<!entity % versiondata SYSTEM "version.ent"> %versiondata;
]>
<debiandoc>
-<!--
- Debian GNU/Linux Policy Manual.
- Copyright (C)1996,1997,1998 Ian Jackson and Christian Schwarz;
- released under the terms of the GNU
- General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later.
- Initial version 1996, Ian Jackson, ijackson@gnu.ai.mit.edu
- Revised November 27, 1996, David A. Morris, bweaver@debian.org
- New sections March 15, 1997, Christian Schwarz, schwarz@debian.org
- Reworked/Restructured April-July 1997, Christian Schwarz, schwarz@debian.org
- Maintainer since 1997, Christian Schwarz, schwarz@debian.org
- Christoph Lameter contributed the "Web Standard"
- -->
+ <!--
+ Debian GNU/Linux Policy Manual.
+ Copyright (C)1996,1997,1998 Ian Jackson and Christian Schwarz;
+ released under the terms of the GNU
+ General Public License, version 2 or (at your option) any later.
+ Initial version 1996, Ian Jackson, ijackson@gnu.ai.mit.edu
+ Revised November 27, 1996, David A. Morris, bweaver@debian.org
+ New sections March 15, 1997, Christian Schwarz, schwarz@debian.org
+ Reworked/Restructured April-July 1997, Christian Schwarz, schwarz@debian.org
+ Maintainer since 1997, Christian Schwarz, schwarz@debian.org
+ Christoph Lameter contributed the "Web Standard"
+ The debian-policy mailing list has taken responsibility for the
+ contents of this document since September 1998, with the package
+ maintainers responsible for packagingn adminstrivia only.
+ -->
+
+ <book>
+ <titlepag>
+ <title>Debian Policy Manual</title>
+ <author>
+ <name>Ian Jackson </name>
+ <email>ijackson@gnu.ai.mit.edu</email>
+ </author>
+ <author>
+ <name>Christian Schwarz</name>
+ <email>schwarz@debian.org</email>
+ </author>
+ <author>
+ <name>revised: David A. Morris</name>
+ <email>bweaver@debian.org</email></author>
+ <author><name></name><email></email></author>
+ <version>version &version;, &date;</version>
+
+ <abstract>
+ This manual describes the policy requirements for the Debian
+ GNU/Linux distribution. This includes the structure and
+ contents of the Debian archive, several design issues of the
+ operating system, as well as technical requirements that each
+ package must satisfy to be included in the distribution.
+ </abstract>
+
+ <copyright>
+ <copyrightsummary>
+ Copyright ©1996,1997,1998 Ian Jackson
+ and Christian Schwarz.
+ </copyrightsummary>
+ <p>
+ This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or
+ modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
+ as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version
+ 2, or (at your option) any later version.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ This is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
+ <em>without any warranty</em>; without even the implied
+ warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular
+ purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more
+ details.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ A copy of the GNU General Public License is available as
+ <tt>/usr/doc/copyright/GPL</tt> in the Debian GNU/Linux
+ distribution or on the World Wide Web at
+ <url id="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html"
+ name="&urlname">. You can also obtain it by writing to the
+ Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
+ Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ </p>
+ </copyright>
+ </titlepag>
+
+ <toc detail="sect">
+
+ <chapt id="scope">
+ <heading>About this manual</heading>
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Scope</heading>
+ <p>
+ This manual describes the policy requirements for the Debian
+ GNU/Linux distribution. This includes the structure and
+ contents of the Debian archive, several design issues of the
+ operating system, as well as technical requirements that
+ each package must satisfy to be included in the
+ distribution.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This manual does <em>not</em> describe the technical
+ mechanisms involved in package creation, installation, and
+ removal. This information can be found in the <em>Debian
+ Packaging Manual</em> and the <em>Debian System
+ Administrators' Manual</em>.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This document assumes familiarity with these other two
+ manuals. Unfortunately, the <em>System Administrators'
+ Manual</em> does not exist yet.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Much of the information presented in this manual will be
+ useful even when building a package which is to be
+ distributed in some other way or is for local use.
+ </p>
+ </sect>
+ <sect>
+ <heading>New versions of this document</heading>
+ <p>
+ The current version of this document is always accessible from the
+ Debian FTP server at
+ <url
+ id="ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/doc/manuals/debian-policy.html.tar.gz" name="&urlname">
+ or from the Debian WWW server at
+ <url id="http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-policy/"
+ name="&urlname"></p>
+
+ <p>
+ In addition, this manual is distributed via the Debian package
+ <tt>debian-policy</tt>
+ </p>
+ </sect>
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Feedback</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ As the Debian GNU/Linux system is continuously evolving this
+ manual is changed from time to time.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ While the authors of this document tried hard not to include
+ any typos or other errors these still occur. If you discover
+ an error in this manual or if you want to tell us any
+ comments, suggestions, or critics please send an email to
+ the Debian Policy List,
+ <email>debian-policy@lists.debian.org</email>, or submit a
+ bug report against the <tt>debian-policy</tt> package.
+ </p>
+ </sect>
+ </chapt>
+ <chapt>
+ <heading>The Debian Archive</heading>
+ <p>
+ The Debian GNU/Linux system is maintained and distributed as a
+ collection of <em>packages</em>. Since there are so many of them (over
+ 2600) they are split into <em>sections</em> and <em>priorities</em> to
+ simplify handling of them.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ The effort of the Debian project is to build a free operating
+ system, but not every package we want to make accessible is
+ <em>free</em> in our sense (see Debian Free Software
+ Guidelines, below), or may be imported/exported without
+ restrictions. Thus, the archive is split into the sections
+ <em>main</em>, <em>non-us</em>, <em>non-free</em>, and
+ <em>contrib</em>.</p>
+ <p>
+ The <em>main</em> section forms the <em>Debian GNU/Linux
+ distribution</em>. </p>
+ <p>
+ Packages in the other sections are not considered as part of
+ the Debian distribution, though we support their use, and we
+ provide infrastructure for them (such as our bug-tracking
+ system and mailing lists). This Debian Policy Manual applies
+ to these packages as well.</p>
+
+ <sect id="pkgcopyright">
+ <heading>Package copyright and sections</heading>
+ <p>
+ The aims of this policy are:
+
+ <list compact="compact">
+ <item>
+ <p>We want to make as much software available as we
+ can.</p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>We want to encourage everyone to write free software.</p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p> We want to make it easy for people to produce
+ CD-ROMs of our system without violating any licenses,
+ import/export restrictions, or any other laws.</p>
+ </item>
+ </list>
+ </p>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The Debian Free Software Guidelines</heading>
+ <p>
+ The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) as is our
+ definition of `free' software.
+ <taglist>
+ <tag>>Free Redistribution
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The license of a Debian component may not restrict any
+ party from selling or giving away the software as a
+ component of an aggregate software distribution
+ containing programs from several different
+ sources. The license may not require a royalty or
+ other fee for such sale.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>Source Code
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The program must include source code, and must allow
+ distribution in source code as well as compiled form.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>Derived Works
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The license must allow modifications and derived
+ works, and must allow them to be distributed under the
+ same terms as the license of the original software.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>Integrity of The Author's Source Code
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The license may restrict source-code from being
+ distributed in modified form <em>only</em> if the
+ license allows the distribution of ``patch files''
+ with the source code for the purpose of modifying the
+ program at build time. The license must explicitly
+ permit distribution of software built from modified
+ source code. The license may require derived works to
+ carry a different name or version number from the
+ original software. (This is a compromise. The Debian
+ group encourages all authors to not restrict any
+ files, source or binary, from being modified.)
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The license must not discriminate against any person
+ or group of persons.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The license must not restrict anyone from making use
+ of the program in a specific field of endeavor. For
+ example, it may not restrict the program from being
+ used in a business, or from being used for genetic
+ research.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>Distribution of License
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The rights attached to the program must apply to all
+ to whom the program is redistributed without the need
+ for execution of an additional license by those
+ parties.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>License Must Not Be Specific to Debian
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The rights attached to the program must not depend on
+ the program's being part of a Debian system. If the
+ program is extracted from Debian and used or
+ distributed without Debian but otherwise within the
+ terms of the program's license, all parties to whom
+ the program is redistributed should have the same
+ rights as those that are granted in conjunction with
+ the Debian system.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>License Must Not Contaminate Other Software
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The license must not place restrictions on other
+ software that is distributed along with the licensed
+ software. For example, the license must not insist
+ that all other programs distributed on the same medium
+ must be free software.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <tag>Example Licenses
+ </tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The ``GPL,'' ``BSD,'' and ``Artistic'' licenses are
+ examples of licenses that we consider <em>free</em>.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ </taglist>
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The main section</heading>
+ <p>
+ Every package in "main" must comply with the DFSG (Debian
+ Free Software Guidelines).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In addition, the packages in "main"
+ <list compact="compact">
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ must not require a package outside of "main" for
+ compilation or execution (thus, the package may not
+ declare a "Depends" or "Recommends" relationship on a
+ non-main package),
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ must not be so buggy that we refuse to support them,
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ must meet all policy requirements presented in this
+ manual.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ </list>
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The contrib section</heading>
+ <p>
+ Every package in "contrib" must comply with the DFSG.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Examples of packages which would be included in "contrib" are
+ <list compact="compact">
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ free packages which require "contrib", "non-free", or
+ "non-US" packages or packages which are not in our
+ archive at all for compilation or execution,
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ wrapper packages or other sorts of free accessories for
+ non-free programs,
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ packages which we don't want to support because they are too
+ buggy, and
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ packages which fail to meet some other policy requirements in
+ a serious way.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ </list>
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The non-free section</heading>
+ <p>
+ `Non-free' contains packages which are not compliant with
+ the DFSG or which are encumbered by patents or other legal
+ issues that make their distribution problematic.</p>
+ <p>
+ All packages in `non-free' must be electronically
+ distributable across international borders.
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The non-us server</heading>
+ <p>
+ Some programs with cryptographic program code must be stored
+ on the "non-us" server because of export restrictions of the
+ U.S.</p>
+ <p>
+ This applies only to packages which contain cryptographic
+ code. A package containing a program with an interface to a
+ cryptographic program or a program that's dynamically linked
+ against a cryptographic library can be distributed if it is
+ capable of running without the cryptography library or
+ program.
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Further copyright considerations</heading>
+ <p>
+ Every package must be accompanied by a verbatim copy of its
+ copyright and distribution license in the file
+ /usr/doc/<package-name>/copyright (see <ref
+ id="copyrightfile"> for details).</p>
+ <p>
+ We reserve the right to restrict files from being included
+ anywhere in our archives if
+ <list compact="compact">
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ their use or distribution would break a law,
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ there is an ethical conflict in their distribution or
+ use,
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ we would have to sign a license for them, or
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ their distribution would conflict with other project
+ policies.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ </list>
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Programs whose authors encourage the user to make donations
+ are fine for the main distribution, provided that the
+ authors do not claim that not donating is immoral,
+ unethical, illegal or something similar; otherwise they must
+ go in contrib (or non-free, if even distribution is
+ restricted by such statements).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages whose copyright permission notices (or patent
+ problems) do not allow redistribution even of only binaries,
+ and where no special permission has been obtained, cannot be
+ placed on the Debian FTP site and its mirrors at all.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note, that under international copyright law (this applies
+ in the United States, too) <em>no</em> distribution or
+ modification of a work is allowed without an explicit notice
+ saying so. Therefore a program without a copyright notice
+ <em>is</em> copyrighted and you may not do anything to it
+ without risking being sued! Likewise if a program has a
+ copyright notice but no statement saying what is permitted
+ then nothing is permitted.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Many authors are unaware of the problems that restrictive
+ copyrights (or lack of copyright notices) can cause for the
+ users of their supposedly-free software. It is often
+ worthwhile contacting such authors diplomatically to ask
+ them to modify their license terms. However, this is a
+ politically difficult thing to do and you should ask for
+ advice on <tt>debian-devel</tt> first.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ When in doubt, send mail to
+ <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>. Be prepared
+ to provide us with the copyright statement. Software
+ covered by the GPL, public domain software and BSD-like
+ copyrights are safe; be wary of the phrases `commercial use
+ prohibited' and `distribution restricted'.</p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Subsections</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The packages in the <em>main</em>, <em>contrib</em>, and
+ <em>non-free</em> sections are grouped further into
+ <em>subsections</em> to simplify handling of them.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The section for each package is specified in the package's
+ <em>control record</em>. However, the maintainer of the
+ Debian archive may override this selection to assure the
+ consistency of the Debian distribution. </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Please check the current Debian distribution to see which
+ sections are available.</p>
+ </sect1>
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Priorities</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Each package is given a certain <em>priority</em> value,
+ which is included in the package's <em>control
+ record</em>. This information is used in the Debian package
+ management tool to separate high-priority packages from
+ less-important packages.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The following <em>priority levels</em> are supported by the
+ Debian package management system, <prgn>dpkg</prgn>.
+ <taglist>
+ <tag><tt>required</tt></tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ <tt>required</tt> packages are necessary for the
+ proper functioning of the system. You must not remove
+ these packages or your system may become totally
+ broken and you may not even be able to use
+ <prgn>dpkg</prgn> to put things back. Systems with
+ only the <tt>required</tt> packages are probably
+ unusable, but they do have enough functionality to
+ allow the sysadmin to boot and install more
+ software.</p>
+ </item>
+ <tag><tt>important</tt></tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Important programs, including those which one would
+ expect to find on any Unix-like system. If the
+ expectation is that an experienced Unix person who
+ found it missing would say `What the F*!@<+ is
+ going on, where is <prgn>foo</prgn>', it should be in
+ <tt>important</tt>. This is an important criterion
+ because we are trying to produce, amongst other
+ things, a free Unix. Other packages without which the
+ system will not run well or be usable should also be
+ here. This does <em>not</em> include Emacs or X11 or
+ TeX or any other large applications. The
+ <tt>important</tt> packages are just a bare minimum of
+ commonly-expected and necessary tools.</p>
+ </item>
+ <tag><tt>standard</tt></tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ These packages provide a reasonably small but not too
+ limited character-mode system. This is what will
+ install by default if the user doesn't select anything
+ else. It doesn't include many large applications, but
+ it does include Emacs (this is more of a piece of
+ infrastructure than an application) and a reasonable
+ subset of TeX and LaTeX (if this is possible without
+ X).</p>
+ </item>
+ <tag><tt>optional</tt></tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ (In a sense everything is optional that isn't
+ required, but that's not what is meant here.) This is
+ all the software that you might reasonably want to
+ install if you didn't know what it was or don't have
+ specialised requirements. This is a much larger system
+ and includes X11, a full TeX distribution, and lots of
+ applications.</p>
+ </item>
+ <tag><tt>extra</tt></tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ This contains packages that conflict with others with
+ higher priorities, or are only likely to be useful if
+ you already know what they are or have specialised
+ requirements.
+ </p>
+ </item>
+ </taglist></p>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages may not depend on packages with lower priority
+ values. If this should happen, one of the priority values
+ will have to be adapted.
+ </p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Binary packages</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The Debian GNU/Linux distribution is based on the Debian
+ package management system, called <prgn>dpkg</prgn>. Thus,
+ all packages in the Debian distribution have to be provided
+ in the <tt>.deb</tt> file format.</p>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The package name</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Every package must have a name that's unique within the Debian
+ archive.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Package names may only consist of lower case letters, digits (0-9),
+ plus (+) or minus (-) signs, and periods (.).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The package name is part of the file name of the
+ <tt>.deb</tt> file and is included in the control field
+ information.
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The maintainer of a package</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Every package must have exactly one maintainer at a
+ time. This person is responsible that the license of the
+ package's software complies with the policy of the
+ distribution this package is included in.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The maintainer must be specified in the
+ <tt>Maintainer</tt> control field with the correct name
+ and a working email address for the Debian maintainer of
+ the package. If one person maintains several packages
+ he/she should try to avoid having different forms of their
+ name and email address in different <tt>Maintainer</tt>
+ fields.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If the maintainer of a package quits from the Debian
+ project the Debian QA Group takes over the maintainership
+ of the package until someone else volunteers for that
+ task. These packages are called <em>orphaned
+ packages</em>.
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>The description of a package</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Every Debian package should have an extended description
+ stored in the appropriate field of the control record.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The description should be written so that it tells the
+ user what they need to know to decide whether to install
+ the package. This description should not just be copied
+ from the blurb for the program. Instructions for
+ configuring or using the package should not be
+ included--that is what installation scripts, manual pages,
+ Info files, etc. are for. Copyright statements and other
+ administrivia should not be included--that is what the
+ copyright file is for.</p>
+ </sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Dependencies</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Every package has to specify the dependency information
+ about other packages, that are required for the first to
+ work correctly.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For example, for any shared libraries required by
+ dynamically-linked executable binary in a package a
+ dependency entry has to be provided.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ It is not necessary for other packages to declare any
+ dependencies they have on other packages which are marked
+ <tt>Essential</tt> (see below).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Sometimes, a package requires another package to be
+ installed <em>and</em> configured before it can be
+ installed. In this case, you'll have to specify a
+ <tt>Pre-Depends</tt> entry for the package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You must not specify a <tt>Pre-Depends</tt> entry for a
+ package before this has been discussed on the
+ <tt>debian-devel</tt> mailing list and a consensus about
+ doing that has been reached.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Virtual packages</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Sometimes, there are several packages doing more-or-less
+ the same job. In this case, it's useful to define a
+ <em>virtual package</em> who's name describes the function
+ the packages have. (The virtual packages just exist
+ logically, not physically--that's why they are called
+ <em>virtual</em>.) The packages with this particular
+ function will then <em>provide</em> the virtual
+ package. Thus, any other package requiring that function
+ can simply depend on the virtual package without having to
+ specify all possible packages individually.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ All packages must use virtual package names where
+ appropriate, and arrange to create new ones if necessary.
+ They must not use virtual package names (except privately,
+ amongst a cooperating group of packages) unless they have
+ been agreed upon and appear in the list of virtual package
+ names.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The latest version of the authoritative list of virtual
+ package names can be found on
+ <ftpsite>ftp.debian.org</ftpsite> in
+ <ftppath>/debian/doc/package-developer/virtual-package-names-list.text</ftppath>
+ or your local mirror. In addition, it is included in the
+ <tt>debian-policy</tt> package. The procedure for updating
+ the list is described at the top of the file.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Base packages</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The packages included in the <tt>base</tt> section have a
+ special function. They form a minimum subset of the Debian
+ GNU/Linux system that is installed before everything else
+ on a new system. Thus, only very few packages are allowed
+ to go into the <tt>base</tt> section to keep the required
+ disk usage very small.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Most of these packages should have the priority value
+ <tt>required</tt> or at least <tt>important</tt>, and many
+ of them will be tagged <tt>essential</tt> (see below).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You must not place any packages into the <tt>base</tt>
+ section before this has been discussed on the
+ <tt>debian-devel</tt> mailing list and a consensus about
+ doing that has been reached.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Essential packages</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Some packages are tagged <tt>essential</tt>. (They have
+ <tt>Essential: yes</tt> in their package control record.)
+ This flag is used for packages that are <em>essential</em>
+ for a system.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Since these packages can not easily be removed (you'll
+ have to specify an extra <em>force option</em> to
+ <prgn>dpkg</prgn>) this flag should only be used where
+ absolutely necessary.
