# phpman > man > dpkg-split(1) [dpkg-split(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg-split/1/markdown) dpkg suite [dpkg-split(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg-split/1/markdown) ## NAME dpkg-split - Debian package archive split/join tool ## SYNOPSIS **dpkg-split** [_option_...] _command_ ## DESCRIPTION **dpkg-split** splits Debian binary package files into smaller parts and reassembles them again, to support the storage of large package files on small media such as floppy disks. It can be operated manually using the **--split**, **--join** and **--info** options. It also has an automatic mode, invoked using the **--auto** option, where it maintains a queue of parts seen but not yet reassembled and reassembles a package file when it has seen all of its parts. The **--listq** and **--discard** options allow the management of the queue. All splitting, joining and queueing operations produce informative messages on standard output; these may safely be ignored. ## COMMANDS ### -s --split Splits a single Debian binary package into several parts. The parts are named _prefix_**.**_N_**of**_M_**.deb** where _N_ is the part number, starting at 1, and _M_ is the total number of parts (both in decimal). If no _prefix_ is supplied then the _complete-archive_ filename is taken, including directory, with any trailing **.deb** removed. ### -j --join Joins the parts of a package file together, reassembling the original file as it was before it was split. The part files given as arguments must be all the parts of exactly the same original binary file. Each part must occur exactly once in the argument list, though the parts to not need to be listed in order. The parts must of course all have been generated with the same part size specified at split time, which means that they must usually have been generated by the same invocation of **dpkg-split** **--split**. The parts' filenames are not significant for the reassembly process. By default the output file is called _package_version_arch_**.deb**. ### -I --info Prints information, in a human-readable format, about the part file(s) specified. Arguments which are not binary package parts produce a message saying so instead (but still on standard output). ### -a --auto -o Automatically queue parts and reassemble a package if possible. The _part_ specified is examined, and compared with other parts of the same package (if any) in the queue of packages file parts. If all parts of the package file of which _part_ is a part are available then the package is reassembled and written to _complete-output_ (which should not usually already exist, though this is not an error). If not then the _part_ is copied into the queue and _complete-output_ is not created. If _part_ is not a split binary package part then **dpkg-split** will exit with status **1**; if some other trouble occurs then it will exit with status **2**. The **--output** or **-o** option must be supplied when using **--auto**. (If this were not mandatory the calling program would not know what output file to expect.) ### -l --listq Lists the contents of the queue of packages to be reassembled. For each package file of which parts are in the queue the output gives the name of the package, the parts in the queue, and the total number of bytes stored in the queue. ### -d --discard This discards parts from the queue of those waiting for the remaining parts of their packages. If no _package_ is specified then the queue is cleared completely; if any are specified then only parts of the relevant package(s) are deleted. **-?**, **--help** Show the usage message and exit. ### --version Show the version and exit. ## OPTIONS **--depotdir** _directory_ Specifies an alternative directory for the queue of parts awaiting automatic reassembly. The default is **/var/lib/dpkg**. ### -S --partsize Specifies the maximum part size when splitting, in kibibytes (1024 bytes). The default is 450 KiB. ### -o --output Specifies the output file name for a reassembly. This overrides the default for a manual reassembly (**--join**) and is mandatory for an automatic queue-or-reassemble (**--auto**). ### -Q --npquiet When doing automatic queue-or-reassembly **dpkg-split** usually prints a message if it is given a _part_ that is not a binary package part. This option suppresses this message, to allow programs such as **dpkg** to cope with both split and unsplit packages without producing spurious messages. ### --msdos Forces the output filenames generated by **--split** to be MSDOS-compatible. This mangles the prefix - either the default derived from the input filename or the one supplied as an argument: alphanumerics are lowercased, plus signs are replaced by **x**'s and all other characters are discarded. The result is then truncated as much as is necessary, and filenames of the form _prefixN_**of**_M_**.deb** are generated. ## EXIT STATUS **0** The requested split, merge, or other command succeeded. **--info** commands count as successful even if the files are not binary package parts. **1** Only occurs with **--auto** and indicates that the _part_ file was not a binary package part. **2** Fatal or unrecoverable error due to invalid command-line usage, a file that looked like a package part file but was corrupted, or interactions with the system, such as accesses to the database, memory allocations, etc. ## ENVIRONMENT **DPKG**___**COLORS** Sets the color mode (since dpkg 1.18.5). The currently accepted values are: **auto** (default), **always** and **never**. **SOURCE**___**DATE**___**EPOCH** If set, it will be used as the timestamp (as seconds since the epoch) in the **deb-** [**split**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/split/5/markdown)'s [**ar**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ar/5/markdown) container. ## FILES _/var/lib/dpkg/parts_ The default queue directory for part files awaiting automatic reassembly. The filenames used in this directory are in a format internal to **dpkg-split** and are unlikely to be useful to other programs, and in any case the filename format should not be relied upon. ## BUGS Full details of the packages in the queue are impossible to get without digging into the queue directory yourself. There is no easy way to test whether a file that may be a binary package part is one. ## SEE ALSO [**deb**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/deb/5/markdown), [**deb-control**(5)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/deb-control/5/markdown), [**dpkg-deb**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg-deb/1/markdown), [**dpkg**(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg/1/markdown). 1.21.1 2025-09-09 [dpkg-split(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dpkg-split/1/markdown)