How to create a deb file from an already installed package on Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

An already installed package on a Debian based system may be repackaged into a Debian *.deb file for sharing with someone else, or for a backup if the user wishes. This is very useful. Also, it is possible to get information about the number of installed packages, and the number of Debian packages available for … Read more

Best way to upgrade your Ubuntu distro to a new version.

I recently had to upgrade an Ubuntu 14.04 system to the latest release. I ran the command below and my system was upgraded to Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. sudo do-release-upgradesudo do-release-upgrade This was run over SSH, but I did not lose my connection, and it was quite a painless experience. This is probably better than running … Read more

Some very useful apt tips for Debian and Ubuntu.

There are some very useful tricks that can be used to get information about packages installed on a Debian or Ubuntu machine. Here are just a few. Get a graphical view of the actual dependencies of a package such as Firefox. Firstly, install the graphviz package. jason@Yog-Sothoth:~$ sudo apt install graphvizjason@Yog-Sothoth:~$ sudo apt install graphviz … Read more

Get a CPU-Z styled application for Linux to keep track of CPU status.

The CPU-Z app for Windows is very good for keeping track of the status of your CPU, but this is also available on Linux with the I-Nex app. This will show comprehensive CPU information that is very detailed indeed. Get the Debian packages here: https://launchpad.net/i-nex/+download. The Ubuntu 16.10 packages installed perfectly on Ubuntu 17.04. Then … Read more

How the Linux command line can create a graphical tree of package dependencies.

Image unknown. Some decoded SSTV image.
Image unknown. Some decoded SSTV image.

The Linux command line may be used to create a graphical display of package dependencies. This is good for visualizing what other components of Ubuntu are required for a certain package to operate. And the images look very cool when put on a website as well. A great Linux feature. Creating a graphical display of dependencies would be good to put on a website if a programmer has created a program and needs to display all of the dependencies required to run it. Or just to show off the abilities of the Linux command line in scripting.

Firstly, install the graphviz package.

ubuntu ~ $ sudo apt-get install graphviz

Then run this command to get information about bash.

ubuntu ~ $ apt-cache -o APT::Cache::GivenOnly=1 dotty bash | dot -T png > out.png

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Create a graph of package dependencies with the Linux command line.

There is a way to create a graphical display of the package relations amongst your installed packages on a Debian system. The Graphviz package allows this. Firstly, install the debtree package. apt install debtreeapt install debtree apt install graphvizapt install graphviz Then run this command to see all of the package dependencies and relations for … Read more

How to list every installed package with the apt command on Debian.

The apt package manager allows management of all installed packages and the installation of new software on a Linux system. It also allows the retrieval of information about installed packages. To list all installed packages, run this command. This does not require sudo or su. jason$ apt list –installedjason$ apt list –installed This will be … Read more

How to search the apt packages list for a certain package.

The apt command allows the user to search for a specific package. This is very useful if you do not know the exact name for package installation. This is one way. ubuntu ~ $ apt-cache search vimubuntu ~ $ apt-cache search vim This will return a long listing of all matching package names. This is … Read more

How to update packages on your Debian GNU/Linux system.

The packages on your Debian GNU/Linux system must be kept up to date to ensure the security concerns are addressed. Use this command to install any pending updates. sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get upgradesudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get upgrade The Debian user may also use this command. sudo aptitude update; sudo aptitude safe-upgradesudo aptitude update; … Read more

Add a fancy progress bar to the apt command on Linux.

To add a fancy progress bar to the apt command on Linux, edit this file: /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99progressbar and add the line below. Dpkg::Progress-Fancy "1";Dpkg::Progress-Fancy "1"; Save the file and when you next install software with the apt command, you will get a fancy progress bar at the bottom of the screen. This is a very nice … Read more

How to remove unneeded packages on your Ubuntu Linux system.

I wanted to update my Ubuntu 14.04 server and I saw this output. I needed to remove these unwanted packages on my system. ubuntu@ip-172-31-20-16:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade Reading package lists… Done Building dependency tree Reading state information… Done Calculating upgrade… Done The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required: libdigest-hmac-perl libdrm-intel1 libdrm-nouveau2 … Read more

How to upgrade a single package if needed using apt.

This command will update a single package upon request. This would be very useful if you want to update only one critical package on a Debian system. dpkg -s <package> 2>/dev/null | grep -q Status.*installed && sudo apt-get install <package>dpkg -s <package> 2>/dev/null | grep -q Status.*installed && sudo apt-get install <package> I found this … Read more

How to review package installation logs on Linux Mint Debian Edition.

The cat /var/log/apt/term.log command will allow you to retrieve information about a package installation; you may then review the installation process and see if anything went wrong during the installation process. In the example below, I am reviewing an installation of Midnight Commander. jason@darkstar:~$ cat /var/log/apt/term.log | grep mc Selecting previously unselected package libxdmcp6:amd64. Preparing … Read more

How to make the best use of apt on Ubuntu and Linux Mint.

This is how to automatically remove unneeded packages on your Linux Mint system. jason@jason-desktop:~$ sudo apt-get autoremove [sudo] password for jason: Reading package lists… Done Building dependency tree Reading state information… Done The following packages will be REMOVED: libglib2.0-0:i386 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0 libgstreamer-plugins-base0.10-0:i386 libgstreamer0.10-0 libgstreamer0.10-0:i386 liborc-0.4-0:i386 libpgm-5.1-0 libpoppler57 libpth20 libsndio6.0 libzmq3 qtdeclarative5-qtfeedback-plugin qtdeclarative5-ubuntu-web-plugin 0 to upgrade, 0 … Read more

How to add the proper repository information to Kali Linux to install kernel headers.

Installing the kernel headers for Kali Linux allows the installation of Virtualbox Guest Additions and other software that relies upon the kernel headers, but the /etc/apt/sources.lst is not filled out by default. Paste this code into the /etc/apt/sources.lst at the bottom of the file. deb http://http.kali.org/ /kali main contrib non-free deb http://http.kali.org/ /wheezy main contrib … Read more

Installing Ubuntu Server on a HP BL35p Blade Server and how to connect Ubuntu to a DNS Server.

I have been experimenting with the installation of Ubuntu Server onto a HP BL35P blade server and the process has been quite a learning experience indeed. The need to use the HP SmartStart CD to erase the RAID array on the server before the installation is different from your run of the mill desktop machine … Read more

How to install a Debian *.deb file on Ubuntu and other useful Linux tips.

To install a Debian *.deb packages that you have downloaded, use this command. john@adeptus-mechanicus ~/Downloads $ sudo dpkg -i rxvt_2.6.4-14_i386.debjohn@adeptus-mechanicus ~/Downloads $ sudo dpkg -i rxvt_2.6.4-14_i386.deb This will install the Debian package. john@adeptus-mechanicus ~/Downloads $ sudo dpkg -i rxvt_2.6.4-14_i386.deb [sudo] password for john: Selecting previously unselected package rxvt. (Reading database … 281734 files and directories … Read more

How to install the unstable builds of Gnome Shell 3.7 in Ubuntu 12.10.

The Gnome Shell 3.6 builds are available for Ubuntu 12.10; but if you want to install the unstable builds of Gnome Shell 3.7 to test it out on your computer, then these commands will install it. sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3 #The GNOME3 team PPA</code>   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3-staging #The GNOME3 staging PPAsudo add-apt-repository ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3 #The GNOME3 … Read more