+
+ A shared library package should not be tagged
+ <em>essential</em>--the dependencies will prevent its
+ premature removal, and we need to be able to remove it
+ when it has been superseded.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You must not tag any packages <tt>essential</tt> before
+ this has been discussed on the <tt>debian-devel</tt>
+ mailing and a consensus about doing that has been
+ reached.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Maintainer scripts</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The package installation scripts should avoid producing
+ output which it is unnecessary for the user to see and
+ should rely on <prgn>dpkg</prgn> to stave off boredom on
+ the part of a user installing many packages. This means,
+ amongst other things, using the <tt>--quiet</tt> option on
+ <prgn>install-info</prgn>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages should try to minimise the amount of prompting
+ they need to do, and they should ensure that the user will
+ only ever be asked each question once. This means that
+ packages should try to use appropriate shared
+ configuration files (such as <tt>/etc/papersize</tt> and
+ <tt>/etc/nntpserver</tt>), rather than each prompting for
+ their own list of required pieces of information.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ It also means that an upgrade should not ask the same
+ questions again, unless the user has used <tt>dpkg
+ --purge</tt> to remove the package's configuration. The
+ answers to configuration questions should be stored in an
+ appropriate place in <tt>/etc</tt> so that the user can
+ modify them, and how this has been done should be
+ documented.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a package has a vitally important piece of information
+ to pass to the user (such as "don't run me as I am, you
+ must edit the following configuration files first or you
+ risk your system emitting badly-formatted messages"), it
+ should display this in the <prgn>postinst</prgn> script
+ and prompt the user to hit return to acknowledge the
+ message. Copyright messages do not count as vitally
+ important (they belong in
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/copyright</tt>); neither
+ do instructions on how to use a program (these should be
+ in on line documentation, where all the users can see
+ them).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Any necessary prompting should almost always be confined
+ to the post-installation script, and should be protected
+ with a conditional so that unnecessary prompting doesn't
+ happen if a package's installation fails and the
+ <prgn>postinst</prgn> is called with
+ <tt>abort-upgrade</tt>, <tt>abort-remove</tt> or
+ <tt>abort-deconfigure</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Errors which occur during the execution of an installation
+ script <em>must</em> be checked and the installation
+ <em>must not</em> continue after an error.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note, that <ref id="scripts">, in general applies to
+ package maintainer scripts, too.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Do not use <prgn>dpkg-divert</prgn> on a file belonging to
+ another package without consulting the maintainer of that
+ package first.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In order for <prgn>update-alternatives</prgn> to work
+ correctly all the packages which supply an instance of the
+ `shared' command name (or, in general, filename) must use
+ it. You can use <tt>Conflicts</tt> to force the
+ deinstallation of other packages supplying it which do not
+ (yet) use <prgn>update-alternatives</prgn>. It may in
+ this case be appropriate to specify a conflict on earlier
+ versions on something--this is an exception to the usual
+ rule that this is not allowed.</p>
+ </sect1>
+ </sect>
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Source packages</heading>
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Standards conformance</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ You should specify the most recent version of the
+ packaging standards with which your package complies in
+ the source package's <tt>Standards-Version</tt> field.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ This value will be used to file bug reports automatically
+ if your package becomes too much out of date.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The value corresponds to a version of the Debian manuals,
+ as can be found on the title page or page headers and
+ footers (depending on the format).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The version number has four components--major and minor
+ number and major and minor patch level. When the
+ standards change in a way that requires every package to
+ change the major number will be changed. Significant
+ changes that will require work in many packages will be
+ signaled by a change to the minor number. The major patch
+ level will be changed for any change to the meaning of the
+ standards, however small; the minor patch level will be
+ changed when only cosmetic, typographical or other edits
+ which do not change the meaning are made, or changes which
+ do not affect the contents of packages.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You should regularly, and especially if your package has
+ become out of date, check for the newest Policy Manual
+ available and update your package, if necessary. When your
+ package complies with the new standards you may update the
+ <tt>Standards-Version</tt> source package field and
+ release it.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Changes to the upstream sources</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ If changes to the source code are made that are generally
+ applicable please try to get them included in the upstream
+ version of the package by supplying the upstream authors
+ with the changes in whatever form they prefer.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you need to configure the package differently for
+ Debian or for Linux, and the upstream source doesn't
+ provide a way to configure it the way you need to, please
+ add such configuration facilities (for example, a new
+ <prgn>autoconf</prgn> test or <tt>#define</tt>) and send
+ the patch to the upstream authors, with the default set to
+ the way they originally had it. You can then easily
+ override the default in your <tt>debian/rules</tt> or
+ wherever is appropriate.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Please make sure that the <prgn>configure</prgn> utility
+ detects the correct architecture specification string
+ (refer to <ref id="arch-spec"> for details).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you need to edit a <prgn>Makefile</prgn> where
+ GNU-style <prgn>configure</prgn> scripts are used, you
+ should edit the <tt>.in</tt> files rather than editing the
+ <prgn>Makefile</prgn> directly. This allows the user to
+ reconfigure the package if necessary. You should
+ <em>not</em> configure the package and edit the generated
+ <prgn>Makefile</prgn>! This makes it impossible for
+ someone else to later reconfigure the package.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Documenting your changes</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Document your changes and updates to the source package
+ properly in the <tt>debian/changelog</tt> file.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ A copy of the file which will be installed in
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/copyright</tt> should be
+ in <tt>debian/copyright</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In non-experimental packages you may only use a format for
+ <tt>debian/changelog</tt> which is supported by the most
+ recent released version of <prgn>dpkg</prgn>. If your
+ format is not supported and there is general support for
+ it you should contact the <prgn>dpkg</prgn> maintainer to
+ have the parser script for your format included in the
+ <prgn>dpkg</prgn> package. (You will need to agree that
+ the parser and its manpage may be distributed under the
+ GNU GPL, just as the rest of <prgn>dpkg</prgn>
+ is.)</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Error trapping in makefiles</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ When <prgn>make</prgn> invokes a command in a makefile
+ (including your package's upstream makefiles and the
+ <tt>debian/rules</tt>) it does so using <tt>sh</tt>. This
+ means that <tt>sh</tt>'s usual bad error handling
+ properties apply: if you include a miniature script as one
+ of the commands in your makefile you'll find that if you
+ don't do anything about it then errors are not detected
+ and <prgn>make</prgn> will blithely continue after
+ problems.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Every time you put more than one shell command (this
+ includes using a loop) in a makefile command you
+ <em>must</em> make sure that errors are trapped. For
+ simple compound commands, such as changing directory and
+ then running a program, using <tt>&&</tt> rather
+ than semicolon as a command separator is sufficient. For
+ more complex commands including most loops and
+ conditionals you must include a separate <tt>set -e</tt>
+ command at the start of every makefile command that's
+ actually one of these miniature shell scripts.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Obsolete constructs and libraries</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The include file <prgn><varargs.h></prgn> is
+ provided to support end-users compiling very old software;
+ the library <tt>libtermcap</tt> is provided to support the
+ execution of software which has been linked against it
+ (either old programs or those such as Netscape which are
+ only available in binary form).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Debian packages should be ported to include
+ <prgn><stdarg.h></prgn> and <tt>ncurses</tt> when
+ they are built.</p>
+ </sect1>
+ </sect></chapt>
+
+ <chapt><heading>The Operating System</heading>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Filesystem hierarchy</heading>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Linux Filesystem Structure</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The location of all installed files and directories must
+ comply fully with the Linux Filesystem Structure (FSSTND).
+ The latest version of this document can be found alongside
+ this manual or on <ftpsite>tsx-11.mit.edu</ftpsite> in
+ <ftppath>/pub/linux/docs/linux-standards/fsstnd/</ftppath>.
+ Specific questions about following the standard may be
+ asked on <prgn>debian-devel</prgn>, or referred to Daniel
+ Quinlan, the FSSTND coordinator, at
+ <email>quinlan@pathname.com</email>.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Site-specific programs</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ As mandated by the FSSTND no package should place any
+ files in <tt>/usr/local</tt>, either by putting them in
+ the filesystem archive to be unpacked by <prgn>dpkg</prgn>
+ or by manipulating them in their maintainer scripts.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ However, the package should create empty directories below
+ <tt>/usr/local</tt> so that the system administrator knows
+ where to place site-specific files. These directories
+ should be removed on package removal if they are
+ empty.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note, that this applies only to directories <em>below</em>
+ <tt>/usr/local</tt>, not <em>in</em>
+ <tt>/usr/local</tt>. The directory <tt>/usr/local</tt>
+ itself may only contain the sub-directories listed in
+ FSSTND, section 4.8. However, you may create directories
+ below them as you wish. You may not remove any of the
+ directories listed in 4.8, even if you created them.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Since <tt>/usr/local</tt> may be mounted read-only from a
+ remote server, these directories have to be created and
+ removed by the <tt>postinst</tt> and <tt>prerm</tt>
+ maintainer scripts. These scripts must not fail if either
+ of these operations fail. (In the future, it will be
+ possible to tell <prgn>dpkg</prgn> not to unpack files
+ matching certain patterns, so that the directories can be
+ included in the <tt>.deb</tt> packages and system
+ administrators who do not wish these directories in
+ /usr/local do not need to have them.)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For example, the <prgn>emacs</prgn> package will contain
+ <example>
+ mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/emacs/site-lisp || true
+ </example>
+ in the <tt>postinst</tt> script, and
+ <example>
+ rmdir /usr/local/lib/emacs/site-lisp && \
+ rmdir /usr/local/lib/emacs || \
+ true
+ </example>
+ in the <tt>prerm</tt> script.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you do create a directory in <tt>/usr/local</tt> for
+ local additions to a package, you must ensure that
+ settings in <tt>/usr/local</tt> take precedence over the
+ equivalents in <tt>/usr</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The <tt>/usr/local</tt> directory itself and all the subdirectories
+ created by the package should have permissions 2775 (group-writable
+ and set-group-id) and be owned by <tt>root.staff</tt>.</p>
+ </sect1>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Users and groups</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The Debian system can be configured to use either plain or
+ shadow passwords.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Some user ids (UIDs) and group ids (GIDs) are reserved
+ globally for use by certain packages. Because some packages
+ need to include files which are owned by these users or
+ groups, or need the ids compiled into binaries, these ids
+ must be used on any Debian system only for the purpose for
+ which they are allocated. This is a serious restriction, and
+ we should avoid getting in the way of local administration
+ policies. In particular, many sites allocate users and/or
+ local system groups starting at 100.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Apart from this we should have dynamically allocated ids,
+ which should by default be arranged in some sensible
+ order--but the behaviour should be configurable.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ No package except <tt>base-passwd</tt> may modify
+ <tt>/etc/passwd</tt>, <tt>/etc/shadow</tt>, or
+ <tt>/etc/group</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The UID and GID ranges are as follows:
+ <taglist>
+ <tag>0-99:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Globally allocated by the Debian project, must be the
+ same on every Debian system. These ids will appear in
+ the <tt>passwd</tt> and <tt>group</tt> files of all
+ Debian systems, new ids in this range being added
+ automatically as the <tt>base-passwd</tt> package is
+ updated.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages which need a single statically allocated uid
+ or gid should use one of these; their maintainers
+ should ask the <tt>base-passwd</tt> maintainer for
+ ids.</p>
+ </item>
+
+ <tag>100-999:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Dynamically allocated system users and groups.
+ Packages which need a user or group, but can have this
+ user or group allocated dynamically and differently on
+ each system, should use `<tt>adduser --system</tt>' to
+ create the group and/or user. <prgn>adduser</prgn>
+ will check for the existence of the user or group, and
+ if necessary choose an unused id based on the ranged
+ specified in <tt>adduser.conf</tt>.</p></item>
+
+
+ <tag>1000-29999:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Dynamically allocated user accounts. By default
+ <prgn>adduser</prgn> will choose UIDs and GIDs for
+ user accounts in this range, though
+ <tt>adduser.conf</tt> may be used to modify this
+ behaviour.</p>
+ </item>
+
+ <tag>30000-59999:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>Reserved.</p></item>
+
+
+ <tag>60000-64999:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Globally allocated by the Debian project, but only
+ created on demand. The ids are allocated centrally and
+ statically, but the actual accounts are only created
+ on users' systems on demand.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ These ids are for packages which are obscure or which
+ require many statically-allocated ids. These packages
+ should check for and create the accounts in
+ <tt>/etc/passwd</tt> or <tt>/etc/group</tt> (using
+ <prgn>adduser</prgn> if it has this facility) if
+ necessary. Packages which are likely to require
+ further allocations should have a `hole' left after
+ them in the allocation, to give them room to
+ grow.</p></item>
+
+
+ <tag>65000-65533:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>Reserved.</p></item>
+
+
+ <tag>65534:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>User `<tt>nobody</tt>.'</p></item>
+
+
+ <tag>65535:</tag>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ <tt>(uid_t)(-1) == (gid_t)(-1)</tt>. NOT TO BE USED,
+ because it is the error return sentinel value.</p>
+ </item>
+ </taglist>
+ </p>
+ </sect>
+ <sect id="sysvinit">
+ <heading>System run levels</heading>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Introduction</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The <tt>/etc/init.d</tt> directory contains the scripts
+ executed by <prgn>init</prgn> at boot time and when init
+ state (or `runlevel') is changed (see <manref name="init"
+ section="8">).</p> <p>
+
+ These scripts are being referenced by symbolic links in
+ the <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d</tt> directories. When
+ changing runlevels, <prgn>init</prgn> looks in the
+ directory <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d</tt> for the scripts
+ it should execute, where <var>n</var> is the runlevel that
+ is being changed to, or `S' for the boot-up scripts.</p>
+ <p>
+
+ The names of the links all have the form
+ <tt>S<var>mm/<var>script</var></var></tt> or
+ <tt>K<var>mm/<var>script</var></var></tt> where
+ <var>mm</var> is a two-digit number and <var>script</var>
+ is the name of the script (this should be the same as the
+ name of the actual script in <tt>/etc/init.d</tt>.
+
+ When <prgn>init</prgn> changes runlevel first the targets
+ of the links whose names starting with a <tt>K</tt> are
+ executed, each with the single argument <tt>stop</tt>,
+ followed by the scripts prefixed with an <tt>S</tt>, each
+ with the single argument <tt>start</tt>. The <tt>K</tt>
+ links are responsible for killing services and the
+ <tt>S</tt> link for starting services upon entering the
+ runlevel.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For example, if we are changing from runlevel 2 to
+ runlevel 3, init will first execute all of the <tt>K</tt>
+ prefixed scripts it finds in <tt>/etc/rc3.d</tt>, and then
+ all of the <tt>S</tt> prefixed scripts. The links
+ starting with <tt>K</tt> will cause the referred-to file
+ to be executed with an argument of <tt>stop</tt>, and the
+ <tt>S</tt> links with an argument of <tt>start</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The two-digit number <var>mm</var> is used to decide which
+ order to start and stop things in--low-numbered links have
+ their scripts run first. For example, the <tt>K20</tt>
+ scripts will be executed before the <tt>K30</tt> scripts.
+ This is used when a certain service must be started before
+ another. For example, the name server <prgn>bind</prgn>
+ might need to be started before the news server
+ <prgn>inn</prgn> so that <prgn>inn</prgn> can set up its
+ access lists. In this case, the script that starts
+ <prgn>bind</prgn> should have a lower number than the
+ script that starts <prgn>inn</prgn> so that it runs first:
+ <example>
+ /etc/rc2.d/S17bind
+ /etc/rc2.d/S70inn
+ </example>
+ </p>
+ </sect1>
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Writing the scripts</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages can and should place scripts in
+ <tt>/etc/init.d</tt> to start or stop services at boot
+ time or during a change of runlevel. These scripts should
+ be named <tt>/etc/init.d/<var>package</var></tt>, and they
+ should accept one argument, saying what to do:
+
+ <taglist>
+ <tag><tt>start</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>start the service,</p></item>
+
+ <tag><tt>stop</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>stop the service,</p></item>
+
+ <tag><tt>restart</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>stop and restart the service,</p></item>
+
+ <tag><tt>reload</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>cause the configuration of the service to be
+ reloaded without actually stopping and restarting
+ the service,</p></item>
+
+ <tag><tt>force-reload</tt></tag> <item><p>cause the
+ configuration to be reloaded if the service supports
+ this, otherwise restart the service.</p></item>
+ </taglist>
+
+ The <tt>start</tt>, <tt>stop</tt>, <tt>restart</tt>, and
+ <tt>force-reload</tt> options must be supported by all
+ scripts in <tt>/etc/init.d</tt>, the <tt>reload</tt>
+ option is optional.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The <tt>init.d</tt> scripts should ensure that they will
+ behave sensibly if invoked with <tt>start</tt> when the
+ service is already running, or with <tt>stop</tt> when it
+ isn't, and that they don't kill unfortunately-named user
+ processes. The best way to achieve this is usually to use
+ <prgn>start-stop-daemon</prgn>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a service reloads its configuration automatically (as
+ in the case of <prgn>cron</prgn>, for example), the
+ <tt>reload</tt> option of the <tt>init.d</tt> script
+ should behave as if the configuration has been reloaded
+ successfully.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ These scripts should not fail obscurely when the
+ configuration files remain but the package has been
+ removed, as the default in <prgn>dpkg</prgn> is to leave
+ configuration files on the system after the package has
+ been removed. Only when it is executed with the
+ <tt>--purge</tt> option will dpkg remove configuration
+ files. Therefore, you should include a <tt>test</tt>
+ statement at the top of the script, like this:
+ <example>
+ test -f <var>program-executed-later-in-script</var> || exit 0
+ </example></p></sect1>
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Managing the links</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ A program is provided, <prgn>update-rc.d</prgn>, to make
+ it easier for package maintainers to arrange for the
+ proper creation and removal of
+ <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d</tt> symbolic links from their
+ <tt>postinst</tt> and <tt>postrm</tt> scripts.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You should use this script to make changes to
+ <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d</tt> and <em>never</em> include
+ any <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d</tt> symbolic links in the
+ actual archive.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ By default <prgn>update-rc.d</prgn> will start services in
+ each of the multi-user state runlevels (2, 3, 4, and 5)
+ and stop them in the halt runlevel (0), the single-user
+ runlevel (1) and the reboot runlevel (6). The system
+ administrator will have the opportunity to customize
+ runlevels by simply adding, moving, or removing the
+ symbolic links in <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ To get the default behaviour for your package, put in your
+ <tt>postinst</tt> script
+ <example>
+ update-rc.d <var>package</var> default >/dev/null
+ </example>
+ and in your <tt>postrm</tt>
+ <example>
+ if [ purge = "$1" ]; then
+ update-rc.d <var>package</var> remove >/dev/null
+ fi
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ This will use a default sequence number of 20. If it does
+ not matter when or in which order the script is run, use
+ this default. If it does, then you should talk to the
+ maintainer of the <prgn>sysvinit</prgn> package or post to
+ <tt>debian-devel</tt>, and they will help you choose a
+ number.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For more information about using <tt>update-rc.d</tt>,
+ please consult its manpage <manref name="update-rc.d"
+ section="8">.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Boot-time initialisation</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ There is another directory, <tt>/etc/rc.boot</tt>, which
+ contains scripts which are run once per machine boot.
+ This facility is provided for initialisation of hardware
+ devices, cleaning up of leftover files, and so forth.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For example, the <prgn>kbd</prgn> package provides a
+ script here for initialising the keyboard layout and
+ console font and mode.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The files in <tt>/etc/rc.boot</tt> should <em>not</em> be
+ links into <tt>/etc/init.d</tt>--they should be the
+ scripts themselves.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <tt>rc.boot</tt> should <em>not</em> be used for starting
+ general-purpose daemons and similar activities. This
+ should be done using the <tt>rc<var>n</var>.d</tt> scheme,
+ above, so that the services can be started and stopped
+ cleanly when the runlevel changes or the machine is to be
+ shut down or rebooted.</p></sect1>
+
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Notes</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ <em>Do not</em> include the
+ <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d/*</tt> symbolic links in the
+ <tt>.deb</tt> filesystem archive! <em>This will cause
+ problems!</em> You should create them with
+ <prgn>update-rc.d</prgn>, as above.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <em>Do not</em> include the <tt>/etc/rc<var>n</var>.d/*</tt> symbolic links in
+ <prgn>dpkg</prgn>'s conffiles list! <em>This will cause
+ problems!</em> <em>Do</em>,
+ however, include the <tt>/etc/init.d</tt> scripts in
+ conffiles. (This is important since we want to give the
+ local system administrator the chance to adapt the scripts
+ to the local system--e.g., to disable a service without
+ deinstalling the package, or to specify some special
+ command line options when starting a service--while making
+ sure her changes aren't lost during the next package
+ upgrade.)</p></sect1>
+
+ <sect1>
+ <heading>Example</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The <prgn>bind</prgn> DNS (nameserver) package wants to
+ make sure that the nameserver is running in multiuser
+ runlevels, and is properly shut down with the system. It
+ puts a script in <tt>/etc/init.d</tt>, naming the script
+ appropriately <tt>bind</tt>. As you can see, the script
+ interprets the argument <tt>reload</tt> to send the
+ nameserver a <tt>HUP</tt> signal (causing it to reload its
+ configuration); this way the user can say
+ <tt>/etc/init.d/bind reload</tt> to reload the name
+ server.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <example>
+ #!/bin/sh
+ #
+ # Original version by Robert Leslie
+ # <rob@mars.org>, edited by iwj and cs
+
+ test -x /usr/sbin/named || exit 0
+
+ case "$1" in
+ start)
+ echo -n "Starting domain name service: named"
+ start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --exec /usr/sbin/named
+ echo "."
+ ;;
+ stop)
+ echo -n "Stopping domain name service: named"
+ start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet \
+ --pidfile /var/run/named.pid --exec /usr/sbin/named
+ echo "."
+ ;;
+ restart)
+ echo -n "Restarting domain name service: named"
+ start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet \
+ --pidfile /var/run/named.pid --exec /usr/sbin/named
+ start-stop-daemon --start --verbose --exec /usr/sbin/named
+ echo "."
+ ;;
+ force-reload|reload)
+ echo -n "Reloading configuration of domain name service: named"
+ start-stop-daemon --stop --signal 1 --quiet \
+ --pidfile /var/run/named.pid --exec /usr/sbin/named
+ echo "."
