Here’s a Debian FAQ covering commonly asked questions about Debian, its installation, usage, and troubleshooting. This is a brief summary of common topics:
Debian is a free and open-source operating system that uses the Linux kernel. It provides users with a stable and secure environment for both server and desktop use, and includes thousands of packages from its repositories.
You can install Debian by downloading an ISO image from Debian’s official site and using it to create a bootable USB drive or DVD. Follow the graphical or text-based installer to complete the installation process.
Debian supports multiple desktop environments, including:
You can select your preferred environment during installation, or install it later using APT.
To update your Debian system, run:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
This ensures that your system gets the latest updates for installed packages.
Debian includes a huge repository of software packages. You can use:
sudo apt install [package_name]
By default, Debian only includes free software. To install non-free packages, you’ll need to enable the non-free and contrib repositories by editing /etc/apt/sources.list and adding the following lines:
deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free
Then run:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install [package_name]
Debian supports both graphical and command-line tools to manage networks:
/etc/network/interfaces for static network configurations.ifconfig or ip commands for managing interfaces.There are a few steps to troubleshoot boot issues:
/var/log/syslog or /var/log/dmesg for any error messages related to the boot process.While APT is preferred for installing packages, you can also install software from source:
sudo apt install build-essential
./configure
make
sudo make install
To upgrade from one stable version to the next:
/etc/apt/sources.list to point to the new release (e.g., changing “bullseye” to “bookworm”).sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt dist-upgrade
The Debian Social Contract is a set of principles that Debian developers adhere to. It emphasizes that Debian will remain 100% free, contribute to the open-source community, and be transparent about problems.
#debian on irc.debian.org)