Moonbase

The moonbase is the complete collection of all the software packages (modules) that Lunar Linux offers its users. It is organized in a hierarchical structure of directories and files, usually found on the user's system at /var/lib/lunar/moonbase.

Generically speaking, the moonbase is just a directory with subdirectories and files inside it.

Sections

The moonbase's first level of structure and organization is a section. A section is a name that serves to classify and organize a group of modules into logical partitions.

Each section is simply a subdirectory that resides right below the root of the moonbase or inside another section. Sections can also be nested in other sections.

Special Sections

There are two sections of special significance:

zbeta

Contains modules that are:

Downloaded directly from live source code repositories (*-cvs or *-svn modules)
Unable to be tested extensively by the Lunar team due to hardware availability or other constraints

These modules cannot be guaranteed to work at all times on all hardware.

zlocal

Where users can:

Develop their own modules
Copy and edit existing moonbase modules without risk of them being overwritten next time the moonbase is updated

This is your personal workspace for module development and customization.

Modules

Modules sit in a section directory. A module consists of a directory with specific files and other directories that are not sections. These subdirectories represent a single module that "belongs" to that section of the moonbase.

A module, to be a bit simplistic, is a set of "instructions" to perform a task - namely, instructions to compile and then install what was compiled onto the user's filesystem.

Example

If we had a module named FooGame that was located in the "games" section of the moonbase, we would find a directory called FooGame at:

/var/lib/lunar/moonbase/games/FooGame

Summary

To summarize:

Installable software packages are called modules
The collection of all modules is called the moonbase
The moonbase is simply a directory containing logical sections (subdirectories)
Sections, in turn, contain the module directories

Structure Diagram

Moonbase
\--section
   |--section
   |  \--module
   |     \-- files
   \--module
      \-- files

Viewing and Browsing

You can explore the moonbase structure using several methods:

Command Line

# List all sections
ls /var/lib/lunar/moonbase/

# List modules in a specific section
ls /var/lib/lunar/moonbase/games/

# View all modules in a section
lvu section games

# Search for a module
lvu search keyword

Web Interface

Browse the moonbase online at lunar-linux.org to see available modules and their details.

Updating the Moonbase

The moonbase should be updated regularly to get the latest module definitions:

# Update moonbase to latest version
lunar update

# Just update moonbase without installing updates
lunar renew

This downloads the latest module definitions from the Lunar Linux servers, ensuring you have access to the newest versions of software packages.

Module Basics - Learn how modules are structured
Lin Basics - Using the package installer
Module Submission - Contributing your own modules