Lintian's laboratory directory can be defined via
the LINTIAN_LAB variable (either in the
configuration file or as environment variable). If this
variable is not defined, Lintian creates a temporary lab
in /tmp which is
removed again after Lintian has completed its checks. This
mode is called temporary lab mode.
In the static lab mode (if the laboratory
directory is defined by the user), the laboratory has to be
set up first before it can be used by Lintian. This can be
done with the -S
(or --setup-lab) command line option.