Linux in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition

Name

dpkg

Synopsis

                     dpkg [options] action
                  

A tool for installing, managing, and building packages. Serves as a frontend to dpkg-deb.

dpkg actions

These actions are carried out by dpkg itself:

-A pkgfile, --record-avail pkgfile

Update the record of available files kept in /var/lib/dpkg/available with information from pkgfile. This information is used by dpkg and dselect to determine what packages are available. With -R or --recursive, pkgfile must be a directory.

-C, --audit

Search for partially installed packages and suggest how to get them working.

--clear-avail

Remove existing information about what packages are available.

--command-fd n

Accept commands passed on the file descriptor given by n. Note that any additional options set through this file descriptor or on the command line are not reset, but remain for other commands issued during the same session.

--compare-versions ver1 op ver2

Perform a binary comparison of two version numbers. The operators lt le eq ne ge gt treat a missing version as earlier. The operators lt-nl le-nl ge-nl gt-nl treat a missing version as later (where nl is “not later”). A third set of operators (< << <= = >= >> >) is provided for compatibility with control-file syntax. dpkg returns zero for success (i.e., the condition is satisfied) and nonzero otherwise.

--configure [packages|-a|--pending]

Reconfigure one or more unpacked packages. If -a or --pending is given instead of packages, configure all packages that are unpacked but not configured.

-Dh, --debug=help ...