Bug#179868: apt: no way to really use Pin: origin, at least with cdroms
Package: apt
Version: 0.5.4
Severity: normal
File: /usr/bin/apt-get
We are told to put cdroms at the top of sources.list if we want
priority. however, lets explore using apt_preferences, shall we?
In even the Kleinmann version of the apt_preferences man page, we see
A note of caution: the keyword used in the APT prefer-
ences file to select the source site is "origin". This
may lead one to confuse the source site with the "Ori-
gin:" of a release as specified in a Release file.
Recall that what follows the "Origin:" tag in a Release
file generally is not an Internet site address but an
author or vendor name, such as "Debian" or "Ximian".
This second-form entry in the APT preferences file
applies only to groups of packages. For example, the
following record causes APT to assign a high priority to
all package instances available from the local site:
Package: *
Pin: origin ""
Pin-Priority: 999
however it turns out that one cannot really use it to alter the
origin beyond that, at least guessing the format as it has never been
documented, or at least for unlucky me.
I have found that
Pin: origin
will match anything
(and indeed one can use two Pin lines [documented?])
and,
Pin: origin anycharshere
will match nothing.
Proof:
$ apt-cache policy enamdict
enamdict:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 2002.04.25-2
Version Table:
2002.04.25-2 0
500 http://debian.linux.org.tw sid/non-free Packages
500 cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux SID _Sid_ - fsn.hu unofficial i386 Binary-10 (20021010)] unstable/non-free Packages
I say that there is nothing you can do to
Package: *
Pin: origin -----------
Pin-Priority: 503
to make it match one line and not the other.
E.g.
Pin: origin
will affect both
Pin: origin http://debian.linux.org.tw
will affect neither.
Pin: origin *
will affect neither.
Wait! holy moly
Pin: origin debian.linux.org.tw
works! OK, please use it as an example. Please document it!
BTW: therefore you discard http vs. ftp! bad or document what is
workaround.
don't get mad at me, i'm pointing out a big lack of documentation,
please!
wildcards dont work in hostnames it seems. ok, say so.
OK, how in the world can one use Pin: origin with the above cdrom
line? Tried many ways, I did. document please.
more discoveries for you to document:
Pin: origin debian.linux.org.tw security.debian.org
ruins it for debian.linux.org.tw
OK, now via
Package: *
Pin: origin debian.linux.org.tw
Pin-Priority: 111
Package: *
Pin: origin
Pin-Priority: 888
we do:
# apt-cache policy enamdict; apt-get --print-uris -q install enamdict
enamdict:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 2002.04.25-2
Version Table:
2002.04.25-2 0
111 http://debian.linux.org.tw sid/non-free Packages
888 cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux SID _Sid_ - fsn.hu unofficial i386 Binary-10 (20021010)] unstable/non-free Packages
Reading Package Lists...
Building Dependency Tree...
The following NEW packages will be installed:
enamdict
0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 1689kB of archives. After unpacking 6631kB will be used.
'http://debian.linux.org.tw/debian/pool/non-free/e/edict/enamdict_2002.04.25-2_all.deb' enamdict_2002.04.25-2_all.deb 1689438 22856f706a3ee4f9c1c0a66cdb380b88
we see that priorities are all bunk: 111 vs. 888 and it still chooses
111. So why differentiate all the numbers between 100 and 990 if in
fact they are all the same. why not just call them "priority C" or
something. Ok enough for today.
No, wait:
cd /etc/apt/
apt-cache policy enamdict; apt-get --print-uris -q install enamdict
enamdict:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 2002.04.25-2
Version Table:
2002.04.25-2 0
-1 http://debian.linux.org.tw sid/non-free Packages
1991 cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux SID _Sid_ - fsn.hu unofficial i386 Binary-10 (20021010)] unstable/non-free Packages
Reading Package Lists...
Building Dependency Tree...
The following NEW packages will be installed:
enamdict
0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 1689kB of archives. After unpacking 6631kB will be used.
'http://debian.linux.org.tw/debian/pool/non-free/e/edict/enamdict_2002.04.25-2_all.deb' enamdict_2002.04.25-2_all.deb 1689438 22856f706a3ee4f9c1c0a66cdb380b88
you see, i separated the priorities so much and it still goes for the
first one!
OK, now I put the cdrom stuff on top of sources.list and even run
apt-get update again... same deal!
indeed the only way to get it to choose the cdrom was to take the
other source out of sources.list!
perhaps you doubt that i havent tweaked something bad, ok, see,
nothing funny here:
::::::::::::::
/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/10jidanni
::::::::::::::
APT::Get::List-Cleanup false;
::::::::::::::
/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/70debconf
::::::::::::::
// Pre-configure all packages with debconf before they are installed.
// If you don't like it, comment it out.
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs {"/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true";};
Wait: I am able to produce
apt-cache policy enamdict; apt-get --print-uris -q install enamdict
enamdict:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 2002.04.25-2
Version Table:
2002.04.25-2 0
-1 cdrom://[Debian GNU/Linux SID _Sid_ - fsn.hu unofficial i386 Binary-10 (20021010)] unstable/non-free Packages
1000 http://debian.linux.org.tw sid/non-free Packages
Reading Package Lists...
Building Dependency Tree...
The following NEW packages will be installed:
enamdict
0 packages upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 723 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B/1689kB of archives. After unpacking 6631kB will be used.
'cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux SID _Sid_ - fsn.hu unofficial i386 Binary-10 (20021010)]/pool/non-free/e/edict/enamdict_2002.04.25-2_all.deb' enamdict_2002.04.25-2_all.deb 1689438 22856f706a3ee4f9c1c0a66cdb380b88
OK, lets do an experiment...never mind, i will instead tell you what happens:
1. if both sources are in sources.list, any priority number biz is
ignored!
2. if one wants one to be installed rather than the other, he moves it
above the other in sources.list
3. this is not enough. apt-get is still not affected. You must at
least make one change, more than just the ordering, of the
sources.list file, probably so apt-get will recreate some database.
I recommend, until this undeniable bug clump is fixed, that the
user comment out one of the lines in his sources.list, run apt-get
whatever, e.g. --print-uris, then restore that commented line to
its original state. only then will he enjoy the benefits of
"reordering ones sources.list".
4. as far as apt_preferences... well, kindly make it work as
advertised here.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux debian 2.4.19-k7 #1 Sun Oct 6 20:29:56 EST 2002 i686
Locale: LANG=zh_TW.Big5, LC_CTYPE=zh_TW.Big5
Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii libc6 2.3.1-9 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2 1:2.95.4-12 The GNU stdc++ library
-- no debconf information
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