Bug#674147: apt: LANG=C apt-cache policy is very slow

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit@bugs.debian.org>
Subject: Bug#674147: apt: LANG=C apt-cache policy is very slow
From: Francois Gouget <fgouget@free.fr>
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 13:15:32 +0200
Message-id: <[🔎] 20120523111532.22072.19484.reportbug@amboise.dolphin>
Reply-to: Francois Gouget <fgouget@free.fr>, 674147@bugs.debian.org
Package: apt
Version: 0.9.3
Severity: normal

Dear Maintainer,

Here is how to reproduce the problem:

$ LANG=C time apt-cache policy >/dev/null
1.76user 0.05system 0:01.82elapsed 99%CPU (0avgtext+0avgdata 137200maxresident)k
0inputs+0outputs (0major+11677minor)pagefaults 0swaps

$ LANG=fr_FR.UTF8 time apt-cache policy >/dev/null
0.03user 0.00system 0:00.04elapsed 86%CPU (0avgtext+0avgdata 63584maxresident)k
0inputs+0outputs (0major+5982minor)pagefaults 0swaps

This makes lsb_release very slow because it runs apt-cache with LANG=C, which
in turn makes vmrun, a VMware tool, very slow.

Now the reason for the speed difference between the C and fr_FR.UTF8 cases is
that on my system 'apt-cache gencaches' is being run in the French locale and
that only one cache is kept.

Ideally apt-cache policy should be fast in both the 'machine querying' mode
that's normally done in the C locale, and in the 'main user' locale. Though if
lsb_release should handle things differently that could fix things too.

-- Package-specific info:

-- apt-config dump --

APT "";
APT::Architecture "amd64";
APT::Build-Essential "";
APT::Build-Essential:: "build-essential";
APT::Install-Recommends "1";
APT::Install-Suggests "0";
APT::Authentication "";
APT::Authentication::TrustCDROM "true";
APT::NeverAutoRemove "";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^firmware-linux.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-firmware$";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-image.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^kfreebsd-image.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-restricted-modules.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-ubuntu-modules-.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^gnumach$";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^gnumach-image.*";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections "";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "metapackages";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "restricted/metapackages";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "universe/metapackages";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "multiverse/metapackages";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "oldlibs";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "restricted/oldlibs";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "universe/oldlibs";
APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections:: "multiverse/oldlibs";
APT::Periodic "";
APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
APT::Periodic::Download-Upgradeable-Packages "0";
APT::Periodic::AutocleanInterval "0";
APT::Update "";
APT::Update::Post-Invoke "";
APT::Update::Post-Invoke:: "touch /var/lib/apt/periodic/update-success-stamp 2>/dev/null || true";
APT::Update::Post-Invoke-Success "";
APT::Update::Post-Invoke-Success:: "[ ! -f /var/run/dbus/system_bus_socket ] || /usr/bin/dbus-send --system --dest=org.debian.apt --type=signal /org/debian/apt org.debian.apt.CacheChanged || true";
APT::Archives "";
APT::Archives::MaxAge "30";
APT::Archives::MinAge "2";
APT::Archives::MaxSize "500";
APT::Architectures "";
APT::Architectures:: "amd64";
APT::Compressor "";
APT::Compressor::. "";
APT::Compressor::.::Name ".";
APT::Compressor::.::Extension "";
APT::Compressor::.::Binary "";
APT::Compressor::.::Cost "1";
APT::Compressor::gzip "";
APT::Compressor::gzip::Name "gzip";
APT::Compressor::gzip::Extension ".gz";
APT::Compressor::gzip::Binary "gzip";
APT::Compressor::gzip::Cost "2";
APT::Compressor::gzip::CompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::gzip::CompressArg:: "-9n";
APT::Compressor::gzip::UncompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::gzip::UncompressArg:: "-d";
APT::Compressor::bzip2 "";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::Name "bzip2";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::Extension ".bz2";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::Binary "bzip2";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::Cost "3";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::CompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::CompressArg:: "-9";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::UncompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::bzip2::UncompressArg:: "-d";
APT::Compressor::xz "";
APT::Compressor::xz::Name "xz";
APT::Compressor::xz::Extension ".xz";
APT::Compressor::xz::Binary "xz";
APT::Compressor::xz::Cost "4";
APT::Compressor::xz::CompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::xz::CompressArg:: "-6";
APT::Compressor::xz::UncompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::xz::UncompressArg:: "-d";
APT::Compressor::lzma "";
APT::Compressor::lzma::Name "lzma";
APT::Compressor::lzma::Extension ".lzma";
APT::Compressor::lzma::Binary "xz";
APT::Compressor::lzma::Cost "5";
APT::Compressor::lzma::CompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::lzma::CompressArg:: "--format=lzma";
APT::Compressor::lzma::CompressArg:: "-9";
APT::Compressor::lzma::UncompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::lzma::UncompressArg:: "--format=lzma";
APT::Compressor::lzma::UncompressArg:: "-d";
APT::Compressor::::Name "";
APT::Compressor::::Extension ".";
APT::Compressor::::Binary "";
APT::Compressor::::Cost "100";
APT::Compressor::::CompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::::CompressArg:: "-9";
APT::Compressor::::UncompressArg "";
APT::Compressor::::UncompressArg:: "-d";
Dir "/";
Dir::State "var/lib/apt/";
Dir::State::lists "lists/";
Dir::State::cdroms "cdroms.list";
Dir::State::mirrors "mirrors/";
Dir::State::extended_states "extended_states";
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::netrc "auth.conf";
Dir::Etc::parts "apt.conf.d";
Dir::Etc::preferences "preferences";
Dir::Etc::preferencesparts "preferences.d";
Dir::Etc::trusted "trusted.gpg";
Dir::Etc::trustedparts "trusted.gpg.d";
Dir::Bin "";
Dir::Bin::methods "/usr/lib/apt/methods";
Dir::Bin::solvers "";
Dir::Bin::solvers:: "/usr/lib/apt/solvers";
Dir::Bin::dpkg "/usr/bin/dpkg";
Dir::Bin::bzip2 "/bin/bzip2";
Dir::Bin::xz "/usr/bin/xz";
Dir::Media "";
Dir::Media::MountPath "/media/apt";
Dir::Log "var/log/apt";
Dir::Log::Terminal "term.log";
Dir::Log::History "history.log";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently "";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently:: "~$";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently:: "\.disabled$";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently:: "\.bak$";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently:: "\.dpkg-[a-z]+$";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently:: "\.save$";
Dir::Ignore-Files-Silently:: "\.orig$";
Acquire "";
Acquire::cdrom "";
Acquire::cdrom::mount "/media/cdrom/";
Acquire::Languages "";
Acquire::Languages:: "en";
Acquire::Languages:: "none";
Acquire::Languages:: "fr";
DPkg "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/bin/apt-listchanges --apt || test $? -ne 10";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true";
DPkg::Tools "";
DPkg::Tools::Options "";
DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/bin/apt-listchanges "";
DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/bin/apt-listchanges::Version "2";
DPkg::Post-Invoke "";
DPkg::Post-Invoke:: "if [ -x /usr/bin/debsums ]; then /usr/bin/debsums --generate=nocheck -sp /var/cache/apt/archives; fi";
DPkg::Post-Invoke:: "if [ -d /var/lib/update-notifier ]; then touch /var/lib/update-notifier/dpkg-run-stamp; fi; if [ -e /var/lib/update-notifier/updates-available ]; then echo > /var/lib/update-notifier/updates-available; fi ";
Unattended-Upgrade "";
Unattended-Upgrade::Origins-Pattern "";
Unattended-Upgrade::Origins-Pattern:: "origin=Debian,archive=stable,label=Debian-Security";
CommandLine "";
CommandLine::AsString "apt-config dump";

