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1. title Synaptic Package Manager

What is Synaptic ?

Synaptic is a graphical front-end to apt, the package management system in Ubuntu. It combines the point-and-click simplicity of the graphical user interface with the power of the apt-get command line tool. You can install, remove, configure, or upgrade software packages, browse, sort and search the list of available software packages, manage repositories, or upgrade the whole system. You can queue up a number of actions before you execute them. Synaptic will inform you about dependencies (additional packages required by the software package you have chosen) as well as conflicts with other packages that are already installed on your system. Synaptic's sibling on the Kubuntu desktop is Adept. If you prefer to use the command line instead of a graphical user interface, apt-get and aptitude are available. For information on these alternatives see InstallingSoftware.

Getting Started

To launch Synaptic, choose System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager. And if you would like to see more details about a package, Right Click on a package > Properties The main window is divided into three sections: a package browser on the left, the package list on the upper right, and package details on the lower right. The status bar shows you the system state at a glance.

Browsing the package database

To browse the (very large) list of available packages by category, section, package status, custom filters, or recent searches. Click on the corresponding button at the bottom of the left window pane. You can also create your own filters. See the [[UbuntuHelp:[filters|Filters]]] section for details. To search for packages by name or description, click on the Search button in the toolbar: or use the "Quick search" field in the toolbar: You can examine a number of package details in the lower right window pane such as its size, its dependencies, recommended or suggested additional packages, and a short description. <<Anchor(filters)>>

How to apply filters

• To be added

Adding or Removing Software

• To install a package
• Click Reload or press Ctrl + R to make Synaptic aware of the latest updates.
• Right-click on the package and choose Mark for Installation from the context menu, or press Ctrl + I. If the package requires the installation of another package, a dialog box appears:

Synaptic will warn you if your choices conflict with packages that are already installed on your system. If this is the case, the dialog box will show you any packages that need to be removed. If you are not sure you don't need the package(s) that will be removed, make sure you look up its function and use before you apply the changes you've made.

• Click Mark to allow the installation of the additional package(s).
• Once you're satisfied with your choices, click on Apply in the toolbar or press Ctrl + P.
• A dialog box appears with a summary of changes that will be made.

• Confirm the changes by clicking on Apply.
• To remove or 'completely remove' a package
• Right-click on the package and choose Mark for Removal from the context menu
• Once you're satisfied with your choices, click on Apply in the toolbar or press Ctrl + P.
• A dialog box appears with a summary of changes that will be made. Confirm the changes by clicking on Apply.

The Mark for Complete Removal option instructs Synaptic to remove any configuration files associated with the package as well.

• To upgrade a package
• Click Reload or press Ctrl + R to make Synaptic aware of the latest updates.
• Right-click on the package and choose Mark for Upgrade from the context menu, or press Ctrl + U.
• Once you're satisfied with your choices, click on Apply in the toolbar or press Ctrl + P.
• A dialog box appears with a summary of changes that will be made. Confirm the changes by clicking on Apply.

Managing Repositories

You can manage the list of repositories or software archives from the Software Preferences Panel. To learn more about managing repositories in Ubuntu, see the Ubuntu Repositories wiki page. You can call up the software preferences panel from within Synaptic by selecting Repositories from the Settings menu. As a front-end to apt, Synaptic uses the system-wide list of software repositories file located at

/etc/apt/sources.list 

For more on managing software repositories, see the Repositories wiki page.

Updating the Package List

Synaptic maintains a database of packages on your system in order to keep track of installed software. This list is checked against the software repositories to inform you of new packages or updates. Synaptic checks for new software packages when you launch Synaptic. It's a good idea to update the database from time to time while running Synaptic. In particular, you may want to do so if you have made changes to the list of software channels or if you have made changes to Synaptic's configuration. Just click on the Reload button or press Ctrl + R.

How to keep your system up-to-date, including the Kernel

Synaptic provides two methods for upgrading your system:

• Smart Upgrade (Dist-Upgrade) -- recommended <
  > The smart upgrade method tries to resolve package conflicts. This includes installing additional dependencies (required packages) if needed and preferring packages with higher priority. Smart Upgrade has the same effect as the apt-get dist-upgrade tool on the command line.
• Default Upgrade <
  > The default upgrade method marks upgrades of installed packages only. If the new version of a package depends on not installed packages or coflicts with an already installed package, it will not be upgraded.

Dist-upgrade is the default upgrade method used by Synaptic. To change the upgrade method, choose Preferences from the Settings menu, then click on the General tab and adjust the System upgrade entry.

• To upgrade your system with Synaptic:
• Click Reload or press Ctrl + R to make Synaptic aware of the latest updates.
• Click Mark all Upgrades or press Ctrl + G.
• Click Apply on the toolbar or press Ctrl + P. A dialog appears with a summary of the changes that will be made to your system.
• Click Apply to confirm the changes and go ahead with the upgrade.

