Description of each field
As you can see from the first three lines:
First letter -> desired package state (“selection state”):
- u – means: Unknown (an unknown state)
- i – means: Install (marked for installation)
- r – means: Remove (marked for removal)
- p – means: Purge (marked for purging means: also config files will be removed)
- h – means: put on hold (will not be updated-upgraded)
Second letter -> current package state:
- n – means: the package is not installed
- i – means: the package is installed (success! 🙂
- c – means: config-files (only the config files are installed)
- u – means: the package is unpacked (?)
- f – means: half-configured (configuration failed for some reason (failed to remove configuration files?))
- h – means: half-installed (installation failed for some reason) -> use this script for nice debugging
- w – means: triggers-awaited (package is waiting for a trigger from another package)
- t – means: triggers-pending (package has been triggered)
Third letter -> error state (you normally shouldn’t see a third letter, but a space, instead):
- R – means: reinst-required (package broken, reinstallation required)
the combinations:
- ii – means: ‘It should be installed and it is installed’ whereas
- rc – means: ‘It’s removed/uninstalled but it’s configuration files are still there’
creditz: https://askubuntu.com/questions/18804/what-do-the-various-dpkg-flags-like-ii-rc-mean
creditz: https://linuxprograms.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/status-dpkg-list/
#linux #gnu #gnulinux #opensource #administration #sysops #debian #gnu-linux #apt #aptitude #dpkg #ubuntu
Originally posted at: https://dwaves.de/2021/10/20/gnu-linux-debian-apt-package-management-what-does-this-two-letter-package-status-mean-anyway-ii-rc/