+ ;;
+ *)
+ echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/bind {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}" >&2
+ exit 1
+ ;;
+ esac
+
+ exit 0
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ Another example on which to base your <tt>/etc/init.d</tt>
+ scripts is in <tt>/etc/init.d/skeleton</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If this package is happy with the default setup from
+ <prgn>update-rc.d</prgn>, namely an ordering number of 20
+ and having named running in all runlevels, it can say in
+ its <tt>postinst</tt>:
+ <example>
+ update-rc.d bind default >/dev/null
+ </example>
+ And in its <tt>postrm</tt>, to remove the links when the
+ package is purged:
+ <example>
+ if [ purge = "$1" ]; then
+ update-rc.d acct remove >/dev/null
+ fi
+ </example></p>
+ </sect1></sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Cron jobs</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages may not touch the configuration file
+ <tt>/etc/crontab</tt>, nor may they modify the files in
+ <tt>/var/spool/cron/crontabs</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a package wants to install a job that has to be executed
+ via cron, it should place a file with the name if the
+ package in one of the following directories:
+ <example>
+ /etc/cron.daily
+ /etc/cron.weekly
+ /etc/cron.monthly
+ </example>
+ As these directory names say, the files within them are executed on
+ a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, respectively.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a certain job has to be executed more frequently than
+ `daily,' the package should install a file
+ <tt>/etc/cron.d/<package-name></tt> tagged as
+ configuration file. This file uses the same syntax as
+ <tt>/etc/crontab</tt> and is processed by <prgn>cron</prgn>
+ automatically. (Note, that scripts in the
+ <tt>/etc/cron.d</tt> directory are not handled by
+ <prgn>anacron</prgn>. Thus, you should only use this
+ directory for jobs which may be skipped if the system is not
+ running.)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ All files installed in any of these directories have to be
+ scripts (shell scripts, Perl scripts, etc.) so that they can
+ easily be modified by the local system administrator. In
+ addition, they have to be registered as configuration
+ file.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The scripts in these directories have to check, if all
+ necessary programs are installed before they try to execute
+ them. Otherwise, problems will arise when a package was
+ removed (but not purged), since the configuration files are
+ kept on the system in this situation.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Console messages</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ This section describes different formats for messages
+ written to standard output by the <tt>/etc/init.d</tt>
+ scripts. The intent is to improve the consistency of
+ Debian's startup and shutdown look and feel.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Please look very careful at the details. We want to get the
+ messages to look exactly the same way concerning spaces,
+ punctuation, and case of letters.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Here is a list of overall rules that you should use when you
+ create output messages. They can be useful if you have a
+ non-standard message that isn't covered in the sections
+ below.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <list>
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Every message should cover one line, start with a
+ capital letter and end with a period `.'.</p></item>
+
+
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ If you want to express that the computer is working on
+ something (performing a specific task, not starting or
+ stopping a program), we use an ``ellipsis'', namely
+ three dots `...'. Note that we don't insert spaces in
+ front of or behind the dots. If the task has been
+ completed we write `done.' and a line feed.</p></item>
+
+
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ Design your messages as if the computer is telling you
+ what he is doing (let him be polite :-) but don't
+ mention ``him'' directly. For example, if you think
+ of saying
+ <example>
+ I'm starting network daemons: nfsd mountd.
+ </example>
+ just say
+ <example>
+ Starting network daemons: nfsd mountd.
+ </example></p></item>
+ </list></p>
+
+ <p>
+ The following formats must be used</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <list>
+ <item>
+ <p>when daemons get started.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Use this format if your script starts one or more
+ daemons. The output should look like this (a single
+ line, no leading spaces):
+ <example>
+ Starting <description>: <daemon-1> <daemon-2> <...> <daemon-n>.
+ </example>
+ The <description> should describe the subsystem
+ the daemon or set of daemons are part of, while
+ <daemon-1> up to <daemon-n> denote each
+ daemon's name (typically the file name of the
+ program).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For example, the output of /etc/init.d/lpd would look like:
+ <example>
+ Starting printer spooler: lpd.
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ This can be achieved by saying
+ <example>
+ echo -n "Starting printer spooler: lpd"
+ start-stop-daemon --start --quiet lpd
+ echo "."
+ </example>
+ in the script. If you have more than one daemon to
+ start, you should do the following:
+ <example>
+ echo -n "Starting remote filesystem services:"
+ echo -n " nfsd"; start-stop-daemon --start --quiet nfsd
+ echo -n " mountd"; start-stop-daemon --start --quiet mountd
+ echo -n " ugidd"; start-stop-daemon --start --quiet ugidd
+ echo "."
+ </example>
+ This makes it possible for the user to see what takes
+ so long and when the final daemon has been
+ started. Please be careful where to put spaces: In the
+ example above the system administrator can easily
+ comment out a line if he don't wants to start a
+ specific daemon, while the displayed message still
+ looks good.</p></item>
+
+
+ <item>
+ <p>when something needs to be configured.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you have to set up different parameters of the
+ system upon boot up, you can use this format:
+ <example>
+ Setting <parameter> to `<value>'.
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ You can use the following echo statement to get the quotes right:
+ <example>
+ echo "Setting DNS domainname to \`"value"'."
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note that the left quotation mark (`) is different
+ from the right (').</p></item>
+
+ <item>
+ <p>when a daemon is stopped.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ When you stop a daemon you should issue a message
+ similar to the startup message, except that `Starting'
+ is replaced with `Stopping'.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ So stopping the printer daemon will like like this:
+ <example>
+ Stopping printer spooler: lpd.
+ </example></p></item>
+
+ <item>
+ <p>when something is executed.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ There a several examples where you have to run a
+ program at system startup or shutdown to perform a
+ specific task. For example, setting the system's clock
+ via `netdate' or killing all processes when the system
+ comes down. Your message should like this:
+ <example>
+ Doing something very useful...done.
+ </example>
+ You should print the `done.' right after the job has been completed,
+ so that the user gets informed why he has to wait. You can get this
+ behaviour by saying
+ <example>
+ echo -n "Doing something very useful..."
+ do_something
+ echo "done."
+ </example>
+ in your script.</p></item>
+
+ <item>
+ <p>when the configuration is reloaded.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ When a daemon is forced to reload its configuration
+ files you should use the following format:
+ <example>
+ Reloading <daemon's-name> configuration...done.
+ </example></p></item>
+
+ <item>
+ <p>when none of the above rules apply.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you have to print a message that doesn't fit into
+ the styles described above, you can use something
+ appropriate, but please have a look at the overall
+ rules listed above.</p></item>
+ </list></p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Menus</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The Debian <tt>menu</tt> packages provides a unique
+ interface between packages providing applications and
+ documents, and <em>menu programs</em> (either X window
+ managers or text-based menu programs as
+ <prgn>pdmenu</prgn>).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ All packages that provide applications that need not be
+ passed any special command line arguments for normal
+ operation should register a menu entry for those
+ applications, so that users of the <tt>menu</tt> package
+ will automatically get menu entries in their window
+ managers, as well in shells like <tt>pdmenu</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Please refer to the <em>Debian Menu System</em> document
+ that comes with the <tt>menu</tt> package for information
+ about how to register your applications and web
+ documents.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Keyboard configuration</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ To achieve a consistent keyboard configuration (i.e., all
+ applications interpret a keyboard event the same way) all
+ programs in the Debian distribution have to be configured to
+ comply with the following guidelines.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Here is a list that contains certain keys and their interpretation:
+
+ <taglist>
+ <tag><tt><--</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>delete the character to the left of the cursor</p></item>
+
+ <tag><tt>Delete</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>delete the character to the right of the cursor</p></item>
+
+ <tag><tt>Control+H</tt></tag>
+ <item><p>emacs: the help prefix</p></item>
+ </taglist>
+
+ The interpretation of any keyboard events should be
+ independent of the terminal that's used (either the console,
+ X windows, rlogin/telnet session, etc.).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The following list explains how the different programs
+ should be set up to achieve this:</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <list compact="compact">
+ <item><p>`<tt><--</tt>' generates KB_Backspace in
+ X.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>`<tt>Delete</tt>' generates KB_Delete in X.</p></item>
+
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ X translations are set up to make KB_Backspace
+ generate ASCII DEL, and to make KB_Delete generate
+ <tt>ESC [ 3 ~</tt> (this is the vt220 escape code for
+ the `delete character' key). This must be done by
+ loading the resources using xrdb on all local X
+ displays, not using the application defaults, so that
+ the translation resources used correspond to the
+ xmodmap settings.</p></item>
+
+ <item>
+ <p>
+ The Linux console is configured to make
+ `<tt><--</tt>' generate DEL, and `Delete' generate
+ <tt>ESC [ 3 ~</tt> (this is the case at the
+ moment).</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ X applications are configured so that Backspace
+ deletes left, and Delete deletes right. Motif
+ applications already work like this.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>stty erase <tt>^?</tt> .</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ The `xterm' terminfo entry should have <tt>ESC [ 3
+ ~</tt> for kdch1, just like TERM=linux and
+ TERM=vt220.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ Emacs is programmed to map KB_Backspace or the `stty
+ erase' character to delete-backward-char, and
+ KB_Delete or kdch1 to delete-forward-char, and
+ <tt>^H</tt> to help as always.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ Other applications use the `stty erase' character and
+ kdch1 for the two delete keys, with ASCII DEL being
+ `delete previous character' and kdch1 being `delete
+ character under cursor'.</p></item>
+ </list></p>
+
+ <p>
+ This will solve the problem except for:</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <list compact="compact">
+ <item><p>
+ Some terminals have a <tt><--</tt> key that cannot
+ be made to produce anything except <tt>^H</tt>. On
+ these terminals Emacs help will be unavailable on
+ <tt>^H</tt> (assuming that the `stty erase' character
+ takes precedence in Emacs, and has been set
+ correctly). M-x help or F1 (if available) can be used
+ instead.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ Some operating systems use <tt>^H</tt> for stty erase.
+ However, modern telnet versions and all rlogin
+ versions propagate stty settings, and almost all UNIX
+ versions honour stty erase. Where the stty settings
+ are not propagated correctly things can be made to
+ work by using stty manually.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ Some systems (including previous Debian versions) use
+ xmodmap to arrange for both <tt><--</tt> and Delete
+ to generate KB_Delete). We can change the behaviour
+ of their X clients via the same X resources that we
+ use to do it for our own, or have our clients be
+ configured via their resources when things are the
+ other way around. On displays configured like this
+ Delete will not work, but <tt><--</tt>
+ will.</p></item>
+
+ <item><p>
+ Some operating systems have different kdch1 settings
+ in their terminfo for xterm and others. On these
+ systems the Delete key will not work correctly when
+ you log in from a system conforming to our policy, but
+ <tt><--</tt> will.</p></item>
+ </list>
+ </p>
+ </sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Environment variables</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ No program may depend on environment variables to get
+ reasonable defaults. (That's because these environment
+ variables would have to be set in a system-wide
+ configuration file like /etc/profile, which is not supported
+ by all shells.)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a program should depend on environment variables for its
+ configuration, the program has to be changed to fall back to
+ a reasonable default configuration if these environment
+ variables are not present. If this cannot be done easily
+ (e.g., if the source code of a non-free program is not
+ available), the program should be replaced by a small
+ `wrapper' shell script which sets the environment variables
+ and calls the original program.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Here is an example of a wrapper script for this purpose:
+
+ <example>
+ #!/bin/sh
+ BAR=/var/lib/fubar
+ export BAR
+ exec /usr/lib/foo/foo "$@"
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ Furthermore, as <tt>/etc/profile</tt> is a configuration
+ file of the <prgn>bash</prgn> package, no other package may
+ put any environment variables or other commands into that
+ file.</p>
+ </sect>
+ </chapt>
+ <chapt>
+ <heading>Files</heading>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Binaries</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ It is not allowed that two packages install programs with
+ different functionality but with the same filenames. (The
+ case of two programs having the same functionality but
+ different implementations is handled via `alternatives.')
+ If this case happens, one of the programs has to be
+ renamed. The maintainers should report this to the
+ developers' mailing and try to find a consensus about
+ which package will have to be renamed. If a consensus can
+ not be reached, <em>both</em> programs must be
+ renamed.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Generally the following compilation parameters should be used:
+ <example>
+ CC = gcc
+ CFLAGS = -O2 -g -Wall # sane warning options vary between programs
+ LDFLAGS = # none
+ install -s # (or use strip on the files in debian/tmp)
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note that all installed binaries should be stripped,
+ either by using the <tt>-s</tt> flag to
+ <prgn>install</prgn>, or by calling <prgn>strip</prgn> on
+ the binaries after they have been copied into
+ <tt>debian/tmp</tt> but before the tree is made into a
+ package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The <tt>-g</tt> flag is useful on compilation so that you
+ have available a full set of debugging symbols in your
+ built source tree, in case anyone should file a bug report
+ involving (for example) a core dump.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The <tt>-N</tt> flag should not be used. On a.out systems
+ it may have been useful for some very small binaries, but
+ for ELF it has no good effect.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ It is up to the package maintainer to decide what
+ compilation options are best for the package. Certain
+ binaries (such as computationally-intensive programs) may
+ function better with certain flags (<tt>-O3</tt>, for
+ example); feel free to use them. Please use good judgment
+ here. Don't use flags for the sake of it; only use them
+ if there is good reason to do so. Feel free to override
+ the upstream author's ideas about which compilation
+ options are best--they are often inappropriate for our
+ environment.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Libraries</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ All libraries must have a shared version in the lib
+ package and a static version in the lib-dev package. The
+ shared version must be compiled with <tt>-fPIC</tt>, and
+ the static version must not be. In other words, each
+ <tt>*.c</tt> file is compiled twice.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You have to specify the gcc option <tt>-D_REENTRANT</tt>
+ when building a library (either static or shared) to make
+ the library compatible with LinuxThreads.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note that all installed shared libraries should be
+ stripped with
+ <example>
+ strip --strip-unneeded <your-lib>
+ </example>
+ (The option `--strip-unneeded' makes <tt>strip</tt> remove
+ only the symbols which aren't needed for relocation
+ processing.) Shared libraries can function perfectly well
+ when stripped, since the symbols for dynamic linking are
+ in a separate part of the ELF object file.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note that under some circumstances it may be useful to
+ install a shared library unstripped, for example when
+ building a separate package to support debugging.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Please make sure that you use only released versions of
+ shared libraries to build your packages; otherwise other
+ users will not be able to run your binaries
+ properly. Producing source packages that depend on
+ unreleased compilers is also usually a bad
+ idea.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Shared libraries</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages involving shared libraries should be split up
+ into several binary packages.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For a straightforward library which has a development
+ environment and a runtime kit including just shared
+ libraries you need to create two packages:
+ <tt><var>libraryname</var><var>soname</var></tt>
+ (<var>soname</var> is the shared object name of the shared
+ library--it's the thing that has to match exactly between
+ building an executable and running it for the dynamic
+ linker to be able run the program; usually the
+ <var>soname</var> is the major number of the library) and
+ <tt><var>libraryname</var><var>soname</var>-dev</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you prefer only to support one development version at a
+ time you may name the development package
+ <tt><var>libraryname</var>-dev</tt>; otherwise you may
+ wish to use <prgn>dpkg</prgn>'s conflicts mechanism to
+ ensure that the user only installs one development version
+ at a time (after all, different development versions are
+ likely to have the same header files in them, causing a
+ filename clash if both are installed). Typically the
+ development version will also need an exact version
+ dependency on the runtime library, to make sure that
+ compilation and linking happens correctly.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages which use the shared library should have a
+ dependency on the name of the shared library package,
+ <tt><var>libraryname</var><var>soname</var></tt>. When
+ the <var>soname</var> changes you can have both versions
+ of the library installed while moving from the old library
+ to the new.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If your package has some run-time support programs which
+ use the shared library you must <em>not</em> put them in
+ the shared library package. If you do that then you won't
+ be able to install several versions of the shared library
+ without getting filename clashes. Instead, either create
+ a third package for the runtime binaries (this package
+ might typically be named
+ <tt><var>libraryname</var>-runtime</tt>--note the absence
+ of the <var>soname</var> in the package name) or if the
+ development package is small include them in there.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you have several shared libraries built from the same
+ source tree you can lump them all together into a single
+ shared library package, provided that you change all their
+ <var>soname</var>s at once (so that you don't get filename
+ clashes if you try to install different versions of the
+ combined shared libraries package).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Follow the directions in the <em>Debian Packaging
+ Manual</em> for putting the shared library in its package,
+ and make sure you include a <tt>shlibs</tt> control area
+ file with details of the dependencies for packages which
+ use the library.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Shared libraries should <em>not</em> be installed
+ executable, since <prgn>ld.so</prgn> does not require this
+ and trying to execute a shared library results in a core
+ dump.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect id="scripts">
+ <heading>Scripts</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ All command scripts, including the package maintainer
+ scripts inside the package and used by <prgn>dpkg</prgn>,
+ should have a <tt>#!</tt> line naming the shell to be used
+ to interpret them.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In the case of Perl scripts this should be
+ <tt>#!/usr/bin/perl</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Shell scripts (<prgn>sh</prgn> and <prgn>bash</prgn>)
+ should almost certainly start with <tt>set -e</tt> so that
+ errors are detected. Every script <em>must</em> use
+ <tt>set -e</tt> or check the exit status of <em>every</em>
+ command.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The standard shell interpreter `<tt>/bin/sh</tt>' may be a
+ symbolic link to any POSIX compatible shell. Thus, shell
+ scripts specifying `<tt>/bin/sh</tt>' as interpreter may
+ only use POSIX features. If a script requires non-POSIX
+ features from the shell interpreter, the appropriate shell
+ has to be specified in the first line of the script (e.g.,
+ `<tt>#!/bin/bash</tt>') and the package has to depend on
+ the package providing the shell (unless the shell package
+ is marked `Essential', e.g., in the case of
+ <prgn>bash</prgn>).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Restrict your script to POSIX features when possible so
+ that it may use <tt>/bin/sh</tt> as its interpreter. If
+ your script works with <prgn>ash</prgn>, it's probably
+ POSIX compliant, but if you are in doubt, use
+ <tt>/bin/bash</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Perl scripts should check for errors when making any
+ system calls, including <tt>open</tt>, <tt>print</tt>,
+ <tt>close</tt>, <tt>rename</tt> and <tt>system</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <prgn>csh</prgn> and <prgn>tcsh</prgn> should be avoided
+ as scripting languages. See <em>Csh Programming
+ Considered Harmful</em>, one of the <tt>comp.unix.*</tt>
+ FAQs. It can be found on <ftpsite>rtfm.mit.edu</ftpsite>
+ in
+ <ftppath>/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.unix.programmer/Csh_Programming_Considered_Harmful</ftppath>.
+ If an upstream package comes with <prgn>csh</prgn> scripts
+ then you must make sure that they start with
+ <tt>#!/bin/csh</tt> and make your package depend on the
+ <prgn>c-shell</prgn> virtual package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Any scripts which create files in world-writable
+ directories (e.g., in <tt>/tmp</tt>) have to use a
+ mechanism which will fail if a file with the same name
+ already exists.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The Debian base distribution provides the
+ <prgn>tempfile</prgn> and <prgn>mktemp</prgn> utilities
+ for use by scripts for this purpose.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Symbolic links</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ In general, symbolic links within a toplevel directory
+ should be relative, and symbolic links pointing from one
+ toplevel directory into another should be absolute. (A
+ toplevel directory is a sub-directory of the root
+ directory `/'.)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In addition, symbolic links should be specified as short
+ as possible, i.e., link targets like `foo/../bar' are
+ deprecated.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note that when creating a relative link using
+ <prgn>ln</prgn> it is not necessary for the target of the
+ link to exist relative to the working directory you're
+ running <prgn>ln</prgn> from; nor is it necessary to
+ change directory to the directory where the link is to be
+ made. Simply include the string that should appear as the
+ target of the link (this will be a pathname relative to
+ the directory in which the link resides) as the first
+ argument to <prgn>ln</prgn>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ For example, in your <prgn>Makefile</prgn> or
+ <tt>debian/rules</tt>, do things like:
+ <example>
+ ln -fs gcc $(prefix)/bin/cc
+ ln -fs gcc debian/tmp/usr/bin/cc
+ ln -fs ../sbin/sendmail $(prefix)/bin/runq
+ ln -fs ../sbin/sendmail debian/tmp/usr/bin/runq
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ A symbolic link pointing to a compressed file should
+ always have the same file extension as the referenced
+ file. (For example, if a file `<tt>foo.gz</tt>' is
+ referenced by a symbolic link, the filename of the link
+ has to end with `<tt>.gz</tt>' too, as in
+ `bar.gz.')</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Device files</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ No package may include device files in the package file
+ tree.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a package needs any special device files that are not
+ included in the base system, it has to call
+ <prgn>makedev</prgn> in the <tt>postinst</tt> script,
+ after asking the user for permission to do so.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ No package should remove any device files in the
+ <tt>postrm</tt> or any other script. This is left to the
+ system administrator.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Debian uses the serial devices
+ <tt>/dev/tty*</tt>. Programs using the old
+ <tt>/dev/cu*</tt> devices should be changed to use
+ <tt>/dev/tty*</tt>.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Configuration files</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Any configuration files created or used by your package
+ should reside in <tt>/etc</tt>. If there are several you
+ should consider creating a subdirectory named after your
+ package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ It is almost certain that any file in <tt>/etc</tt> that
+ is in your package's filesystem archive should be listed
+ in <prgn>dpkg</prgn>'s <tt>conffiles</tt> control area
+ file. (See the <em>Debian Packaging
+ Manual</em>).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Only packages that are tagged <em>conflicting</em> with
+ each other may specify the same file as
+ <tt>conffile</tt>. A package may not modify a
+ configuration file of another package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If two or more packages use the same configuration file,
+ one of these packages has to be defined as <em>owner</em>
+ of the configuration file, i.e., it has to list the file
+ as <tt>conffile</tt> and has to provide a program that
+ modifies the configuration file.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The other packages have to depend on the <em>owner</em>
+ package and use that program to update the configuration
+ file.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Sometimes it's appropriate to build a new package, which
+ just provides the basic <em>infrastructure</em> for the
+ other packages and which manages the shared configuration
+ files. (Check out the <prgn>sgml-base</prgn> package as an
+ example.)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Files in <tt>/etc/skel</tt> will automatically be copied
+ into new user accounts by <prgn>adduser</prgn>. They
+ should not be referenced there by any program.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Therefore, if a program needs a dotfile to exist in
+ advance in <tt>$HOME</tt> to work sensibly that dotfile
+ should be installed in <tt>/etc/skel</tt> (and listed in
+ conffiles, if it is not generated and modified dynamically
+ by the package's installation scripts).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ However, programs that require dotfiles in order to
+ operate sensibly (dotfiles that they do not create
+ themselves automatically, that is) are a bad thing, and
+ programs should be configured by the Debian default
+ installation as close to normal as possible.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Therefore, if a program in a Debian package needs to be
+ configured in some way in order to operate sensibly that
+ configuration should be done in a site-wide global
+ configuration file elsewhere in <tt>/etc</tt>. Only if
+ the program doesn't support a site-wide default
+ configuration and the package maintainer doesn't have time
+ to add it should a default per-user file be placed in
+ <tt>/etc/skel</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <tt>/etc/skel</tt> should be as empty as we can make it.
