NAME

       jablicator - Share package collection choice across machines

SYNOPSIS

       jablicator [--root <path>]

DESCRIPTION

       jablicator  generates  an  "apt-get"-able package. The package itself is empty. However it
       has a dependency for every non-required Debian  package  that  is  on  the  machine.  This
       program will create and populate two directories dists and pool in your working directory.
       You can then move them to a web accessible location.

       This utility is designed to reduce software distribution and maintenance costs by reducing
       redundant  system  administration.   For  example,  I have spent a lot of time finding and
       vetting image processing software  from  Debian's  large  package  collection.  With  this
       utility,  my image processing colleague down the hall can easily benefit from the fruit of
       my labor.

       There are many replication techniques in Debian. This one has the advantage of  using  the
       apt  and  dpkg  infrastructure. A disadvantage is the possibility of packages changing out
       from under you in the Debian distribution (especially in testing or unstable). That  means
       that jablicator output can grow stale over time if it is not regenerated.

SECURITY

       The  packages  produced  by this program contain a lot of information, including a list of
       the Debian packages installed on the machine and a listing of apt-get sources. Some system
       administrators consider sharing such information a security risk.

FILES

       /etc/apt/sources.list

OPTIONS

       --root <path>
              Being  able  to  pull in package selections from another install can be helpful, in
              the cases of a non-functional system, or reading from a hard  drive  install  under
              Knoppix.  In  other words, source from a root filesystem that is not mounted at the
              root. This is a rare situation and most users should not use this option.

SEE ALSO

       dpkg(8) apt-get(8).

AUTHOR

       Jeff Breidenbach <jab@debian.org>.

THANKS

       Tom Parks, Cliff Weinstein, Burkhard Perkens-Golomb.