How do I add a PPA?

[Anders_W]

Hello!

I've just got my B3 up and running.

In order to install the things I need, I have to add a PPA (Personal Package Archive), so that apt-get can collect and install the needed software.

Being a newbie in Linux, I do not know how to do this. Any suggestions are very welcome.

[Ubi]

This is the first time I've ever hear of a PPA. It seems to be a specific part of launchpad.

Personal Package Archives (PPA) allow you to upload Ubuntu source packages to be built and published as an apt repository by Launchpad. You can find out more about PPAs and how to use them in our help page.

Supported architectures
When Launchpad builds a source package in a PPA, it creates binaries for:
x86
AMD64
For Ubuntu versions prior to 10.04 (Lucid): LPIA.

the B3 is ARM, not X86 or AMD64. And although I still don't fully understand what the PPA is supposed to do, I guess it will not work on a B3, due to the presence of an unsupported CPU...

[Anders_W]

I managed to add the PPA itself by adding it in the file /etc/apt/sources.list

Doing apt-get update gives this output:

Bra http://ftp.se.debian.org squeeze Release.gpg
Ign http://ftp.se.debian.org/debian/ squeeze/main Translation-en
Bra http://b3.update.excito.org elvin Release.gpg
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org/ elvin/main Translation-en
Ign http://ftp.se.debian.org/debian/ squeeze/main Translation-sv
Ign http://ftp.se.debian.org/debian/ squeeze/main Translation-sv_SE
Bra http://ftp.se.debian.org squeeze Release
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org/ elvin/main Translation-sv
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org/ elvin/main Translation-sv_SE
Bra http://b3.update.excito.org upstream_squeeze Release.gpg
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org/ upstream_squeeze/main Translation-en
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org/ upstream_squeeze/main Translation-sv
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org/ upstream_squeeze/main Translation-sv_SE
Läs:1 http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick Release.gpg [316 B]
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net/bugs-sehe/zfs-fuse/ubuntu/ maverick/main Translation-en
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net/bugs-sehe/zfs-fuse/ubuntu/ maverick/main Translation-sv
Bra http://b3.update.excito.org elvin Release
Bra http://b3.update.excito.org upstream_squeeze Release
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net/bugs-sehe/zfs-fuse/ubuntu/ maverick/main Translation-sv_SE
Läs:2 http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick Release [9 744 B]
Ign http://ftp.se.debian.org squeeze/main armel Packages
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org elvin/main armel Packages
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick Release
Bra http://ftp.se.debian.org squeeze/main armel Packages
Ign http://b3.update.excito.org upstream_squeeze/main armel Packages
Bra http://b3.update.excito.org elvin/main armel Packages
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick/main Sources/DiffIndex
Bra http://b3.update.excito.org upstream_squeeze/main armel Packages
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick/main armel Packages/DiffIndex
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick/main Sources
Ign http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick/main armel Packages
Bra http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick/main Sources
Bra http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick/main armel Packages
Hämtade 317 B på 0s (375 B/s)
Läser paketlistor... Färdig
W: GPG-fel: http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick Release: Följande signaturer kunde inte verifieras för att den öppna nyckeln inte är tillgänglig: NO_PUBKEY C09242E7CF7522CB

Translation into english: "W: GPG-error: http://ppa.launchpad.net maverick Release: The following signatures could not be verified since the open key is unavailable: NO_PUBKEY ... "

For information, the programmer's homepage https://launchpad.net/~bugs-sehe/+archive/zfs-fuse/ states that the signing key is "1024R/CF7522CB".

Using the "What is this?" subpage on the site, I entered this command:

gpg --ignore-time-conflict --no-options --no-default-keyring --secret-keyring /etc/apt/secring.gpg --trustdb-name /etc/apt/trustdb.gpg --keyring /etc/apt/trusted.gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv 3EB687A4A2612F33689A816DC09242E7CF7522CB

And then apt-get update completed without problem.

However, when I now ask "apt-get install ifs-fuse", I get the answer "E: Could not find package zfs-fuse".

Sigh...

[RandomUsername]

I am very familiar with PPAs as they are quite integral to Ubuntu. However, I've not experienced them in Debian so don't know if they're supported or not (thinking about it, I had trouble using the Mozilla Stable PPA on a Debian machine at work so I don't think they are supported).

@Ubi, they're basically private repositories that can be added to your sources for developers to easily distribute and update software that isn't in an official repo. I'm so used to them I'm quite amused (at myself) that someone as experienced as you hasn't heard of them. I'd never really considered their availability (or lack of) in other distributions.

@Anders_W - this might be of help, but be careful. It mentions adverse effects.

http://blog.anantshri.info/howto-add-ppa-in-debian/

[Ubi]

Well, I'm a redhat person