Package Management

To Find Packages

To find a package in the list of packages

  1. Type the name or a part of it into the find field located in the toolbar. Synaptic Package Manager will automatically jump to the next matching package in the list.

  2. To find the next matching package press the the forward button next to the find field.

  3. To begin the search again from the beginning of the package list click on the upward button.

To list only matching packages

  1. Open the search dialog Package->Find... from the menu or press Ctrl-F.

  2. Type the search expression into the find field, e.g. "mp3 ogg player".

  3. Select the fields that you want to search in, e.g. name and description.

  4. Click on Find to start the search. In our example only music players and related packages will be listed.

Tip

You can create more complex searches with the filter editor.

To Install Packages

To install one or more packages perform the following steps:

  1. Refresh the package list to be aware of the latest available version:

    • Choose Actions->Refresh Package List from the menu.

    • Click on Refresh List in the toolbar.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-R.

  2. Select the package that you wish to install in the package list with a left mouse click. To select further packages hold down the Ctrl key while left clicking on the additional packages.

  3. Mark the selected packages for installation:

    • Click on Install in the package control area.

    • Choose Package->Install from the menu.

    • Right click on the package and choose Install from the context menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-I.

  4. Apply the marked changes to actually install the package(s):

    • Click on Apply in the toolbar.

    • Choose Actions->Apply Marked Changes from the menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-P.

To Remove Packages

Note

Configuration files and user created data (e.g. a website in /var/www) are not removed from the system by default.

Debian only: This behavior can be changed in the preferences.

Debian only: To remove all files related to the package choose Remove Including Configuration instead of Remove.

Note

Debian only: To also remove packages that are only installed as dependency of the to be removed package(s) and that would be no longer needed (orphaned) afterwards, choose Remove Including Orphaned Dependecies instead of Remove.

To remove one or more packages follow these steps:

  1. Select the package that you wish to remove in the package list with a left click. To select further packages hold down the Ctrl key while left clicking on additional packages.

  2. Mark the selected package(s) for removal:

    • Click on Remove in the package control area.

    • Choose Package->Remove from the menu.

    • Right click on the package and choose Remove from the context menu.

    • Press the key Delete.

  3. Apply the marked changes to actually remove the package(s):

    • Click on Apply in the toolbar.

    • Choose Actions->Apply Marked Changes from the menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-P.

To Upgrade Packages

To upgrade one or more packages follow these steps:

  1. Refresh the package list, to get aware of the latest available version:

    • Choose Actions->Refresh Package List from the menu.

    • Click on Refresh List in the toolbar.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-R.

  2. Select the package that you wish to upgrade in the package list. To select further packages hold down the Ctrl key while left clicking on additional packages.

  3. Mark the selected packages for upgrade:

    • Click on Upgrade in the package control area.

    • Choose Package->Upgrade from the menu.

    • Right click on the package and choose Upgrade from the context menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-U.

  4. Apply the marked changes to actually upgrade the package(s):

    • Click on Apply in the toolbar.

    • Choose Actions->Apply Marked Changes from the menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-P.

Tip

To perform all available upgrade at once, see the section called “ To Upgrade the Whole System ”.

To Upgrade the Whole System

The system upgrade enables you to upgrade your system to the latest version without having to mark each package upgrade manually.

Synaptic Package Manager provides two system upgrade methods:

Default upgrade

The default upgrade method marks upgrades of installed packages only. If the upgrade would depend on not installed packages or conflict 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 prefering packages with higher priority.

Note

Upgrades to a later major release of the operating system have to be done with the dist-upgrade method, e.g. from Conectiva 9 to Conectiva 10 or from Debian Woody 3.0 to Debian Sarge 4.0.

To upgrade your system follow these steps:

  1. Refresh the package list to be aware of the latest available package versions:

    • Choose Actions->Refresh Package List from the menu.

    • Click on Refresh List in the toolbar.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-R.

  2. Mark all available upgrades:

    • Click on Upgrade System in the toolbar.

    • Choose Actions->Upgrade System from the menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-G.

  3. Choose the upgrade method. Smart upgrade (dist-upgrade) is recommended.

  4. Apply the marked changes to actually upgrade the system:

    • Click on Apply in the toolbar.

    • Choose Actions->Apply Marked Changes from the menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-P.

Tip

You can change the default upgrade method in the preferences.

To Downgrade Packages

Caution

This may render your package system unusable!

Downgrading packages is a broken feature, since apt and Synaptic Package Manager can only handle conflicts and dependency resolution of upgrades. You may find this feature helpful in some rare circumstances, but it is not recommended to use.

To downgrade a package you have to select a specific version of the package:

  1. Select the package that you wish to downgrade in the package list.

  2. Open the Expert tab in the details area.

  3. Choose the version to be installed from the list.

  4. Apply the marked changes to actually downgrade the package(s):

    • Click on Apply in the toolbar.

    • Choose Actions->Apply Marked Changes from the menu.

    • Press the key combination Ctrl-P.

To Apply Marked Changes

To apply all marked changes perform one of the following instructions:

  • Click on Apply in the toolbar.

  • Choose Actions->Apply Marked Changes from the menu.

  • Press the key combination Ctrl-P.

Tip

To list only marked packages apply the "Queued Changes" filter.

To Undo Marked Changes

The following ways allow you to unmark changes:

To unmark single packages
  • Right click on the package and choose No Changes from the context menu.

  • Select the package with a left mouse click and choose No Changes from the package control. To select further packages hold down the Ctrl key while left clicking on the additional package.

  • Select the package(s) and press Ctrl-N.

To unmark all changes

Choose Actions->Clear All Queued Changes from the menu.

To undo the last marking action

Choose Actions->Undo from the menu.

To Configure Packages

Note

Debian only: This feature requires the installation of 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 feautre, the configuration can be done through an assistant.

To configure a supported package:

  1. Select the package that you wish to configure in the package list.

  2. Click on Configure in the package control.

Tip

To list only configurable packages apply the Configurable Packages filter.

To View Package Documentation

Note

Debian only: This feature requires the installation of dwww.

To view all available documentation related to a package in a web browser you have to:

  1. Select the package in the package list.

  2. Click on Documentation in the package control.

To Fix Broken Packages

Misleading dependency properties or errors during the installation of packages can break the dependency structure.

Synaptic Package Manager will not allow any further changes to the system untill all broken packages are fixed.

To correct the broken packages choose Actions->Fix Broken Packages from the menu.

Tip

To list only broken packages apply the Broken filter.