Apt-get command

From NetworkCommands

A command line program available on some Linux platforms; used to... create, modify, display or delete

Usage Syntax

apt-get [options] command

Commonly used options include;

-s - simulate and display what would occur without making any actual configuration changes
-y - do not display prompts and run non-interactively, assume yes would be entered at all prompts
' -
' -
' -

Commonly used commands include;

update -
upgrade -
dist-upgrade -
install -
remove -
clean -

Usage Examples

sudo apt-get update - upodate repository

sudo apt-get -s dist-upgrade

This will provide a list of available packages to upgrade. Omit the -s option to perform the actual package upgrades.

Usage Notes

/etc/apt/sources.list

   Locations to fetch packages from. Configuration Item: Dir::Etc::SourceList.

/etc/apt/apt.conf

   APT configuration file. Configuration Item: Dir::Etc::Main.

/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/

   APT configuration file fragments Configuration Item: Dir::Etc::Parts.

/etc/apt/preferences

   Version preferences file. This is where you would specify "pinning", i.e. a preference to get certain packages from a separate source or from a different version of a distribution. Configuration Item: Dir::Etc::Preferences.

/var/cache/apt/archives/

   Storage area for retrieved package files. Configuration Item: Dir::Cache::Archives.

Linux Usage Notes

With most Linux or Unix commands;

Brief help can be displayed using the option/keyword: -h or --help, for example: chmod --help
A full command manual can be displayed using the man command followed by the command name, for example: man chmod
Sometimes 'info' pages are used instead of or to provide more information than man pages; for example: info chmod
Version information can be display using the option/keyword: -v or --version, for example: chmod --version