vdb Repository Format

The vdb repository format is used on Gentoo and derived distributions to track packages installed from an ebuild. It is not used on Exherbo; exndbam serves the equivalent purpose there.

As well as the general keys supported for all repositories, the following keys have meaning for vdb format repositories:

location

The location of the repository. Mandatory. On Gentoo systems, this must be ${root}/var/db/pkg to avoid problems with broken ebuilds that illegally access the VDB.

names_cache

The directory in which to look for a names cache, and in which to generate a names cache. A names cache will significantly speed up converting a pkg into a cat/pkg. See Getting Started for notes. Optional, set to /var/empty to disable.

builddir

The directory to use when 'building' a package for an uninstall (a temporary directory is needed for various operations). Optional.

root

The root to which this VDB repository corresponds. Optional.

name

The repository's name. Defaults to "installed". Usually only changed if multiple VDB repositories are required.