Re: apt-get preferring lower priority items?

[Travis Crump <pretzalz@techhouse.org>]

Steve Juranich wrote:
> On Wed, 06 Nov 2002 23:14:34 -0500
> Hubert Chan <hubert@uhoreg.ca> wrote:
>
>
> > So you already have the sid version installed.  apt-get doesn't
> > downgrade packages unless the priority of the older version is greater
> > than 1000.  See man apt_preferences for more details on what different
> > priority levels mean (under Candidate Version Policy).
>
>
> Okay.  I didn't explain myself here.  wine was actually updated today
> to the current version.  Unfortunately, I wrote this message after I
> did an apt-get upgrade.
>
> I've been tracking unstable for several months, but I'd like to dial
> back to testing.  I thought that by just setting the apt.conf file to
> what I have it, that apt would ignore any packages from unstable unless
> I specifically requested it and the only way I'd get an upgraded package
> is if the version in testing changes.
>
> Maybe I should wait until tomorrow before I do an apt-get upgrade in
> order to better illustrate my situation.


Put :

Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 40

in /etc/apt/preferences to fix the problem.  If you install a package 
from unstable and then the package in the unstable archive is upgraded. 
 Then the version you have installed is no longer available and reverts 
to a pin of 100, but the package just uploaded to unstable has a pin of 
500 which is greater than 100 and the version number is higher so apt 
wants to upgrade it.  This config change gives the newly uploaded 
unstable package a pin of 40 which is lower than any installed packages.