Bug#186671: apt-get install/upgrade installs the same packages again and again

[Marc Lehmann <debian-reportbug@plan9.de>]

Package: apt
Version: 0.5.4
Severity: normal

I am sorry if this is a known issue or a configuration error on my
system. I researched this issue for a long time and couldn't find a
solution, so I think it's a bug ;)

When I do

   apt-get install bash

apt-get will download and install the same bash package everytime. Also,
each apt-get upgrade will install the same 9 packages again and again,
although they are already installed.

This started when I added my own repository:

   deb     http://debian.nethype.de/ ./
   deb-src http://debian.nethype.de/ ./

which contains alternative versions of these 9 packages The Release file
can be downloaded there and contains "nethype" for archive, origin etc.,
but playing around with that didn't change anything.

My preferences file looks as follows:

   Package: *
   Pin: release o=nethype
   Pin-Priority: 1001

   Package: *
   Pin: release a=testing
   Pin-Priority: 700

   Package: *
   Pin: release o=Debian
   Pin-Priority: -70

That is, use packages from "nethype" no matter what, and this works
(apt-get install bash indeed installs the nethype version). Changing that
priority from 1001 to 999 or so doesn't change anything.

Also, "apt-get install bash/nethype" will still result in the same
behaviour: apt-get will download and install the package again.

So it seems apt-get installs the package but then forgets about it,
thinking it needs to upgrade it again and again.

Thanks for any feedback.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux cerebro 2.4.21-pre5 #3 SMP Mon Mar 10 16:53:17 CET 2003 i686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=de_DE@euro

Versions of packages apt depends on:
hi  libc6                        2.3.2-1     GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2       1:2.95.4-17 The GNU stdc++ library

-- no debconf information