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Package Management Tools

Note:

Switching VCs (see below) will allow an investigation of the

distribution archive so that the path to binary i386 can be

found as well as contrib and non free.

Note:

The Virtual Console (VC) is a method for sharing the con 

sole monitor with more than one login process. Debian con 

figures six Virtual Consoles. The left ALT key pressed along

with a function key (F1 thru F6) will place the corresponding

session on the monitor. It's like having 6 separate terminals!

In addition to the three  standard  distribution collections, dselect offers the

option of giving the location of the  local distribution . This local distribution

is for use at the direction of the local system administrator. Packages that

have been created as .deb package files that are not available from the Debian

archives are candidates for placement in the local archive. Although alternate

packages that do exist in the archive can go here, the Packages file for the local

archive must be  merged  by hand using dpkg   merge avail before dselect

will recognize them for installation. This is because dselect is unwilling to

downgrade a package, so those packages must be the only ones in the available

file for proper installation. If the intent is to operate in this fashion then the

update of available will need to be done by hand and the  Updated Available

file  option should not be executed.

1. [U]pdate

Choosing this option will update the available packages file from the Pack 

ages files available from the various distribution sections you identified in the

 Access  section. If any custom construction of the available packages file has

been done, then this option should not be executed.