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While configuring the slapd package in Debian 5, I found one of the questions intriguing:

Do you want the database to be removed when slapd is purged?

What does it mean to purge the slapd database and under which conditions it can happen?

EEAA
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Noe Nieto
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1 Answers1

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It means that if you decide to not just remove the slapd package but purge it instead it, aptitude/apt-get will also remove the the actual database as well. The difference between just removing a package and purging it, is that if you purge it apt will remove all the associated configuration files (even if you have made changes to them).

From the aptitude manpage:

  <package>-
           Remove <package>.

  <package>_
           Purge <package>: remove it and all its associated configuration
           and data files.

So an aptitude purge slapd will take the database and its content with it when the package is uninstalled, whereas an aptitude remove slapd will just uninstall the package.

  • Thanks! Now I see my confusion: The purge operation is over the slapd debian package and not an operation of openldap suite. – Noe Nieto May 20 '11 at 22:09