Debian GNU/Linux Reference Guide
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Debian Reference
Chapter 15 - Support for Debian

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The following resources provide help, advice, and support for Debian. Try your best to use self-help resources before crying out loud in the mailing lists. :)

Note that you can access a lot of documentation on your system by using a WWW browser, via the dwww or dhelp commands, found in their respective packages.

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15.1 References

The following references are available for Debian and Linux in general. If their contents conflict with each other, always rely more on primary information sources than on secondary ones such as this document.

• Installation Manual (primary)

  • Read before installation and upgrade.

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/releases/testing/installmanual (work in progress, sometimes this may not exist)

  • Package: Not available in install-doc: Bug#155374

  • File: Debian CD under /doc/

• Release Notes (primary)

  • A must-read before installation and upgrade even if you are experienced.

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/releasenotes

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/releases/testing/releasenotes (work in progress, sometimes this may not exist)

  • Package: Not available in install-doc: Bug#155374

  • File: Debian CD under /doc/

• FAQ (secondary)

  • Frequently asked questions

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/

  • Package: doc-debian

  • File: /usr/share/doc/debian/FAQ/index.html

• Debian Reference (secondary)

  • Most comprehensive post-install user manual

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/

  • Package: debian-reference-en

  • File: /usr/share/doc/Debian/reference/

• APT HOWTO (secondary)

  • Detailed user guide for Debian package management. (Woody)

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/

  • Package: apt-howto

  • File: /usr/share/doc/Debian/apt-howto/

• Securing Debian Manual (secondary)

  • Detailed user guide for securing and hardening of the default Debian installation. (Woody)

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/securing-debian-howto/

  • Package: harden-doc

  • File: /usr/share/doc/harden-doc/html/securing-debian-howto/

• dselect Documentation for Beginners (secondary)

  • Tutorial for dselect

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/releases/woody/i386/dselect-beginner

  • Package: Not available in install-doc: Bug#155374

  • File: Debian CD under /doc/

• Debian Policy Manual (primary)

  • Technical backbone of Debian.

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/

  • Package: debian-policy

  • File: /usr/share/doc/debian-policy/

• Debian Developer's Reference (primary)

  • Basic knowledge for developers.

  • The rest of us should also browse this once.

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/

  • Package: developers-reference

  • File: /usr/share/doc/developers-reference/

• Debian New Maintainers' Guide (primary)

  • Practical guide for developers.

  • Packaging tutorials for the rest of us.

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/

  • Package: maint-guide

  • File: /usr/share/doc/maint-guide/

• Packaging Manual (Potato)

  • packaging-manual package in Potato. (Moved into appendix of Developer's Reference.)

• Unix-style manual pages (primary)

  • dlocate -man package-name (list available)

  • man section command-name

• GNU-style info pages (primary)

  • info (access top level)

  • info command-name

• Package-specific documents (primary)

  • Find them under /usr/share/doc/package-name

• LDP: Linux Documentation Project (secondary)

  • General Linux HOWTOs and mini-HOWTOs

  • Web: https://www.tldp.org/

  • Package: doc-linux-text and doc-linux-html

  • File: /usr/share/doc/HOWTO/

• Linux Gazette (secondary) -- new issues monthly

  • The Linux Gazette

  • Web: https://www.linuxgazette.com/

  • Package: lg-all or lg-latest-two

  • File: /usr/share/doc/lg/

• DDP: Debian Documentation Project (secondary)

  • Debian-specific manuals

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/doc/

• Debian Developers' Corner (secondary)

  • Key information for Debian developers

  • Insightful for end users

  • Web: https://www.debian.org/devel/

• Source code (absolutely primary)

  • No one can argue with this :-)

  • Download source code following The source code, Section 2.1.15

• Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (primary)

  • Web: https://www.iana.org/

  • Package: doc-iana

  • File: /usr/share/doc/doc-iana/

• Internet requests for comments (IETF standards) (primary)

  • Web: https://www.ietf.org/rfc.html

  • Package: doc-rfc

  • File: /usr/share/doc/RFC/

The following references are available for Unix in general. Please note that there are some minor differences between different Unix systems. Device names and init methods need extra attention.

• The UNIX Programming Environment

  • The book to read to learn about how UNIX works.

  • By B. W. Kernighan and R. Pike

  • Published by Princeton Hall Software Series

• The C Programming Language (second edition)

  • The book to read to learn about ANSI C.

  • By B. W. Kernighan and D. M. Ritchie

  • Published by Princeton Hall Software Series

• UNIX Power Tools

  • The book to read to learn Unix tips.

  • By Jerry Peek, Tim O'Reilly, and Mike Loukides

  • Published by O'Reilly and Associates

• Essential System Administration (second edition)

  • The book to read to learn about Unix system administration for many Unix flavors.

  • By Aeleen Frisch

  • Published by O'Reilly and Associates

• Linux: Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition

  • A nice online and hardcover book covering GNU/Linux system administration.

  • By Paul Sheer

  • Published by Prentice Hall

  • Package: rutebook (from non-free)

  • File: /usr/share/doc/rutebook/

• Bell Labs: Computing Sciences Research

  • Rich archive of Unix history

  • Main: https://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/

  • Selected technical reports: https://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/cstr.html

  • Some papers: https://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/papers.html

• Online Linux general support resources

  • Debian Planet

  • debianHELP

  • Linux.com

  • The Linux Home Page at Linux Online

  • Red Hat (commercial Linux vender) (RPM, Sys-V init)

  • SuSE, Inc. (commercial Linux vender) (RPM, Sys-V init)

  • Slackware (TGZ, BSD-style init)

• Online general Unix guide and resources

  • The UNIX System by The Open Group

  • A UNIX Introductory Course from Ohio State University

  • UNIXhelp from The University of Edinburgh

  • Unix / Programming Information

  • comp.unix.questions FAQ

  • comp.unix.user-friendly FAQ

  • FreeBSD Documentation

  • The FreeBSD Handbook

  • UNIX GUIDE

  • The Unix Heritage Society

• Free software project home pages

  • GNU Project

  • The Linux Documentation Project

  • The Linux Kernel Archives

  • The XFree86 Project, Inc

  • GNOME

  • K Desktop Environment

  • GNU software at Red Hat

  • Mozilla

  • FreeBSD

  • OpenBSD

  • NetBSD

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Debian GNU/Linux Reference Guide
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