usage: swim --initndb
swim --ndb
swim --rebuildndb
options: [--Contents <target|FDBtarget|DF|FDBDF>]
[--main] [--contrib] [--non-free] [--non-us]
[--arch <architecture>] [--dists <distribution>]
[--dbpath <dir>] [--root <dir>] [--alt]
[--split_data <lines>] [-v] [--cron]
[targets|APT|DF]
Whenever swim makes databases it thinks only in terms of
one distribution and one architecture. This keeps things logical.
swim does have the ability to take Packages files with
multiple architectures, and distributions, and to extract information for
one distribution and one archictecture to make its databases. This could
provide interesting information from dumps from apt
(apt-cache dumpavail).
--initndb creates the initial not-installed databases for a particular architecture and distribution, and --rebuildndb remakes the not-installed databases for that same architecure and distribution. If not otherwise specified swim will use the values it finds in swimrc to determine what architecture and distribution you want to use to make swim's databases. Otherwise...
--dists allows an argument to override the distribution found in swimrc.
--alt is used for a distribution with a Debian archival structure, but which has a different name. This allows for alternative distributions.
When APT or DF are provided as arguments (see below), by default the Packages which pertain to the sections found in swimrc will be shown. If you only want certain sections you may specify them on the command line. If you are not using APT or DF, it is a good idea to make sure that either the sections found in swimrc or the sections you put on the command line match the Packages you a targetting because this is much more effecient.
--main will override the sections found in swimrc, and will use this section.
--contrib will override the sections found in swimrc, and will use this section
--non-free will override the sections found in swimrc, and will use this section
--non-us will override the sections found in swimrc, and will use this section
Global arguments targets|APT|DF must be used with either
of these two major modes to find the Packages databases. targets
can be a full path to one or a set of Packages.
APT will use the Packages found in
/var/state/apt/lists, and DF will use the
Packages found in the default directory for swim (see
--ftp). If you use either APT or
DF you will be given an interface which
allows you to choose one Packages database for each section you
would like to use from the various sites. This interface
shows the site, date,
size and Release version for each
Packages.
--cron allows you to override the
interface produced when APT or
DF is provided as an argument. This is useful if you want
to automate the database making process. --cron will
choose the newest database(s), if cron notices that the Release
version has changed, cron will not proceed, but will provide a warning
instead. This allows you to make the appropriate changes and choices.
--Contents can be give one of four arguments:
1). If you have a Contents-(architecture) database in a target location you know about you may provide a path to the location. The Contents database can be compressed.
2). If you prepend the path with the letters FDB (meaning flat database) when the databases for swim are made, instead of using the Contents database to make:
nfileindex-arch-dists.deb nsearchindex-arch-dists.deb ndirindex-arch-dists.deb
Only the ncontentsindex-arch-dists.deb.gz database will be made which allows the ability to view file/dir listing for not-installed packages, but does not provide the virtual file system or powersearch capabilities which the other databases would have provided.
3). The argument DF may be used if you
have used --ftp with the DF argument to
the option --Contents (see --ftp). In this case
it is assumed you are also using global arguments DF or
APT for the Packages databases. This will give you an
interface (if --cron isn't used) allowing you to choose
one Contents database for the particular distribution you want to
make the databases for.
4). FDB does the same exact thing with DF as it does with the before mentioned FDBtarget, and provides the interface.
-v will only work if you have dpkg installed. It allows swim to verify swim's own built-in version comparison function with dpkg's version comparison function. This is good for debugging purposes, and produces a report called .version_compare in the same location that swim's databases are made.
--split_data is only advantageous if --Contents is being used. See --initdb for more information about the --split_data option.
See Initial database making, and Rebuilding for an
Installed system.
, section 5.1 for options --dbpath and --root.
--ndb has the same options as --initndb and --rebuildndb except
for --split_data. It also has a new option --nue which will
never have to be used unless the experimental distribution or non-us
section are found in Contents (which presently isn't the case).
--check prints out the changes to STDERR, and the total to STDOUT
without proceeding with the update. --status_only can be used
after a new package has been installed to update the status, after which
-qni and -qi will correlate properly.
--rebuildflatndb serves the same purpose as --rebuildflatdb. See
REBUILDING THE SEARCH
, section 5.3
npackages-arch-dists.deb nfileindex-arch-dists.deb requires <--Contents> nstatusindex-arch-dists.deb ngroupindex-arch-dists.deb nsearchindex-arch-dists.deb ndirindex-arch-dists.deb .packagesdiff-arch-dists.deb requires <--Contents>