UbuntuHelp:UbuntuBackports
来自Ubuntu中文
目录
What are Backports
Ubuntu releases a new version of its OS every 6 months. After a release, the version of all packages stays constant for the entire 6 months. For example, if Ubuntu ships with Firefox 1.0.x, it will remain at Firefox 1.0.x for the entire 6-month release cycle, even if a later version gets released during this time. The Ubuntu team may apply important security fixes to 1.0.x, but any new features or non-security bugfixes won't be made available.
This is where Ubuntu Backports comes in. The Backports team believes that the best update policy is a mix of Ubuntu's security-only policy AND providing new versions of some programs. Candidates for version updates are primarily desktop applications, such as your web browser, word processor, IRC client, IM client, and so on. These can be updated without replacing a chunk of the operating system that would affect stability of the whole system.
Backports also include an extras repository which holds some packages which are not found in the official package collections. These include mainly legally-risky packages, for example many multimedia formats which are patent protected or some freeware commercial programs like the Adobe Acrobat Reader or Sun's Java Runtime Enviroment/Development Kit which are protected by a strict EULA.
As of June 2005, we are also an official Ubuntu project, so we are acknowledged by the developers.
Stability
Backports candidates are tested by several Backports developers before they are allowed to be placed in the repository. Backports packages are thus safer to use than the development distribution. At minimum the packages should be usable in a manner that the average Backports developer could test. However, given the nature of introducing newer versioned packages from a development distribution into a stable, released distribution, problems can arise. The most common side-effects would be a bug that escaped testing, or a new configuration file format (or other kind of incompatibility). If you have problems with a Backports package please report it in the Backports bugtracker and not the main Ubuntu one.
How to use
First make sure you have the Updates and Security repositories enabled, as some packages from Backports rely on them. In addition, verify each repository has the "main, restricted, universe, and multiverse" components enabled. Backports will at times cross into a separate component in a manner that would be disallowed in other official repositories.
Installing a single package
A list of packages in Backports can be found at the Ubuntu packages site (Dapper and Edgy backports).
Packages can be downloaded using your browser (choose the correct link for your system under the "Architecture" column)
Right-clicking on a downloaded package will offer an option to install the package. Downloaded packages can also be installed from a shell by typing
sudo dpkg -i ~/Desktop/<filename>.deb
(assuming the package was downloaded to the desktop).
After installing a package, it is advised to run
sudo apt-get -f update
in order to resolve any pending dependency issues.
Enabling the entire repository
Command Line Interface
Just add the following lines to your /etc/apt/sources.list :
For Breezy Badger 5.10:
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy-backports main universe multiverse restricted
For Dapper Drake 6.06:
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-backports main universe multiverse restricted
For Edgy Eft 6.10:
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu edgy-backports main universe multiverse restricted
Now issue the command: sudo apt-get update
Through Synaptic Package Manager
Using the directions on the How To Add Repositories Page; and the following information for each section:
For Breezy Badger 5.10:
url: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu distribution: breezy-backports sections: main universe multiverse restricted
For Dapper Drake 6.06:
url: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu distribution: dapper-backports sections: main universe multiverse restricted
For Edgy Eft 6.10:
url: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu distribution: edgy-backports sections: main universe multiverse restricted
How to request new packages
When you need a package backported which isn't currently available, create a new bug report in the Backports Product of Launchpad (for Dapper: [1]. For Edgy: [2]). Choose a good summary that will quickly indicate what's need (e.g. "Please backport Bittornado"). Indicate the current Dapper version of the package and version being requested. If you've checked, indicate if the requested version has entered Edgy to make our lives easier!
These are the rules we try to follow when backporting packages:
1. Only packages currently in Ubuntu's development branches are eligible for backporting 1. Backports of large, interdepending application stacks are bad! 1. New versions can be backported, when they're already compatible with OS and system-relevant libraries. 1. No new libraries which will "break" or affect other applications (e.g. libvorbis, libz, etc.) unless the update fixes an exploit. 1. No changes to language interpreters (python, mono). These could affect existing packages in unexpected ways. 1. Applications to be backported must have meaningful bug/security fixes or features.
How to Help
TODO
Useful Links
- Backports Homepage
- Backports Forum
- Backports Mailing List
- Forum post about creating a new backport request
CategoryUbuntuTeams CategoryDocumentation CategoryCleanup