+ This is particularly true because there is no easy
+ mechanism for ensuring that the appropriate dotfiles are
+ copied into the accounts of existing users when a package
+ is installed.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Ideally the sysadmin should not have to do any
+ configuration other than that done (semi-)automatically by
+ the <tt>postinst</tt> script.</p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Log files</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Log files should usually be named
+ <tt>/var/log/<var>package</var>.log</tt>. If you have many
+ log files, or need a separate directory for permissions
+ reasons (<tt>/var/log</tt> is writable only by
+ <tt>root</tt>), you should usually create a directory named
+ <tt>/var/log/<var>package</var></tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Make sure that any log files are rotated occasionally so
+ that they don't grow indefinitely; the best way to do this
+ is to use <prgn>savelog</prgn> program in an
+ <tt>/etc/cron.daily</tt>, <tt>/etc/cron.weekly</tt> or
+ <tt>/etc/cron.monthly</tt> script. Here is a good example:
+ <example>
+ [ -d /var/log/apache/. ] || exit 0
+ umask 022
+ cd /var/log/apache
+ if [ -fs access.log ]
+ then
+ savelog -c 7 access.log > /dev/null
+ fi
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ Make sure that any log files are removed when the package is
+ purged (but not when it is only removed), by checking the
+ argument to the <tt>postrm</tt> script (see the <em>Debian
+ Packaging Manual</em> for details).</p>
+ </sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Permissions and owners</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The rules in this section are guidelines for general use.
+ If necessary you may deviate from the details below.
+ However, if you do so you must make sure that what is done
+ is secure and you must try to be as consistent as possible
+ with the rest of the system. You should probably also
+ discuss it on <prgn>debian-devel</prgn> first.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Files should be owned by <tt>root.root</tt>, and made
+ writable only by the owner and universally readable (and
+ executable, if appropriate).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Directories should be mode 755 or (for group-writability)
+ mode 2775. The ownership of the directory should be
+ consistent with its mode--if a directory is mode 2775, it
+ should be owned by the group that needs write access to
+ it.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Setuid and setgid executables should be mode 4755 or 2755
+ respectively, and owned by the appropriate user or group.
+ They should not be made unreadable (modes like 4711 or
+ 2711 or even 4111); doing so achieves no extra security,
+ because anyone can find the binary in the freely available
+ Debian package--it is merely inconvenient. For the same
+ reason you should not restrict read or execute permissions
+ on non-set-id executables.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Some setuid programs need to be restricted to particular
+ sets of users, using file permissions. In this case they
+ should be owned by the uid to which they are set-id, and
+ by the group which should be allowed to execute them.
+ They should have mode 4754; there is no point in making
+ them unreadable to those users who must not be allowed to
+ execute them.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Do not arrange that the system administrator can only
+ reconfigure the package to correspond to their local
+ security policy by changing the permissions on a binary.
+ Ordinary files installed by <prgn>dpkg</prgn> (as opposed
+ to conffiles and other similar objects) have their
+ permissions reset to the distributed permissions when the
+ package is reinstalled. Instead you should consider (for
+ example) creating a group for people allowed to use the
+ program(s) and making any setuid executables executable
+ only by that group.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you need to create a new user or group for your package
+ there are two possibilities. Firstly, you may need to
+ make some files in the binary package be owned by this
+ user or group, or you may need to compile the user or
+ group id (rather than just the name) into the binary
+ (though this latter should be avoided if possible). In
+ this case you need a statically allocated id.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You must ask for a user or group id from the base system
+ maintainer, and must not release the package until you
+ have been allocated one. Once you have been allocated one
+ you must make the package depend on a version of the base
+ system with the id present in <tt>/etc/passwd</tt> or
+ <tt>/etc/group</tt>, or alternatively arrange for your
+ package to create the user or group itself with the
+ correct id (using <tt>adduser</tt>) in its pre- or
+ post-installation script (the latter is to be preferred if
+ it is possible).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ On the other hand, the program may able to determine the
+ uid or gid from the group name at runtime, so that a
+ dynamic id can be used. In this case you must choose an
+ appropriate user or group name, discussing this on
+ <prgn>debian-devel</prgn> and checking with the base
+ system maintainer that it is unique and that they do not
+ wish you to use a statically allocated id instead. When
+ this has been checked you must arrange for your package to
+ create the user or group if necessary using
+ <prgn>adduser</prgn> in the pre- or post-installation
+ script (again, the latter is to be preferred if it is
+ possible).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note that changing the numeric value of an id associated with a name
+ is very difficult, and involves searching the filesystem for all
+ appropriate files. You need to think carefully whether a static or
+ dynamic id is required, since changing your mind later will cause
+ problems.</p>
+ </sect>
+ </chapt>
+
+ <chapt>
+ <heading>Customized programs</heading>
+
+ <sect id="arch-spec">
+ <heading>Architecture specification strings</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ If a program needs to specify an <em>architecture specification
+ string</em> in some place, the following format has to be used:
+ <example>
+ <arch>-<os>
+ </example>
+ where `<arch>' is one of the following: i386, alpha, arm, m68k,
+ powerpc, sparc and `<os>' is one of: linux, gnu. Use
+ of <em>gnu</em> in this string is reserved for the GNU/Hurd
+ operating system. .</p>
+ <p>
+ Note, that we don't want to use `<arch>-debian-linux'
+ to apply to the rule `architecture-vendor-os' since this
+ would make our programs incompatible to other Linux
+ distributions. Also note, that we don't use
+ `<arch>-unknown-linux', since the `unknown' does not
+ look very good.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Daemons</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The configuration files <tt>/etc/services</tt>,
+ <tt>/etc/protocols</tt>, and <tt>/etc/rpc</tt> are managed
+ by the <prgn>netbase</prgn> package and may not be modified
+ by other packages.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a package requires a new entry in one of these files, the
+ maintainer has to get in contact with the
+ <prgn>netbase</prgn> maintainer, who will add the entries
+ and release a new version of the <prgn>netbase</prgn>
+ package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The configuration file <tt>/etc/inetd.conf</tt> may be
+ modified by the package's scripts only via the
+ <prgn>update-inetd</prgn> script or the
+ <prgn>DebianNet.pm</prgn> Perl module.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a package wants to install an example entry into
+ <tt>/etc/inetd.conf</tt>, the entry has to be preceded with
+ exactly one hash character (#). Such lines are treated as
+ `commented out by user' by the <prgn>update-inetd</prgn>
+ script and are not changed or activated during a package
+ updates.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Editors and pagers</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Some programs have the ability to launch an editor or pager
+ program to edit or display a text document. Since there are
+ lots of different editors and pagers available in the Debian
+ distribution, the system administrator and each user should
+ have the possibility to choose his/her preferred editor and
+ pager.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In addition, every program should choose a good default
+ editor/pager if none is selected by the user or system
+ administrator.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Thus, every program that launches an editor or pager has to
+ use the EDITOR or PAGER environment variables to determine
+ the editor/pager the user wants to get started. If these
+ variables are not set, the programs `/usr/bin/editor' and
+ `/usr/bin/pager' have to be used, respectively.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ These two files are managed through `alternatives.' That is,
+ every package providing an editor or pager has to call the
+ `update-alternatives' script to register these programs.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If it is very hard to adapt a program to make us of the
+ EDITOR and PAGER variable, that program should be configured
+ to use `/usr/bin/sensible-editor' and
+ `/usr/bin/sensible-pager' as editor or pager program,
+ respectively. These are two scripts provided in the Debian
+ base system that check the EDITOR and PAGER variables and
+ launches the appropriate program or falls back to
+ `/usr/bin/editor' and `/usr/bin/pager', automatically.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Since the Debian base system already provides an editor and
+ a pager program, there is no need for a package to depend on
+ `editor' and `pager', nor is it necessary for a package to
+ provide such virtual packages.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect id="web-appl">
+ <heading>Web servers and applications</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ This section describes the locations and URLs that have to
+ be used by all web servers and web application in the Debian
+ system.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <enumlist>
+ <item>
+ <p>Cgi-bin executable files are installed in the
+ directory
+ <example>
+ /usr/lib/cgi-bin/<cgi-bin-name>
+ </example>
+ and can be referred to as
+ <example>
+ http://localhost/cgi-bin/<cgi-bin-name>
+ </example></p></item>
+
+
+ <item><p>Access to html documents</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Html documents for a package are stored in
+ /usr/doc/<var>package</var> and can be referred to as
+ <example>
+ http://localhost/doc/<package>/<filename>
+ </example></p></item>
+
+
+ <item><p>Web Document Root</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Web Applications should try to avoid storing files in
+ the Web Document Root. Instead use the
+ /usr/doc/<package> directory for documents and
+ register the Web Application via the menu package. If
+ access to the web-root is unavoidable then use
+ <example>
+ /var/www
+ </example>
+ as the Document Root. This might be just a
+ symbolic link to the location where the sysadmin has
+ put the real document root.</p>
+ </item>
+
+ </enumlist></p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Mail transport agents</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Debian packages which process electronic mail, whether
+ mail-user-agents (MUAs) or mail-transport-agents (MTAs),
+ <em>must</em> make sure that they are compatible with the
+ configuration decisions below. Failure to do this may
+ result in lost mail, broken <tt>From:</tt> lines, and other
+ serious brain damage!</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The mail spool is <tt>/var/spool/mail</tt> and the interface
+ to send a mail message is <tt>/usr/sbin/sendmail</tt> (as
+ per the FSSTND). The mail spool is part of the base system
+ and not part of the MTA package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ All Debian MUAs and MTAs have to use the <tt>maillock</tt>
+ and <tt>mailunlock</tt> functions provided by the
+ <tt>liblockfile</tt> packages to lock and unlock mail
+ boxes. These functions implement a NFS-safe locking
+ mechanism. (It is ok if MUAs and MTAs don't link against
+ liblockfile but use a <em>compatible</em> mechanism. Please
+ compare the mechanisms very carefully!)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Mailboxes are generally 660 <tt><var>user</var>.mail</tt>
+ unless the user has chosen otherwise. A MUA may remove a
+ mailbox (unless it has nonstandard permissions) in which
+ case the MTA or another MUA must recreate it if needed.
+ Mailboxes must be writable by group mail.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The mail spool is 2775 <tt>mail.mail</tt>, and MUAs need to
+ be setgid mail to do the locking mentioned above (and
+ obviously need to avoid accessing other users' mailboxes
+ using this privilege).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <tt>/etc/aliases</tt> is the source file for the system mail
+ aliases (e.g., postmaster, usenet, etc.)--it is the one
+ which the sysadmin and <tt>postinst</tt> scripts may edit.
+ After <tt>/etc/aliases</tt> is edited the program or human
+ editing it must call <prgn>newaliases</prgn>. All MTA
+ packages should come with a <prgn>newaliases</prgn> program,
+ even if it does nothing, but older MTA packages do not do
+ this so programs should not fail if <prgn>newaliases</prgn>
+ cannot be found.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The convention of writing <tt>forward to
+ <var>address</var></tt> in the mailbox itself is not
+ supported. Use a <tt>.forward</tt> file instead.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ The location for the <prgn>rmail</prgn> program used by UUCP
+ for incoming mail is <tt>/usr/sbin/rmail</tt>, as per the
+ FSSTND. Likewise, <prgn>rsmtp</prgn>, for receiving
+ batch-SMTP-over-UUCP, is in <tt>/usr/sbin/rsmtp</tt> if it
+ is supported.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you need to know what name to use (for example) on
+ outgoing news and mail messages which are generated locally,
+ you should use the file <tt>/etc/mailname</tt>. It will
+ contain the portion after the username and <tt>@</tt> (at)
+ sign for email addresses of users on the machine (followed
+ by a newline).</p>
+
+ <p>
+ A package should check for the existence of this file. If
+ it exists it should use it without comment. (An MTA's
+ prompting configuration script may wish to prompt the user
+ even if it finds this file exists.) If it does not exist it
+ should prompt the user for the value and store it in
+ <tt>/etc/mailname</tt> as well as using it in the package's
+ configuration. The prompt should make it clear that the
+ name will not just be used by that package. For example, in
+ this situation the INN package says:
+ <example>
+ Please enter the `mail name' of your system. This is the
+ hostname portion of the address to be shown on outgoing
+ news and mail messages. The default is
+ <var>syshostname</var>, your system's host name. Mail
+ name [`<var>syshostname</var>']:
+ </example>
+ where <var>syshostname</var> is the output of <tt>hostname
+ --fqdn</tt>.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>News system configuration</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ All the configuration files related to the NNTP (news)
+ servers and clients should be located under
+ <tt>/etc/news</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ There are some configuration issues that apply to a number
+ of news clients and server packages on the machine. These
+ are:
+
+ <taglist>
+ <tag>/etc/news/organization</tag>
+ <item><p>A string which shall appear as the
+ organization header for all messages posted
+ by NNTP clients on the machine</p></item>
+
+ <tag>/etc/news/server</tag>
+ <item><p>Contains the FQDN of the upstream NNTP
+ server, or localhost if the local machine is
+ an NNTP server.</p></item>
+ </taglist>
+
+ Other global files may be added as required for cross-package news
+ configuration.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Programs for the X Windows system</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Some programs can be configured with or without support for
+ X Windows. Typically these binaries produced when
+ configured for X will need the X shared libraries to
+ run.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Such programs should be configured <em>with</em> X support,
+ and should declare a dependency on <tt>xlib6g</tt> (for the
+ X11R6 libraries). Users who wish to use the program can
+ install just the relatively small <tt>xlib6g</tt> package,
+ and do not need to install the whole of X.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Do not create two versions (one with X support and one
+ without) of your package.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ <em>Application defaults</em> files have to be installed in
+ the directory
+ <tt>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults/</tt>. They are
+ considered as part of the program code. Thus, they should
+ not be modified and should not be tagged as
+ <em>conffile</em>. If the local system administrator wants
+ to customise X applications globally, the file
+ <tt>/etc/X11/Xresources</tt> should be used.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you package a program that requires a non-free Motif
+ library, it would be good if you can provide a "foo-smotif"
+ and a "foo-dmotif" package, containing a (against Motif
+ libraries) statically and a dynamically linked version,
+ respectively. This way, users without Motif can use the
+ package too, while users that have Motif installed get the
+ advantages of a dynamically linked version.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ However, if your package works reliably with lesstif, you
+ should package it with lesstif, and not with Motif at
+ all.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Note, that packages that require non-free Motif libraries
+ can't go into the main section. If your package is free
+ otherwise, it should go into contrib. Otherwise it has to go
+ into non-free.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Emacs lisp programs</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Please refer to the `Debian Emacs Policy' (documented in
+ <tt>debian-emacs-policy.gz</tt> of the
+ <prgn>emacsen-common</prgn> package) for details of how to
+ package emacs lisp programs.</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Games</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The permissions on /var/lib/games are 755
+ <tt>root.root</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Each game decides on its own security policy.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Games which require protected, privileged access to
+ high-score files, savegames, etc., must be made
+ set-<em>group</em>-id (mode 2755) and owned by
+ <tt>root.games</tt>, and use files and directories with
+ appropriate permissions (770 <tt>root.games</tt>, for
+ example). They must <em>not</em> be made
+ set-<em>user</em>-id, as this causes security problems. (If
+ an attacker can subvert any set-user-id game they can
+ overwrite the executable of any other, causing other players
+ of these games to run a Trojan horse program. With a
+ set-group-id game the attacker only gets access to less
+ important game data, and if they can get at the other
+ players' accounts at all it will take considerably more
+ effort.)</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Some packages, for example some fortune cookie programs, are
+ configured by the upstream authors to install with their
+ data files or other static information made unreadable so
+ that they can only be accessed through set-id programs
+ provided. Do not do this in a Debian package: anyone can
+ download the <tt>.deb</tt> file and read the data from it,
+ so there is no point making the files unreadable. Not
+ making the files unreadable also means that you don't have
+ to make so many programs set-id, which reduces the risk of a
+ security hole.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ As described in the FSSTND, binaries of games should be
+ installed in the directory <tt>/usr/games</tt>. This also
+ applies to games that use the X windows system. Manual pages
+ for games (X and non-X games) should be installed in
+ <tt>/usr/man/man6</tt>.</p>
+ </sect>
+ </chapt>
+
+ <chapt><heading>Documentation</heading>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Manual pages</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ You must install manual pages in <prgn>nroff</prgn> source
+ form, in appropriate places under <tt>/usr/man</tt>. You
+ should only use sections 1 to 9 (see the FSSTND for more
+ details). You must <em>not</em> install a preformatted `cat
+ page'.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If no manual page is available for a particular program,
+ utility or function and this is reported as a bug on
+ debian-bugs, a symbolic link from the requested manual page
+ to the <manref name="undocumented" section="7"> manual page
+ should be provided. This symbolic link can be created from
+ <tt>debian/rules</tt> like this:
+ <example>
+ ln -s ../man7/undocumented.7.gz \
+ debian/tmp/usr/man/man[1-9]/the_requested_manpage.[1-9].gz
+ </example>
+ This manpage claims that the lack of a manpage has been
+ reported as a bug, so you may only do this if it really has
+ (you can report it yourself, if you like). Do not close the
+ bug report until a proper manpage is available.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You may forward a complaint about a missing manpage to the
+ upstream authors, and mark the bug as forwarded in the
+ Debian bug tracking system. Even though the GNU Project do
+ not in general consider the lack of a manpage to be a bug,
+ we do--if they tell you that they don't consider it a bug
+ you should leave the bug in our bug tracking system open
+ anyway.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Manual pages should be installed compressed using <tt>gzip
+ -9</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If one manpage needs to be accessible via several names it
+ is better to use a symbolic link than the <tt>.so</tt>
+ feature, but there is no need to fiddle with the relevant
+ parts of the upstream source to change from <tt>.so</tt> to
+ symlinks--don't do it unless it's easy. Do not create hard
+ links in the manual page directories, and do not put
+ absolute filenames in <tt>.so</tt> directives. The filename
+ in a <tt>.so</tt> in a manpage should be relative to the
+ base of the manpage tree (usually
+ <tt>/usr/man</tt>).</p></sect>
+
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Info documents</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Info documents should be installed in <tt>/usr/info</tt>.
+ They should be compressed with <tt>gzip -9</tt>.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Your package must call <prgn>install-info</prgn> to update the Info
+ <tt>dir</tt>
+ file, in its post-installation script:
+ <example>
+ install-info --quiet --section Development Development \
+ /usr/info/foobar.info
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ It is a good idea to specify a section for the location of
+ your program; this is done with the <tt>--section</tt>
+ switch. To determine which section to use, you should look
+ at <tt>/usr/info/dir</tt> on your system and choose the most
+ relevant (or create a new section if none of the current
+ sections are relevant). Note that the <tt>--section</tt>
+ flag takes two arguments; the first is a regular expression
+ to match (case-insensitively) against an existing section,
+ the second is used when creating a new one.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ You must remove the entries in the pre-removal script:
+ <example>
+ install-info --quiet --remove /usr/info/foobar.info
+ </example></p>
+
+ <p>
+ If <prgn>install-info</prgn> cannot find a description entry
+ in the Info file you will have to supply one. See <manref
+ name="install-info" section="8"> for details.</p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Additional documentation</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Any additional documentation that comes with the package can
+ be installed at the discretion of the package maintainer.
+ Text documentation should be installed in a directory
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var></tt>, where
+ <var>package</var> is the name of the package, and
+ compressed with <tt>gzip -9</tt> unless it is small.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If a package comes with large amounts of documentation which
+ many users of the package will not require you should create
+ a separate binary package to contain it, so that it does not
+ take up disk space on the machines of users who do not need
+ or want it installed.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ It is often a good idea to put text information files
+ (<tt>README</tt>s, changelogs, and so forth) that come with
+ the source package in <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var></tt>
+ in the binary package. However, you don't need to install
+ the instructions for building and installing the package, of
+ course!</p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Preferred documentation formats</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ The unification of Debian documentation is being carried out
+ via HTML.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If your package comes with extensive documentation in a
+ markup format that can be converted to various other formats
+ you should if possible ship HTML versions in a binary
+ package, in the directory
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>appropriate package</var></tt> or its
+ subdirectories.
