en/handbook/hb-portage-branches.xml

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<!DOCTYPE sections SYSTEM "/dtd/book.dtd">

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<sections>

<version>1.1</version>
<date>October 21, 2004</date>

<section>
<title>Using One Branch</title>
<subsection>
<title>The Stable Branch</title>
<body>

<p>
The ACCEPT_KEYWORDS variable defines what software branch you use on your
system. It defaults to the stable software branch for your architecture, for
instance <c>x86</c>.
</p>

<p>
We recommend that you only use the stable branch. However, if you don't care
about stability this much and you want to help out Gentoo by submitting
bugreports to <uri>http://bugs.gentoo.org</uri>, read on.
</p>

</body>
</subsection>
<subsection>
<title>The Testing Branch</title>
<body>

<p>
If you want to use more recent software you can consider using the testing
branch instead. To have Portage use the testing branch, add a ~ in front of your
architecture.
</p>

<p>
For instance, to select the testing branch for the x86 architecture, edit
<path>/etc/make.conf</path> and set:
</p>

<pre caption="Setting the ACCEPT_KEYWORDS variable">
ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86"
</pre>

<p>
If you update your system now, you will find out that <e>lots</e> of packages
will be updated. Mind you though: when you have updated your system to use the
testing branch there is usually no easy way back to the stable, official branch 
(except for using backups of course).
</p>

</body>
</subsection>
</section>
<section>
<title>Mixing Stable with Testing</title>
<subsection>
<title>The package.keywords file</title>
<body>

<p>
You can ask Portage to allow the testing branch for particular packages but use
the stable branch for the rest of the system. To achieve this, add the package
category and name you want to use the testing branch of in
<path>/etc/portage/package.keywords</path>. For instance, to use the testing
branch for <c>gnumeric</c>:
</p>

<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.keywords setting for gnumeric">
app-office/gnumeric
</pre>

<p>
The same can be achieved when you add the correct keyword at the end of the
line, for instance for the x86 architecture:
</p>

<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.keywords setting for gnumeric, full line">
app-office/gnumeric ~x86
</pre>

</body>
</subsection>
<subsection>
<title>Test Particular Versions</title>
<body>

<p>
If you want to use a specific software version from the testing branch but you
don't want Portage to use the testing branch for subsequent versions, you can
add in the version in the <path>package.keywords</path> file. In this case you
<e>must</e> use the = operator. You can also enter a version range 
using the &lt;=, &lt;, &gt; or &gt;= operators.
</p>

<p>
In any case, if you add version information, you <e>must</e> use an operator. If
you leave out version information, you <e>cannot</e> use an operator.
</p>

<p>
In the following example we ask Portage to accept gnumeric-1.2.13:
</p>

<pre caption="Using a particular gnumeric version">
=app-office/gnumeric-1.2.13 
</pre>

</body>
</subsection>
</section>
<section>
<title>Using Masked Packages</title>
<subsection>
<title>The package.unmask file</title>
<body>

<p>
When a package has been masked by the Gentoo developers and you still want to
use it despite the reason mentioned in the <path>package.mask</path> file
(situated in <path>/usr/portage/profiles</path> by default), add the
<e>exact</e> same line in <path>/etc/portage/package.unmask</path>. 
</p>

<p>
For instance, if <c>=net-mail/hotwayd-0.8</c> is masked, you can unmask it by
adding the exact same line in the <path>package.unmask</path> file:
</p>

<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.unmask">
=net-mail/hotwayd-0.8
</pre>

</body>
</subsection>
<subsection>
<title>The package.mask file</title>
<body>

<p>
When you don't want Portage to take a certain package or a specific version of a
package into account you can mask it yourself by adding an appropriate line to
<path>/etc/portage/package.mask</path>.
</p>

<p>
For instance, if you don't want Portage to install newer kernel sources than
<c>development-sources-2.6.8.1</c>, you add the following line to
<path>package.mask</path>:
</p>

<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.mask example">
&gt;sys-kernel/development-sources-2.6.8.1
</pre>

