))
  93 bf(source) causes apt-get to fetch source packages. APT will examine the
  94 available packages to decide which source package to fetch. It will then
  95 find and download into the current directory the newest available version of
  96 that source package. Source packages are tracked separately from binary
  97 packages via bf(deb-src) type lines in the bf(/etc/apt/sources.list) file.
  98 This probably will mean that you will not get the same source as the package
  99 you have installed or as you could install. If the --compile options is
 100 specified then the package will be compiled to a binary .deb using
 101 dpkg-buildpackage, if --download-only is specified then the source package
 102 will not be unpacked.
 103
 104 Note that source packages are not tracked like binary packages, they exist
 105 only in the current directory and are similar to downloading source
 106 tar balls.
 107
 108 dit(bf(check))
 109 bf(check) is a diagnostic tool; it updates the package cache and checks for
 110 broken packages.
 111
 112 dit(bf(clean))
 113 bf(clean) clears out the local repository of retrieved package files. It
 114 removes everything but the lock file from bf(/var/cache/apt/archives/)
 115 and bf(/var/cache/apt/archives/partial/).
 116 When APT is used as a bf(dselect(8)) method, bf(clean) is run automatically.
 117 Those who do not use dselect will likely want to run code(apt-get clean)
 118 from time to time to free up disk space.
 119
 120 dit(bf(autoclean))
 121 Like bf(clean), bf(autoclean) clears out the local repository of retrieved
 122 package files. The difference is that it only removes package files that
 123 can no longer be downloaded, and are largely useless. This allows a
 124 cache to be maintained over a long period without it growing out of
 125 control.
 126
 127 enddit()
 128
 129 manpageoptions()
 130 All command line options may be set using the configuration file, the
 131 descriptions indicate the configuration option to set. For boolean
 132 options you can override the config file by using something like bf(-f-),
 133 bf(--no-f), bf(-f=no) or several other variations.
 134
 135 startdit()
 136 dit(bf(-d, --download-only))
 137 Download only; package files are only retrieved, not unpacked or installed.
 138 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Download-Only).
 139
 140 dit(bf(-f, --fix-broken))
 141 Fix; attempt to correct a system with broken dependencies in
 142 place. This option may be used alone or in conjunction with any of the
 143 command actions, and is sometimes necessary when running APT for the
 144 first time; APT itself does not allow broken package dependencies to
 145 exist on a system. It is possible that a system's dependency structure
 146 can be so corrupt as to require manual intervention (which usually
 147 means using dselect or dpkg --remove to eliminate some of the offending
 148 packages). Use of this option together with -m may produce an error in
 149 some situations. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Fix-Broken).
 150
 151 dit(bf(-h, --help))
 152 Help; display a helpful usage message and exits.
 153
 154 dit(bf(-v, --version))
 155 Show the program version.
 156
 157 dit(bf(-m, --ignore-missing, --fix-missing))
 158 Ignore missing packages; If packages cannot be retrieved or fail the
 159 integrity check after retrieval (corrupted package files), hold back
 160 those packages and handle the result. Use of this option together with
 161 -f may produce an error in some situations. If a package is selected for
 162 installation (particularly if it is mentioned on the command line) and it
 163 could not be downloaded then it will be silently held back.
 164 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::ignore-missing).
 165
 166 dit(bf(--no-download))
 167 Disables downloading of packages. This is best used with --ignore-missing to
 168 force APT to use only the .debs it has already downloaded.
 169 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::No-Download).
 170
 171 dit(bf(-q, --quiet))
 172 Quiet; produces output suitable for logging, omitting progress indicators.
 173 More q's will produce more quiet up to a maximum of 2. You can also use
 174 bf(-q=#) to set the quiet level, overriding the configuration file. Note that
 175 quiet level 2 implies -y, you should never use -qq without a no-action
 176 modifier such as -d, --print-uris or -s as APT may decided to do something
 177 you did not expect.
 178 Configuration Item: bf(quiet)
 179
 180 dit(bf(-s, --simulate, --just-print, --dry-run, --recon, --no-act))
 181 No action; perform a simulation of events that would occur but do not
 182 actually change the system. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Simulate).
 183
 184 Simulate prints out
 185 a series of lines each one representing a dpkg operation, Configure (Conf),
 186 Remove (Remv), Unpack (Inst). Square brackets indicate broken packages with
 187 and empty set of square brackets meaning breaks that are of no consequence
 188 (rare).
