Chapter 4. Making apt Work for You

One of the popular Linux patch management systems is based on the Advanced Package Tool, known as apt. While it was developed for Debian Linux, it is the standard patch management tool for a number of Debian and Red Hat-based distributions, including Knoppix, Xandros, and even the Lineox rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. But if you prefer apt, the associated tools can be installed on most Linux distributions.

In this chapter, you'll learn the fundamentals of apt, including some of its more useful commands. Then you'll see how you can use apt to maintain a Debian client, beyond the fundamental tools that you learned about in Chapter 1, "Patch Management Systems." Finally, you'll see how you can create and maintain a local apt-based repository for your network.