5.7. Specifying the package section, subsection and priority

The debian/control file’s Section and Priority fields do not actually specify where the file will be placed in the archive, nor its priority. In order to retain the overall integrity of the archive, it is the archive maintainers who have control over these fields. The values in the debian/control file are actually just hints.

The archive maintainers keep track of the canonical sections and priorities for packages in the override file. If there is a disparity between the override file and the package’s fields as indicated in debian/control, then you will receive an email noting the divergence when the package is installed into the archive. You can either correct your debian/control file for your next upload, or else you may wish to make a change in the override file.

To alter the actual section that a package is put in, you need to first make sure that the debian/control file in your package is accurate. Next, submit a bug against ftp.debian.org requesting that the section or priority for your package be changed from the old section or priority to the new one. Use a Subject like override: PACKAGE1:section/priority, [...], PACKAGEX:section/priority, and include the justification for the change in the body of the bug report.

For more information about override files, see dpkg-scanpackages 1 and https://www.debian.org/Bugs/Developer#maintincorrect.

Note that the Section field describes both the section as well as the subsection, which are described in Sections. If the section is main, it should be omitted. The list of allowable subsections can be found in https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-subsections.