Bug#63124: apt-get isn't getting new Package lists

[Matthew Hawkins <matthew@topic.com.au>]

Package: apt
Version: 0.3.18

apt-get is taking random, indeterminate periods of time to update the
local Package lists.

Debian package mirror, in woody/main/binary-i386:
-rw-r--r--    1 aptp     aptp      3197648 Apr 27 05:42 Packages

Local system after apt-get update:
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root      3192837 Apr 27 10:51 /var/state/apt/lists/debian.topic.com.au_dists_unstable_main_binary-i386_Packages

Notice the small size discrepency - that's today's packages, which apt
has not retrieved.  I have tried deleting the files in
/var/state/apt/lists/ (which worked yesterday) but to no avail today.

I have no http_proxy env. var. set but apt.conf is setup such:

Acquire
{
  http
    {
        Proxy::debian.topic.com.au "DIRECT";
	Proxy "http://proxy.tsa:8080";;
    };
};

so that for the local package mirror it goes direct, and everything else
it hits the proxy server for.  I've checked the proxy access logs and it
is only being hit for the non-local entries in sources.list.

sources.list reads:

deb http://debian.topic.com.au/ unstable main contrib non-free non-US/main non-US/contrib non-US/non-free
deb http://www.rcpt.to/ pending main
deb http://marillat.free.fr/ unstable main
deb-src http://marillat.free.fr/ unstable main
deb-src http://ftp.au.debian.org/linux/debian unstable main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.au.debian.org/linux/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free

-- 
Matt