On Fri, Jan 31, 2025 at 11:00:25PM -0600, David Wright wrote: > On Fri 31 Jan 2025 at 23:30:52 (+0000), Andrew M.A. Cater wrote: > > On Fri, Jan 31, 2025 at 02:55:56PM +0900, Mailing List wrote: > > > > > > This failure occurs during the "Select and install software" stage. The > > > root cause is an attempt to install security updates from the security > > > network repository *even when the user selects the default "No" to using a > > > network mirror*. > > > > > > Steps to Reproduce: > > > > > 1. Boot the Debian 11.11 DVD ISO on an Internet-connected PC > > > 2. Proceed through the installation process. > > > 3. When prompted "Use a network mirror?", select the default "No". > > > 4. Continue with the installation. > > > 5. The installation will fail at the "Select and install software" step > > > with the aforementioned error. > > > > > > Expected Behavior: > > > > > > The installation should succeed whether the user uses the default "No" to > > > using a network mirror or manually sets a network mirror to use. > > > > >
Hi list, Right: I've just run through three installs of Debian 11.11.0 from DVD1: The medium was retrieved from cdimage.debian.org/archive at http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/archive/11.11.0/amd64/iso-dvd/ as http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/archive/11.11.0/amd64/iso-dvd/debian-11.11.0-amd64-DVD-1.iso I made three attempts to install, as follows: 1. One text mode install, network connected 2. One text mode expert install, network connected 3. One text mode install, network disconnected. All of these were done in kvm/qemu with virt-manager. (That shouldn't make a difference: it's how we test point releases and it is a known quantity for me.) In each case, the install was done without selecting a network mirror. I can reproduce the problem when the network is connected. The expert install shows a little more detail - I can see the install running through installing the base install then through tasksel where I leave GNOME selected and then it fails as software is installed. On 3 - no network - it works perfectly, so my supposition that if there is no network connection then the install proceeds entirely from the DVD is and runs to completion is probably correct. After the successful install is finished, then the /etc/apt/sources.list file is as follows: # deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 11.11.0 _Bullseye_ - Official amd64 DVD Binary-1 20240831-14:01]/ bullseye contrib main deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 11.11.0 _Bullseye_ - Official amd64 DVD Binary-1 20240831-14:01]/ bullseye contrib main # Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify: #deb http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib # Line commented out by installer because it failed to verify: #deb-src http://security.debian.org/debian-security bullseye-security main contrib # bullseye-updates, to get updates before a point release is made; # see https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch02.en.html#_updates_and_backports # A network mirror was not selected during install. The following entries # are provided as examples, but you should amend them as appropriate # for your mirror of choice. # # deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye-updates main contrib # deb-src http://deb.debian.org/debian/ bullseye-updates main contrib So the only source that remains uncommented is the DVD and the other entries are there and commented out, ready for use if the hash signs are deleted. I'm not sure this is a bug per se: if what you want is a fully offline install, then you have to make sure that the machine is fully offline. If you want a networked install, then the assumptions made in the installer are probably that you will want to install using the available network for all appropriate updates. The pathological case is where you want some network updates but not others. The Debian installer The Debian installer code has grown up over many years and is fairly convoluted: I haven't looked at the underlying code at all. Since bookworm is now the subject of LTS from Freexian, maybe address any request for changes to them. It's almost certain that the bug won't be fixed by addressing any fault in the medium - the debian-cd crew wouldn't address this for a release that's now out of main Debian security support. I'll now go and see if I can reproduce this in Bookworm. If I can, then I'll suggest it as a problem for a possible fix in the next point release though I can't promise anything. > > This is also the case in Bookworm - Debian 12. > > This is potentially intended logic`, though probably not for the reasons you > > think. If you want to perform an entirely offline installation as suggested > > further down - you _need_ to start the installation with no Wifi network > > connection attempted / no network cable connected. > > I wonder why I couldn't reproduce this with the 12.9 netinst then. You > would think that there's far more reason to insist on preferring http: > over cdrom: when so little is available on the installation medium, > compared with a 12.9 DVD. > > I configured the network, used it to configure the clock, installed > the base system, configured the package manager with no mirror, > included the security/release updates, accepted standard system > utilities, and all the packages (far fewer than normal, of course) > were then installed from cdrom:—nothing from http:. I aborted at > the Grub question. > > So can you explain the intended logic here, particularly as you say > we're not expected to be able to reason it out. > > David. > Hope this helps, all the very best as ever, Andrew Cater (amaca...@debian.org)
