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