official debian repositories

plebetan · 07-01-2009, 08:01 PM

hey. i just installed debian lenny and i want to use apt-get to install some stuff, but for some reason my sources.list file has no repositories in it except the install dvd. I've been looking all over debian.org for a list of the official repositories, but I can't find it. For now, I'm just going to pulling sources out of people's sources.list that have been shared on this forum. but I would really like to see a full list of the official debian repositories and choose one that I have a good latency to, etc.

also, what's all the stable, main, contrib, non-free stuff about?

Code:

#Stable Sources
#deb-src http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free
#Security Updates Stable
#deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free

especially non-free, do they charge to use that repository or something?

AlucardZero · 07-01-2009, 08:08 PM

http://www.debian.org/mirror/list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#...l_repositories

non-free refers to free as in speech, not free as in beer.

rbees · 07-01-2009, 08:10 PM

I don't know of a central list of all repos.

Install apt-spy, I would think it would be on the install cd. It will test the servers in the area you tell it to and write a sources list of the fastest one for you. Other things like Opera have a specil repo that you have to get from their site. Check the man page for specifics.

plebetan · 07-01-2009, 08:58 PM

Quote:

non-free refers to free as in speech, not free as in beer.

uh what?

rbees · 07-01-2009, 09:08 PM

Debian is very picky about free and what it means. It has to be open source and free to change and publish to be included in the main repos. If the compiled binary is free but the source is not then it is in the non-free or contrib repos. Not really sure how that relates to the free speach and free bear thing but.

plebetan · 07-01-2009, 09:25 PM

so, I've added ftp.us.debian.org/debian to my sources.list file. apt-get update seems to work, but i can't really install anything. all i want to do is install gnu screen using apt-get, why is this so difficult?

craigevil · 07-01-2009, 09:26 PM

#Stable
#deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free
#Stable Sources
#deb-src http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free
#Security Updates Stable
#deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib non-free

# Debian Stable Backports
# For information visit
# http://www.backports.org/dokuwiki/do...d=instructions
# apt-get install debian-backports-keyring
#deb http://www.backports.org/debian lenny-backports main contrib non-free

# Debian Volatile http://www.debian.org/volatile/
# deb http://volatile.debian.org/debian-volatile lenny/volatile main contrib non-free

# Marillat For info visit http://www.debian-multimedia.org
#deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org lenny main
#deb-src http://www.debian-multimedia.org lenny main

The above will give you everything including the kitchen sink. If there is something off the wall take a look at the sticky in the debian forum.

craigevil · 07-01-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plebetan

so, I've added ftp.us.debian.org/debian to my sources.list file. apt-get update seems to work, but i can't really install anything. all i want to do is install gnu screen using apt-get, why is this so difficult?

screen is in main so you shouldn't have any issues installing it.
apt-get install screen

vharishankar · 07-01-2009, 09:28 PM

non-free simply means software licenses that are not compliant with the Debian Free Software Guidelines.

I suggest reading this: http://www.debian.org/social_contract

rbees · 07-01-2009, 09:32 PM

Note;

you need to uncomment the line in sources that you want to use by removing the #

then run apt-get update again

plebetan · 07-01-2009, 10:27 PM

this is what happens:

Code:

sjlt:~# apt-get update
Get:1 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates Release.gpg
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates Release.gpg
Get:2 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Translation-en_US
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Translation-en_US
Get:3 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Translation-en_US
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Translation-en_US
Get:4 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Translation-en_US
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Translation-en_US
Get:5 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates Release
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates Release
Get:6 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
Get:7 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
Get:8 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Packages
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Packages
Get:9 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
Get:10 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
Get:11 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Packages
Ign ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Packages
Get:12 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
Err ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/main Packages
  Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file.  ' [IP: 64.50.238.52 21]
Get:13 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
Err ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/contrib Packages
  Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file.  ' [IP: 64.50.238.52 21]
Get:14 ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Packages
Err ftp://ftp.us.debian.org stable/updates/non-free Packages
  Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file.  ' [IP: 64.50.238.52 21]
W: Failed to fetch ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/updates/main/binary-i386/Packages  Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file.  ' [IP: 64.50.238.52 21]

W: Failed to fetch ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/updates/contrib/binary-i386/Packages  Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file.  ' [IP: 64.50.238.52 21]

W: Failed to fetch ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/updates/non-free/binary-i386/Packages  Unable to fetch file, server said 'Failed to open file.  ' [IP: 64.50.238.52 21]

E: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
sjlt:~# apt-get install screen
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package screen
sjlt:~#

here is my sources.list:

Code:

sjlt:~# vi /etc/apt/
apt.conf.d/     sources.list    sources.list.d/ trusted.gpg
secring.gpg     sources.list~   trustdb.gpg     trusted.gpg~
sjlt:~# vi /etc/apt/sources.list
sjlt:~# clear

sjlt:~# cat /etc/apt/sources.list
# 
# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.2 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20090628-15:08]/ lenny contrib main

#deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 5.0.2 _Lenny_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20090628-15:08]/ lenny contrib main

# Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:
#deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib
# Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:
#deb-src http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib

# Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:
#deb http://volatile.debian.org/debian-volatile lenny/volatile main contrib
# Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify:
#deb-src http://volatile.debian.org/debian-volatile lenny/volatile main contrib

deb ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stable/updates main contrib non-free

sjlt:~#

vharishankar · 07-01-2009, 10:57 PM

Did you try a different mirror? Here is a list of mirrors you can use:

http://www.debian.org/mirror/list

AlucardZero · 07-02-2009, 08:04 AM

Your line is off. You need one for stable and one for stable/updates, and they have different addresses.

Code:

deb ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free

Always remember to apt-get update after changing soruces.list.

Quote:

uh what?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_Libre

Quote:

why is this so difficult?

It's not. But you need to do some reading and searching of your own; Linux is not handed to you on a silver platter.

By the way, is this a desktop machine, do you have a graphical login? Explore the system or settings menu for Synaptic, a graphical package manager, and for the repository settings (I don't remember what it's called but I think you can have a graphical interface to sources.list from it). It may be easier.

farslayer · 07-02-2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlucardZero

By the way, is this a desktop machine, do you have a graphical login? Explore the system or settings menu for Synaptic, a graphical package manager, and for the repository settings (I don't remember what it's called but I think you can have a graphical interface to sources.list from it). It may be easier.

software-properties-gtk - manage the repositories that you install software from

If that package is installed you can actually browse from your desktop to the /etc/apt/ folder and click on the sources.list file. it will automatically open in the graphical editing app..

I think you can also get to it through Synaptic, by clicking on: Settings -> Repositories..

Bizurke · 07-15-2009, 12:52 AM

Once you have figured out how to set up your sources.list take a look at netselect-apt it's another app that will help you find the fastest mirrors and write them to your sources.list. It can be installed from apt-get or aptitude "apt-get install netselect-apt"

Once you have netselect-apt set up read the manual page "man netselect-apt" for more details. Basically you just need to enter "netselect-apt lenny" or whatever version you use and it will try all of the mirrors until it finds the fastest one for you.

If you aren't very comfortable in a terminal then as farslayer said, try synaptic. You can set up your repositories and find the fastest set from within synaptic all with a pretty straight forward GUI.