wpkg --unpack

Options Comments
--admindir Define the administration directory, where the database of the installed packages resides.
--build [Only with --install] Using this command along the --install command is the same as doing --build-and-install.
--debug Define a set of flags of things to print out for debug purposes.
--dry-run Run all validations then exit.
--force-all Ignore all problems that can be bypassed.
--force-architecture Ignore architecture mismatch errors.
--force-breaks Allow the installation of packages that break others.
--force-configure-any Automatically configure packages that were only unpackaged earlier.
--force-conflicts Accept packages even if they are in conflict with others.
--force-depends Accept installing packages with missing dependencies.
--force-depends-version Accept installing packages with dependencies having incompatible versions.
--force-downgrade Allow a package to be dowgraded.
--force-hold Force an upgrade to occur even if one of the explicit packages is currently on hold.
--force-overwrite Allow a package to overwrite another's file(s).
--force-overwrite-dir Allow the system to overwrite directories with files and vice versa.
--instdir Define the installation directory, where the data files are installed on the target.
--interactive Allow wpkg to interactively request a username and password when necessary to access a remote drive.
--no-act Run all validations then exit.
--no-force-all Prevent any --force-... command line option from being used.
--no-force-architecture Prevent package with an incompatible architectures from being installed.
--no-force-breaks Prevent the installation of package if marked as breaking each others.
--no-force-configure-any Do no automatically configure packaages. If a dependency is an unpacked package, then the verification fails.
--no-force-conflicts Prevent incompatible packages from being installed along each others.
--no-force-depends Prevent packages with missing dependencies from being installed.
--no-force-depends-version Prevent installing packages if dependency versions are not compatible.
--no-force-downgrade Prevent a package from being downgraded (a smaller version cannot be installed.)
--no-force-hold Prevent upgrading a package if it is currently on hold.
--no-force-overwrite Forbid any package from overwriting any file while being installed.
--no-force-overwrite-dir Prevent the overwrite feature on directory.
--quiet Request for minimal output. For the --verify function this is the default behavior.
--recursive Recursively scan the --repository directories or remove all dependencies automatically.
--refuse-all Prevent all problems from ever being bypassed.
--refuse-architecture Prevent package with an incompatible architecture from being installed.
--refuse-breaks Prevent the installation of package if marked as breaking each others.
--refuse-configure-any Do no automatically configure packaages. If a dependency is an unpacked package, then the verification fails.
--refuse-conflicts Prevent incompatible packages from being installed along each others.
--refuse-depends Prevent packages with missing dependencies from being installed.
--refuse-depends-version Prevent installing packages if dependency versions are not compatible.
--refuse-downgrade Prevent a package from being downgraded (a smaller version cannot be installed.)
--refuse-hold Prevent an upgrade of a package that is on hold.
--refuse-overwrite Forbid any package from overwriting any file while being installed.
--refuse-overwrite-dir Prevent the overwrite feature on directory.
--repository List of directories used as repositories for package dependencies.
--root Define the installation root path.
--simulate Run all validations then exit.
--skip-same-version Do not reinstall a package if that same version is already installed.
--tracking-journal Specify the filename for the tracking journal that can be used to rollback changes made by installation commands.
--verify-fields Ensure fields validity before processing.
--verbose Display log information of level INFO.

 

The --unpack command is used to unpack a package on a target system. This is very similar to the --install without running the --configure step.

A validation process similar to the --install is run before the unpack takes place. One exception: even if the package breaks another, it can still be unpacked (hence --force-breaks doesn't apply even though the option is accepted.) However, you will not be able to configure it later.

Note that the --configure command runs the post installation scripts (postinst). Unpacking only runs the pre-installation scripts (preinst).

Packages that are already installed can be unpacked. In that case the scripts to deconfigure the package are run, however, the package configuration files are not removed nor renamed. This follows the unpack capability of dpkg. After an --unpack on an installed package the package is considered Unpacked and thus not configured.

You may also use the --deconfigure command. This is different because this action actually deletes (really it renames them) the configuration files even though the resulting status is the same: Unpacked.