Re: package management
David Wright wrote:
> 1) Is there any way to force dpkg to remove as much of a package as it
> can and then liquidate the entry from its database, regardless of
> whatever error codes any scripts return, thus allowing you to start over
> from a pristine pre-install state? Something like
> dpkg --force-do-it-or-else --remove PackageName
There is unfortunatly no way to do this 100% correctly without solving
the halting problem. Until that postrm has done its thing, after all,
dpkg has no way of knowing if all of the actions the package's postinst
performed when it was installed have been reversed. It's hypothetically
possible (and does happen) that failure to undo some of those actions
might make future installs of the package fail.
You need to point something that can solve the halting problem at the
script. Since it is buggy by definition, and since halting prolem
solvers are human by definition, and since debian developers are human
by curtesy, filing a bug report is a good idea. Or take a look at the
failing script yourself, as others have recommended. If a new version of
the package fixes the bug in response to your bug report, simply
upgrading to it and then removing the package will work.
> 2) Is there any way to tell dpkg to mark a specific package with a hold
> flag without going through the dselect menus? I always end up getting
> lost and doing things I don't want to in dselect, and I really want to
> be able to just type something like
> dpkg --flag hold PackageName
> at the command line.
The newest, easiest way is:
aptitude hold package [package package ....]
> 3) Is there any way to export the entire package database from one
> machine and then tell another machine to install exactly those packages
> (i.e. not only install the missing ones but also remove the extra ones)?
> Again, I would like to avoid the dselect interface like the plague.
dpkg --get-selections and dpkg --set-selections
--
see shy jo
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