</body>
</subsection>
</section>
</sections>
1	swift	1.1	<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
2			<!DOCTYPE sections SYSTEM "/dtd/book.dtd">
3
4			<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
5			<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 -->
6
7	swift	1.2	<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/handbook/hb-portage-branches.xml,v 1.1 2004/10/21 10:31:20 swift Exp $ -->
8	swift	1.1
9			<sections>
10	swift	1.2
11			<version>1.1</version>
12			<date>October 21, 2004</date>
13
14	swift	1.1	<section>
15			<title>Using One Branch</title>
16			<subsection>
17			<title>The Stable Branch</title>
18			<body>
19
20			<p>
21			The ACCEPT_KEYWORDS variable defines what software branch you use on your
22			system. It defaults to the stable software branch for your architecture, for
23			instance <c>x86</c>.
24			</p>
25
26			<p>
27			We recommend that you only use the stable branch. However, if you don't care
28			about stability this much and you want to help out Gentoo by submitting
29			bugreports to <uri>http://bugs.gentoo.org</uri>, read on.
30			</p>
31
32			</body>
33			</subsection>
34			<subsection>
35			<title>The Testing Branch</title>
36			<body>
37
38			<p>
39			If you want to use more recent software you can consider using the testing
40			branch instead. To have Portage use the testing branch, add a ~ in front of your
41			architecture.
42			</p>
43
44			<p>
45			For instance, to select the testing branch for the x86 architecture, edit
46			<path>/etc/make.conf</path> and set:
47			</p>
48
49			<pre caption="Setting the ACCEPT_KEYWORDS variable">
50			ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="~x86"
51			</pre>
52
53			<p>
54			If you update your system now, you will find out that <e>lots</e> of packages
55			will be updated. Mind you though: when you have updated your system to use the
56			testing branch there is usually no easy way back to the stable, official branch
57			(except for using backups of course).
58			</p>
59
60			</body>
61			</subsection>
62			</section>
63			<section>
64			<title>Mixing Stable with Testing</title>
65			<subsection>
66			<title>The package.keywords file</title>
67			<body>
68
69			<p>
70			You can ask Portage to allow the testing branch for particular packages but use
71			the stable branch for the rest of the system. To achieve this, add the package
72			category and name you want to use the testing branch of in
73			<path>/etc/portage/package.keywords</path>. For instance, to use the testing
74			branch for <c>gnumeric</c>:
75			</p>
76
77			<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.keywords setting for gnumeric">
78			app-office/gnumeric
79			</pre>
80
81			<p>
82			The same can be achieved when you add the correct keyword at the end of the
83			line, for instance for the x86 architecture:
84			</p>
85
86			<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.keywords setting for gnumeric, full line">
87			app-office/gnumeric ~x86
88			</pre>
89
90			</body>
91			</subsection>
92			<subsection>
93			<title>Test Particular Versions</title>
94			<body>
95
96			<p>
97			If you want to use a specific software version from the testing branch but you
98			don't want Portage to use the testing branch for subsequent versions, you can
99			add in the version in the <path>package.keywords</path> file. In this case you
100			<e>must</e> use the = operator. You can also enter a version range
101			using the <=, <, > or >= operators.
102			</p>
103
104			<p>
105			In any case, if you add version information, you <e>must</e> use an operator. If
106			you leave out version information, you <e>cannot</e> use an operator.
107			</p>
108
109			<p>
110			In the following example we ask Portage to accept gnumeric-1.2.13:
111			</p>
112
113			<pre caption="Using a particular gnumeric version">
114			=app-office/gnumeric-1.2.13
115			</pre>
116
117			</body>
118			</subsection>
119			</section>
120			<section>
121			<title>Using Masked Packages</title>
122			<subsection>
123			<title>The package.unmask file</title>
124			<body>
125
126			<p>
127			When a package has been masked by the Gentoo developers and you still want to
128			use it despite the reason mentioned in the <path>package.mask</path> file
129			(situated in <path>/usr/portage/profiles</path> by default), add the
130			<e>exact</e> same line in <path>/etc/portage/package.unmask</path>.
131			</p>
132
133			<p>
134			For instance, if <c>=net-mail/hotwayd-0.8</c> is masked, you can unmask it by
135			adding the exact same line in the <path>package.unmask</path> file:
136			</p>
137
138			<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.unmask">
139			=net-mail/hotwayd-0.8
140			</pre>
141
142			</body>
143			</subsection>
144			<subsection>
145			<title>The package.mask file</title>
146			<body>
147
148			<p>
149			When you don't want Portage to take a certain package or a specific version of a
150			package into account you can mask it yourself by adding an appropriate line to
151			<path>/etc/portage/package.mask</path>.
152			</p>
153
154			<p>
155			For instance, if you don't want Portage to install newer kernel sources than
156			<c>development-sources-2.6.8.1</c>, you add the following line to
157			<path>package.mask</path>:
158			</p>
159
160			<pre caption="/etc/portage/package.mask example">
161			>sys-kernel/development-sources-2.6.8.1
162			</pre>
163
164			</body>
165			</subsection>
166			</section>
167			</sections>