Debian Documentation Project VCS (Version Control System)

Accessing the Sources in Git

The Debian Documentation Project stores all content on Salsa, Debian's GitLab instance. In order to access individual files, check for recent changes, and the project's activities in general, please visit the DDP's repository.

If you'd like to download entire manuals from there, direct access to Salsa is probably a better option. The next sections explain how to clone a Git repository (read-only and read-write) to your local machine and how to update your local copy. Before you start, please install the git package on your own machine.

Cloning a Git Repository anonymously (read-only)

Use this command to download all the files for one project: 

git clone https://salsa.debian.org/ddp-team/release-notes.git

Do the same for every project you want download to your own computer. Tip: To find the correct URL for the git clone command, open the project in a web browser, click on the blue Clone button and copy the Clone with HTTPS URL to your clipboard.

Cloning a Git Repository with Push Privileges (read-write)

Before you can access the Git server this way, you have to be granted write access to the repository. Please refer to this section for more information on how to request push permission.

With write access to Salsa, you can use the following command to download all files for one project: 

git clone git@salsa.debian.org:ddp-team/release-notes.git

Do the same for every project you want to clone locally.

Fetching Changes from the remote Git Repository

To update your local copy with any changes made by other people, enter the respective manual's subdirectory and run this command: 

git pull

Obtaining Push Privileges

Push privileges are available to anyone who wishes to participate in writing manuals, FAQs, HOWTOs, etc. We generally request that you have submitted a couple of useful patches first. After that, follow these steps to apply for write access:

  1. Create an account on Salsa if you haven't already done so.
  2. Go to the DDP's repository and click on Request Access.
  3. Send an email to debian-doc@lists.debian.org and tell us how you have contributed to the Debian project.
  4. Once your request has been approved, you'll be part of the DDP team.

Automatic Update Mechanism

All manuals are published as web pages. These are automatically generated on www-master.debian.org as part of the regular website rebuilding process, which happens every four hours. During this process, the latest package versions are downloaded from the archive, each manual is rebuilt, and all files are transferred to the doc/manuals/ subdirectory of the website.

The documentation files generated by the update script can be found at https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/.

The log files generated by the update process can be found at https://www-master.debian.org/build-logs/webwml/ (the script is named 7doc and is running as part of the often cron job).