August 2006

This brief HOWTO shows how a simple repository for Debian APT *.deb files can be built. To keep it simple, it assumes that the etch Debian/GNU Linux distribution is used on the i386 architecture. These steps have been tested with equal success on the sarge distribution.

This brief HOWTO shows how a simple Debian DEB package file can be built. To keep it simple, various shortcuts have been taken and assumptions have been made.

• The package will be usable for the i386 architecture only.
• The source code will not be available (e.g. via apt-get source). This means that the package will be non-free.
• The Debian Policy will not be adhered to. This means that the package will not be accepted into the official Debian archive.
• By building a binary package, all the files must have permissions and ownerships that match the intended permissions and ownerships. Thus, all steps are expected to be run under the root account.