This chapter covers the basic actions installing,
removing and upgrading
of packages.
Furthermore performing a system upgrade,
browsing the online documentation,
reading the changelog and the advanced actions
forcing the installation of a specific package version,
locking a package to the current version are described.
If you want to install a package perform the following steps:
Reload the package information to be aware of the latest versions available:
Mark the package for installation:
Double click on the name of the package in the
package list.
Click on the status icon of the package and choose from the menu.
Right click on the package and choose from the
context menu.
Select the package and
choose → from the menu.
Select the package and
press the key combination Ctrl+I.
If the installation of the package(s) requires additional changes, you will be asked
for confirmation. To also mark the additional changes click on the button Mark
.
Apply the marked changes to actually install the package:
You will be asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To continue with the actual installation confirm the changes click on Apply.
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.
Note
Configuration files and user created data (e.g. a website in "/var/www") are not removed
from the system by default.
Debian only: You can change the default behavior in the preferences.
Debian only: To remove all files related to the package
choose instead of
.
To remove a packages follow these steps:
Mark the package for removal:
Double click on the name of the installed package in the
package list.
Click on the status icon of the package and choose from the menu.
Right click on the package and choose from the context menu.
Select the package and
choose → from the menu.
Select the package and
press the key Delete.
If the removal of the package(s) requires additional changes, you will be asked
for confirmation. To also mark the additional changes click on the button Mark
.
Apply the marked changes to actually remove the package(s):
You are asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To continue with the actual removal confirm the changes click on Apply.
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.
To upgrade a package follow these steps:
Reload the package information to be aware of the latest versions available:
Mark the package for upgrade:
Double click on the name of the package with a later version available
in the package list.
Click on the status icon of the package and choose from the menu.
Right click on the package and choose from the
context menu.
Select the package and
choose → from the menu.
Select the package and
press the key combination
Ctrl+P.
If the upgrade of the package(s) requires additional changes, you will be asked
for confirmation. To also mark the additional changes click on the button Mark
.
Apply the marked changes to actually upgrade the package:
You are asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To continue with the actual upgrade confirm the changes click on Apply.
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.
To Upgrade the Whole System
Synaptic Package Manager provides two methods for marking packages for upgrade:
-
Default Upgrade
The default upgrade method marks upgrades of installed packages only.
If the later version of a package depends on not installed packages
or conflicts with an already installed package,
the upgrade will not be marked.
-
Smart Upgrade (Dist-Upgrade)
The smart upgrade method tries to resolve package conflicts intelligently. This includes
installing additional required packages and preferring packages with
higher priority.
Smart upgrade is also known as dist-upgrade in the console tool apt-get.
Note
Upgrades to a later operating system major releases have to be performed with the
smart upgrade method, e.g. from Conectiva 9 to Conectiva 10 or from
Debian Woody to Debian Sarge.
To upgrade your system to the latest version follow these steps:
Reload the package information to be aware of the latest versions available:
Mark all possible upgrades:
Choose the upgrade method. Smart upgrade is recommended.
Apply the marked changes to actually upgrade the package(s):
You are asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To continue with the actual upgrade confirm the changes click on Apply.
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.
Tip
You can change the default upgrade method for further upgrade in the preferences
.
To apply marked changes:
You are asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To confirm the changes click on the button Apply.
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.
The following ways allow you to unmark changes:
-
To undo the marking of specific packages
Right click on the package and choose from
the context menu.
Select the package(s) and choose → .
Select the package(s) and press Ctrl+N.
-
To undo all markings
Choose →
from the menu.
-
To undo the last marking
Choose →
from the menu.
This step can be repeated. The maxmium number of undo operations can be set
in the preferences. FIX link
To Configure Packages (Debian only)
Note
To use this feature you have to install the package
libgnome2-perl.
Debian provides a unified method, called debconf, to configure software packages. This feature
is not supported by all packages. If a package supports this feature the configuration can be done
through an assistant.
To configure a supported package:
Select the package that you wish to configure in the
package list.
Choose → from the menu.
Tip
To get a list of all configurable packages choose the Configurable Packages filter.
To View Documentation for Packages (Debian only)
Note
To use this feature you have to install the package dwww.
Dwww provides access to all the installed documentation
related to package with a web browser. The whole documentation is
hosted via a local HTTP server.
Select the package about that you wish to read additional documentation
in the package list.
Choose → .
To View the Changelog of a Package (Debian only)
Note
The changelog of native Debian packages can be viewed, only.
To view the changelog of a native Debian package perform the following steps:
To Lock a Package to the Current Version (Debian only)
To lock a package to the current version follow these steps:
Select the package that you want to lock in the package list.
Choose → .
The Synaptic Package Manager will reload the package information. You should now see, that the menu item → is checked.
Furthermore all actions in the menu are disabled now.
To unlock the package uncheck → .
To Force the Installation of a Specific Version
Warning
The Synaptic Package Manager always selects the most applicable version available. If you force a
different version from the default one, errors in the dependency handling
can occur.
To force the installation of a version of package different to the default one
perform the following steps:
Reload the package information to be aware of the latest versions available:
Select the package in the package list.
Choose → from the menu to open a dialog with all available versions of the package.
Select the version that should be marked for installation. To confirm your
decision click on the button Force.
Apply the marked changes to actually install the forced package version:
You will be asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To continue with the actual installation confirm the changes click on Apply
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.
Synaptic Package Manager will not allow any further changes to the system before all broken packages are fixed.
Tip
To show all broken packages choose the Broken filter.
To correct the broken packages perform the following steps:
choose → from the menu.
Choose → from the menu.
Apply the marked changes to actually fix the packages:
You will be asked for confirmation. Check the summarized changes that will be applied.
To continue with the actual repair confirm the changes click on Apply
During the processing of the changes you will see a progressbar. Wait until
the changes have been applied. This can take some time depending on the number
of changes. Afterwards you will be returned to the main window.
Note
The progressbar is not available on Debian system. Instead you will
see a detailed terminal output.