Enable Backports - Newbie Question

Llewellen · 2018-06-21 02:54:30

The Devuan site cautions against leaving backports enabled and advises only doing so for the purpose of obtaining specific packages.

But if I add backports in sources.list to obtain a couple of packages that I need from beowolf, won't I have to leave it enabled so as to receive updates for those packages? Or perhaps I have misunderstood?

Thank you.

Dutch_Master · 2018-06-21 04:09:58

What you need is apt-pinning. Google is your friend

golinux · 2018-06-21 04:21:36

Or comment it out and re-enable every so often.

Llewellen · 2018-06-21 04:38:06

Dutch_Master wrote:

What you need is apt-pinning. Google is your friend

From Debian Wiki:

"When pinning, you must ensure compatibility of packages by yourself since Debian does not guarantee it. Note that pinning is completely optional, and Debian does not encourage pinning without thorough consideration.

/!\ Seriously, don't do this. Doing this will break Debian and leave you with a system that doesn't work and can't be fixed. Use Backports instead! "

devuser · 2018-06-21 08:16:14

Interesting. I didn't know leaving backports enabled was considered harmful (at least not more than using backports in the first place). I was under the impression the pinning issue had been "fixed" as in by default apt would only use backports when instructed or on upgrades when the original package already came from backports and not try to to upgrade random packages if there was a newer backports version available? I understand that backports are a moving target and might have unclean packages slip through but an official stance to manually disabling them is new to me.

cynwulf · 2018-06-21 09:21:17

To my knowledge backports is not harmful and does/did not, by default, allow automatic upgrades anyway. This is not, for example, like running testing with the unstable repository enabled and no pinning/default release set.

devuser · 2018-06-21 09:31:22

cynwulf wrote:

To my knowledge backports ... does/did not, by default, allow automatic upgrades anyway.

Exactly. This is how it was and how it is right now. I just remember a brief timespan where adding backports actually resulted in apt wanting to upgrade my whole system to backports versions if available and i had to use pinning to keep it in check. Not sure if it was something i broke though. At some point it just worked again like we are all used to.

Last edited by devuser (2018-06-21 09:31:50)

fsmithred · 2018-06-21 11:47:33

devuser wrote:

cynwulf wrote:
To my knowledge backports ... does/did not, by default, allow automatic upgrades anyway.
Exactly. This is how it was and how it is right now. I just remember a brief timespan where adding backports actually resulted in apt wanting to upgrade my whole system to backports versions if available and i had to use pinning to keep it in check. Not sure if it was something i broke though. At some point it just worked again like we are all used to.

No, it wasn't something you broke. Early on, auto.mirror had the wrong priority on backports, and it got fixed. Then pkgmaster had the wrong priority on backports, and that got fixed. I keep it pinned, just in case.

/etc/apt/preferences.d/releases

Package: *
Pin: release a=ascii-backports
Pin-Priority: 100

devuser · 2018-06-21 12:36:03

fsmithred wrote:

devuser wrote:
cynwulf wrote:
To my knowledge backports ... does/did not, by default, allow automatic upgrades anyway.
Exactly. This is how it was and how it is right now. I just remember a brief timespan where adding backports actually resulted in apt wanting to upgrade my whole system to backports versions if available and i had to use pinning to keep it in check. Not sure if it was something i broke though. At some point it just worked again like we are all used to.
No, it wasn't something you broke. Early on, auto.mirror had the wrong priority on backports, and it got fixed. Then pkgmaster had the wrong priority on backports, and that got fixed. I keep it pinned, just in case.
/etc/apt/preferences.d/releases
Package: *
Pin: release a=ascii-backports
Pin-Priority: 100

Thanks for clarifying. Good to know my memory isn't all that faulty yet. Also who doesn't like hearing he wasn't the culprit after all

The officially official Devuan Forum!

#1 2018-06-21 02:54:30

Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#2 2018-06-21 04:09:58

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#3 2018-06-21 04:21:36

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#4 2018-06-21 04:38:06

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#5 2018-06-21 08:16:14

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#6 2018-06-21 09:21:17

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#7 2018-06-21 09:31:22

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#8 2018-06-21 11:47:33

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

#9 2018-06-21 12:36:03

Re: Enable Backports - Newbie Question

Board footer