-- (no /etc/apt/preferences present) --


-- /etc/apt/sources.list --

# See sources.list(5) for more information, especialy
# Remember that you can only use http, ftp or file URIs
# CDROMs are managed through the apt-cdrom tool.


### Stable

# Binaries
deb http://ftp.fr.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free
#deb http://ftp.fr.debian.org/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free

# Sources
deb-src http://ftp.fr.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.fr.debian.org/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free


### Testing

# Binaries
deb http://ftp.fr.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
#deb http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports squeeze-backports main

# Sources
deb-src http://ftp.fr.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free


### Debian Unofficial
#deb http://ftp.debian-unofficial.org/debian testing main contrib non-free restricted
#deb-src http://ftp.debian-unofficial.org/debian testing main contrib non-free restricted


### Debian Multimedia (Lame, MPlayer, MythTV, etc)
deb http://mirror.home-dn.net/debian-multimedia testing main
deb-src http://mirror.home-dn.net/debian-multimedia testing main


-- System Information:
Debian Release: wheezy/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 3.2.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.utf8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.utf8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii  debian-archive-keyring  2012.1
ii  gnupg                   1.4.12-4
ii  libapt-pkg4.12          0.9.3
ii  libc6                   2.13-32
ii  libgcc1                 1:4.7.0-7
ii  libstdc++6              4.7.0-7

apt recommends no packages.

Versions of packages apt suggests:
ii  apt-doc     <none>
ii  aptitude    0.6.7-1
ii  dpkg-dev    1.16.3
ii  python-apt  0.8.4
ii  synaptic    0.75.10
ii  xz-utils    5.1.1alpha+20110809-3

-- no debconf information
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- Bug#674147: apt: LANG=C apt-cache policy is very slow
  - From: David Kalnischkies <kalnischkies+debian@gmail.com>
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