linuxexpert-practice-labs/labs/lpic-1/102-4-debian-packages/README.md

LPIC-1 102.4: Debian package management

Installing, inspecting, removing and purging packages, finding which package owns a file, installing a downloaded .deb, and reconfiguring a package.

Before you start

The lab makes sure mc and hello aren't installed (reset puts mc back if you had it), and sets the time zone to UTC if it's Europe/Berlin already (reset puts the old one back). Write answers to the files in /root/lab-answers/.

Tasks

1. Install mc with apt-get, list its files with dpkg -L, check its status with dpkg -s, then remove it and purge it, checking dpkg -l after each step.
2. Find which package provides /usr/bin/ls, then try /bin/ls and see why it fails. Then use apt-file to find which package would provide the ab command, which you don't have yet. Write the package that owns /usr/bin/ls on line 1 of /root/lab-answers/2, and the package with ab on line 2.
3. Download the hello package with apt-get download in /root, list its contents with dpkg -c, and install it with dpkg -i.
4. Run dpkg-reconfigure tzdata and change the time zone to Europe/Berlin.

Hints

• dpkg -l mc shows ii while it's installed. mc has configuration files (dpkg -s lists them under Conffiles:), so it shows rc after apt-get remove, and disappears with apt-get purge. A package without any, such as cowsay, is gone after remove.
• dpkg -S; /bin is a symlink to usr/bin, and the package lists the file only under /usr/bin. apt-get install apt-file, apt-file update, apt-file search bin/ab.
• apt-get download hello, dpkg -c, dpkg -i.
• timedatectl, ls -l /etc/localtime, cat /etc/timezone.