Glossary of important term defined in Debian Policy
- architecture:
[http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Architecture Policy:5.6.8], all, any, source, architecture specification string
[http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch-resources.en.html#s4.6.2 Ref:4.6.2]
architecture: [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html#release RepositoryHOWTO]
architecture specification string: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-customized-programs.html#s-arch-spec Policy:11.1]
archive: The name of the distribution of Debian the packages in this directory belong to (or are designed for), i.e. stable, testing or unstable [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html#release repository-howto RepositoryHOWTO]
archive: repository (dists, pools and their contents) [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch-resources.en.html#s-archive Ref:4.6]
base system: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s3.7 Policy:3.7]
binary Dependencies: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps Policy:7.2]: Depends, Recommends, Suggests, Enhances, Pre-Depends
binary package: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html Policy:3]
build-essential: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html#s-pkg-relations Policy:4.2]
category: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-sections Policy:2.2]
code name: [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch-resources.en.html#s-codenames Ref:4.6.5] (etch, sid, ...)
component: [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html#release RepositoryHOWTO]
configuration file: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-files.html#s10.7.1 Policy:10.7.1]: Almost all conffiles are configuration files, but many configuration files are not conffiles.
conffile: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-files.html#s10.7.1 Policy:10.7.1]: Almost all conffiles are configuration files, but many configuration files are not conffiles.
- contrib:
distribution area: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0]
category: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-contrib Policy:2.2.2]
Debian Free Software Guidelines: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-dfsg Policy:2.1]
Debian GNU/Linux distribution: build from the main category: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0]
- DFSG: see Debian Free Software Guidelines
distribution: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Distribution Policy:5.6.14], [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch-resources.en.html#s4.6.4 Ref:4.6.4] (stable, testing, unstable, oldstable )
Distribution: [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html#terms RepositoryHOWTO]: The three Debian distributions: stable, testing and unstable
distribution area: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0]
distribution name: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Distribution Policy:5.6.14]: stable, unstable, testing, frozen, experimental
essential: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s3.5 Policy:3.5]
essential package: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s3.8 Policy:3.8]
label: [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html#release RepositoryHOWTO]
main: category: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-main Policy:2.2.1]
maintainer: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s3.3 Policy:3.3]
- non-free:
distribution area: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0]
category: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-non-free Policy:2.2.3]
non-main: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-main Policy:2.2.1]
origin: [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html#release RepositoryHOWTO]
package: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0]
priority: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-priorities Policy:2.5], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Priority Policy:5.6.6]
priority level: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-priorities Policy:2.5]: required, important, standard, optional, extra
repository http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html
automatic Repository, with distribution. Debian References use Archive
trivial Repositoriry, simple directory
- section:
[http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html Policy:2.0], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Section Policy:5.6.5], [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch-resources.en.html#s-archive-sections Ref:4.6.1] main, contrib, non-free
groups within categories: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections Policy:2.4]: admin, comm, devel, doc, editors, electronics, embedded, games, gnome, graphics, hamradio, interpreters, kde, libs, libdevel, mail, math, misc, net, news, oldlibs, otherosfs, perl, python, science, shells, sound, tex, text, utils, web, x11; [http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/ch-resources.en.html#s-archive-sections Ref:4.6.1]: Note that the term "section" is also used to refer to categories which simplify the organization and browsing of available packages, e.g. admin, net, utils etc.
section field: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections Policy:2.4]; section on main; segment/section on contrib, non-free
segment: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections Policy:2.4]
source package: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html Policy:4]
uploader: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Uploaders Policy:5.6.3]
upstream source: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html#s4.3 Policy:4.3]
urgency: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Urgency Policy:5.6.17]: low, medium, high, emergency, critical
virtual package: [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s-virtual_pkg Policy:3.6]
Sources
Debian Policy Manual (Policy) in http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/index.html
Debian Developer's Reference (Ref) in http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/index.en.html
Debian Repository HOWTO in (RepositoryHOWTO) http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/repository-howto/repository-howto.en.html
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Debian Glossary
The following glossary is written by topics. To search a specific term, use the search function of your browser.
From package to archive
Package
Package has a lot of different meaning. essentially:
binary package ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html Policy:3])
source package ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html Policy:4])
Additionally:
virtual packages ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s-virtual_pkg Policy:3.6])
upstream package ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html#s-versions Policy:3.2], prefer: upstream source, e.g. in [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html#s4.3 Policy:4.3])
Sometime package is used without any additional attribute, usually it refers to binary package, or sometime attribute it is not important, e.g. a package maintainer should maintain both source and binary version of own packages.
Additionally, sometime we see the Debian attribute (Debian package [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-scope.html#s1.1 Policy:1.1], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Version Policy:5.6.12]). On documentation specific to Debian it is not really need, but it should be used when discussing different package types.
Note:
essential package are binary package
Source Package
source package ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-source.html Policy:4]). It contains upstream sources ... see dpkg-sources(1)
Two types:
non-native (http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/footnotes.html#f15 Policy:4.4]) or not Debian-native ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-docs.html#s-changelogs Policy:12.7])
native (dpkg-sources(1))
Binary Package
binary package ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-binary.html Policy:3])
Section
Section [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections Policy:2.4]
Groups of package to simplify handling, actually: admin, comm, devel, doc, editors, electronics, embedded, games, gnome, graphics, hamradio, interpreters, kde, libs, libdevel, mail, math, misc, net, news, oldlibs, otherosfs, perl, python, science, shells, sound, tex, text, utils, web, x11
Section field ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Section Policy:5.6.5]), field on control (source or binary part), which is formed:
section if the package is in the main category,
segment/section if the package is in the contrib or non-free distribution areas.
Priority
Priority classifies ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-priorities Policy:2.5], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Priority Policy:5.6.6], Policy:4.3) package importance both on source and binary packages:
required
important
standard
optional
extra
Architecture
Could describe also:
architecture specification string
architecture field: which contain an architecture specification string or all' or any or source ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Architecture Policy:5.6.8])
Architecture specification string
Architecture specification string ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-f-Architecture Policy:5.6.8], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-customized-programs.html#s-arch-spec Policy:11.1]): one of the strings provided by dpkg-architecture -L
Sometime simply architecture (name) ([http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-controlsyntax Policy:5.1], [http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-depsyntax Policy:7.1])