Why no apt-pinning by release name?
Hi list,
recently I was trying to install a package from lenny on etch, that has no
backport available (yet; request has been filed). I was
configuring /etc/apt/apt-conf and /etc/apt/preferences as I saw fit, but
learned "the hard way" that it's seemingly not possible to pin releases by
their relase name (etch, lenny), but only with stable, testing, unstable.
For instance,
Package: *
Pin: release a=lenny
Pin-Priority: 99
doesn't do anything when checking with 'apt-cache policy', but
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 99
works.
I use only release names in my 'sources.list's, so that apt-cacher doesn't
autmatically switch to a new release when it becomes stable. But if pinning
is only possible via 'Pin: release a=stable' or 'Pin: release a=testing'
instead of 'Pin: release a=etch' and 'Pin: release a=lenny', that won't work
in the sane way that it should, IMHO.
If I had a sources.list pointing both to etch and lenny, and
a /etc/apt/preferences like
Package: *
Pin: release a=stable
Pin-Priority: 700
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 600
I'd guess the only way to assure a non-upgrade to lenny once it will be
declared stable, would be something like 'APT::Default-Release "oldstable";'
in /etc/apt/apt.conf - if that worked at all, just a guess for a somewhat
practical workaround...
Long story short, why is it not possible to pin by release name? Searching for
this returns lots of web pages that show examples with pinning by release
name, and I'm wondering why they all propose something that doesn't work at
all...
I hope somebody can enlighten me on this topic a bit.
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