+ <footnote>
+ <p>The rationale: The important thing here is that HTML
+ docs should be available in <em>some</em> package, not
+ necessarily in the main binary package, though. </p>
+ </footnote>
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Other formats such as PostScript may be provided at your
+ option.</p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect id="copyrightfile">
+ <heading>Copyright information</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Every package must be accompanied by a verbatim copy of its
+ copyright and distribution license in the file
+ /usr/doc/<package-name>/copyright. This file must
+ neither be compressed nor be a symbolic link.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ In addition, the copyright file must say where the upstream
+ sources (if any) were obtained, and explain briefly what
+ modifications were made in the Debian version of the package
+ compared to the upstream one. It must name the original
+ authors of the package and the Debian maintainer(s) who were
+ involved with its creation.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ /usr/doc/<package-name> may be a symbolic link to a
+ directory in /usr/doc only if two packages both come from
+ the same source and the first package has a "Depends"
+ relationship on the second. These rules are important
+ because copyrights must be extractable by mechanical
+ means.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Packages distributed under the UCB BSD license, the Artistic
+ license, the GNU GPL, and the GNU LGPL should refer to the
+ files /usr/doc/copyright/BSD, /usr/doc/copyright/Artistic,
+ /usr/doc/copyright/GPL, and /usr/doc/copyright/LGPL.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ Do not use the copyright file as a general <tt>README</tt>
+ file. If your package has such a file it should be
+ installed in <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/README</tt> or
+ <tt>README.Debian</tt> or some other appropriate place.</p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect>
+ <heading>Examples</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ Any examples (configurations, source files, whatever),
+ should be installed in a directory
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/examples</tt>. These files
+ should not be referenced by any program--they're there for
+ the benefit of the system administrator and users, as
+ documentation only.</p>
+ </sect>
+
+ <sect id="instchangelog">
+ <heading>Changelog files</heading>
+
+ <p>
+ This installed file must contain a copy of the
+ <tt>debian/changelog</tt> file from your Debian source tree,
+ and a copy of the upstream changelog file if there is one.
+ The debian/changelog file should be installed in
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var></tt> as
+ <tt>changelog.Debian.gz</tt>. If the upstream changelog
+ file is text formatted, it must be accessable as
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/changelog.gz</tt>. If the
+ upstream changelog file is HTML formatted, it must be
+ accessable as <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/changelog.html.gz</tt>.
+ If the upstream changelog files do not already conform to
+ this naming convention, then this may be achieved by either
+ renaming the files or adding a symbolic link at the
+ packaging developer's discretion. </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Both should be installed compressed using <tt>gzip -9</tt>,
+ as they will become large with time even if they start out
+ small.</p>
+
+ <p>
+ If the package has only one changelog which is used both as
+ the Debian changelog and the upstream one because there is
+ no separate upstream maintainer then that changelog should
+ usually be installed as
+ <tt>/usr/doc/<var>package</var>/changelog.gz</tt>; if there
+ is a separate upstream maintainer, but no upstream
+ changelog, then the Debian changelog should still be called
+ <tt>changelog.Debian.gz</tt>.</p>
+ </sect>
+ </chapt>
+ </book>
+</debiandoc>
-<book>
-<title>Debian Policy Manual
-<author>Ian Jackson <email/ijackson@gnu.ai.mit.edu/
-<author>Christian Schwarz <email/schwarz@debian.org/
-<author>revised: David A. Morris <email/bweaver@debian.org/
-<version>version &version;, &date;
-<abstract>
-This manual describes the policy requirements for the Debian GNU/Linux
-distribution. This includes the structure and contents of the Debian
-archive, several design issues of the operating system, as well as
-technical requirements that each package must satisfy to be included
-in the distribution.
-</abstract>
-<copyright>Copyright ©1996,1997,1998 Ian Jackson and Christian Schwarz.
-<p>
-This manual is free software; you may redistribute it and/or modify it
-under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
-Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) any
-later version.
-<p>
-This is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
-<em>without any warranty</em>; without even the implied warranty of
-merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU
-General Public License for more details.
-<p>
-
-A copy of the GNU General Public License is available as
-<tt>/usr/doc/copyright/GPL</tt> in the Debian GNU/Linux
-distribution or on the World Wide Web at
-<url id="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html">. You can also obtain it
-by writing to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place -
-Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
-<p>
-
-<toc sect>
-
-<chapt id="scope">About this manual
-<p>
-
-<sect>Scope
-<p>
-
-This manual describes the policy requirements for the Debian GNU/Linux
-distribution. This includes the structure and contents of the Debian
-archive, several design issues of the operating system, as well as
-technical requirements that each package must satisfy to be included
-in the distribution.
-<p>
-
-This manual does <em/not/ describe the technical mechanisms involved
-in package creation, installation, and removal. This information can
-be found in the <em>Debian Packaging Manual</em> and the <em>Debian
-System Administrators' Manual</em>.
-<p>
-
-This document assumes familiarity with these other two manuals.
-Unfortunately, the <em>System Administrators' Manual</em> does not
-exist yet.
-<p>
-
-Much of the information presented in this manual will be useful even
-when building a package which is to be distributed in some other way
-or is for local use.
-<p>
-
-<sect>New versions of this document
-<p>
-
-The current version of this document is always accessible from the
-Debian FTP server at
-<url id="ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/doc/manuals/debian-policy.html.tar.gz">
-or from the Debian WWW server at
-<url id="http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-policy/">
-<p>
-
-There is also a home page for the <em>Debian Policy Manual</em> that
-contains links to the current development version of this document as
-well as an archive of old versions. The URL is
-<url id="http://fatman.mathematik.tu-muenchen.de/~schwarz/debian-policy/">
-<p>
-
-In addition, this manual is distributed via the Debian package
-<tt>debian-policy</tt>
-<p>
-
-<sect>Feedback
-<p>
-
-As the Debian GNU/Linux system is continuously evolving this manual is
-changed from time to time.
-<p>
-
-While the authors of this document tried hard not to include any typos
-or other errors these still occur. If you discover an error in this
-manual or if you want to tell us any comments, suggestions, or critics
-please send an email to the Debian Policy Manager, Christian
-Schwarz <email>schwarz@debian.org</email>, the developers' mailing
-list <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>, or submit a bug report
-against the <tt>debian-policy</tt> package.
-<p>
-
-<chapt>The Debian Archive
-<p>
-
-The Debian GNU/Linux system is maintained and distributed as a
-collection of <em>packages</em>. Since there are so many of them (over
-1000) they are split into <em>sections</em> and <em>priorities</em> to
-simplify handling of them.
-<p>
-
-The effort of the Debian project is to build a free operating system,
-but not every package we want to make accessible is <em>free</em> in
-our sense (see Debian Free Software Guidelines, below), or may be
-imported/exported without restrictions. Thus, the archive is split
-into the sections <em/main/, <em/non-us/, <em/non-free/, and
-<em/contrib/.
-<p>
-
-The <em/main/ section forms the <em>Debian GNU/Linux distribution</em>.
-<p>
-
-Packages in the other sections are not considered as part of the
-Debian distribution, though we support their use, and we provide
-infrastructure for them (such as our bug-tracking system and mailing
-lists). This Debian Policy Manual applies to these packages as well.
-<p>
-
-<sect id="pkgcopyright">Package copyright and sections
-<p>
-
-The aims of this policy are:
-<p>
-
-<list compact>
-<item>
-We want to make as much software available as we can.<p>
-<item>
-We want to encourage everyone to write free software.<p>
-<item>
-We want to make it easy for people to produce CD-ROMs of our system
-without violating any licenses, import/export restrictions, or any
-other laws.<p>
-</list>
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The Debian Free Software Guidelines
-<p>
-
-The Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) as is our definition of `free'
-software.
-<p>
-
-<enumlist>
-<item>Free Redistribution
-<p>
-The license of a Debian component may not restrict any party from
-selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate
-software distribution containing programs from several different
-sources. The license may not require a royalty or other fee for such
-sale.
-<p>
-
-<item>Source Code
-<p>
-
-The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in
-source code as well as compiled form.
-<p>
-
-<item>Derived Works
-<p>
-
-The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow
-them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original
-software.
-<p>
-
-<item>Integrity of The Author's Source Code
-<p>
-
-The license may restrict source-code from being distributed in modified
-form <em/only/ if the license allows the distribution of ``patch files''
-with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build
-time. The license must explicitly permit distribution of software built
-from modified source code. The license may require derived works to
-carry a different name or version number from the original software.
-(This is a compromise. The Debian group encourages all authors to not
- restrict any files, source or binary, from being modified.)
-<p>
-
-<item>No Discrimination Against Persons or Groups
-<p>
-
-The license must not discriminate against any person or group of
-persons.
-<p>
-
-<item>No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor
-<p>
-
-The license must not restrict anyone from making use of the program
-in a specific field of endeavor. For example, it may not restrict the
-program from being used in a business, or from being used for genetic
-research.
-<p>
-
-<item>Distribution of License
-<p>
-
-The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the
-program is redistributed without the need for execution of an
-additional license by those parties.
-<p>
-
-<item>License Must Not Be Specific to Debian
-<p>
-
-The rights attached to the program must not depend on the program's
-being part of a Debian system. If the program is extracted from Debian
-and used or distributed without Debian but otherwise within the terms
-of the program's license, all parties to whom the program is redistributed
-should have the same rights as those that are granted in conjunction with
-the Debian system.
-<p>
-
-<item>License Must Not Contaminate Other Software
-<p>
-
-The license must not place restrictions on other software that is
-distributed along with the licensed software. For example, the
-license must not insist that all other programs distributed on the
-same medium must be free software.
-<p>
-
-<item>Example Licenses
-<p>
-The ``GPL,'' ``BSD,'' and ``Artistic'' licenses are examples of licenses
-that we consider <em/free/.
-
-</enumlist>
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The main section
-<p>
-
-Every package in "main" must comply with the DFSG (Debian Free
-Software Guidelines).
-<p>
-
-In addition, the packages in "main"
-<p>
-
-<list compact>
-<item>must not require a package outside of "main" for compilation or
-execution (thus, the package may not declare a "Depends" or
-"Recommends" relationship on a non-main package),
-<p>
-<item>must not be so buggy that we refuse to support them,
-<p>
-<item>must meet all policy requirements presented in this manual.
-</list>
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The contrib section
-<p>
-
-Every package in "contrib" must comply with the DFSG.
-<p>
-
-Examples of packages which would be included in "contrib" are
-<p>
-<list compact>
-<item>free packages which require "contrib", "non-free", or "non-US"
- packages or packages which are not in our archive at all for
- compilation or execution,
-<p>
-<item>wrapper packages or other sorts of free accessories for
- non-free programs,
-<p>
-<item>packages which we don't want to support because they are too
- buggy, and
-<p>
-<item>packages which fail to meet some other policy requirements in
- a serious way.
-</list>
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The non-free section
-<p>
-
-`Non-free' contains packages which are not compliant with the DFSG
-or which are encumbered by patents or other legal issues that make
-their distribution problematic.
-<p>
-
-All packages in `non-free' must be electronically distributable across
-international borders.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The non-us server
-<p>
-
-Some programs with cryptographic program code must be stored on the
-"non-us" server because of export restrictions of the U.S.
-<p>
-
-This applies only to packages which contain cryptographic code. A package
-containing a program with an interface to a cryptographic program or a
-program that's dynamically linked against a cryptographic library can be
-distributed if it is capable of running without the cryptography library
-or program.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Further copyright considerations
-<p>
-
-Every package must be accompanied by a verbatim copy of its copyright
-and distribution license in the file
-/usr/doc/<package-name>/copyright (see <ref id="copyrightfile">
-for details).
-<p>
-
-We reserve the right to restrict files from being included anywhere in
-our archives if
-<p>
-<list compact>
-<item>their use or distribution would break a law,
-<p>
-<item>there is an ethical conflict in their distribution or use,
-<p>
-<item>we would have to sign a license for them, or
-<p>
-<item>their distribution would conflict with other project policies.
-</list>
-<p>
-
-Programs whose authors encourage the user to make donations are fine
-for the main distribution, provided that the authors do not claim that
-not donating is immoral, unethical, illegal or something similar;
-otherwise they must go in contrib (or non-free, if even distribution
-is restricted by such statements).
-<p>
-
-Packages whose copyright permission notices (or patent problems) do
-not allow redistribution even of only binaries, and where no special
-permission has been obtained, cannot be placed on the Debian FTP site and
-its mirrors at all.
-<p>
-
-Note, that under international copyright law (this applies in
-the United States, too) <em/no/ distribution or
-modification of a work is allowed without an explicit notice saying
-so. Therefore a program without a copyright notice <em/is/
-copyrighted and you may not do anything to it without risking being
-sued! Likewise if a program has a copyright notice but no statement
-saying what is permitted then nothing is permitted.
-<p>
-
-Many authors are unaware of the problems that restrictive copyrights
-(or lack of copyright notices) can cause for the users of their
-supposedly-free software. It is often worthwhile contacting such
-authors diplomatically to ask them to modify their license
-terms. However, this is a politically difficult thing to do and you
-should ask for advice on <tt/debian-devel/ first.
-<p>
-
-When in doubt, send mail to <email/debian-devel@lists.debian.org/. Be
-prepared to provide us with the copyright statement. Software covered
-by the GPL, public domain software and BSD-like copyrights are safe;
-be wary of the phrases `commercial use prohibited' and `distribution
-restricted'.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Subsections
-<p>
-
-The packages in the <em/main/, <em/contrib/, and <em/non-free/
-sections are grouped further into <em>subsections</em> to simplify
-handling of them.
-<p>
-
-The section for each package is specified in the package's <em>control
-record</em>. However, the maintainer of the Debian archive may
-override this selection to assure the consistency of the Debian
-distribution.
-<p>
-
-Please check the current Debian distribution to see which sections are
-available.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Priorities
-<p>
-
-Each package is given a certain <em>priority</em> value, which is
-included in the package's <em>control
-record</em>. This information is used in the Debian package management
-tool to separate high-priority packages from less-important packages.
-<p>
-
-The following <em>priority levels</em> are supported by the Debian
-package management system, <prgn/dpkg/.
-<p>
-
-<taglist>
-<tag><tt/required/
-<item>
-<tt/required/ packages are necessary for the proper functioning of the
-system. You must not remove these packages or your system may become
-totally broken and you may not even be able to use
-<prgn/dpkg/ to put things back. Systems with only the <tt/required/
-packages are probably unusable, but they do have enough functionality
-to allow the sysadmin to boot and install more software.
-
-<tag><tt/important/
-<item>
-Important programs, including those which one would expect to find on
-any Unix-like system. If the expectation is that an experienced Unix
-person who found it missing would say `What the F*!@<+ is going on,
-where is <prgn/foo/', it should be in <tt/important/. This is an
-important criterion because we are trying to produce, amongst other
-things, a free Unix. Other packages without which the system will not
-run well or be usable should also be here. This does <em/not/
-include Emacs or X11 or TeX or any other large applications. The
-<tt/important/ packages are just a bare minimum of commonly-expected
-and necessary tools.
-
-<tag><tt/standard/
-<item>
-These packages provide a reasonably small but not too limited
-character-mode system. This is what will install by default if the
-user doesn't select anything else. It doesn't include many large
-applications, but it does include Emacs (this is more of a piece of
-infrastructure than an application) and a reasonable subset of TeX and
-LaTeX (if this is possible without X).
-
-<tag><tt/optional/
-<item>
-(In a sense everything is optional that isn't required, but that's not
-what is meant here.) This is all the software that you might
-reasonably want to install if you didn't know what it was or don't
-have specialised requirements. This is a much larger system and includes
-X11, a full TeX distribution, and lots of applications.
-
-<tag><tt/extra/
-<item>
-This contains packages that conflict with others with higher
-priorities, or are only likely to be useful if you already know what
-they are or have specialised requirements.
-
-</taglist>
-<p>
-
-Packages may not depend on packages with lower priority values.
-If this should happen, one of the priority values will have to
-be adapted.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Binary packages
-<p>
-
-The Debian GNU/Linux distribution is based on the Debian package
-management system, called <prgn/dpkg/. Thus, all packages in the
-Debian distribution have to be provided in the <tt/.deb/ file format.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The package name
-<p>
-
-Every package must have a name that's unique within the Debian
-archive.
-<p>
-
-Package names may only consist of lower case letters, digits (0-9),
-plus (+) or minus (-) signs, and periods (.).
-<p>
-
-The package name is part of the file name of the <tt/.deb/ file and is
-included in the control field information.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The maintainer of a package
-<p>
-
-Every package must have exactly one maintainer at a time. This person
-is responsible that the license of the package's software complies with
-the policy of the distribution this package is included in.
-<p>
-
-The maintainer must be specified in the <tt/Maintainer/ control field
-with the correct name and a working email address for the Debian
-maintainer of the package. If one person maintains several packages
-he/she should try to avoid having different forms of their name and
-email address in different <tt/Maintainer/ fields.
-<p>
-
-If the maintainer of a package quits from the Debian project the
-Debian QA Group takes over the maintainership of the package until
-someone else volunteers for that task. These packages are called
-<em>orphaned packages</em>.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>The description of a package
-<p>
-
-Every Debian package should have an extended description stored in the
-appropriate field of the control record.
-<p>
-
-The description should be written so that it tells the user what they
-need to know to decide whether to install the package. This
-description should not just be copied from the blurb for the program.
-Instructions for configuring or using the package should not be
-included--that is what installation scripts, manual pages, Info files,
-etc. are for. Copyright statements and other
-administrivia should not be included--that is what the copyright file
-is for.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Dependencies
-<p>
-
-Every package has to specify the dependency information about other
-packages, that are required for the first to work correctly.
-<p>
-
-For example, for any shared libraries required by dynamically-linked
-executable binary in a package a dependency entry has to be provided.
-<p>
-
-It is not necessary for other packages to declare any dependencies
-they have on other packages which are marked <tt/Essential/ (see below).
-<p>
-
-Sometimes, a package requires another package to be installed
-<em>and</em> configured before it can be installed. In this case,
-you'll have to specify a <tt/Pre-Depends/ entry for the package.
-<p>
-
-You must not specify a <tt/Pre-Depends/ entry for a package before
-this has been discussed on the <tt/debian-devel/ mailing list and a
-consensus about doing that has been reached.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Virtual packages
-<p>
-
-Sometimes, there are several packages doing more-or-less the same
-job. In this case, it's useful to define a <em>virtual package</em>
-who's name describes the function the packages have. (The virtual
-packages just exist logically, not physically--that's why they are
-called <em>virtual</em>.) The packages with this particular function
-will then <em>provide</em> the virtual package. Thus, any other
-package requiring that function can simply depend on the virtual
-package without having to specify all possible packages individually.
-<p>
-
-All packages must use virtual package names where appropriate, and
-arrange to create new ones if necessary. They must not use virtual
-package names (except privately, amongst a cooperating group of
-packages) unless they have been agreed upon and appear in the list of
-virtual package names.
-<p>
-
-The latest version of the authoritative list of virtual package names
-can be found on <ftpsite>ftp.debian.org</> in
-<ftppath>/debian/doc/package-developer/virtual-package-names-list.text</>
-or your local mirror. In addition, it is included in the
-<tt>debian-policy</tt> package. The procedure for updating the list is
-described at the top of the file.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Base packages
-<p>
-
-The packages included in the <tt/base/ section have a special
-function. They form a minimum subset of the Debian GNU/Linux system
-that is installed before everything else on a new system. Thus, only
-very few packages are allowed to go into the <tt/base/ section to keep
-the required disk usage very small.
-<p>
-
-Most of these packages should have the priority value <tt/required/ or
-at least <tt/important/, and many of them will be tagged
-<tt/essential/ (see below).
-<p>
-
-You must not place any packages into the <tt/base/ section before this
-has been discussed on the <tt/debian-devel/ mailing list and a
-consensus about doing that has been reached.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Essential packages
-<p>
-
-Some packages are tagged <tt/essential/. (They have <tt/Essential:
-yes/ in their package control record.) This flag is used for packages
-that are <em>essential</em> for a system.
-<p>
-
-Since these packages can not easily be removed (you'll have to specify
-an extra <em>force option</em> to <prgn/dpkg/) this flag should only
-be used where absolutely necessary.
-
-A shared library package should not be tagged <em>essential</em>--the
-dependencies will prevent its premature removal, and we need to be
-able to remove it when it has been superseded.
-<p>
-
-You must not tag any packages <tt/essential/ before this has been
-discussed on the <tt/debian-devel/ mailing and a consensus about doing
-that has been reached.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Maintainer scripts
-<p>
-
-The package installation scripts should avoid producing output which
-it is unnecessary for the user to see and should rely on <prgn/dpkg/
-to stave off boredom on the part of a user installing many packages.
-This means, amongst other things, using the <tt/--quiet/ option on
-<prgn/install-info/.
-<p>
-
-Packages should try to minimise the amount of prompting they need to
-do, and they should ensure that the user will only ever be asked each
-question once. This means that packages should try to use appropriate
-shared configuration files (such as <tt>/etc/papersize</> and
-<tt>/etc/nntpserver</>), rather than each prompting for their own list
-of required pieces of information.
-<p>
-
-It also means that an upgrade should not ask the same questions again,
-unless the user has used <tt/dpkg --purge/ to remove the package's
-configuration. The answers to configuration questions should be
-stored in an appropriate place in <tt>/etc</> so that the user can
-modify them, and how this has been done should be documented.
-<p>
-
-If a package has a vitally important piece of information to pass to
-the user (such as "don't run me as I am, you must edit the following
-configuration files first or you risk your system emitting
-badly-formatted messages"), it should display this in the
-<prgn/postinst/ script and prompt the user to hit return to
-acknowledge the message. Copyright messages do not count as vitally
-important (they belong in <tt>/usr/doc/copyright</>); neither do
-instructions on how to use a program (these should be in on line
-documentation, where all the users can see them).
