DOKK / manpages / debian 12 / debconf / debconf-copydb.1.en
DEBCONF-COPYDB(1) Debconf DEBCONF-COPYDB(1)

debconf-copydb - copy a debconf database

 debconf-copydb sourcedb destdb [--pattern=pattern] [--owner-pattern=pattern] [--config=Foo:bar]

debconf-copydb copies items from an existing debconf database into another, possibly new database. The two databases may have different formats; if so a conversion will automatically be done.

The name of the source database. Typically it will be defined in your debconf.conf (or .debconfrc) file.
The name of the destination database. It may be defined in debconf.conf or .debconfrc, or you might define it on the command line (see below).
If this is specified, only items in sourcedb whose names match the pattern will be copied.
If this is specified, only items in sourcedb whose owners match the pattern will be copied.
Set option Foo to bar. This is similar to writing: 

  Foo: bar

In debconf.conf, except you probably want to leave off the space on the command line (or quote it: "Foo: bar"). Generally must be used multiple times, to build up a full configuration stanza. While blank lines are used to separate stanzas in debconf.conf, this program will assume that "Name:dbname" denotes the beginning of a new stanza.

  debconf-copydb configdb backup

Copy all of configdb to backup, assuming you already have the backup database defined in debconf.conf.

  debconf-copydb configdb newdb --pattern='^slrn/' \
        --config=Name:newdb --config=Driver:File \
        --config=Filename:newdb.dat

Copy slrn's data out of configdb, and into newdb. newdb is not defined in the rc file, so the --config switches set up the database on the fly.

  debconf-copydb configdb stdout -c Name:stdout -c Driver:Pipe \
        -c InFd:none --pattern='^foo/'

Spit out all the items in the debconf database related to package foo.

  debconf-copydb configdb pipe --config=Name:pipe \
                --config=Driver:Pipe --config=InFd:none | \
        ssh remotehost debconf-copydb pipe configdb \
                --config=Name:pipe --config=Driver:Pipe

This uses the special purpose pipe driver to copy a database to a remote system.

debconf.conf(5)

Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

2023-01-08