local apt repo (deb file) in sources.list has lower priority than http repo

[kihjin]

I have a directory of .debs and I wanted to create a local repository and use apt-get to effectively install debs from the repository. I followed the information on http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ch-basico.en.html to create a local repository at /home/archives. Here's my sources.list:


$ more /etc/apt/sources.list
deb file:/home/archives /
deb http://lug.mtu.edu/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse restricted universe main


I can then run (as root) apt-get update


$ apt-get update
Ign file: Release.gpg
Ign file: Translation-en_US
Ign file: Release
Ign file: Packages
Hit http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid Release.gpg
Ign http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/multiverse Translation-en_US
Ign http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/restricted Translation-en_US
Ign http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/universe Translation-en_US
Ign http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/main Translation-en_US
Hit http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid Release
Hit http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/multiverse Packages
Hit http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/restricted Packages
Hit http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/universe Packages
Hit http://lug.mtu.edu intrepid/main Packages
Reading package lists... Done


But when I go to install a .deb that I know I have, apt-get still wants to download it:


$ ls /home/archives/xqf_1.0.5-1_amd64.deb
/home/archives/xqf_1.0.5-1_amd64.deb
$ apt-get --print-uris install xqf
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
libgeoip1 qstat
Suggested packages:
geoip-bin
The following NEW packages will be installed:
libgeoip1 qstat xqf
0 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 169 not upgraded.
Need to get 1258kB of archives.
After this operation, 3744kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y
'http://lug.mtu.edu/ubuntu/pool/main/g/geoip/libgeoip1_1.4.4.dfsg-2_amd64.deb' libgeoip1_1.4.4.dfsg-2_amd64.deb 642258 SHA256:be3e263ddc5c1d730f67afb48dd2c1e81fecf935765 3d5b04ce3fd698290fc34
'http://lug.mtu.edu/ubuntu/pool/universe/q/qstat/qstat_2.11-1_amd64.deb' qstat_2.11-1_amd64.deb 159776 SHA256:77ac7e0c62eeed56af9bece63310f1953ca363ee344 2d453ac0e479ad46b8492
'http://lug.mtu.edu/ubuntu/pool/universe/x/xqf/xqf_1.0.5-1_amd64.deb' xqf_1.0.5-1_amd64.deb 456464 SHA256:e8ff875285ad1f5bb1d73ea63f032188e5d132f766e c37ff309dd16a74590ce0


The local repository works if I comment out the deb http:


$ more /etc/apt/sources.list
deb file:/home/archives /
#deb http://lug.mtu.edu/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse restricted universe main
$ apt-get update
Ign file: Release.gpg
Ign file: Translation-en_US
Ign file: Release
Ign file: Packages
Reading package lists... Done


Now if I try to install xqf it will use the local repository:


apt-get --print-uris install xqf
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
libgeoip1 qstat
Suggested packages:
geoip-bin
The following NEW packages will be installed:
libgeoip1 qstat xqf
0 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 169 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/1258kB of archives.
After this operation, 3744kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? Y
'file:/home/archives/./libgeoip1_1.4.4.dfsg-2_amd64.deb' libgeoip1_1.4.4.dfsg-2_amd64.deb 642258 MD5Sum:9e49117e35cd1033ae2c5ef9f9c0338e
'file:/home/archives/./qstat_2.11-1_amd64.deb' qstat_2.11-1_amd64.deb 159776 MD5Sum:bc703a0754dd97a187ccc47a11b356e5
'file:/home/archives/./xqf_1.0.5-1_amd64.deb' xqf_1.0.5-1_amd64.deb 456464 MD5Sum:0db7a0d18ec5a04e767c2f88836fd120


Does anyone know if I can get this same behavior without having to uncomment the http source and re-update? This doesn't seem very intuitive.

[sehrgut]

I've been struggling with the same thing. I want to (for convenience's sake) operate my local repo like you do -- as a trivial repo. Unfortunately, since pinning only works with symbolic release and section names, it only works with automatic repos, and I've yet to figure out a way to prioritise my locally-downloaded packages.

I've just now come across this problem, as this is the first time I've been trying to set up an offline Ubuntu box. If anyone has helpful hints, I'd appreciate them as well.

[EXCiD3]

I'm interested in this as well. My next feature to add to the Keryx Project (http://keryxproject.org) is support for installation of the packages downloaded for the offline machines, and I think that this would most likely be the best route for installation just pointing apt to the Keryx project folder for that machine.