-<p>
-
-Any necessary prompting should almost always be confined to the
-post-installation script, and should be protected with a conditional
-so that unnecessary prompting doesn't happen if a package's
-installation fails and the <prgn/postinst/ is called with
-<tt/abort-upgrade/, <tt/abort-remove/ or <tt/abort-deconfigure/.
-<p>
-
-Errors which occur during the execution of an installation script
-<em/must/ be checked and the installation <em/must not/ continue after
-an error.
-<p>
-
-Note, that <ref id="scripts">, in general applies to package
-maintainer scripts, too.
-<p>
-
-Do not use <prgn/dpkg-divert/ on a file belonging to another package
-without consulting the maintainer of that package first.
-<p>
-
-In order for <prgn/update-alternatives/ to work correctly all the
-packages which supply an instance of the `shared' command name (or, in
-general, filename) must use it. You can use <tt/Conflicts/ to force
-the deinstallation of other packages supplying it which do not (yet)
-use <prgn/update-alternatives/. It may in this case be appropriate to
-specify a conflict on earlier versions on something--this is an
-exception to the usual rule that this is not allowed.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Source packages
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Standards conformance
-<p>
-
-You should specify the most recent version of the packaging standards
-with which your package complies in the source package's
-<tt/Standards-Version/ field.
-<p>
-
-This value will be used to file bug reports automatically if your
-package becomes too much out of date.
-<p>
-
-The value corresponds to a version of the Debian manuals, as can be
-found on the title page or page headers and footers (depending on the
-format).
-<p>
-
-The version number has four components--major and minor number and
-major and minor patch level. When the standards change in a way that
-requires every package to change the major number will be changed.
-Significant changes that will require work in many packages will be
-signaled by a change to the minor number. The major patch level will
-be changed for any change to the meaning of the standards, however
-small; the minor patch level will be changed when only cosmetic,
-typographical or other edits which do not change the meaning are made,
-or changes which do not affect the contents of packages.
-<p>
-
-You should regularly, and especially if your package has become out of
-date, check for the newest Policy Manual available and update your
-package, if necessary. When your package complies with the new
-standards you may update the <tt/Standards-Version/ source package
-field and release it.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Changes to the upstream sources
-<p>
-
-If changes to the source code are made that are generally applicable
-please try to get them included in the upstream version of the package
-by supplying the upstream authors with the changes in whatever form
-they prefer.
-<p>
-
-If you need to configure the package differently for Debian or for
-Linux, and the upstream source doesn't provide a way to configure it
-the way you need to, please add such configuration facilities (for
-example, a new <prgn/autoconf/ test or <tt/#define/) and send the
-patch to the upstream authors, with the default set to the way they
-originally had it. You can then easily override the default in your
-<tt>debian/rules</tt> or wherever is appropriate.
-<p>
-
-Please make sure that the <prgn/configure/ utility detects the correct
-architecture specification string (refer to <ref id="arch-spec"> for
-details).
-<p>
-
-If you need to edit a <prgn/Makefile/ where GNU-style <prgn/configure/
-scripts are used, you should edit the <tt/.in/ files rather than
-editing the <prgn/Makefile/ directly. This allows the user to
-reconfigure the package if necessary. You should <em/not/ configure
-the package and edit the generated <prgn/Makefile/! This makes it
-impossible for someone else to later reconfigure the package.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Documenting your changes
-<p>
-
-Document your changes and updates to the source package properly in
-the <tt>debian/changelog</tt> file.
-<p>
-
-A copy of the file which will be installed in
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package//copyright</tt> should be in
-<tt>debian/copyright</tt>.
-<p>
-
-In non-experimental packages you may only use a format for
-<tt>debian/changelog</> which is supported by the most recent released
-version of <prgn/dpkg/. If your format is not supported and there is
-general support for it you should contact the <prgn/dpkg/ maintainer
-to have the parser script for your format included in the <prgn/dpkg/
-package. (You will need to agree that the parser and its
-manpage may be distributed under the GNU GPL, just as the rest of
-<prgn/dpkg/ is.)
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Error trapping in makefiles
-<p>
-
-When <prgn/make/ invokes a command in a makefile (including your
-package's upstream makefiles and the <tt>debian/rules</>) it does so
-using <tt/sh/. This means that <tt/sh/'s usual bad error handling
-properties apply: if you include a miniature script as one of the
-commands in your makefile you'll find that if you don't do anything
-about it then errors are not detected and <prgn/make/ will blithely
-continue after problems.
-<p>
-
-Every time you put more than one shell command (this includes using a
-loop) in a makefile command you <em/must/ make sure that errors are
-trapped. For simple compound commands, such as changing directory and
-then running a program, using <tt/&&/ rather than semicolon as
-a command separator is sufficient. For more complex commands
-including most loops and conditionals you must include a separate
-<tt/set -e/ command at the start of every makefile command that's
-actually one of these miniature shell scripts.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Obsolete constructs and libraries
-<p>
-
-The include file <prgn/<varargs.h>/ is provided to support
-end-users compiling very old software; the library <tt/libtermcap/ is
-provided to support the execution of software which has been linked
-against it (either old programs or those such as Netscape which are
-only available in binary form).
-<p>
-
-Debian packages should be ported to include <prgn/<stdarg.h>/ and
-<tt/ncurses/ when they are built.
-<p>
-
-<chapt>The Operating System
-<p>
-
-<sect>Filesystem hierarchy
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Linux Filesystem Structure
-<p>
-
-The location of all installed files and directories must comply fully
-with the Linux Filesystem Structure (FSSTND). The latest version of
-this document can be found alongside this manual or on
-<ftpsite/tsx-11.mit.edu/ in
-<ftppath>/pub/linux/docs/linux-standards/fsstnd/</>. Specific
-questions about following the standard may be asked on
-<prgn/debian-devel/, or referred to Daniel Quinlan, the FSSTND
-coordinator, at <email/quinlan@pathname.com/.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Site-specific programs
-<p>
-
-As mandated by the FSSTND no package should place any files in
-<tt>/usr/local</>, either by putting them in the filesystem archive to
-be unpacked by <prgn/dpkg/ or by manipulating them in their maintainer
-scripts.
-<p>
-
-However, the package should create empty directories below
-<tt>/usr/local</> so that the system administrator knows where to
-place site-specific files. These directories should be removed on
-package removal if they are empty.
-<p>
-
-Note, that this applies only to directories <em/below/
-<tt>/usr/local</>, not <em/in/ <tt>/usr/local</>. The directory
-<tt>/usr/local</> itself may only contain the sub-directories listed
-in FSSTND, section 4.8. However, you may create directories below them
-as you wish. You may not remove any of the directories listed in 4.8,
-even if you created them.
-<p>
-
-Since <tt>/usr/local</> may be mounted read-only from a remote server,
-these directories have to be created and removed by the <tt/postinst/
-and <tt/prerm/ maintainer scripts. These scripts must not fail if
-either of these operations fail. (In the future, it will be possible to
-tell <prgn/dpkg/ not to unpack files matching certain patterns, so
-that the directories can be included in the <tt/.deb/ packages and
-system administrators who do not wish these directories in /usr/local
-do not need to have them.)
-<p>
-
-For example, the <prgn/emacs/ package will contain
-<example>
- mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/emacs/site-lisp || true
-</example>
-in the <tt/postinst/ script, and
-<example>
- rmdir /usr/local/lib/emacs/site-lisp && \
- rmdir /usr/local/lib/emacs || \
- true
-</example>
-in the <tt/prerm/ script.
-<p>
-
-If you do create a directory in <tt>/usr/local</> for local additions
-to a package, you must ensure that settings in <tt>/usr/local</tt>
-take precedence over the equivalents in <tt>/usr</tt>.
-<p>
-
-The <tt>/usr/local</> directory itself and all the subdirectories
-created by the package should have permissions 2775 (group-writable
-and set-group-id) and be owned by <tt/root.staff/.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Users and groups
-<p>
-
-The Debian system can be configured to use either plain or shadow
-passwords.
-<p>
-
-Some user ids (UIDs) and group ids (GIDs) are reserved globally for
-use by certain packages. Because some packages need to include files
-which are owned by these users or groups, or need the ids compiled
-into binaries, these ids must be used on any Debian system only for
-the purpose for which they are allocated. This is a serious
-restriction, and we should avoid getting in the way of local
-administration policies. In particular, many sites allocate users
-and/or local system groups starting at 100.
-<p>
-
-Apart from this we should have dynamically allocated ids, which should
-by default be arranged in some sensible order--but the behaviour
-should be configurable.
-<p>
-
-No package except <tt>base-passwd</> may modify <tt>/etc/passwd</>,
-<tt>/etc/shadow</>, or <tt>/etc/group</>.
-<p>
-
-The UID and GID ranges are as follows:
-<taglist>
-<tag>0-99:
-<item>
-Globally allocated by the Debian project, must be the same on
-every Debian system. These ids will appear in the <tt>passwd</> and
-<tt>group</>
-files of all Debian systems, new ids in this range being added
-automatically as the <tt>base-passwd</> package is updated.
-<p>
-
-Packages which need a single statically allocated uid or gid should
-use one of these; their maintainers should ask the <tt>base-passwd</>
-maintainer for ids.
-<p>
-
-<tag>100-999:
-<item>
-Dynamically allocated system users and groups. Packages
-which need a user or group, but can have this user or group allocated
-dynamically and differently on each system, should use `<tt>adduser
---system</>' to create the group and/or user. <prgn>adduser</> will
-check for the
-existence of the user or group, and if necessary choose an unused id
-based on the ranged specified in <tt>adduser.conf</>.
-<p>
-
-<tag>1000-29999:
-<item>
-Dynamically allocated user accounts. By default <prgn>adduser</>
-will choose UIDs and GIDs for user accounts in this range, though
-<tt>adduser.conf</> may be used to modify this behaviour.
-<p>
-
-<tag>30000-59999:
-<item>
-Reserved.
-<p>
-
-<tag>60000-64999:
-<item>
-Globally allocated by the Debian project, but only created on
-demand. The ids are allocated centrally and statically, but the actual
-accounts are only created on users' systems on demand.
-<p>
-
-These ids are for packages which are obscure or which require many
-statically-allocated ids. These packages should check for and create
-the accounts in <tt>/etc/passwd</> or <tt>/etc/group</> (using
-<prgn>adduser</> if it has this facility) if necessary. Packages
-which are likely to require further allocations should have a `hole'
-left after them in the allocation, to give them room to grow.
-<p>
-
-<tag>65000-65533:
-<item>
-Reserved.
-<p>
-
-<tag>65534:
-<item>
-User `<tt>nobody</>.'
-<p>
-
-<tag>65535:
-<item>
-<tt>(uid_t)(-1) == (gid_t)(-1)</>. NOT TO BE USED, because it is the
-error return sentinel value.
-<p>
-</taglist>
-
-<sect>Files
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Binaries
-<p>
-
-It is not allowed that two packages install programs with different
-functionality but with the same filenames. (The case of two programs
-having the same functionality but different implementations is handled via
-`alternatives.') If this case happens, one of the programs has to be
-renamed. The maintainers should report this to the developers' mailing
-and try to find a consensus about which package will have to be renamed.
-If a consensus can not be reached, <em>both</> programs must be renamed.
-<p>
-
-Generally the following compilation parameters should be used:
-<example>
- CC = gcc
- CFLAGS = -O2 -g -Wall # sane warning options vary between programs
- LDFLAGS = # none
- install -s # (or use strip on the files in debian/tmp)
-</example>
-<p>
-
-Note that all installed binaries should be
-stripped, either by using the <tt/-s/ flag to <prgn/install/, or by calling
-<prgn/strip/ on the binaries after they have been copied into
-<tt>debian/tmp</> but before the tree is made into a package.
-<p>
-
-The <tt/-g/ flag is useful on compilation so that you have available a
-full set of debugging symbols in your built source tree, in case
-anyone should file a bug report involving (for example) a core dump.
-<p>
-
-The <tt/-N/ flag should not be used. On a.out systems it may have
-been useful for some very small binaries, but for ELF it has no good
-effect.
-<p>
-
-It is up to the package maintainer to decide what compilation options
-are best for the package. Certain binaries (such as
-computationally-intensive programs) may function better with certain
-flags (<tt/-O3/, for example); feel free to use them. Please use good
-judgment here. Don't use flags for the sake of it; only use them if
-there is good reason to do so. Feel free to override the upstream
-author's ideas about which compilation options are best--they are
-often inappropriate for our environment.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Libraries
-<p>
-
-All libraries must have a shared version in the lib package and a static
-version in the lib-dev package. The shared version must be compiled with
-<tt/-fPIC/, and the static version must not be. In other words, each
-<tt/*.c/ file is compiled twice.
-<p>
-
-You have to specify the gcc option <tt>-D_REENTRANT</tt> when building
-a library (either static or shared) to make the library compatible with
-LinuxThreads.
-<p>
-
-Note that all installed shared libraries should be stripped with
-<example>
- strip --strip-unneeded <your-lib>
-</example>
-(The option `--strip-unneeded' makes <tt>strip</tt> remove only the symbols
-which aren't needed for relocation processing.)
-Shared libraries can function perfectly well when
-stripped, since the symbols for dynamic linking are in a separate part
-of the ELF object file.
-<p>
-
-Note that under some circumstances
-it may be useful to install a shared library unstripped, for example
-when building a separate package to support debugging.
-<p>
-
-Please make sure that you use only released versions of shared
-libraries to build your packages; otherwise other users will not be
-able to run your binaries properly. Producing source packages that
-depend on unreleased compilers is also usually a bad idea.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Shared libraries
-<p>
-
-Packages involving shared libraries should be split up into several
-binary packages.
-<p>
-
-For a straightforward library which has a development environment and
-a runtime kit including just shared libraries you need to create two
-packages: <tt/<var/libraryname/<var/soname// (<var/soname/ is
-the shared object name of the shared library--it's the thing that has
-to match exactly between building an executable and running it for the
-dynamic linker to be able run the program; usually the <var/soname/
-is the major number of the library) and
-<tt/<var/libraryname/<var/soname/-dev/.
-<p>
-
-If you prefer only to support one development version at a time you
-may name the development package <tt/<var/libraryname/-dev/; otherwise
-you may wish to use <prgn/dpkg/'s conflicts mechanism to ensure that
-the user only installs one development version at a time (after all,
-different development versions are likely to have the same header
-files in them, causing a filename clash if both are installed).
-Typically the development version will also need an exact version
-dependency on the runtime library, to make sure that compilation and
-linking happens correctly.
-<p>
-
-Packages which use the shared library should have a dependency on the
-name of the shared library package,
-<tt/<var/libraryname/<var/soname//. When the <var/soname/ changes you
-can have both versions of the library installed while moving from the
-old library to the new.
-<p>
-
-If your package has some run-time support programs which use the
-shared library you must <em/not/ put them in the shared library
-package. If you do that then you won't be able to install several
-versions of the shared library without getting filename clashes.
-Instead, either create a third package for the runtime binaries (this
-package might typically be named <tt/<var/libraryname/-runtime/--note
-the absence of the <var/soname/ in the package name) or if the
-development package is small include them in there.
-<p>
-
-If you have several shared libraries built from the same source tree
-you can lump them all together into a single shared library package,
-provided that you change all their <var/soname/s at once (so that you
-don't get filename clashes if you try to install different versions of
-the combined shared libraries package).
-<p>
-
-Follow the directions in the <em>Debian Packaging Manual</em> for
-putting the shared library in its package, and make sure you include a
-<tt/shlibs/ control area file with details of the dependencies for
-packages which use the library.
-<p>
-
-Shared libraries should <em/not/ be installed executable, since
-<prgn/ld.so/ does not require this and trying to execute a shared
-library results in a core dump.
-<p>
-
-<sect1 id=scripts>Scripts
-<p>
-
-All command scripts, including the package maintainer scripts inside
-the package and used by <prgn/dpkg/, should have a <tt/#!/ line naming
-the shell to be used to interpret them.
-<p>
-
-In the case of Perl scripts this should be <tt>#!/usr/bin/perl</tt>.
-<p>
-
-Shell scripts (<prgn/sh/ and <prgn/bash/) should almost certainly
-start with <tt>set -e</> so that errors are detected. Every script
-<em/must/ use <tt/set -e/ or check the exit status of <em/every/
-command.
-<p>
-
-The standard shell interpreter `<tt>/bin/sh</tt>' may be a symbolic
-link to any POSIX compatible shell. Thus, shell scripts specifying
-`<tt>/bin/sh</tt>' as interpreter may only use POSIX features. If a
-script requires non-POSIX features from the shell interpreter, the
-appropriate shell has to be specified in the first line of the script
-(e.g., `<tt>#!/bin/bash</tt>') and the package has to depend on the
-package providing the shell (unless the shell package is marked
-`Essential', e.g., in the case of <prgn/bash/).
-<p>
-
-Restrict your script to POSIX features when possible so that it may
-use <tt>/bin/sh</tt> as its interpreter. If your script works with
-<prgn/ash/, it's probably POSIX compliant, but if you are in doubt,
-use <tt>/bin/bash</tt>.
-<p>
-
-Perl scripts should check for errors when making any system calls,
-including <tt/open/, <tt/print/, <tt/close/, <tt/rename/ and
-<tt/system/.
-<p>
-
-<prgn/csh/ and <prgn/tcsh/ should be avoided as scripting languages.
-See <em>Csh Programming Considered Harmful</>, one of the
-<tt/comp.unix.*/ FAQs. It can be found on <ftpsite>rtfm.mit.edu</> in
-<ftppath>/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.unix.programmer/Csh_Programming_Considered_Harmful</>.
-If an upstream package comes with <prgn/csh/ scripts then you must
-make sure that they start with <tt>#!/bin/csh</tt> and make your
-package depend on the <prgn/c-shell/ virtual package.
-<p>
-
-Any scripts which create files in world-writable directories (e.g., in
-<tt>/tmp</tt>) have to use a mechanism which will fail if a file with
-the same name already exists.
-<p>
-
-The Debian base distribution provides the <prgn/tempfile/ and
-<prgn/mktemp/ utilities for use by scripts for this purpose.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Symbolic links
-<p>
-
-In general, symbolic links within a toplevel directory should be
-relative, and symbolic links pointing from one toplevel directory into
-another should be absolute. (A toplevel directory is a sub-directory
-of the root directory `/'.)
-<p>
-
-In addition, symbolic links should be specified as short as possible,
-i.e., link targets like `foo/../bar' are deprecated.
-<p>
-
-Note that when creating a relative link using <prgn/ln/ it is not
-necessary for the target of the link to exist relative to the working
-directory you're running <prgn/ln/ from; nor is it necessary to change
-directory to the directory where the link is to be made. Simply
-include the string that should appear as the target of the link (this
-will be a pathname relative to the directory in which the link
-resides) as the first argument to <prgn/ln/.
-<p>
-
-For example, in your <prgn/Makefile/ or <tt>debian/rules</>, do things
-like:
-<example>
- ln -fs gcc $(prefix)/bin/cc
- ln -fs gcc debian/tmp/usr/bin/cc
- ln -fs ../sbin/sendmail $(prefix)/bin/runq
- ln -fs ../sbin/sendmail debian/tmp/usr/bin/runq
-</example>
-<p>
-
-A symbolic link pointing to a compressed file should always have the
-same file extension as the referenced file. (For example, if a file
-`<tt>foo.gz</tt>' is referenced by a symbolic link, the filename of
-the link has to end with `<tt>.gz</tt>' too, as in `bar.gz.')
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Device files
-<p>
-
-No package may include device files in the package file tree.
-<p>
-
-If a package needs any special device files that are not included in
-the base system, it has to call <prgn/makedev/ in the <tt/postinst/
-script, after asking the user for permission to do so.
-<p>
-
-No package should remove any device files in the <tt/postrm/ or any
-other script. This is left to the system administrator.
-<p>
-
-Debian uses the serial devices <tt>/dev/tty*</tt>. Programs using the
-old <tt>/dev/cu*</tt> devices should be changed to use
-<tt>/dev/tty*</tt>.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Configuration files
-<p>
-
-Any configuration files created or used by your package should reside
-in <tt>/etc</tt>. If there are several you should consider creating a
-subdirectory named after your package.
-<p>
-
-It is almost certain that any file in <tt>/etc</tt> that is in your
-package's filesystem archive should be listed in <prgn/dpkg/'s
-<tt/conffiles/ control area file. (See the <em>Debian Packaging
-Manual</em>).
-<p>
-
-Only packages that are tagged <em/conflicting/ with each other may
-specify the same file as <tt/conffile/. A package may not modify a
-configuration file of another package.
-<p>
-
-If two or more packages use the same configuration file, one of these
-packages has to be defined as <em/owner/ of the configuration file,
-i.e., it has to list the file as <tt/conffile/ and has to provide
-a program that modifies the configuration file.
-<p>
-
-The other packages have to depend on the <em/owner/ package and use
-that program to update the configuration file.
-<p>
-
-Sometimes it's appropriate to build a new package, which just provides
-the basic <em/infrastructure/ for the other packages and which manages
-the shared configuration files. (Check out the <prgn/sgml-base/
-package as an example.)
-<p>
-
-Files in <tt>/etc/skel</> will automatically be copied into new user
-accounts by <prgn/adduser/. They should not be referenced there by
-any program.
