On Fri, Dec 17, 2004 at 03:21:47PM +0000, Ben Bettin wrote: > I recently started using the /etc/apt/preferences file to get > Firestarter from unstable into my testing install of Sarge. My file > follows: > > ---------- > Package: * > Pin: release a=testing > Pin-Priority: 900 > > Package: firestarter > Pin: release a=unstable > Pin-Priority: 1100 > > Package: * > Pin: release o=Debian > Pin-Priority: -10 > ----------
Why mix o and a ? > A few moments ago I updated my sources.list in preparation for Sarge > going to stable. I changed all references to 'testing' to 'sarge'. I > did this because I do NOT want to automatically upgrade to the new > testing right away, I'll probably stick with Sarge for a few months > after he goes stable. I had to leave the nerim entry as testing and > unstable because he doesn't appear to support the release names. My > sources.list follows: > > ---------- > deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian sarge main contrib non-free > deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US sarge/non-US main contrib non-free > deb http://security.debian.org/ sarge/updates main contrib non-free > > deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ testing main > > deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian sid main contrib non-free > deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US sid/non-US main contrib non-free > > deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ unstable main > ---------- > > After starting up aptitude I had to update my cache, but after that > everything looked fine. So I edited my /etc/apt/preferences and > changed 'testing' to 'sarge' and 'unstable' to 'sid'. When I started > up aptitude and updated, things weren't right. Where in man page say you can use release codename instead of archive name. | APT_PREFERENCES(5) APT_PREFERENCES(5) | | | the Archive: line | names the archive to which all the packages in the directory | tree belong. For example, the line "Archive: stable" specifies | that all of the packages in the directory tree below the parent | of the Release file are in a stable archive. Specifying this | value in the APT preferences file would require the line: | | | Pin: release a=stable | | .... | | All of the Packages and Release files retrieved from locations listed | in the sources.list(5) file are stored in the directory | /var/lib/apt/lists, or in the file named by the variable | Dir::State::Lists in the apt.conf file. For example, the file | debian.lcs.mit.edu_debian_dists_unstable_contrib_binary-i386_Release | contains the Release file retrieved from the site debian.lcs.mit.edu | for binary-i386 architecture files from the contrib component of the | unstable distribution. > > The conclusion I came to is that /etc/apt/preferences doesn't support > the release specific names (woody, sarge, sid, etc) and only the > generic names (stable, testing, and unstable). So I changed the > entries in my preferences back to testing and unstable as listed > above. Good. > It seems to me that the discrepency between /etc/apt/sources.list and There you are pointing to directory name. These directory name has also symlink. So both archive name and release code name works for /etc/apt/sources.list. But Release file looks like (read one form /var/lib/apt/lists/*): Archive: testing Component: contrib Origin: Debian Label: Debian Architecture: i386 So we must use real Archive name for /etc/apt/preferences > /etc/apt/preferences could cause some serious problems for people when > Sarge goes stable, especially if they have mixed distros. I don't > have any automated updating, so I'll just have to remember to read the > news before updating every day...that way I can alter the two files > correctly before I update. But for people that have scripts which > automate the update process, they could get fubar'd. Any thoughts? So this is not the problem of having external package source but the way you set up preferences. Osamu -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