 189
 190 dit(bf(-y, --yes, --assume-yes))
 191 Automatic yes to prompts; assume "yes" as answer to all prompts and run
 192 non-interactively. If an undesirable situation, such as changing a held
 193 package or removing an essential package occurs then bf(apt-get) will
 194 abort. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Assume-Yes).
 195
 196 dit(bf(-u, --show-upgraded))
 197 Show upgraded packages; Print out a list of all packages that are to be
 198 upgraded. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Show-Upgraded).
 199
 200 dit(bf(-b, --compile, --build))
 201 Compile source packages after downloading them.
 202 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Compile).
 203
 204 dit(bf(--ignore-hold))
 205 Ignore package Holds; This causes bf(apt-get) to ignore a hold placed on
 206 a package. This may be useful in conjunction with bf(dist-upgrade) to
 207 override a large number of undesired holds. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Ignore-Hold).
 208
 209 dit(bf(--no-upgrade))
 210 Do not upgrade packages; When used in conjunction with bf(install)
 211 bf(no-upgrade) will prevent packages listed from being upgraded if they
 212 are already installed. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::no-upgrade).
 213
 214 dit(bf(--force-yes))
 215 Force yes; This is a dangerous option that will cause apt to continue without
 216 prompting if it is doing something potentially harmful. It should not be used
 217 except in very special situations. Using bf(force-yes) can potentially destroy
 218 your system! Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::force-yes).
 219
 220 dit(bf(--print-uris))
 221 Instead of fetching the files to install their URIs are printed. Each
 222 URI will have the path, the destination file name, the size and the expected
 223 md5 hash. Note that the file name to write to will not always match
 224 the file name on the remote site! This also works with the bf(source)
 225 command. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Print-URIs).
 226
 227 dit(bf(--purge))
 228 Use purge instead of remove for anything that would be removed.
 229 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Purge).
 230
 231 dit(bf(--reinstall))
 232 Re-Install packages that are already installed and at the newest version.
 233
 234 dit(bf(--list-cleanup))
 235 This option defaults to on, use bf(--no-list-cleanup) to turn it off.
 236 When on apt-get will automatically manage the contents of
 237 /var/state/apt/lists to ensure that obsolete files are erased. The only
 238 reason to turn it off is if you frequently change your source list.
 239 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::List-Cleanup)
 240
 241 dit(bf(--trivial-only))
 242 Only perform operations are 'trivial'. Logically this can be considered
 243 related to --assume-yes, where --assume-yes will answer yes to any prompt,
 244 --trivial-only will answer no. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Trivial-Only)
 245
 246 dit(bf(--no-remove))
 247 If any packages are to be removed apt-get immediately aborts without
 248 prompting. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::No-Remove)
 249
 250 dit(bf(--diff-only), bf(--tar-only))
 251 Download only the diff or tar file of a source archive.
 252 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Diff-Only)
 253
 254 dit(bf(-c, --config-file))
 255 Configuration File; Specify a configuration file to use. bf(apt-get) will
 256 read the default configuration file and then this configuration file. See
 257 bf(apt.conf(5)) for syntax information.
 258
 259 dit(bf(-o, --option))
 260 Set a Configuration Option; This will set an arbitrary configuration option.
 261 The syntax is
 262 verb(-o Foo::Bar=bar)
 263 enddit()
 264
 265 manpagefiles()
 266 itemize(
 267   it() /etc/apt/sources.list
 268   locations to fetch packages from
 269
 270   it() /var/cache/apt/archives/
 271   storage area for retrieved package files
 272
 273   it() /var/cache/apt/archives/partial/
 274   storage area for package files in transit
 275
 276   it() /var/state/apt/lists/
 277   storage area for state information for each package resource specified in
 278   the source list
 279
 280   it() /var/state/apt/lists/partial/
 281   storage area for state information in transit
 282 )
 283
 284 manpageseealso()
 285 apt-cache(8),
 286 dpkg(8),
 287 dselect(8),
 288 sources.list(5),
 289 apt.conf(5),
 290 The APT Users Guide in /usr/doc/apt/
 291
 292 manpagediagnostics()
 293 apt-get returns zero on normal operation, decimal 100 on error.
 294
 295 manpagebugs()
 296 See http://bugs.debian.org/apt.  If you wish to report a
 297 bug in bf(apt-get), please see bf(/usr/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt)
 298 or the bf(bug(1)) command.
 299
 300 manpageauthor()
 301 apt-get was written by the APT team <apt@packages.debian.org>.