-<p>
-
-Therefore, if a program needs a dotfile to exist in advance in
-<tt/$HOME/ to work sensibly that dotfile should be installed in
-<tt>/etc/skel</> (and listed in conffiles, if it is not generated and
-modified dynamically by the package's installation scripts).
-<p>
-
-However, programs that require dotfiles in order to operate sensibly
-(dotfiles that they do not create themselves automatically, that is)
-are a bad thing, and programs should be configured by the Debian
-default installation as close to normal as possible.
-<p>
-
-Therefore, if a program in a Debian package needs to be configured in
-some way in order to operate sensibly that configuration should be
-done in a site-wide global configuration file elsewhere in
-<tt>/etc</>. Only if the program doesn't support a site-wide default
-configuration and the package maintainer doesn't have time to add it
-should a default per-user file be placed in <tt>/etc/skel</>.
-<p>
-
-<tt>/etc/skel</> should be as empty as we can make it. This is
-particularly true because there is no easy mechanism for ensuring that
-the appropriate dotfiles are copied into the accounts of existing
-users when a package is installed.
-<p>
-
-Ideally the sysadmin should not have to do any configuration other
-than that done (semi-)automatically by the <tt/postinst/ script.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Permissions and owners
-<p>
-
-The rules in this section are guidelines for general use. If
-necessary you may deviate from the details below. However, if you do
-so you must make sure that what is done is secure and you must try to
-be as consistent as possible with the rest of the system. You should
-probably also discuss it on <prgn/debian-devel/ first.
-<p>
-
-Files should be owned by <tt/root.root/, and made writable only by
-the owner and universally readable (and executable, if appropriate).
-<p>
-
-Directories should be mode 755 or (for group-writability) mode 2775.
-The ownership of the directory should be consistent with its mode--if
-a directory is mode 2775, it should be owned by the group that needs
-write access to it.
-<p>
-
-Setuid and setgid executables should be mode 4755 or 2755
-respectively, and owned by the appropriate user or group. They should
-not be made unreadable (modes like 4711 or 2711 or even 4111); doing
-so achieves no extra security, because anyone can find the binary in
-the freely available Debian package--it is merely inconvenient. For
-the same reason you should not restrict read or execute permissions on
-non-set-id executables.
-<p>
-
-Some setuid programs need to be restricted to particular sets of
-users, using file permissions. In this case they should be owned by
-the uid to which they are set-id, and by the group which should be
-allowed to execute them. They should have mode 4754; there is no
-point in making them unreadable to those users who must not be allowed
-to execute them.
-<p>
-
-Do not arrange that the system administrator can only reconfigure the
-package to correspond to their local security policy by changing the
-permissions on a binary. Ordinary files installed by <prgn/dpkg/ (as
-opposed to conffiles and other similar objects) have their permissions
-reset to the distributed permissions when the package is reinstalled.
-Instead you should consider (for example) creating a group for people
-allowed to use the program(s) and making any setuid executables
-executable only by that group.
-<p>
-
-If you need to create a new user or group for your package there are
-two possibilities. Firstly, you may need to make some files in the
-binary package be owned by this user or group, or you may need to
-compile the user or group id (rather than just the name) into the
-binary (though this latter should be avoided if possible). In this
-case you need a statically allocated id.
-<p>
-
-You must ask for a user or group id from the base system maintainer,
-and must not release the package until you have been allocated one.
-Once you have been allocated one you must make the package depend on a
-version of the base system with the id present in <tt>/etc/passwd</tt>
-or <tt>/etc/group</tt>, or alternatively arrange for your package to
-create the user or group itself with the correct id (using
-<tt/adduser/) in its pre- or post-installation script (the latter is
-to be preferred if it is possible).
-<p>
-
-On the other hand, the program may able to determine the uid or gid
-from the group name at runtime, so that a dynamic id can be used. In
-this case you must choose an appropriate user or group name,
-discussing this on <prgn/debian-devel/ and checking with the base
-system maintainer that it is unique and that they do not wish you to
-use a statically allocated id instead. When this has been checked you
-must arrange for your package to create the user or group if necessary
-using <prgn/adduser/ in the pre- or post-installation script (again,
-the latter is to be preferred if it is possible).
-<p>
-
-Note that changing the numeric value of an id associated with a name
-is very difficult, and involves searching the filesystem for all
-appropriate files. You need to think carefully whether a static or
-dynamic id is required, since changing your mind later will cause
-problems.
-<p>
-
-<sect id="sysvinit">System run levels
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Introduction
-<p>
-
-The <tt>/etc/init.d</> directory contains the scripts executed by
-<prgn/init/ at boot time and when init state (or `runlevel') is
-changed (see <manref name=init section=8>). <p>
-
-These scripts are being referenced by symbolic links in the
-<tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d</> directories. When changing runlevels,
-<prgn/init/ looks in the directory <tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d</> for the
-scripts it should execute, where <var/n/ is the runlevel that is being
-changed to, or `S' for the boot-up scripts. <p>
-
-The names of the links all have the form <tt/S<var/mm/<var/script// or
-<tt/K<var/mm/<var/script// where <var/mm/ is a two-digit number and
-<var/script/ is the name of the script (this should be the same as the
-name of the actual script in <tt>/etc/init.d</>.
-
-When <prgn/init/ changes runlevel first the targets of the links whose
-names starting with a <tt/K/ are executed, each with the single
-argument <tt/stop/, followed by the scripts prefixed with an <tt/S/,
-each with the single argument <tt/start/. The <tt/K/ links are
-responsible for killing services and the <tt/S/ link for starting
-services upon entering the runlevel.
-<p>
-
-For example, if we are changing from runlevel 2 to runlevel 3, init
-will first execute all of the <tt/K/ prefixed scripts it finds in
-<tt>/etc/rc3.d</>, and then all of the <tt/S/ prefixed scripts. The
-links starting with <tt/K/ will cause the referred-to file to be
-executed with an argument of <tt/stop/, and the <tt/S/ links with an
-argument of <tt/start/.
-<p>
-
-The two-digit number <var/mm/ is used to decide which order to start
-and stop things in--low-numbered links have their scripts run first.
-For example, the <tt/K20/ scripts will be executed before the <tt/K30/
-scripts. This is used when a certain service must be started before
-another. For example, the name server <prgn/bind/ might need to be
-started before the news server <prgn/inn/ so that <prgn/inn/ can set
-up its access lists. In this case, the script that starts <prgn/bind/
-should have a lower number than the script that starts <prgn/inn/ so
-that it runs first:
-<example>
- /etc/rc2.d/S17bind
- /etc/rc2.d/S70inn
-</example>
-
-<sect1>Writing the scripts
-<p>
-
-Packages can and should place scripts in <tt>/etc/init.d</> to start
-or stop services at boot time or during a change of runlevel. These
-scripts should be named <tt>/etc/init.d/<var/package/</>, and they
-should accept one argument, saying what to do:
-
-<taglist>
-<tag><tt/start/
-<item>start the service,
-<p>
-<tag><tt/stop/
-<item>stop the service,
-<p>
-<tag><tt/restart/
-<item>stop and restart the service,
-<p>
-<tag><tt/reload/
-<item>cause the configuration of the service to be
-reloaded without actually stopping and restarting the service,
-<p>
-<tag><tt/force-reload/
-<item>cause the configuration to be reloaded if the service supports
-this, otherwise restart the service.
-</taglist>
-
-The <tt/start/, <tt/stop/, <tt/restart/, and <tt/force-reload/ options
-must be supported by all scripts in <tt>/etc/init.d</>, the
-<tt/reload/ option is optional.
-<p>
-
-The <tt/init.d/ scripts should ensure that they will behave sensibly
-if invoked with <tt/start/ when the service is already running, or
-with <tt/stop/ when it isn't, and that they don't kill
-unfortunately-named user processes. The best way to achieve this is
-usually to use <prgn/start-stop-daemon/.
-<p>
-
-If a service reloads its configuration automatically (as in the case
-of <prgn/cron/, for example), the <tt/reload/ option of the
-<tt/init.d/ script should behave as if the configuration has been
-reloaded successfully.
-<p>
-
-These scripts should not fail obscurely when the configuration files
-remain but the package has been removed, as the default in <prgn/dpkg/
-is to leave configuration files on the system after the package has
-been removed. Only when it is executed with the <tt/--purge/ option
-will dpkg remove configuration files. Therefore, you should include a
-<tt/test/ statement at the top of the script, like this:
-<example>
- test -f <var/program-executed-later-in-script/ || exit 0
-</example>
-
-<sect1>Managing the links
-<p>
-
-A program is provided, <prgn/update-rc.d/, to make it easier for
-package maintainers to arrange for the proper creation and removal of
-<tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d</> symbolic links from their <tt/postinst/ and
-<tt/postrm/ scripts.
-<p>
-
-You should use this script to make changes to <tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d</>
-and <em/never/ include any <tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d</> symbolic links in
-the actual archive.
-<p>
-
-By default <prgn/update-rc.d/ will start services in each of the
-multi-user state runlevels (2, 3, 4, and 5) and stop them in the halt
-runlevel (0), the single-user runlevel (1) and the reboot runlevel
-(6). The system administrator will have the opportunity to customize
-runlevels by simply adding, moving, or removing the symbolic links in
-<tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d</>.
-<p>
-
-To get the default behaviour for your package, put in your
-<tt/postinst/ script
-<example>
- update-rc.d <var/package/ default >/dev/null
-</example>
-and in your <tt/postrm/
-<example>
- if [ purge = "$1" ]; then
- update-rc.d <var/package/ remove >/dev/null
- fi
-</example>
-<p>
-
-This will use a default sequence number of 20. If it does not matter
-when or in which order the script is run, use this default. If it
-does, then you should talk to the maintainer of the <prgn/sysvinit/
-package or post to <tt>debian-devel</>, and they will help you choose
-a number.
-<p>
-
-For more information about using <tt/update-rc.d/, please consult its
-manpage <manref name=update-rc.d section=8>.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Boot-time initialisation
-<p>
-
-There is another directory, <tt>/etc/rc.boot</>, which contains
-scripts which are run once per machine boot. This facility is
-provided for initialisation of hardware devices, cleaning up of
-leftover files, and so forth.
-<p>
-
-For example, the <prgn/kbd/ package provides a script here for
-initialising the keyboard layout and console font and mode.
-<p>
-
-The files in <tt>/etc/rc.boot</> should <em/not/ be links into
-<tt>/etc/init.d</>--they should be the scripts themselves.
-<p>
-
-<tt/rc.boot/ should <em/not/ be used for starting general-purpose
-daemons and similar activities. This should be done using the
-<tt/rc<var/n/.d/ scheme, above, so that the services can be started
-and stopped cleanly when the runlevel changes or the machine is to be
-shut down or rebooted.
-<p>
-
-<sect1>Notes
-<p>
-
-<em/Do not/ include the <tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d/*</> symbolic links in
-the <tt/.deb/ filesystem archive! <em/This will cause problems!/
-You should create them with <prgn/update-rc.d/, as above.
-<p>
-
-<em/Do not/ include the <tt>/etc/rc<var/n/.d/*</> symbolic links in
-<prgn/dpkg/'s conffiles list! <em/This will cause problems!/ <em/Do/,
-however, include the <tt>/etc/init.d</> scripts in conffiles. (This
-is important since we want to give the local system administrator the
-chance to adapt the scripts to the local system--e.g., to disable a
-service without deinstalling the package, or to specify some special
-command line options when starting a service--while making sure her
-changes aren't lost during the next package upgrade.) <p>
-
-<sect1>Example
-<p>
-
-The <prgn/bind/ DNS (nameserver) package wants to make sure that the
-nameserver is running in multiuser runlevels, and is properly shut
-down with the system. It puts a script in <tt>/etc/init.d</>, naming
-the script appropriately <tt/bind/. As you can see, the script
-interprets the argument <tt/reload/ to send the nameserver a <tt/HUP/
-signal (causing it to reload its configuration); this way the user can
-say <tt>/etc/init.d/bind reload</> to reload the name server.
-<p>
-
-<example>
- #!/bin/sh
- #
- # Original version by Robert Leslie <rob@mars.org>, edited by iwj and cs
-
- test -x /usr/sbin/named || exit 0
-
- case "$1" in
- start)
- echo -n "Starting domain name service: named"
- start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --exec /usr/sbin/named
- echo "."
- ;;
- stop)
- echo -n "Stopping domain name service: named"
- start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet \
- --pidfile /var/run/named.pid --exec /usr/sbin/named
- echo "."
- ;;
- restart)
- echo -n "Restarting domain name service: named"
- start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet \
- --pidfile /var/run/named.pid --exec /usr/sbin/named
- start-stop-daemon --start --verbose --exec /usr/sbin/named
- echo "."
- ;;
- force-reload|reload)
- echo -n "Reloading configuration of domain name service: named"
- start-stop-daemon --stop --signal 1 --quiet \
- --pidfile /var/run/named.pid --exec /usr/sbin/named
- echo "."
- ;;
- *)
- echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/bind {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}" >&2
- exit 1
- ;;
- esac
-
- exit 0
-</example>
-<p>
-
-Another example on which to base your <tt>/etc/init.d</> scripts is in
-<tt>/etc/init.d/skeleton</>.
-<p>
-
-If this package is happy with the default setup from
-<prgn/update-rc.d/, namely an ordering number of 20 and having named
-running in all runlevels, it can say in its <tt/postinst/:
-<example>
- update-rc.d bind default >/dev/null
-</example>
-And in its <tt/postrm/, to remove the links when the package is purged:
-<example>
- if [ purge = "$1" ]; then
- update-rc.d acct remove >/dev/null
- fi
-</example>
-<p>
-
-<sect>Cron jobs
-<p>
-
-Packages may not touch the configuration file <tt>/etc/crontab</>, nor
-may they modify the files in <tt>/var/spool/cron/crontabs</>.
-<p>
-
-If a package wants to install a job that has to be executed via
-cron, it should place a file with the name if the package in one
-of the following directories:
-<example>
- /etc/cron.daily
- /etc/cron.weekly
- /etc/cron.monthly
-</example>
-As these directory names say, the files within them are executed on
-a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, respectively.
-<p>
-
-If a certain job has to be executed more frequently than `daily,' the
-package should install a file
-<tt>/etc/cron.d/<package-name></tt> tagged as configuration
-file. This file uses the same syntax as <tt>/etc/crontab</tt> and is
-processed by <prgn/cron/ automatically. (Note, that scripts in the
-<tt>/etc/cron.d</tt> directory are not handled by
-<prgn/anacron/. Thus, you should only use this directory for jobs
-which may be skipped if the system is not running.)
-<p>
-
-All files installed in any of these directories have to be scripts
-(shell scripts, Perl scripts, etc.) so that they can easily be
-modified by the local system administrator. In addition, they have to
-be registered as configuration file.
-<p>
-
-The scripts in these directories have to check, if all necessary
-programs are installed before they try to execute them. Otherwise,
-problems will arise when a package was removed (but not purged), since
-the configuration files are kept on the system in this situation.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Console messages
-<p>
-
-This section describes different formats for messages written to
-standard output by the <tt>/etc/init.d</> scripts. The intent is to
-improve the consistency of Debian's startup and shutdown look and
-feel.
-<p>
-
-Please look very careful at the details. We want to get the messages
-to look exactly the same way concerning spaces, punctuation, and case
-of letters.
-<p>
-
-Here is a list of overall rules that you should use when you create output
-messages. They can be useful if you have a non-standard message that isn't
-covered in the sections below.
-<p>
-
-<list>
-<item>
- Every message should cover one line, start with a capital letter and
- end with a period `.'.
-<p>
-
-<item>
- If you want to express that the computer is working on something
- (performing a specific task, not starting or stopping a program), we
- use an ``ellipsis'', namely three dots `...'. Note that we don't insert
- spaces in front of or behind the dots.
- If the task has been completed we write `done.' and a line feed.
-<p>
-
-<item>
- Design your messages as if the computer is telling you what he is
- doing (let him be polite :-) but don't mention ``him'' directly.
- For example, if you think of saying
-<example>
- I'm starting network daemons: nfsd mountd.
-</example>
- just say
-<example>
- Starting network daemons: nfsd mountd.
-</example>
-</list>
-<p>
-
-The following formats must be used
-<p>
-
-<list>
-<item>
- when daemons get started.
-<p>
-
- Use this format if your script starts one or more daemons.
- The output should look like this (a single line, no leading spaces):
-<example>
- Starting <description>: <daemon-1> <daemon-2> <...> <daemon-n>.
-</example>
- The <description> should describe the subsystem the daemon or set of
- daemons are part of, while <daemon-1> up to <daemon-n>
- denote each daemon's name (typically the file name of the program).
-<p>
-
- For example, the output of /etc/init.d/lpd would look like:
-<example>
- Starting printer spooler: lpd.
-</example>
-<p>
-
- This can be achieved by saying
-<example>
- echo -n "Starting printer spooler: lpd"
- start-stop-daemon --start --quiet lpd
- echo "."
-</example>
- in the script. If you have more than one daemon to start, you should
- do the following:
-<example>
- echo -n "Starting remote filesystem services:"
- echo -n " nfsd"; start-stop-daemon --start --quiet nfsd
- echo -n " mountd"; start-stop-daemon --start --quiet mountd
- echo -n " ugidd"; start-stop-daemon --start --quiet ugidd
- echo "."
-</example>
- This makes it possible for the user to see what takes so long and when
- the final daemon has been started. Please be careful where to put spaces:
- In the example above the system administrator can easily comment out
- a line if he don't wants to start a specific daemon, while the displayed
- message still looks good.
-<p>
-
-<item>
- when something needs to be configured.
-<p>
-
- If you have to set up different parameters of the system upon boot up,
- you can use this format:
-<example>
- Setting <parameter> to `<value>'.
-</example>
-<p>
-
- You can use the following echo statement to get the quotes right:
-<example>
- echo "Setting DNS domainname to \`"value"'."
-</example>
-<p>
-
- Note that the left quotation mark (`) is different from the right (').
-
-<item>
- when a daemon is stopped.
-<p>
-
- When you stop a daemon you should issue a message similar to the startup
- message, except that `Starting' is replaced with `Stopping'.
-<p>
-
- So stopping the printer daemon will like like this:
-<example>
- Stopping printer spooler: lpd.
-</example>
-
-<item>
- when something is executed.
-<p>
-
- There a several examples where you have to run a program at system
- startup or shutdown to perform a specific task. For example, setting
- the system's clock via `netdate' or killing all processes when the
- system comes down. Your message should like this:
-<example>
- Doing something very useful...done.
-</example>
- You should print the `done.' right after the job has been completed,
- so that the user gets informed why he has to wait. You can get this
- behaviour by saying
-<example>
- echo -n "Doing something very useful..."
- do_something
- echo "done."
-</example>
- in your script.
-
-<item>
- when the configuration is reloaded.
-<p>
-
- When a daemon is forced to reload its configuration files you
-should use the following format:
-<example>
- Reloading <daemon's-name> configuration...done.
-</example>
-
-<item>
- when none of the above rules apply.
-<p>
-
- If you have to print a message that doesn't fit into the styles described
- above, you can use something appropriate, but please have a look at the
- overall rules listed above.
-</list>
-<p>
-
-<sect>Menus
-<p>
-
-The Debian <tt/menu/ packages provides a unique interface between
-packages providing applications and documents, and <em/menu programs/
-(either X window managers or text-based menu programs as
-<prgn/pdmenu/).
-<p>
-
-All packages that provide applications that need not be passed any
-special command line arguments for normal operation should register a
-menu entry for those applications, so that users of the <tt/menu/
-package will automatically get menu entries in their window managers,
-as well in shells like <tt/pdmenu/.
-<p>
-
-Please refer to the <em>Debian Menu System</em> document that comes
-with the <tt/menu/ package for information about how to register your
-applications and web documents.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Keyboard configuration
-<p>
-
-To achieve a consistent keyboard configuration (i.e., all applications
-interpret a keyboard event the same way) all programs in the Debian
-distribution have to be configured to comply with the following
-guidelines.
-<p>
-
-Here is a list that contains certain keys and their interpretation:
-
-<taglist>
-<tag><tt/<--/
-<item>delete the character to the left of the cursor
-<p>
-<tag><tt/Delete/
-<item>delete the character to the right of the cursor
-<p>
-<tag><tt/Control+H/
-<item>emacs: the help prefix
-</taglist>
-
-The interpretation of any keyboard events should be independent of the
-terminal that's used (either the console, X windows, rlogin/telnet
-session, etc.).
-<p>
-
-The following list explains how the different programs should be set
-up to achieve this:
-<p>
-
-<list compact>
-<item>`<tt><--</tt>' generates KB_Backspace in X.
-<p>
-<item>`<tt/Delete/' generates KB_Delete in X.
-<p>
-<item>X translations are set up to make KB_Backspace generate ASCII DEL,
- and to make KB_Delete generate <tt>ESC [ 3 ~</tt> (this is the vt220 escape
- code for the `delete character' key). This must be done by loading
- the resources using xrdb on all local X displays, not using the
- application defaults, so that the translation resources used
- correspond to the xmodmap settings.
-<p>
-<item>The Linux console is configured to make `<tt><--</tt>' generate DEL, and
- `Delete' generate <tt>ESC [ 3 ~</tt> (this is the case at the moment).
-<p>
-<item>X applications are configured so that Backspace deletes left, and
- Delete deletes right. Motif applications already work like this.
