PackageArchive

Revision 20 as of 2009-08-26 16:08:16

Clear message

The Package Archive

All current official Ubuntu packages are stored in the master archive, which is widely mirrored. A search interface is available at http://packages.ubuntu.com. Old versions can be retrieved from Launchpad.

It is administered by the archive administration team.

Uploading

If you are not yet an official Ubuntu developer, you can arrange for your package to be uploaded via the SponsorshipProcess.

Packages are uploaded via FTP to ftp://upload.ubuntu.com/ using dput or dupload.

Notes for preparing your upload:

  • Make source-only uploads, i.e. use "dpkg-buildpackage -S"

  • When uploading to MOTU/Packages/REVU, please include the orig tarball as well (use parameters -S -sa)

When your upload is processed (typically within a matter of minutes), you will receive an email with the result of your upload, whether it succeeds or fails, unless you use an unregistered email address. The system will only send mail to an address which belongs to a launchpad account which is a member of the relevant team for uploading. E.g. motu for universe and ubuntu-core-dev for main.

Your upload must be signed by a GPG key registered in Launchpad. If the signature cannot be traced to a member of the appropriate team, then the upload will be silently rejected.

To add a new package to Ubuntu, simply upload it as usual. Any new packages uploaded are put in a queue to be checked by the administrators before being included.

UbuntuDevelopment/Uploading has much more information about the topic.

Autobuilding and Publishing

Once an upload has been accepted, it takes some time to be built and published in the archive. For simple packages, this is usually on the order of an hour, but varies depending on release activity (uploads may be temporarily suspended), the time needed to build the package (including other packages in the build queue), and other factors.

After a package has been built, the next publisher run that starts at three minutes past each hour will process it, usually finishing towards the end of that hour; at the end of that process it will be visible in the public archive.

Notification of changes

Notifications of uploads are sent to a mailing list. A different list is used for each Ubuntu release:

Changelogs for all packages are available at http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs/ (this is the source used by update-manager and Synaptic).

Syncing and Merging

(See the ../ReleaseProcess#MergeProcess rationale.)

Most packages in Ubuntu originate elsewhere, including Debian and related package repositories.

A sync copies a source package verbatim from an external repository into Ubuntu, overwriting any package of the same name. This is used when a newer version of it is available, and should be included in Ubuntu, and happens automatically during some phases of the release cycle. To request a sync, follow the SyncRequestProcess.

A merge is a three-way merge of a package which originated in an external repository. This is used when there is a newer version available from the external repository, but the package has also been modified (branched) in Ubuntu. Merge-o-Matic assists with this work, and the Merging page explains how and when to merge. Packages which are maintained in Bazaar can and should be merged using Bazaar itself.

The "Last Uploader" column in the Merge-o-Matic output is the default assignee for the merge, following the touched-it-last maintenance principle. However, you can and often should grab other people's merges if they don't have time or you feel you can do a better job. It's polite and often a good idea (though not mandatory) to contact the other person first to make sure you aren't duplicating work.

Backports work similarly to syncs, but have somewhat different requirements. To request a backport, follow the UbuntuBackports process.

Consistency

The archive is periodically checked for various inconsistencies, such as incorrect dependency relationships between packages.

A special case is the installer:

  • The Kernel-Version: field in the installer file in all the seeds needs to be current.

  • It needs to be built against the current kernel. This can be checked on the karmic installer's udeb list (please also verify the other architectures).

Managing Components

Ubuntu packages are classified into components according to maintenance and licensing criteria, a process which is described in SeedManagement.

Packages sometimes move from one component to another, according to policy or licensing changes, as managed by the archive administrators. Special consideration is necessary when packages move into main or restricted, as this implies a commitment of ongoing maintenance. Such changes must follow the MainInclusionProcess.

Autobuilders

Ubuntu source packages are automatically built for a variety of platforms by Launchpad, which provides build status information. Build log files are available from Launchpad as well, by searching for the package and selecting a version.

Some supplementary information about the build infrastructure is available on BuildDaemons.

Removing Packages

Packages which are removed from Debian are semi-automatically removed from Ubuntu universe on a regular basis by the administrators. However, packages are not removed from Ubuntu main without explicit request, nor are packages which originated elsewhere. To request removal of such a package, file a bug against the package.

The bug must have the following elements:

  • which release to remove it from (e.g., hardy)

  • whether to remove both the source package and all binary packages
  • a rationale for why they should be removed
  • confirmation that the binary packages have no rdepends (no other package depends on them)

If you are not an Ubuntu developer use the following process. If you are then subscribe the "ubuntu-archive" team to the bugs. If you need help deciding whether a package ought to be removed, please discuss on the ubuntu-devel mailing list rather than asking the archive administrators.

Refer to https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/<source package> for the reason of the removal of a specific package.

Architectures

Packages are typically built for each of several architectures. For example, the hello package is built on i386, amd64, etc. These are divided into two categories according to their level of official support by the project.

Official Architectures

These are officially supported and maintained by the Ubuntu project. Canonical Ltd. provides server resources to build, store and distribute packages and installation media for them, and the core development team is responsible for their upkeep. Build failures on these architectures are considered serious bugs. Each official Ubuntu release and update includes appropriate support for these architectures. There may or may not be a team which is specifically responsible for architecture-specific issues. The kernel team builds and tests the Ubuntu kernel on these architectures.

  • i386

  • amd64

Ports

These are maintained on a best-effort basis by interested volunteers in the Ubuntu community. Each architecture has a corresponding community team formed of the developers who support it. Canonical Ltd. provides server resources to build, store and distribute packages and installation media for ports, however, the porting teams are responsible for their operation and maintenance, including the kernel, toolchain and build infrastructure. Build failures are not considered a serious issue by the core team. Ports may issue new releases or updates out of sync with official Ubuntu releases.

The ports system was announced here: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2005-October/000040.html

Go back to UbuntuDevelopment.
CategoryUbuntuDevelopment
CategoryProcess