Ubuntu – How to list available backport upgrades

You just need to do apt-get install --only-upgrade <packagename>. This will upgrade only that single package, and only if it is installed.

If you wish to install the package if it doesn't exist, or upgrade it if it does, you may leave out --only-upgrade.

To search for a particular package by name or description:

From the command-line, use:

apt-cache search keyword

where the search keyword can be all or part of a package name or any words used in its description.

For example, apt-cache search proxy includes both these packages:

tinyproxy - A lightweight, non-caching, optionally anonymizing HTTP proxy
tircd - ircd proxy to the twitter API

Note: the list may be long, so you can pipe the output to less to make it scrollable one line or one screen at a time, i.e. apt-cache search something | less.

To get a list of ALL packages

apt-cache search .

Use Synaptic if you have X-forwarding enabled or are on a desktop

Synaptic is often a more convenient way to do this, but requires at least an X server on your end (unless you're running a desktop environment). Install with sudo apt-get install synaptic if necessary.

• Synaptic on ssh'd server via X forwarding:

  

• Synaptic running locally on Ubuntu Desktop: