The arguments: stable unstable testing

yan_zhu · 01-02-2010, 09:43 PM

The arguments: stable unstable testing, are used for packages managers

Do they play a role as parameter when apt-get update works. I mean when we update packages , Does the system check the "stable" "unstable" "testing" for wat to update?

David the H. · 01-02-2010, 10:25 PM

Well, yeah. They're the settings that tell apt which repositories to use when updating software. If you set your apt sources to testing, then all packages you install will come from the testing repository. Which packages you use are what determine what category your system is.

The big possibility for trouble comes when you have sources that point to multiple levels set at the same time. While it's possible with care to keep such a mixed system, you have to really know what you're doing, since packages from different levels can have different dependency requirements.

evo2 · 01-02-2010, 10:34 PM

Unless you tell apt otherwise (using /etc/apt/apt.conf, "man apt.conf"), the package manager should always try to installed the newest version.

Evo2.

craigevil · 01-02-2010, 11:27 PM

Debian -- Debian Releases - http://www.debian.org/releases/

Quote:

Debian always has at least three releases in active maintenance: "stable", "testing" and "unstable".

stable

The "stable" distribution contains the latest officially released distribution of Debian.

This is the production release of Debian, the one which we primarily recommend using.

The current "stable" distribution of Debian GNU/Linux is version 5.0.3, codenamed lenny. It was released on September 5th, 2009.
testing

The "testing" distribution contains packages that haven't been accepted into a "stable" release yet, but they are in the queue for that. The main advantage of using this distribution is that it has more recent versions of software.

See the Debian FAQ for more information on what is "testing" and how it becomes "stable".

The current "testing" distribution is squeeze.
unstable

The "unstable" distribution is where active development of Debian occurs. Generally, this distribution is run by developers and those who like to live on the edge.

The "unstable" distribution is called sid.

Chapter*2.*Debian package management - http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/de...e/ch02.en.html

yan_zhu · 01-03-2010, 02:16 AM

thanks

yan_zhu · 01-03-2010, 02:20 AM

i am doing system admin and security this semester. 2 many .conf files : (