Backport packages

You want to use the backportpackage command available in Ubuntu via:

apt-get install ubuntu-dev-tools

Read the manual documentation at http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/precise/man1/backportpackage.1.html . You basically pass the source distribution with -s and the target destination with -d then the package as argument.

Example backporting python-git from Quantal to both Precise and Lucid:

export DEBFULLNAME="Antoine Musso"
export DEBEMAIL="hashar at free point fr"
export DEBBUILDOPTS="-sa"
mkdir workdir
backportpackage -s quantal -d precise -d lucid -w workdir python-git

Then create the .deb using Pbuilder.

more details

When running backportpackage, it will automatically download the files using dpkg-source:

dpkg-source: info: unpacking python-git_0.3.2~RC1.orig.tar.gz
dpkg-source: info: unpacking python-git_0.3.2~RC1.orig-doc.tar.gz
dpkg-source: info: unpacking python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1.debian.tar.gz

Once the process has finished, you will end up with a bunch of files in the working directory:

ls -1 workdir/python-git_*
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1.debian.tar.gz
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1.dsc
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu10.04.1.debian.tar.gz
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu10.04.1.dsc
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu10.04.1_source.build
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu10.04.1_source.changes
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu12.04.1.debian.tar.gz
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu12.04.1.dsc
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu12.04.1_source.build
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1-1~ubuntu12.04.1_source.changes
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1.orig-doc.tar.gz
workdir/python-git_0.3.2~RC1.orig.tar.gz
$

You will want to manually review the *.changes files.

Make sure to also build the dependencies!

without signing

If you do not have a GPG key, you will want to disable signature. This require ubuntu-dev-tools >= 0.142 . You could install it from Quantal http://packages.ubuntu.com/quantal/all/ubuntu-dev-tools/download .

Direct link: http://ubuntu.wikimedia.org/ubuntu//pool/universe/u/ubuntu-dev-tools/ubuntu-dev-tools_0.143_all.deb (broken has of Sep 25th 2012).

Alternate link: http://mirrors.us.kernel.org/ubuntu//pool/universe/u/ubuntu-dev-tools/ubuntu-dev-tools_0.143_all.deb

0.142 adds a new --dont-sign option which disable signing entirely. So the first command becomes:

backportpackage  --dont-sign -s quantal -d precise -d lucid -w workdir python-git