Package: apt Version: 0.6.46.4-0.1 Severity: wishlist I maintain an apt repository (a Debian mirror, actually) that has a considerable amount of users. Recently, due to serious space problems, we had to move the repository to a new server, and due to reasons beyond the scope of this report, this new server has a new address.
What I wanted to do was to make sure that the old server return "301 permenantly moved" HTTP error code on requests. An http client should honor these requests. In fact, this works well enough for wget and mozilla to use the old URLs without noticing anything changed. Apt, however, does not honor 301, and lists it as error. It is still better for me than the alternative, as it means that the user at least has a hint why things failed. Here's how I think APT should handle these cases: On most of the 300 return codes - get the package from the alternative location. On 301 - Update /etc/apt/sources.list with the new location, leaving the old one commented out with an explanation why it made the change along with a timestamp. This behaviour, as far as I can tell, is backed up by the definition of the 300 codes in the HTTP protocol. -- Package-specific info: -- (no /etc/apt/preferences present) -- -- (/etc/apt/sources.list present, but not submitted) -- -- System Information: Debian Release: 4.0 APT prefers stable APT policy: (500, 'stable') Architecture: i386 (i686) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash Kernel: Linux 2.6.18-4-686 Locale: LANG=en_US, LC_CTYPE=he_IL (charmap=ISO-8859-8) Versions of packages apt depends on: ii debian-archive-keyring 2007.02.19 GnuPG archive keys of the Debian a ii libc6 2.3.6.ds1-13 GNU C Library: Shared libraries ii libgcc1 1:4.1.1-21 GCC support library ii libstdc++6 4.1.1-21 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3 apt recommends no packages. -- no debconf information -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