Synaptic works hand-in-hand with Update-Notifier and Update-Manager to inform you about updates to the software installed on your system. Update-Notifier displays an icon in the notification area when updates are available. It will display a pop-up message and an icon in the notification area on your GNOME desktop. If you right click on the icon you see all the functions available, including what I think is a sensible default, Show Updates. This option runs another new program, Upgrade-Manager. The upgrade manager shows what packages the system wants to upgrade, which you can deselect from being upgraded if you wish. To update your system, click on the notification icon, enter your password and click OK. Once all the packages are downloaded, the dpkg system installs the packages in the hidden terminal. Questions that previously required interaction with the terminal now provide a Debconf interface using the GNOME frontend. The upgrade process never requires the user to access a terminal, which helps new users become comfortable with upgrading their system. Ubuntu also makes basic APT configuration much easier for new users. It offers an interface to add or edit the entries in /etc/apt/sources.list which can be accessed through Synaptic or the preferences menu of the update-notifier. It shows the repositories that are currently listed, and provides an interface to edit them or add new repositories. You can change the frequency of update checks in the Software Preferences panel. Choose Repositories from the Settings menu, then click on the Internet Updates tab and adjust the Check for updates entry. The only function that is somewhat lacking with the new Synaptic frontend is application installation. There is a new program called gnome-app-install that shows a simple list of common GNOME programs with a checkbox for installation or removal. gnome-app-install will list every package that provides a .desktop icon in the GNOME application menu. In other words, basically every major gui program will be listed.

Locating software on your system

Synaptic can tell you about every file that belongs to a software package it knows about and show you where it is located on your system. Search the database for the software package you are interested in and select it in Synaptic's main window. Next, click on the Installed Files tab to see a list of all files and where they are.

View the Changelog of a Package

Applies to native Debian (.deb) packages only You can view the changelog of a package with Synaptic. Select a package, then choose Download Changelog from the Package menu.

View History

You can easily keep track of all changes made to your system's software configuration. To view the history log file, choose History from the File menu. The history log only shows changes made with Synaptic.

How to force the installation of a package version

To be added: Why you would (and would not) want to force a specific version

• To force the installation of a package different from the one chosen by Synaptic, do the following:
• Click Reload or press Ctrl + R to make Synaptic aware of the latest updates.
• Select the package. Choose Force Version from the Package menu.
• Select the version you would like to use. To confirm your decision, click Force.
• Click Apply on the toolbar or press Ctrl + P. A dialog appears with a summary of the changes that will be made to your system. To confirm, press Apply.

How to fix broken packages

'Broken packages' are packages that have unsatisfied dependencies. If broken packages are detected, Synaptic will not allow any further changes to the system until all broken packages have been fixed.

• To fix broken packages
• Choose Edit > Fix Broken Packages from the menu.
• Choose Apply Marked Changes from the Edit menu or press Ctrl + P.
• Confirm the summary of changes and click Apply.

<<Anchor(statusicons)>>

Status Icons

The following icons are used to indicate the status of a package in the package list:

Keyboard shortcuts for Synaptic

Command	Key Combination
Update the list of available packages	Ctrl + R
Open the package search dialog	Ctrl + F
Show the Properties window for the selected package	Ctrl + O
Mark the selected package(s) for installation	Ctrl + I
Mark the selected package(s) for upgrade	Ctrl + U
Mark the selected package(s) for removal	Delete
Mark the selected package(s) for complete removal	Shift + Delete
Unmark any changes to packages	Ctrl + N
Mark all possible upgrades	Ctrl + G
Force the installation of a specific version of the package	Ctrl + E
Undo the last change	Ctrl + Z
Redo the last change	Ctrl + Shift + Z
Apply all marked changes	Ctrl + P
Quit Synaptic	Ctrl + Q

How to free disk space

Settings -> Preferences -> Files -> Delete downloaded packages after installation then click Delete Cached Package Files.

Troubleshooting

• What to do if an installation process fails and you find it is no longer possible to install or remove packages:
• Open a Terminal and type the following commands, pressing the Return or Enter key after each (you may have to type in your password):

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get install -f

• Browser works, Synaptic will not (note: probably inaccurate or outdated)
• If the router is set to auto discover DNS then Synaptic will fail. Resolve this by setting up a static ip address and manually set DNS ip in router. Now Ubuntu (system-administration-networking) config static ip and enter your ISP dns ip and delete router DNS ip which will look something like 192.168.1.1

See also

• General: SoftwareManagement and InstallingSoftware .
• Synaptic/PackageDownloadScript
• Synaptic/Offline
• Complete Detailed Step By Step Guide how to Use Synaptic Package Manager with Screenshots
• Basics of the Debian Package Management System
• Debian Apt User Manual
• Apt-Get|Web Protocol
• Synaptic home page
• A Synaptic tutorial based on Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger)
• Point-n-Click Software Management with Synaptic (Debian Universe)
• The apt-get wiki page
• Managing Repositories in Ubuntu
• An introduction to SecureApt on the Debian Wiki

Other Languages

• ComoSynaptic
• Persian

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