dpkg

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  configure 

This option is used in conjunction with the   unpack option to complete the

installation of a package. This option may involve scripts specific to the pack 

age that put the finishing touches on the package, or it may require that dpkg

manage the installation of files known as conffiles.

conffiles are files that have been declared by their package to require special

handling during their installation. The passwd file, that holds the password

information, is just such a file. dpkg provides the opportunity to replace the

current password file with a new one whenever the package is updated. In

the case of passwd this is usually not desirable, while with other packages,

such as mimetypes, it may be perfectly appropriate. If you do replace an old

conffile with a new one, the old file is backed up with the added extension

.dpkg old. If you reject the new conffile a copy is provided with the extension

.dpkg dist. This allows for recovery from mistakes, but it also provides the

material from which a composite conffile can be constructed. Thus, with the

password example, if major changes happened to the structure of the password

file, the new file is accepted and the old data edited into the new file. This

produces a composite password file with the new changes combined with the

old user information.

This   configure option causes these remaining details of configuration to be

completed for a given package. To configure all packages that are unpacked

but not configured the  a |   pending option replaces the package name. To

complete the installation of packages previously only unpacked, the command

looks like:

dpkg   configure   pending

and will complete the installation of any unpacked packages.