This page describes how to manage software repositories from the command line.

This is necessary if
you are running a minimal installation, server install (w/o a GUI) and some users actually prefer this to
GUI tools available in Managing Repositories in Ubuntu or Kubuntu.

IconsPage/important.png If you are using a minimal install or server install you will need to be familiar
with a terminal based text editor like nano. If you are using a GUI install you can use Nano or GEdit.

The Basics

Ubuntu uses apt for package management. Apt stores a list of repositories or software channels in the
file

/etc/apt/sources.list

By editing this file from the command line, we can add, remove, or temporarily disable software
repositories.

IconsPage/IconNote.png Note: It's always a good idea to backup a configuration file like sources.list
before you edit it. To do so, issue the following command:

sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.backup

Typically, the contents of the /etc/apt/sources.list looks like this:

# sources.list
# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04.1 _Hardy Heron_ - Release amd64 (20080701)]/ hardy main restricted

#deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04.1 _Hardy Heron_ - Release amd64 (20080701)]/ hardy main restricted

# See http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UpgradeNotes for how to upgrade to

# newer versions of the distribution.

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main restricted

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main restricted

## Major bug fix updates produced after the final release of the

## distribution.

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates main restricted

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates main restricted

IconsPage/important.png the above is not a complete sources.list

Explanation of the Repository Format

* All the lines beginning with one or two hashes (#) are comments and do not get read by apt or its
front-ends apt-get, Synaptic, and Adept.

*
 The lines without hashes are apt repository lines. The first two apt lines in our example are

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main restricted

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy main restricted

* Here's what they say:

deb: These repositories contain binaries or precompiled packages. These repositories are
required for most users.

deb-src: These repositories contain the source code of the packages. Useful for developers.

o
 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu: The URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), in this case a location
on the internet. See the official mirror list or the self-maintained mirror list to find other mirrors.

hardy is the release name or version of your distribution.

o
 main & restricted are the section names or components. There can be several section names,
separated by spaces.

Future Versions

*
 IconsPage/IconNote.png in the future you would replace the 'hardy' with the current version you
have installed. So if you have Intrepid installed it would look like below:

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid main restricted

Adding Repositories

Adding the Universe and Multiverse Repositories

Additional software repositories such as Universe and Multiverse can be enabled by uncommenting the
corresponding apt line (i.e. delete the '#' at the beginning of the line). In our example, we would
uncomment the following lines for the Universe:
 *

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy universe

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy universe

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates universe

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates universe

For the Multiverse:

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy multiverse

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy multiverse

deb http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates multiverse

deb-src http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hardy-updates multiverse

IconsPage/IconNote.png It is important to add the hardy-updates part of both the universe and the
multiverse to ensure you get updates.

Once you are satisfied with your choices, save the file. Now, retrieve the updated package lists from the
newly added repositories by issuing the following command:
 *

sudo apt-get update

Done! Your system is ready to install packages from the Universe and Multiverse repositories.

Adding Partner Repositories

You can add the partner repositories by uncommenting the following lines in your /etc/apt/sources.list
file:

*
 deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner

deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu hardy partner

Then update as before:

sudo apt-get update

IconsPage/important.png Be aware that the software contained within this repository is NOT open
source.

Adding Other Repositories

IconsPage/warning.png Note: There are some (but not many) good reasons for which you might want to
add non-Ubuntu repositories to your list of software sources. Some software cannot be distributed by
Ubuntu due to patent and licensing restrictions in some countries (see the RestrictedFormats page for
examples). You might want to add repositories that offer such software. Make sure that all repositories
you add in this way have been tested and are known to work on Ubuntu systems. Repositories that are
not designed to work with your version of Ubuntu can introduce inconsistencies in your system and
might force you to re-install.
 * You can add custom software repositories by adding the apt repository line of your software source
to the list of repositories. It should look something like this:

deb http://mirror3.ubuntulinux.nl/ hardy-seveas freenx

Add the line at the end of your sources.list and save the file.

* Next, make apt aware of the new software repositories by issuing the following command:

sudo apt-get update

*
 Done! The new software repositories should now be available for use.

Adding Launchpad PPA Repositories

Ubuntu 9.10, Karmic Koala, introduces a convenient new command for adding Launchpad PPA (Personal
Package Archive) repositories via the command line: add-apt-repository. This command is apparently
the same as addrepo available on Debian.

* The repository is registered with APT and an entry is created in /etc/apt/sources.list and backs up
to /etc/apt/sources.list.save (It should probably be creating a file in /etc/apt/sources.list.d folder - this
may be the case in the future).

* If a public key is required and available it is automatically downloaded and registered.

* You must install python-software-properties first

sudo apt-get install python-software-properties

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:<repository-name>

Example: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nhandler

Enabling Repositories with a (non-interactive) Script

IconsPage/IconNote.png This section is directed at advanced users.

Problem: You are looking for a way to enable the extra repositories without any user input.

Example: You are creating a custom install script for an application that needs software packages from
the Universe or Multiverse repositories.

What follows is a simple script that enables the extra repositories that are commented out on a default
install of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS.

* First, save your original sources.list file.

sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.backup

* Now make the changes to uncomment all repositories listed in the sources.list file.
 sudo sed -i -e "s/# deb/deb/g" /etc/apt/sources.list

* Make apt aware of the new software repositories by issuing the following command:

sudo apt-get update

Done! The new software repositories should now be available for use.

Problem: You are looking for a way to enable a repository which you provide for users of your software.

* First, save your original sources.list file.

sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.orig

* Now create a new file ending in 'sources.list' in the '/etc/apt/sources.list.d' directory

echo 'deb http://www.yourdomain.com/packages/ubuntu /' >>

/etc/apt/sources.list.d/yourdomain.sources.list

* Make apt aware of the new software repositories by issuing the following command:

sudo apt-get update

 * Please be aware that you should sign your packages and ask your users to import your PGP key.
Otherwise they will have to confirm that they want to install untrusted packages from your repository.

Suggestions & Recommendations

It is always a good idea to back up configuration files like /etc/apt/sources.list before you begin
editing. You can then revert your changes if needed.

If you decide to add other repositories to sources.list, make sure that the repository is meant to work
(and known to work) with Ubuntu. Repositories that are not designed to work with your version of
Ubuntu can introduce inconsistencies in your system and might force you to re-install. Also, make sure
that you really need to add external repositories as the software package(s) you are looking for may
already have been introduced into the official repositories!

Please keep in mind that it may not be legal to enable some non-Ubuntu software repositories in
some countries.

You may be asked enter a security key when adding a non-Ubuntu repository to your sources. See
Managing Authentication Keys for instructions.

Remember to retrieve updated package lists by issuing a sudo apt-get update when you're done
editing sources.list.
Further Reading

The Debian Apt User Manual

Apt-get

Software Management

Secure Apt on the Debian Wiki

CategoryCommandLine CategoryPackageManagement

Repositories/CommandLine (terakhir disunting 2010-03-11 00:45:43 oleh Deckard)

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