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+ <!-- -*- Mode: Sgml -*-
upgrading-checklist.html
- Author : Manoj Srivastava ( srivasta@tiamat.datasync.com )
+ Author : Manoj Srivastava ( srivasta@tiamat.datasync.com )
Created On : Thu Oct 29 20:54:48 1998
Created On Node : tiamat.datasync.com
Last Modified By : Manoj Srivastava
- Last Modified On : Wed Jun 30 12:35:32 1999
+ Last Modified On : Sat Apr 28 13:36:28 2001
Last Machine Used: glaurung.green-gryphon.com
- Update Count : 7
+ Update Count : 16
Status : Unknown, Use with caution!
- HISTORY :
- Description :
+ HISTORY :
+ Description :
-->
<p>
The checklist below has been created to simplify the upgrading process
-of old packages. Note, that this list is not `official.' If you have
+of old packages. Note that this list is not `official'; it simply
+gives an indication of what has changed and whether you are likely to
+need to make changes to your package in light of this. If you have
doubts about a certain topic, if you need more details, or if you
think some other package does not comply with policy, please refer to
-the Policy Manual.
+the Policy Manual itself. All of the changes from version 3.0.0
+onwards indicate which section of the Policy Manual discusses the
+issue: [3.4] means section 3.4. The section numbering changed when
+the packaging manual was incorporated into policy; the section numbers
+used below refer to the current version.
</p>
<p>
-Here is how the check list works: Check out which policy version your
-packages complies with currently. Than move upwards until the top and
-check which of the items on the list might concern your package. If an
-item does not give you enough details, please check out the Policy
-Manual.
+Here is how the check list works: Check which policy version your
+package complies with currently (indicated in the "Standards-Version"
+field of the source package). Then move upwards until the top and
+check which of the items on the list might concern your package. Note
+which sections of policy discuss this, and then check out the Policy
+Manual for details. If you are upgrading from Policy version < 2.5.0,
+it may be easier to check through the whole of policy instead of
+picking your way through this list.
</p>
<h2>The checklist</h2>
<pre>
+3.5.4.0 Apr 01
+ Policy Manual:
+ - The system-wide mail directory is now /var/mail, no longer
+ /var/spool/mail. Any packages accessing the mail spool should
+ access it via /var/mail and include a suitable Depends field;
+ details in [12.6]
+ - The perl policy is now part of Debian policy proper. Perl
+ programs and modules should follow the current Perl policy
+ [12.9; perl-policy]
+
+
+3.5.3.0 Apr 01
+ Policy Manual:
+ - Build-Depends arch syntax has been changed to be less
+ ambiguous. This should not affect any current packages [7.1]
+ - Examples and templates should now live in
+ /usr/share/<package> or /usr/lib/<package>, with
+ symbolic links from /usr/share/doc//<package>/examples as
+ needed [11.7.3]
+
+
+3.5.2.0 Feb 01
+ Policy Manual:
+ - X app-defaults directory has moved from
+ /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults to /etc/X11/app-defaults [12.8]
+
+
+3.5.1.0 Feb 01
+ Policy Manual:
+ - dpkg-shlibdeps now uses objdump, so shared libraries have to be
+ run through dpkg-shlibdeps as well as executables [9.1]
+
+
+3.5.0.0 Jan 01
+ Policy Manual:
+ - Font packages for the X Window System must now declare a
+ dependency on xutils (>= 4.0.2) [12.8]
+
+
+3.2.1.1 Jan 01
+
+ Policy Manual:
+ - Daemon startup scripts in /etc/init.d/ should not contain
+ modifiable parameters; these should be moved to a file in
+ /etc/default/; see [10.3.2] for details
+ - Files in /usr/share/doc must not be referenced by any
+ program. If such files are needed, they must be placed in
+ /usr/share/<package>/, and symbolic links created as required
+ in /usr/share/doc/<package>/ [13.3]
+ - Much of the packaging manual has now been imported into the
+ policy document
+
+
+3.2.1.0 Aug 00
+
+ - A package of priority standard or higher may provide two
+ binaries, one compiled with support for the X Window System,
+ and the other without [12.8]
+
+
+3.2.0.0 Aug 00
+
+ - By default executables should not be built with the debugging
+ option -g. Instead, it is recommended to support building the
+ package with debugging information optionally. Details in [11.1]
+ - Policy for packages where the upstream uses HTML changelog
+ files has been expanded. In short, a plain text changelog file
+ should always be generated for the upstream changes [13.8]
+ - Please note that the new release of the X window system (4.x)
+ shall probably need sweeping changes in policy
+ - Policy for packages providing the following X-based features
+ has been codified [12.8]:
+ - X server (virtual package xserver)
+ - X terminal emulator (virtual package x-terminal-emulator)
+ - X window manager (virtual package x-window-manager, and
+ /usr/bin/x-window-manager alternative, with priority
+ calculation guidelines)
+ - X fonts (this section has been written from scratch)
+ - X application defaults
+ - Policy for packages using the X Window System and FHS issues
+ has been clarified; see [12.8]
+ - No package may contain or make hard links to conffiles [11.7.3]
+ - Noted that newer dpkg versions do not require extreme care in
+ always creating the shared lib before the symlink, so the unpack
+ order be correct [9]
+
+
+3.1.1.0 Nov 99
+
+ - Correction to semantics of architecture lists in Build-Depends
+ etc. Should not affect many packages [7.1]
+
+
+3.1.0.0 Oct 99
+
+ - /usr/doc/<package> has to be a symlink pointing to
+ /usr/share/doc/<package>, to be maintained by postinst
+ and prerm scripts. Details are in [13.4]
+ - Introduced source dependencies (Build-Depends, etc.) [7.1, 7.6]
+ - /etc/rc.boot has been deprecated in favour of /etc/rcS.d.
