Can't get APT to work on local files.

[Eric Dickner <ejdickner@yahoo.com>]

I can't seem to get apt-get to see some .deb files I
have copied to the hard drive.  I followed the
instructions given in the APT HOWTO exactly but they
don't seem to be very well written, at least in this
section (2.2 How to use APT locally).

I make a directory /root/debs, put the debs there and
then did this while still in the root directory (as
per the HOWTO):

"Still in the /root directory do:
   # dpkg-scanpackages debs /dev/null | gzip >
debs/Packages.gz

"

I used /dev/null to avoid looking for an override
file.  The HOWTO states that using '/dev/null' will
prevent it frow writing an override file, but in
actuality the dpkg-scanpackages is LOOKING for an
override file of that name.  The instructions on
actually creating an override file are not clear and I
wanted to skip that.  So using 'dev/null' I am able to
continue to the next step.

"To use the packages, finally, add:

  deb file:/root debs/
"

NB that there in no '#' here...does that mean to "add"
that line to something else?  Typing the above right
into the shell prompt does not work; it tells me that
there is do file called 'deb'...

In the end I did get a 'Packages.gz' file created. I
went to that directory and tried just a simple and
intuitive command:

'apt-get install <filename>'

Of course, this didn't work at all, even though I was
right there in that directory and could see the
file...apt-get needs it in some kind of database that
I had not added it to properly.  I know there are
other ways of adding packages (aptitude) but I have to
add that itself to my system first with this apt tool,
so getting this to work is my only way to add
packages.

Any clarification of this apt/dpkg system would be
greatly appreciated.






		
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