-<p>
-<item>stty erase <tt>^?</tt> .
-<p>
-<item>The `xterm' terminfo entry should have <tt>ESC [ 3 ~</tt> for kdch1, just
- like TERM=linux and TERM=vt220.
-<p>
-<item>Emacs is programmed to map KB_Backspace or the `stty erase'
- character to delete-backward-char, and KB_Delete or kdch1 to
- delete-forward-char, and <tt>^H</tt> to help as always.
-<p>
-<item>Other applications use the `stty erase' character and kdch1 for the
- two delete keys, with ASCII DEL being `delete previous character'
- and kdch1 being `delete character under cursor'.
-</list>
-<p>
-
-This will solve the problem except for:
-<p>
-
-<list compact>
-<item>Some terminals have a <tt><--</tt> key that cannot be made to produce
- anything except <tt>^H</tt>. On these terminals Emacs help will be
- unavailable on <tt>^H</tt> (assuming that the `stty erase' character takes
- precedence in Emacs, and has been set correctly). M-x help or F1
- (if available) can be used instead.
-<p>
-<item>Some operating systems use <tt>^H</tt> for stty erase. However, modern
- telnet versions and all rlogin versions propagate stty settings,
- and almost all UNIX versions honour stty erase. Where the stty
- settings are not propagated correctly things can be made to work by
- using stty manually.
-<p>
-<item>Some systems (including previous Debian versions) use xmodmap to
- arrange for both <tt><--</tt> and Delete to generate KB_Delete). We can
- change the behaviour of their X clients via the same X resources
- that we use to do it for our own, or have our clients be configured
- via their resources when things are the other way around. On
- displays configured like this Delete will not work, but <tt><--</tt> will.
-<p>
-<item>Some operating systems have different kdch1 settings in their
- terminfo for xterm and others. On these systems the Delete key
- will not work correctly when you log in from a system conforming to
- our policy, but <tt><--</tt> will.
-</list>
-<p>
-
-<sect>Environment variables
-<p>
-
-No program may depend on environment variables to get reasonable
-defaults. (That's because these environment variables would have to
-be set in a system-wide configuration file like /etc/profile, which is
-not supported by all shells.)
-<p>
-
-If a program should depend on environment variables for its
-configuration, the program has to be changed to fall back to a
-reasonable default configuration if these environment variables are
-not present. If this cannot be done easily (e.g., if the source code
-of a non-free program is not available), the program should be
-replaced by a small `wrapper' shell script which sets the environment
-variables and calls the original program.
-<p>
-
-Here is an example of a wrapper script for this purpose:
-
-<example>
-#!/bin/sh
-BAR=/var/lib/fubar
-export BAR
-exec /usr/lib/foo/foo "$@"
-</example>
-<p>
-
-Furthermore, as <tt>/etc/profile</tt> is a configuration file of the
-<prgn/bash/ package, no other package may put any environment
-variables or other commands into that file.
-<p>
-
-
-
-<chapt>Customized programs
-<p>
-
-<sect id="arch-spec">Architecture specification strings
-<p>
-
-If a program needs to specify an <em>architecture specification
-string</> in some place, the following format has to be used:
-<example>
- <arch>-linux
-</example>
-where `<arch>' is one of the following: i386, alpha, arm, m68k,
-powerpc, sparc.
-<p>
-
-Note, that we don't want to use `<arch>-debian-linux' to apply
-to the rule `architecture-vendor-os' since this would make our
-programs incompatible to other Linux distributions. Also note, that we
-don't use `<arch>-unknown-linux', since the `unknown' does not
-look very good.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Daemons
-<p>
-
-The configuration files <tt>/etc/services</tt>,
-<tt>/etc/protocols</tt>, and <tt>/etc/rpc</tt> are managed by the
-<prgn/netbase/ package and may not be modified by other packages.
-<p>
-
-If a package requires a new entry in one of these files, the
-maintainer has to get in contact with the <prgn/netbase/ maintainer,
-who will add the entries and release a new version of the
-<prgn/netbase/ package.
-<p>
-
-The configuration file <tt>/etc/inetd.conf</tt> may be modified by the
-package's scripts only via the <prgn/update-inetd/ script or the
-<prgn/DebianNet.pm/ Perl module.
-<p>
-
-If a package wants to install an example entry into
-<tt>/etc/inetd.conf</tt>, the entry has to be preceded with exactly
-one hash character (#). Such lines are treated as `commented out by
-user' by the <prgn/update-inetd/ script and are not changed or
-activated during a package updates.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Editors and pagers
-<p>
-
-Some programs have the ability to launch an editor or pager
-program to edit or display a text document. Since there are
-lots of different editors and pagers available in the Debian
-distribution, the system administrator and each user should have
-the possibility to choose his/her preferred editor and pager.
-<p>
-
-In addition, every program should choose a good default
-editor/pager if none is selected by the user or system
-administrator.
-<p>
-
-Thus, every program that launches an editor or pager has to use the
-EDITOR or PAGER environment variables to determine the editor/pager
-the user wants to get started. If these variables are not set, the
-programs `/usr/bin/editor' and `/usr/bin/pager' have to be used,
-respectively.
-<p>
-
-These two files are managed through `alternatives.' That is,
-every package providing an editor or pager has to call the
-`update-alternatives' script to register these programs.
-<p>
-
-If it is very hard to adapt a program to make us of the EDITOR
-and PAGER variable, that program should be configured to use
-`/usr/bin/sensible-editor' and `/usr/bin/sensible-pager' as
-editor or pager program, respectively. These are two scripts
-provided in the Debian base system that check the EDITOR and
-PAGER variables and launches the appropriate program or
-falls back to `/usr/bin/editor' and `/usr/bin/pager',
-automatically.
-<p>
-
-Since the Debian base system already provides an editor and
-a pager program, there is no need for a package to depend on
-`editor' and `pager', nor is it necessary for a package to
-provide such virtual packages.
-<p>
-
-<sect id="web-appl">Web servers and applications
-<p>
-
-This section describes the locations and URLs that have to be used by
-all web servers and web application in the Debian system.
-<p>
-
-<enumlist>
-<item>Cgi-bin executable files are installed in the directory
-<example>
- /usr/lib/cgi-bin/<cgi-bin-name>
-</example>
-and can be referred to as
-<example>
- http://localhost/cgi-bin/<cgi-bin-name>
-</example>
-<p>
-
-<item>Access to html documents
-<p>
-
-Html documents for a package are stored in /usr/doc/<package> and can be
-referred to as
-<example>
- http://localhost/doc/<package>/<filename>
-</example>
-<p>
-
-<item>Web Document Root
-<p>
-
-Web Applications should try to avoid storing files in the Web Document Root.
-Instead use the /usr/doc/<package> directory for documents and
-register the Web Application via the menu package. If access to the
-web-root is unavoidable then use
-<example>
- /var/www
-</example>
-as the Document Root. This might be just a symbolic link to the location where the
-sysadmin has put the real document root.
-<p>
-
-</enumlist>
-<p>
-
-<sect>Mail transport agents
-<p>
-
-Debian packages which process electronic mail, whether
-mail-user-agents (MUAs) or mail-transport-agents (MTAs), <em/must/
-make sure that they are compatible with the configuration decisions
-below. Failure to do this may result in lost mail, broken <tt/From:/
-lines, and other serious brain damage!
-<p>
-
-The mail spool is <tt>/var/spool/mail</> and the interface to send a
-mail message is <tt>/usr/sbin/sendmail</> (as per the FSSTND). The
-mail spool is part of the base system and not part of the MTA package.
-<p>
-
-All Debian MUAs and MTAs have to use the <tt>maillock</tt> and
-<tt>mailunlock</tt> functions provided by the <tt>liblockfile</tt>
-packages to lock and unlock mail boxes. These functions implement
-a NFS-safe locking mechanism. (It is ok if MUAs and MTAs don't link
-against liblockfile but use a <em/compatible/ mechanism. Please
-compare the mechanisms very carefully!)
-<p>
-
-Mailboxes are generally 660 <tt/<var/user/.mail/ unless the user has
-chosen otherwise. A MUA may remove a mailbox (unless it has
-nonstandard permissions) in which case the MTA or another MUA must
-recreate it if needed. Mailboxes must be writable by group mail.
-<p>
-
-The mail spool is 2775 <tt/mail.mail/, and MUAs need to be setgid
-mail to do the locking mentioned above (and obviously need to avoid
-accessing other users' mailboxes using this privilege).
-<p>
-
-<tt>/etc/aliases</> is the source file for the system mail aliases
-(e.g., postmaster, usenet, etc.)--it is the one which the sysadmin
-and <tt/postinst/ scripts may edit. After <tt>/etc/aliases</> is edited
-the program or human editing it must call <prgn/newaliases/. All MTA
-packages should come with a <prgn/newaliases/ program, even if it does
-nothing, but older MTA packages do not do this so programs should not
-fail if <prgn/newaliases/ cannot be found.
-<p>
-
-The convention of writing <tt/forward to <var/address// in the mailbox
-itself is not supported. Use a <tt/.forward/ file instead.
-<p>
-
-The location for the <prgn/rmail/ program used by UUCP for incoming
-mail is <tt>/usr/sbin/rmail</>, as per the FSSTND. Likewise,
-<prgn/rsmtp/, for receiving batch-SMTP-over-UUCP, is in
-<tt>/usr/sbin/rsmtp</> if it is supported.
-<p>
-
-If you need to know what name to use (for example) on outgoing news
-and mail messages which are generated locally, you should use the file
-<tt>/etc/mailname</>. It will contain the portion after the username
-and <tt/@/ (at) sign for email addresses of users on the machine
-(followed by a newline).
-<p>
-
-A package should check for the existence of this file. If it exists
-it should use it without comment. (An MTA's prompting
-configuration script may wish to prompt the user even if it finds this
-file exists.) If it does not exist it should prompt the user
-for the value and store it in <tt>/etc/mailname</> as well as using it
-in the package's configuration. The prompt should make it clear that
-the name will not just be used by that package. For example, in this
-situation the INN package says:
-<example>
- Please enter the `mail name' of your system. This is the hostname
- portion of the address to be shown on outgoing news and mail messages.
- The default is <var/syshostname/, your system's host name.
- Mail name [`<var/syshostname/']:
-</example>
-where <var/syshostname/ is the output of <tt/hostname --fqdn/.
-<p>
-
-<sect>News system configuration
-<p>
-
-All the configuration files related to the NNTP (news) servers and
-clients should be located under <tt>/etc/news</tt>.
-<p>
-
-There are some configuration issues that apply to a number of
-news clients and server packages on the machine. These are:
-
-<taglist>
-<tag>/etc/news/organization
-<item>A string which shall appear as the
- organization header for all messages posted
- by NNTP clients on the machine
-<p>
-<tag>/etc/news/server
-<item>Contains the FQDN of the upstream NNTP
- server, or localhost if the local machine is
- an NNTP server.
-</taglist>
-
-Other global files may be added as required for cross-package news
-configuration.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Programs for the X Windows system
-<p>
-
-Some programs can be configured with or without support for X Windows.
-Typically these binaries produced when configured for X will need the
-X shared libraries to run.
-<p>
-
-Such programs should be configured <em/with/ X support, and should
-declare a dependency on <tt/xlib6g/ (for the X11R6 libraries).
-Users who wish to use the program can install just the relatively
-small <tt/xlib6g/ package, and do not need to install the whole of X.
-<p>
-
-Do not create two versions (one with X support and one without) of
-your package.
-<p>
-
-<em>Application defaults</em> files have to be installed in the
-directory <tt>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults/</tt>. They are
-considered as part of the program code. Thus, they should not be
-modified and should not be tagged as <em>conffile</em>. If the local
-system administrator wants to customise X applications globally, the
-file <tt>/etc/X11/Xresources</tt> should be used.
-<p>
-
-If you package a program that requires a non-free Motif library, it
-would be good if you can provide a "foo-smotif" and a "foo-dmotif"
-package, containing a (against Motif libraries) statically and a
-dynamically linked version, respectively. This way, users without
-Motif can use the package too, while users that have Motif installed
-get the advantages of a dynamically linked version.
-<p>
-
-However, if your package works reliably with lesstif, you should
-package it with lesstif, and not with Motif at all.
-<p>
-
-Note, that packages that require non-free Motif libraries can't go
-into the main section. If your package is free otherwise, it should go
-into contrib. Otherwise it has to go into non-free.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Emacs lisp programs
-<p>
-
-Please refer to the `Debian Emacs Policy' (documented in
-<tt>debian-emacs-policy.gz</tt> of the <prgn/emacsen-common/ package)
-for details of how to package emacs lisp programs.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Games
-<p>
-
-The permissions on /var/lib/games are 755 <tt/root.root/.
-<p>
-
-Each game decides on its own security policy.
-<p>
-
-Games which require protected, privileged access to high-score files,
-savegames, etc., must be made set-<em/group/-id (mode 2755) and
-owned by <tt/root.games/, and use files and directories with
-appropriate permissions (770 <tt/root.games/, for example). They must
-<em/not/ be made set-<em/user/-id, as this causes security
-problems. (If an attacker can subvert any set-user-id game
-they can overwrite the executable of any other, causing other players
-of these games to run a Trojan horse program. With a set-group-id
-game the attacker only gets access to less important game data, and if
-they can get at the other players' accounts at all it will take
-considerably more effort.)
-<p>
-
-Some packages, for example some fortune cookie programs, are
-configured by the upstream authors to install with their data files or
-other static information made unreadable so that they can only be
-accessed through set-id programs provided. Do not do this in a Debian
-package: anyone can download the <tt/.deb/ file and read the data from
-it, so there is no point making the files unreadable. Not making the
-files unreadable also means that you don't have to make so many
-programs set-id, which reduces the risk of a security hole.
-<p>
-
-As described in the FSSTND, binaries of games should be installed in
-the directory <tt>/usr/games</tt>. This also applies to games that use
-the X windows system. Manual pages for games (X and non-X games) should
-be installed in <tt>/usr/man/man6</tt>.
-<p>
-
-<chapt>Documentation
-<p>
-
-<sect>Manual pages
-<p>
-
-You must install manual pages in <prgn/nroff/ source form, in appropriate
-places under <tt>/usr/man</tt>. You should only use sections 1 to 9
-(see the FSSTND for more details). You must <em/not/ install a
-preformatted `cat page'.
-<p>
-
-If no manual page is available for a particular program, utility or
-function and this is reported as a bug on debian-bugs, a symbolic link
-from the requested manual page to the <manref name=undocumented
-section=7> manual page should be provided. This symbolic link can be
-created from <tt>debian/rules</> like this:
-<example>
- ln -s ../man7/undocumented.7.gz \
- debian/tmp/usr/man/man[1-9]/the_requested_manpage.[1-9].gz
-</example>
-This manpage claims that the lack of a manpage has been reported as a
-bug, so you may only do this if it really has (you can report it
-yourself, if you like). Do not close the bug report until a proper
-manpage is available.
-<p>
-
-You may forward a complaint about a missing manpage to the upstream
-authors, and mark the bug as forwarded in the Debian bug tracking
-system. Even though the GNU Project do not in general consider the
-lack of a manpage to be a bug, we do--if they tell you that they
-don't consider it a bug you should leave the bug in our bug tracking
-system open anyway.
-<p>
-
-Manual pages should be installed compressed using <tt/gzip -9/.
-<p>
-
-If one manpage needs to be accessible via several names it is better
-to use a symbolic link than the <tt/.so/ feature, but there is no need
-to fiddle with the relevant parts of the upstream source to change
-from <tt/.so/ to symlinks--don't do it unless it's easy. Do not
-create hard links in the manual page directories, and do not put
-absolute filenames in <tt/.so/ directives. The filename in a <tt/.so/
-in a manpage should be relative to the base of the manpage tree
-(usually <tt>/usr/man</tt>).
-<p>
-
-<sect>Info documents
-<p>
-
-Info documents should be installed in <tt>/usr/info</tt>. They should
-be compressed with <tt/gzip -9/.
-<p>
-
-Your package must call <prgn/install-info/ to update the Info <tt/dir/
-file, in its post-installation script:
-<example>
- install-info --quiet --section Development Development \
- /usr/info/foobar.info
-</example>
-<p>
-
-It is a good idea to specify a section for the location of your
-program; this is done with the <tt/--section/ switch. To determine
-which section to use, you should look at <tt>/usr/info/dir</> on your
-system and choose the most relevant (or create a new section if none
-of the current sections are relevant). Note that the <tt/--section/
-flag takes two arguments; the first is a regular expression to match
-(case-insensitively) against an existing section, the second is used
-when creating a new one.
-<p>
-
-You must remove the entries in the pre-removal script:
-<example>
- install-info --quiet --remove /usr/info/foobar.info
-</example>
-<p>
-
-If <prgn/install-info/ cannot find a description entry in the Info
-file you will have to supply one. See <manref name=install-info
-section=8> for details.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Additional documentation
-<p>
-
-Any additional documentation that comes with the package can be
-installed at the discretion of the package maintainer. Text
-documentation should be installed in a directory
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package/</tt>, where <var/package/ is the
-name of the package, and compressed with <tt/gzip -9/
-unless it is small.
-<p>
-
-If a package comes with large amounts of documentation which many
-users of the package will not require you should create a separate
-binary package to contain it, so that it does not take up disk space
-on the machines of users who do not need or want it installed.
-<p>
-
-It is often a good idea to put text information files (<tt/README/s,
-changelogs, and so forth) that come with the source package in
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package/</> in the binary package. However, you don't
-need to install the instructions for building and installing the package, of
-course!
-<p>
-
-<sect>Preferred documentation formats
-<p>
-
-The unification of Debian documentation is being carried out via HTML.
-<p>
-
-If your package comes with extensive documentation in a markup format
-that can be converted to various other formats you should if possible
-ship HTML versions in the binary package, in the directory
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package/</> or its subdirectories.
-<p>
-
-Other formats such as PostScript may be provided at your option.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Log files
-<p>
-
-Log files should usually be named <tt>/var/log/<var/package/.log</tt>.
-If you have many log files, or need a separate directory for
-permissions reasons (<tt>/var/log</tt> is writable only by
-<tt/root/), you should usually create a directory named
-<tt>/var/log/<var/package/</tt>.
-<p>
-
-Make sure that any log files are rotated occasionally so that they
-don't grow indefinitely; the best way to do this is to use
-<prgn/savelog/ program in an <tt>/etc/cron.daily</>,
-<tt>/etc/cron.weekly</> or <tt>/etc/cron.monthly</> script. Here is a good
-example:
-<example>
- [ -d /var/log/apache/. ] || exit 0
- umask 022
- cd /var/log/apache
- if [ -fs access.log ]
- then
- savelog -c 7 access.log > /dev/null
- fi
-</example>
-<p>
-
-Make sure that any log files are removed when the package is purged
-(but not when it is only removed), by checking the argument to the
-<tt/postrm/ script (see the <em>Debian Packaging Manual</em> for
-details).
-<p>
-
-<sect id="copyrightfile">Copyright information
-<p>
-
-Every package must be accompanied by a verbatim copy of its copyright
-and distribution license in the file
-/usr/doc/<package-name>/copyright. This file must neither be
-compressed nor be a symbolic link.
-<p>
-
-In addition, the copyright file must say where the upstream sources
-(if any) were obtained, and explain briefly what modifications were
-made in the Debian version of the package compared to the upstream
-one. It must name the original authors of the package and the Debian
-maintainer(s) who were involved with its creation.
-<p>
-
-/usr/doc/<package-name> may be a symbolic link to a directory in
-/usr/doc only if two packages both come from the same source and the
-first package has a "Depends" relationship on the second. These rules
-are important because copyrights must be extractable by mechanical
-means.
-<p>
-
-Packages distributed under the UCB BSD license, the Artistic license,
-the GNU GPL, and the GNU LGPL should refer to the files
-/usr/doc/copyright/BSD, /usr/doc/copyright/Artistic,
-/usr/doc/copyright/GPL, and /usr/doc/copyright/LGPL.
-<p>
-
-Do not use the copyright file as a general <tt/README/ file. If your
-package has such a file it should be installed in
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package//README</> or <tt/README.Debian/ or some
-other appropriate place.
-<p>
-
-<sect>Examples
-<p>
-
-Any examples (configurations, source files, whatever), should be
-installed in a directory <tt>/usr/doc/<var/package//examples</tt>.
-These files should not be referenced by any program--they're there
-for the benefit of the system administrator and users, as
-documentation only.
-<p>
-
-<sect id="instchangelog">Changelog files
-<p>
-
-This installed file must contain a copy of the <tt>debian/changelog</>
-file from your Debian source tree, and a copy of the upstream
-changelog file if there is one. They should usually be installed in
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package/</> as <tt/changelog.Debian.gz/ and
-<tt/changelog.gz/ respectively.
-<p>
-
-Both should be installed compressed using <tt/gzip -9/, as they will
-become large with time even if they start out small.
-<p>
-
-If the package has only one changelog which is used both as the Debian
-changelog and the upstream one because there is no separate upstream
-maintainer then that changelog should usually be installed as
-<tt>/usr/doc/<var/package//changelog.gz</>; if there is a separate
-upstream maintainer, but no upstream changelog, then the Debian
-changelog should still be called <tt/changelog.Debian.gz/.
-<p>
-
-</book>
projects / debian / debian-policy.git / commitdiff