Bug#571304: apt keeps trying to add packages that not selected for installation

[Mark Hobley <markhobley@yahoo.co.uk>]

> Do you use the same settings in testing vs. etch ?
> (or do you mean lenny? etch is oldstable)

Oops! Sorry. I meant Lenny.

> Could you post the complete command you tried?

I was actually running it through dselect.

I would first select:

1: (U)pdate list of available packages

followed by:

3: (I)nstall and upgrade wanted packages

This would keep adding those packages to the list.

> It would be also helpful to run apt with a few debug
> options:
> Add to your apt-get command the following:
> -s -o Debug::pkgProblemResolver=1 -o
> Debug::pkgDepCache::Marker=1 -o
> Debug::pkgDepCache::AutoInstall=1

Right. I will have a look at those.

> > Debian Release: squeeze/sid
> >   APT prefers testing
> >   APT policy: (60, 'testing'), (50, 'unstable')
> > Architecture: i386 (i386)
> Looks like a quite obscure preference setting: Both under
> 100 ?
> It would be cool if you could include therefore also the
> output of the
> commands "apt-config dump" and "apt-cache policy".

apt-config dump

APT "";
APT::Architecture "i386";
APT::Build-Essential "";
APT::Build-Essential:: "build-essential";
APT::Install-Recommends "1";
APT::Install-Suggests "0";
APT::Acquire "";
APT::Acquire::Translation "environment";
APT::Authentication "";
APT::Authentication::TrustCDROM "true";
APT::NeverAutoRemove "";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-image.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-restricted-modules.*";
APT::Default-Release "stable";
APT::Cache-Limit "33554432";
Dir "/";
Dir::State "var/lib/apt/";
Dir::State::lists "lists/";
Dir::State::cdroms "cdroms.list";
Dir::State::userstatus "status.user";
Dir::State::status "/var/lib/dpkg/status";
Dir::Cache "var/cache/apt/";
Dir::Cache::archives "archives/";
Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache "srcpkgcache.bin";
Dir::Cache::pkgcache "pkgcache.bin";
Dir::Etc "etc/apt/";
Dir::Etc::sourcelist "sources.list";
Dir::Etc::sourceparts "sources.list.d";
Dir::Etc::vendorlist "vendors.list";
Dir::Etc::vendorparts "vendors.list.d";
Dir::Etc::main "apt.conf";
Dir::Etc::parts "apt.conf.d";
Dir::Etc::preferences "preferences";
Dir::Bin "";
Dir::Bin::methods "/usr/lib/apt/methods";
Dir::Bin::dpkg "/usr/bin/dpkg";
Dir::Log "var/log/apt";
Dir::Log::Terminal "term.log";
DPkg "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true";

apt-cache policy

Package files:
 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     release a=now
  50 ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org unstable/non-free Packages
     release o=Debian,a=unstable,l=Debian,c=non-free
     origin ftp.uk.debian.org
  50 ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org unstable/contrib Packages
     release o=Debian,a=unstable,l=Debian,c=contrib
     origin ftp.uk.debian.org
  50 ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org unstable/main Packages
     release o=Debian,a=unstable,l=Debian,c=main
     origin ftp.uk.debian.org
  60 http://security.debian.org squeeze/updates/main Packages
     release v=None,o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian-Security,c=main
     origin security.debian.org
  60 ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org squeeze/non-free Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian,c=non-free
     origin ftp.uk.debian.org
  60 ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org squeeze/contrib Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian,c=contrib
     origin ftp.uk.debian.org
  60 ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org squeeze/main Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian,c=main
     origin ftp.uk.debian.org
Pinned packages:


Regards,

Mark.