+ (Packages should not be touching this directory, but should use
+ update-rc.d instead) [10.3.4]
+ - update-rc.d is now the *only* allowable way of accessing the
+ /etc/rc?.d/[SK]??* links. Any scripts which manipulate them
+ directly must be changed to use update-rc.d instead. (This is
+ because the file-rc package handles this information in an
+ incompatible way.) [10.3.3]
+ - Architecture-specific examples go in /usr/lib/<package>/examples
+ with symlinks from /usr/share/doc/<package>/examples/* or from
+ /usr/share/doc/<package>/examples itself [13.7]
+ - Updated FHS to a 2.1 draft; this reverts /var/state to
+ /var/lib [10.1.1]
+ - Added MIME sub-policy document [10.7; mime-policy]
+ - VISUAL is allowed as a (higher priority) alternative to EDITOR [12.4]
+ - Modified liblockfile description, which affects
+ mailbox-accessing programs. Please see the policy document for
+ details [12.6]
+ - If a package provides a changelog in HTML format, a text-only
+ version should also be included. (Such a version may be prepared
+ using lynx -dump -nolist.) [13.8]
+ - Description of how to handle version numbers based on dates
+ added [4.1]
+
+
+3.0.1.0 Jul 99
+
+ Policy Manual:
+ - Added the clarification that the .la files are essential for the
+ packages using libtool's libltdl library, in which case the
+ .la files must go in the run-time library package [11.2]
+
+
3.0.0.0 Jun 99
Policy Manual:
- - Debian formally moves from the FSSTND to the FHS. This is a
- major change, and the implications of this move are probably
- not all know.
+ - Debian formally moves from the FSSTND to the FHS. This is a
+ major change, and the implications of this move are probably
+ not all known. [10.1]
- Only 3 digits of the Standards version need be included in
- control files, though all four digits are still permitted.
+ control files, though all four digits are still permitted. [2.4.1]
- The location of the GPL has changed to
/usr/share/common-licenses. This may require changing the
copyright files to point to the correct location of the GPL and
- other major licences
+ other major licenses [13.6]
- Packages that use libtool to create shared libraries must
- include the .la files in the -dev packages.
- - Use logrotate to rotate log files
+ include the .la files in the -dev packages [11.2]
+ - Use logrotate to rotate log files [11.8]
- section 5.8 has been rewritten (Programs for the X Window
- System)
- - There is now anassi=ociated menu policy, in a separate document,
- that carries the full weight of Debian policy.
- - The files `/var/run/utmp', `/var/log/wtmp' and
- `/var/log/lastlog' must be installed writeable by group
- utmp. Programs who need to modify those files must be installed
- install setgid utmp.
+ System) [now 12.8]
+ - There is now an associated menu policy, in a separate document,
+ that carries the full weight of Debian policy [10.6; menu-policy]
+ - Programs which need to modify the files /var/run/utmp,
+ /var/log/wtmp and /var/log/lastlog must be installed setgid utmp [12.3]
2.5.0.0 Oct 98
"Configuration files", moving the Section 4.8 ("Permissions
and owners") to Section 4.9. All subsections of the old
Section 5 after 5.5 were moved down to fill in the number
- gap.
- - Modified the section about changelog files to accomodate
+ gap.
+ - Modified the section about changelog files to accommodate
upstream changelogs which were formatted as HTML/ These
- upstream chagelog files should now be accessible as
- /usr/doc/package/changelog.html.gz
+ upstream changelog files should now be accessible as
+ /usr/doc/package/changelog.html.gz
+ Symlinks are permissible to link the real, or upstream,
changelog name to the Debian mandated name.
- Clarified that HTML documentation should be present in some
- Corrected all references to the location of the copyright
files. The correct location is /usr/doc/package/copyright
- Ratified the architecture specification strings to cater to the
- HURD.
+ HURD.
2.4.1.0 Apr 98
ldconfig must be called in the postinst script if the package
installs shared libraries
(cf., Policy Weekly Issue #6, fixes:bug#20515)
-
+
2.4.0.0 Jan 98
- Updated section 3.3.4 Scripts:
/etc/services, /etc/protocols, /etc/rpc, and /etc/inetd.conf
* updated section about `Configuration files':
- packages may not touch other packages' configuration files
+ packages may not touch other packages' configuration files
* MUAs and MTAs have to use liblockfile
* added section 4.1 `Architecture specification strings':
use
- <arch>-linux
+ <arch>-linux
where <arch> is one of the following:
i386, alpha, arm, m68k, powerpc, sparc.
2.1.1.0 Sep 96
* No hard links in source packages
-
+
* Do not use dpkg-divert or update-alternatives without consultation
* Shared libraries must be installed stripped
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