Re: Backports on Squeeze
On Monday 02 July 2012 03:46:30 Mika Suomalainen wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On 02.07.2012 03:15, Mark Panen wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Is it safe to have backports enabled on a stable Squeeze 6.05
> > system?
>
> I have them enabled on stable Squeeze system and I know some other
> people too and we haven't experienced any problems.
>
> By default when you add the backports sources.list line, nothing is
> installed from it automatically unless you run "aptitude install -t
> squeeze-backports <package>".
> We have also set backports to priority 500 so everything is installed
> from them automatically if it contains newer packages than Squeeze
> main repositories. Note that some people say that this is more
> dangerous than running Debian Unstable (currently Wheezy) and you are
> doing this with your own risk.
>
> Our sources.list lines:
>
> ```
> deb http://http.debian.net/debian-backports squeeze-backports main
> contrib non-free
> deb-src http://http.debian.net/debian-backports squeeze-backports main
> contrib non-free
> ```
>
> Our /etc/apt/preferences.d/backports:
>
> ```
> Package: *
> Pin: release a=squeeze-backports
> Pin-Priority: 500
> ```
>
> Remember that you are enabling Backports with your own risk in case
> you decide to enable them.
I second that. Especially when trying to install newer kernels from backports.
Recently I had problems when 3.2. kernel upgrade from backports lead to
deinstalling initramfs-tools. DON'T!
Trying to upgrade the underlying libraries rapidly led me into dependency-
hell.
I decided to stay with 2.6.38 kernel from backports.
[pidgin french]
Vive la sauvegard du système d'exploitation!
[/pidgin french]
Backports is OK IMHO as long as you limit yourself to applications and if you
know how to fall back to stable versions if something goes wrong but leave the
main system alone unless you really want to learn to be an expert and to know
the Debian package system intimately.
There are workable upgrade paths for one stable release to the other, even
upgrading stable to testing is usually quite painless but backports can rarely
provide such convenience.
My 2 cents worth
Cheers
Eike
--
Eike Lantzsch ZP6CGE
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