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DPKG-SCANPACKAGES
!!!DPKG-SCANPACKAGES
NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
THE OVERRIDE FILE
DIAGNOSTICS
SEE ALSO
----
!!NAME


dpkg-scanpackages - create Packages files
!!SYNOPSIS


__dpkg-scanpackages__ ''binarydir overridefile''
[[''pathprefix''] ____ ''Packages''
!!DESCRIPTION


__dpkg-scanpackages__ sorts through a tree of Debian
binary packages and creates a Packages file, used by
dselect(8) to tell the user what packages are
available for installation. These Packages files are the
same as those found on Debian archive sites and CD-ROMs. You
might use __dpkg-scanpackages__ yourself if making a
directory of local packages to install on a cluster of
machines.


''binarydir'' is the name of the binary tree to process
(for example, __contrib/binary-i386__). It is best to
make this relative to the root of the Debian archive,
because every Filename field in the new Packages file will
start with this string.


''overridefile'' is the name of a file to read which
contains information about how the package fits into the
distribution; see below.


''pathprefix'' is an optional string to be prepended to
the Filename fields.
!!THE OVERRIDE FILE


While most information about a package can be found in the
control file, some must be filled in by the distribution
czars rather than by the maintainer, because they relate to
the arrangement of files for release rather than the actual
dependencies and description of the package. This
information is found in the override file.


The override file has a simple whitespace-delimited format.
Comments are allowed (denoted with a __#__).


''package priority section''
[[''maintainerinfo'']


''package'' is the name of the package. Entries in the
override file for packages not found in the binary tree are
ignored.


''priority'' and ''section'' place the package within
the release tree; these ought not to be found in the control
file. If the package is found in a subdirectory of
''binarydir'', that will be checked against
''section''.


''maintainerinfo'', if present, can be either the name of
a maintainer for an unconditional override, or else
''oldmaintainer'' __=__ ''newmaintainer'' to
perform a substitution.


The override files used to make the official Packages lists
may be found in the ''indices'' directory on any Debian
mirror.
!!DIAGNOSTICS


__dpkg-scanpackages__ outputs the usual self-explanatory
errors. It also warns about packages that are in the wrong
subdirectory, are duplicated, have a Filename field in their
control file, are missing from the override file, or have
maintainer substitutions which do not take
effect.
!!SEE ALSO


dpkg(8), dselect(8).
----

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Version 1, saved on Tuesday, June 4, 2002 12:31:10 am by "perry"

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