dpkg-divert - override a package's version of a file
dpkg-divert [
option...]
command
dpkg-divert is the utility used to set up and update the list of
diversions.
File
diversions are a way of forcing
dpkg(1) not to install a file
into its location, but to a
diverted location. Diversions can be used
through the Debian package scripts to move a file away when it causes a
conflict. System administrators can also use it to override some package's
configuration file, or whenever some files (which aren't marked as
“conffiles”) need to be preserved by
dpkg, when
installing a newer version of a package which contains those files.
- [--add] file
- Add a diversion for file. The file is currently not
renamed, see --rename.
-
--remove file
- Remove a diversion for file. The file is currently
not renamed, see --rename.
-
--list [glob-pattern]
- List all diversions, or ones matching
glob-pattern.
-
--listpackage file
- Print the name of the package that diverts file
(since dpkg 1.15.0). Prints LOCAL if file is locally diverted and
nothing if file is not diverted.
-
--truename file
- Print the real name for a diverted file.
-
--admindir directory
- Set the administrative directory to directory.
Defaults to « /var/lib/dpkg» if DPKG_ADMINDIR
has not been set.
-
--instdir directory
- Set the installation directory, which refers to the
directory where packages get installed (since dpkg 1.19.2). Defaults to
« /» if DPKG_ROOT has not been set.
-
--root directory
- Set the root directory to directory, which sets the
installation directory to « directory» and the
administrative directory to «
directory/var/lib/dpkg» (since dpkg 1.19.2) if
DPKG_ROOT has not been set.
-
--divert divert-to
-
divert-to is the location where the versions of
file, as provided by other packages, will be diverted.
- --local
- Specifies that all packages' versions of this file are
diverted. This means, that there are no exceptions, and whatever package
is installed, the file is diverted. This can be used by an admin to
install a locally modified version.
-
--package package
-
package is the name of a package whose copy of
file will not be diverted. i.e. file will be diverted for
all packages except package.
- --quiet
- Quiet mode, i.e. no verbose output.
- --rename
- Actually move the file aside (or back). dpkg-divert
will abort operation in case the destination file already exists. This is
the common behavior used for diversions of files from the non-
Essential package set (see --no-rename for more
details).
- --no-rename
- Specifies that the file should not be renamed while adding
or removing the diversion into the database (since dpkg 1.19.1). This is
intended for diversions of files from the Essential package set,
where the temporary disappearance of the original file is not acceptable,
as it can render the system non-functional. This is the default behavior,
but that will change in the dpkg 1.20.x cycle.
- --test
- Test mode, i.e. don't actually perform any changes, just
demonstrate.
-
-?, --help
- Show the usage message and exit.
- --version
- Show the version and exit.
- 0
- The requested action was successfully performed.
- 2
- Fatal or unrecoverable error due to invalid command-line
usage, or interactions with the system, such as accesses to the database,
memory allocations, etc.
- DPKG_ROOT
- If set and the --instdir or --root options
have not been specified, it will be used as the filesystem root directory
(since dpkg 1.19.2).
- DPKG_ADMINDIR
- If set and the --admindir or --root options
have not been specified, it will be used as the dpkg data
directory.
- DPKG_MAINTSCRIPT_PACKAGE
- If set and the --local and --package options
have not been specified, dpkg-divert will use it as the package
name.
- DPKG_DEBUG
- Sets the debug mask (since dpkg 1.21.10) from an octal
value. The currently accepted flags are described in the dpkg
--debug option, but not all these flags might have an effect on this
program.
- DPKG_COLORS
- Sets the color mode (since dpkg 1.18.5). The currently
accepted values are: auto (default), always and
never.
- /var/lib/dpkg/diversions
- File which contains the current list of diversions of the
system. It is located in the dpkg administration directory, along
with other files important to dpkg, such as status or
available.
Note: dpkg-divert preserves the old copy of this file, with
extension -old, before replacing it with the new one.
When adding, default is
--local and
--divert
original.distrib. When removing,
--package or
--local and
--divert must match if specified.
Directories can't be diverted with
dpkg-divert.
Care should be taken when diverting shared libraries,
ldconfig(8) creates
a symbolic link based on the DT_SONAME field embedded in the library. Because
ldconfig does not honor diverts (only
dpkg does), the symlink
may end up pointing at the diverted library, if a diverted library has the
same SONAME as the undiverted one.
To divert all copies of a
/usr/bin/example to
/usr/bin/example.foo, i.e. directs all packages providing
/usr/bin/example to install it as
/usr/bin/example.foo,
performing the rename if required:
dpkg-divert --divert /usr/bin/example.foo --rename /usr/bin/example
To remove that diversion:
dpkg-divert --rename --remove /usr/bin/example
To divert any package trying to install
/usr/bin/example to
/usr/bin/example.foo, except your own
wibble package:
dpkg-divert --package wibble --divert /usr/bin/example.foo \
--rename /usr/bin/example
To remove that diversion:
dpkg-divert --package wibble --rename --remove /usr/bin/example
dpkg(1).