Synaptic

Brief Guide to Working with Synaptic

Synaptic is a graphical interface for the APT package management program. With Synaptic, you can manage package sources (repositories), get information about available packages, install/remove/update packages, and perform keyword searches among available packages.

Running

You can run Synaptic:

• from menu of you desktop environment:
  • Mate: MATE menu ▷ Applications ▷ Preferences ▷ Synaptic Package Manager;
  • KDE: Applicaton Menu ▷ Settings ▷ Synaptic (Package Manager);
  • Xfce: Applications ▷ Settings ▷ Package Manager;

• from terminal:

  $ synaptic
  

Before starting, the program will ask you to enter the superuser password:

Synaptic — superuser password request

Immediately after starting, the program window looks like this:

Synaptic — window after starting

On the right side of the program, there is a list of programs with their current status indicated. When you select a package from the list, information and a description about it are displayed at the bottom.

Package source settings

If you have not yet configured package sources (repositories), select the menu option Settings ▷ Repositories. A window will appear with a list of package sources for your distribution:

Synaptic — repos list

Attention! Pay close attention to the source settings! Under no circumstances should you select everything indiscriminately!

For each available repository, several mirrors are specified (e.g., ftp.altlinux.org and mirror.yandex.ru), and three access methods: ftp, http, rsync. Choose the most convenient method for you, such as one that your provider has not blocked, and the fastest server.

Note: The x86_64 type indicates that the repository contains executable programs and libraries compiled for 64-bit systems. If you use a distribution for 32-bit processors, the content type will be i586.

The presence of the x86_64-i586 repository is necessary to support 32-bit applications in a 64-bit system. If such support is not required, the repository is also not needed.

A source with the noarch type provides packages identical for both x86 platforms (not used in the case of arm and armh types). Typically, these are data, non-binary libraries for Perl, Python, etc.

Attention! Do not mix incompatible repositories, such as repositories related to different distributions.

Do not add multiple different mirrors. This will increase the necessary memory for calculating update dependencies. Additionally, the mirrors may synchronize at different times, which can also add problems when calculating dependencies.

Note that the list of repositories may also include the CD/DVD from which you installed the system:

File:Synaptic3.png

If you plan to install programs from the internet, you can disable the repository with the disc.

You can add any repositories to the suggested list by clicking the "Create" button and entering the necessary information:

File:Synaptic4.png

After editing the list of sources, the program will notify you that "Repositories changed":

File:Synaptic5.png

Update the repository information by clicking the "Reload" button on the toolbar.

Attention! After selecting and adding repositories, it is necessary to retrieve information about the packages they contain. Otherwise, the list of available programs for installation will be outdated. Regularly (preferably before each package installation) update the information about available packages!

Upgrade of installed packages

By default, Synaptic uses smart upgrade (the action of smart upgrade is similar to the command apt-get dist-upgrade). To change the system update method, open the "Preferences" dialog (Settings ▷ Preferences) and on the "General" tab, select the desired method from the "System upgrade" list.

To update packages, follow these steps:

• Press the "Reload" button (<Ctrl>+<R>) to download the list of the latest software versions.
• Press the "Mark All Upgrades" button (<Ctrl>+<G>) to let Synaptic mark all packages for upgrade. The program may display a window with a list of the changes to be made:

File:Synaptic6.png

It is advisable to review the list of packages to be removed. If it includes any important system packages (e.g., glibc*, apt*, rpm*, etc.), it is better to consult mailing lists, forums, or technical support before proceeding with the upgrade.

If you agree with the proposed changes, click the "Apply" button. The package tree display will look something like this:

File:Synaptic7.png

Note how the icons next to the package names have changed. Explanations for the icons can be found in the Help ▷ Icon Legend menu:

File:Synaptic8.png