# Seeds #### NOTE * Page source: [wiki - Seed Management](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SeedManagement) * Page source: [wiki - Ubuntu Studio/seeds](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/Seeds) This page will be moved to: * How Ubuntu is made > concepts > Seeds are text files listing the packages we want to include in the Ubuntu distribution. A [Germinate](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/project/staging/release-team/germinate.md#germinate) script parses these seed files and ensures the packages are installed on the user’s system. ## Available seeds There are seven primary seeds, which define what goes into the Ubuntu Package Archive’s `main` component: * [Minimal](#seeds-minimal) * [Boot](#seeds-boot) * [Standard](#seeds-standard) * [Desktop](#seeds-desktop) * [Ship](#seeds-ship) * [Live](#seeds-live) * [Supported](#seeds-supported) These are described in more detail below. These are not the only seeds that exist - you can [view the current seeds](https://static-reports.ubuntu.com/seeds/) and the corresponding [germinate output](https://static-reports.ubuntu.com/germinate/germinate-output/release/) for them. ## How seeds are used Seeding a package pulls all of its dependencies into the appropriate part of the Archive and ensures everything needed to build that package is at least placed in `supported`. The actual movement of packages between `main` and `universe` is semi-automatic. A tool called [`component-mismatches`](https://static-reports.ubuntu.com/mismatches/component-mismatches.txt) reports on what should be promoted or demoted according to the seeds. The Archive Administrators review these mismatches by hand and process them. ### Germinate The seeds are read by a program called [Germinate](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/project/staging/release-team/germinate.md#germinate), which resolves the dependencies of packages in the seed lists. By adding additional packages to satisfy these dependencies, the final package lists are produced. ### CD builds * The Desktop CD contains the software in the `ship-live` seed (and its dependencies) * The Alternate CD contains the software in the `ship` seed (and its dependencies) * The DVD contains the software in the `dvd` seed (and its dependencies) * The Live Server CD contains the software in the `server-ship-live` seed (and its dependencies) ## Seed descriptions ### Minimal The minimal system provides enough packages to install a basic command-line system, boot, and install more packages. It also contains any packages that should be available the first time the system boots after installation (for example, hardware detection blocklists). It does not provide X11 or any services listening on any non-localhost ports. Packages in minimal should be: * Absolutely stable, standard tools we think will be around forever and are willing to maintain (even if the whole world moves on). * Diagnostic tools to get the system and network up and running, that are valuable to have “always there” (just in case). * Widely applicable (in the Lowest Common Denominator sense) to every installation – Desktop or Server. A “minimal” system is not expected to be useful for any particular purpose; it exists for bootstrapping more interesting systems. ### Boot The boot seed lists the default kernels and boot loaders required for each processor architecture. It is kept separate from the minimal seed for technical reasons; chiefly that having `debootstrap` install default kernels and bootloaders reduces the flexibility of the installer to choose alternatives. ### Standard The standard seed provides the package list to create a solid foundation for a Desktop or Server, without providing X11 or any services listening on any non-localhost ports. The criteria for packages in standard are similar to those for packages in minimal, but in standard we concentrate more on the Greatest Common Factor. The standard system includes packages that make up a traditional comfortable UNIX system, a variety of networking clients and tools, advanced filesystem support, and various diagnostic utilities. A “standard” system is not expected to be useful for any particular purpose. It’s simply the minimal working system that we support. It should be a platform that one can quickly get working, and on top of which one can construct a useful collection of services. Typically, servers start out as a “standard” system, and the system administrator then adds specific services and packages as needed. ### Desktop The desktop seed ought to be a checklist of Desktop features that would appeal to a user or procurer. Thus, the desktop seed should be as simple as possible without being too simple, and be directly focused on solving Desktop problems. One of the valuable design choices in Debian is that if you install a daemon, it is assumed that you intend to use it. If you don’t want to run it, don’t install it. Requiring that a daemon be installed but not wanting to run it is a rarely-by-few use case, so Debian doesn’t optimize for it. Rightly so. We look at our Desktop seed in a similar light. If we put it on the list, it should be installed; if we install it, assume that it will be used. In some cases, this will be “running by default”, but in most cases on the desktop, it just means “available or visible by default”. We should not confuse the Desktop seed with “what’s on the CD”, because we can always fill the remaining space on the CD with high priority items. Similarly, we should not put important things that are independent of our desktop solution in the Desktop seed, as this will adversely affect our focus. Major distro features that are not Desktop-oriented should have their own sections on the Supported seed page. ### Ship The ship seed lists packages included on the CD for convenience, but that are not part of the default set of packages to install. Common examples include: * Utilities that may be necessary (in some cases) to connect to a network. * Common server applications. ### Live Software to be installed on the Ubuntu Live CD, in addition to the default desktop list. ### Supported The supported system provides functionality not included by the standard or desktop systems but which meets the following criteria: 1. It is very widely used, people are committed to it. 2. It is not architecturally insecure, it is thus easy for us to provide security fixes and updates. This list would include popular servers other than the ones we include in a standard or desktop install, additional desktop software, and a build environment. It is never expected that someone would install the entire supported list of packages; they would choose specific packages that provide specific needed functionality. This list is all the extra packages we think need to be supported in our distro. We will accept contributions of additional packages into this list, if they: 1. Have an external maintainer who agrees to maintain them to our standard, in Git, using `Soyuz`. 2. Pass a one-time security review from `MartinPitt` and agree to be responsive to him on `SecurityPage` issues. #### NOTE These steps are VERY out of date. `MartinPitt` and `SecurityPage` no longer exist on the wiki, but also don’t redirect anywhere. Please update the process, and then delete this note. Some packages in this list will also ship on the CD, subject to the amount of space we have on the CD. They would typically be cached on the installed hard drive for rapid installation without the CD. All of these packages will be available in the online archive of packages. supported-desktop : Should not contain anything; it aggregates the more specific Desktop-related seeds. supported-desktop-extra : Packages that get additional support for 5 years on an LTS. supported-server : Should not contain anything; it aggregates the more specific Server-related seeds. supported-hardware-desktop : Hardware-related packages used on Desktop only. supported-hardware-common : Hardware-related packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. supported-installer-desktop : Installer-related packages used for Desktop installations only. supported-installer-common : Installer-related packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. supported-network-common : Network-related packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. supported-sysadmin-desktop : System administration packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. supported-sysadmin-common : System administration packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. supported-development : Development packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. supported-misc-servers : Miscellaneous Server-only packages. supported-kernel : Kernel packages that are used on both Desktop and Server. ### Extra Binary packages which are built by a supported source package, but not supported themselves, are automatically added to a special “extra” list. ## Maintenance period **Maintained** means that the team *commits to providing security updates for the packages that are defined in the seed and whatever dependencies are necessary to make them work*. Canonical provides free maintenance for Ubuntu products as follows: The content of `main` is defined as the union of the seeds: `ubuntu.all`, `kubuntu.all`, `edubuntu.all`, `netbook.all`. If that changes then the code in `maintenance-check.py` needs updating.