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dpkg-split(1)			   dpkg suite			   dpkg-split(1)

NAME
     dpkg-split - Debian package archive split/join tool

SYNOPSIS
     dpkg-split [option...] command

DESCRIPTION
     dpkg-split  splits  Debian  binary package files into smaller parts and re-
     assembles them again, to support the storage  of  large  package  files  on
     small media such as floppy disks.

     It can be operated manually using the --split, --join and --info options.

     It  also  has  an automatic mode, invoked using the --auto option, where it
     maintains a queue of parts seen but not yet reassembled and  reassembles  a
     package  file  when it has seen all of its parts. The --listq and --discard
     options allow the management of the queue.

     All splitting, joining and queueing operations produce informative messages
     on standard output; these may safely be ignored.

COMMANDS
     -s, --split complete-archive [prefix]
	    Splits a single Debian binary package into several parts.

	    The parts are named prefix.NofM.deb where  N  is  the  part  number,
	    starting at 1, and M is the total number of parts (both in decimal).

	    If	no  prefix  is	supplied  then	the complete-archive filename is
	    taken, including directory, with any trailing .deb removed.

     -j, --join part...
	    Joins the parts of a package file together, reassembling the  origi-
	    nal file as it was before it was split.

	    The  part  files given as arguments must be all the parts of exactly
	    the same original binary file. Each part must occur exactly once  in
	    the  argument list, though the parts to not need to be listed in or-
	    der.

	    The parts must of course all have been generated with the same  part
	    size  specified  at  split	time, which means that they must usually
	    have been generated by the same invocation of dpkg-split --split.

	    The parts' filenames are not significant for the reassembly process.

	    By default the output file is called package_version_arch.deb.

     -I, --info part...
	    Prints information, in  a  human-readable  format,	about  the  part
	    file(s) specified. Arguments which are not binary package parts pro-
	    duce a message saying so instead (but still on standard output).

     -a, --auto -o complete-output part
	    Automatically queue parts and reassemble a package if possible.

	    The part specified is examined, and compared with other parts of the
	    same package (if any) in the queue of packages file parts.

	    If	all parts of the package file of which part is a part are avail-
	    able then the package is reassembled and written to  complete-output
	    (which  should  not usually already exist, though this is not an er-
	    ror).

	    If not then the part is copied into the queue and complete-output is
	    not created.

	    If part is not a split binary package part then dpkg-split will exit
	    with status 1; if some other trouble occurs then it will  exit  with
	    status 2.

	    The  --output  or -o option must be supplied when using --auto.  (If
	    this were not mandatory the calling program would not know what out-
	    put file to expect.)

     -l, --listq
	    Lists the contents of the queue of packages to be reassembled.

	    For each package file of which parts are in  the  queue  the  output
	    gives the name of the package, the parts in the queue, and the total
	    number of bytes stored in the queue.

     -d, --discard [package...]
	    This  discards parts from the queue of those waiting for the remain-
	    ing parts of their packages.

	    If no package is specified then the queue is cleared completely;  if
	    any  are  specified  then  only parts of the relevant package(s) are
	    deleted.

     -?, --help
	    Show the usage message and exit.

     --version
	    Show the version and exit.

OPTIONS
     --depotdir directory
	    Specifies an alternative directory for the queue of  parts	awaiting
	    automatic reassembly. The default is /var/db/dpkg.

     -S, --partsize kibibytes
	    Specifies  the  maximum part size when splitting, in kibibytes (1024
	    bytes). The default is 450 KiB.

     -o, --output complete-output
	    Specifies the output file name for a reassembly.

	    This overrides the default for a manual reassembly (--join)  and  is
	    mandatory for an automatic queue-or-reassemble (--auto).

     -Q, --npquiet
	    When doing automatic queue-or-reassembly dpkg-split usually prints a
	    message  if  it  is  given a part that is not a binary package part.
	    This option suppresses this message, to allow programs such as  dpkg
	    to	cope with both split and unsplit packages without producing spu-
	    rious messages.

     --msdos
	    Forces the output filenames generated by --split to be msdos-compat-
	    ible.

	    This mangles the prefix - either the default derived from the  input
	    filename  or the one supplied as an argument: alphanumerics are low-
	    ercased, plus signs are replaced by x's and all other characters are
	    discarded.

	    The result is then truncated as much as is necessary, and  filenames
	    of the form prefixNofM.deb are generated.

EXIT STATUS
     0	    The requested split, merge, or other command succeeded.  --info com-
	    mands  count  as successful even if the files are not binary package
	    parts.

     1	    Only occurs with --auto and indicates that the part file was  not  a
	    binary package part.

     2	    Fatal  or  unrecoverable  error due to invalid command-line usage, a
	    file that looked like a package part file but was corrupted, or  in-
	    teractions with the system, such as accesses to the database, memory
	    allocations, etc.

ENVIRONMENT
     DPKG_COLORS
	    Sets  the  color  mode  (since dpkg 1.18.5).  The currently accepted
	    values are: auto (default), always and never.

     SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH
	    If set, it will be used as	the  timestamp	(as  seconds  since  the
	    epoch) in the deb-split(5)'s ar(5) container.

FILES
     /var/db/dpkg/parts
	    The  default  queue  directory for part files awaiting automatic re-
	    assembly.

	    The filenames used in this directory are in  a  format  internal  to
	    dpkg-split	and  are unlikely to be useful to other programs, and in
	    any case the filename format should not be relied upon.

BUGS
     Full details of the packages in the queue are  impossible	to  get  without
     digging into the queue directory yourself.

     There  is	no  easy way to test whether a file that may be a binary package
     part is one.

SEE ALSO
     deb(5), deb-control(5), dpkg-deb(1), dpkg(1).

1.19.8				   2022-05-24			   dpkg-split(1)

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<https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=dpkg-split&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+Ports+15.1.quarterly>

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