u1106
September 29th, 2010, 03:15 PM
This is a question about the instructions in https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed. I understand these are official Ubuntu instructions, so they should be correct.
Not sure where these instructions could be discussed. There is a "feedback" link on the page, but it is broken (http 404)
So here it goes...
According to the instructions one should create file /etc/apt/preferences with
Package: *
Pin: release a=lucid-security
Pin-Priority: 990
Package: *
Pin: release a=lucid-updates
Pin-Priority: 900
Package: *
Pin: release a=lucid-proposed
Pin-Priority: 400I have had these settings for a couple of months and now I have observed that I'm lacking several updates.
If I read the package pins correctly, my current priorities mean that whenever something exists in lucid-security all subsequent updates in lucid-updates will be ignored. I don't think that this makes any sense.
If I today just for testing change both Pin-Priorities to 500 (I believe to remember that 500 is something like a default value) and run
sudo apt-get -s dist-upgradeI get the following simulation results
The following NEW packages will be installed:
linux-headers-2.6.32-25 linux-headers-2.6.32-25-generic
linux-image-2.6.32-25-generic
The following packages will be upgraded:
ghostscript ghostscript-cups ghostscript-x libc-bin libc-dev-bin libc6
libc6-dev libc6-i686 libgs8 libkpathsea5 libldap-2.4-2 linux-generic
linux-headers-generic linux-image-generic linux-libc-dev
15 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.So I'm lacking quite some updates, just because the "normal" update came after a security update.
Example: (With the original pins 900 and 990 restored)
apt-cache policy libc6
libc6:
Installed: 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1
Candidate: 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1
Version table:
2.11.1-0ubuntu7.3 0
400 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-proposed/main Packages
2.11.1-0ubuntu7.2 0
900 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/main Packages
*** 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1 0
990 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/main Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
2.11.1-0ubuntu7 0
500 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main PackagesVersion ubuntu7 was the original Lucid release.
Version ubuntu7.1 was a security update.
Version ubuntu7.2 was a "normal" update.
Version ubuntu7.3 is a proposed update.
So I understand that ubuntu7.3 is not installed. Its priority is below default and it would require manual installation. That's exactly the purpose of the whole pinning.
However, I don't see any reason why ubunutu7.2 is not being installed. I mean technically the system works as being told. Version ubuntu7.1 has a priority of 990 and ubuntu7.2 of a priority if 900.
But is there any reason not to use the same pin priority for lucid-updates and lucid-security? Probably it does not matter whether the value is 500 or 990 or whatever. But it should be equal.
Not sure where these instructions could be discussed. There is a "feedback" link on the page, but it is broken (http 404)
So here it goes...
According to the instructions one should create file /etc/apt/preferences with
Package: *
Pin: release a=lucid-security
Pin-Priority: 990
Package: *
Pin: release a=lucid-updates
Pin-Priority: 900
Package: *
Pin: release a=lucid-proposed
Pin-Priority: 400I have had these settings for a couple of months and now I have observed that I'm lacking several updates.
If I read the package pins correctly, my current priorities mean that whenever something exists in lucid-security all subsequent updates in lucid-updates will be ignored. I don't think that this makes any sense.
If I today just for testing change both Pin-Priorities to 500 (I believe to remember that 500 is something like a default value) and run
sudo apt-get -s dist-upgradeI get the following simulation results
The following NEW packages will be installed:
linux-headers-2.6.32-25 linux-headers-2.6.32-25-generic
linux-image-2.6.32-25-generic
The following packages will be upgraded:
ghostscript ghostscript-cups ghostscript-x libc-bin libc-dev-bin libc6
libc6-dev libc6-i686 libgs8 libkpathsea5 libldap-2.4-2 linux-generic
linux-headers-generic linux-image-generic linux-libc-dev
15 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.So I'm lacking quite some updates, just because the "normal" update came after a security update.
Example: (With the original pins 900 and 990 restored)
apt-cache policy libc6
libc6:
Installed: 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1
Candidate: 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1
Version table:
2.11.1-0ubuntu7.3 0
400 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-proposed/main Packages
2.11.1-0ubuntu7.2 0
900 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-updates/main Packages
*** 2.11.1-0ubuntu7.1 0
990 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid-security/main Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
2.11.1-0ubuntu7 0
500 http://fi.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main PackagesVersion ubuntu7 was the original Lucid release.
Version ubuntu7.1 was a security update.
Version ubuntu7.2 was a "normal" update.
Version ubuntu7.3 is a proposed update.
So I understand that ubuntu7.3 is not installed. Its priority is below default and it would require manual installation. That's exactly the purpose of the whole pinning.
However, I don't see any reason why ubunutu7.2 is not being installed. I mean technically the system works as being told. Version ubuntu7.1 has a priority of 990 and ubuntu7.2 of a priority if 900.
But is there any reason not to use the same pin priority for lucid-updates and lucid-security? Probably it does not matter whether the value is 500 or 990 or whatever. But it should be equal.