[update-manager-core] do-release-upgrade removing pinned / locked version packages

[B Bobo]

I want to upgrade Ubuntu, but do-release-upgrade removes even locked-version packages. The problem is certain packages, e.g. harpia and shogun-octave, no longer exist in recent Ubuntu versions. I need those packages. This makes upgrading impossible.

$ lsb_release -d
Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS

$ do-release-upgrade -d
raring.tar.gz

Packages to be removed: [...] harpia shogun-octave

Packages to be installed: [... harpia and shogun-octave not listed ...]

Packages to be upgraded: [... harpia and shogun-octave not listed ...]

I think packages with locked versions and their dependencies should be left alone during an upgrade.

[Daniel Hartwig (wigs)]

What do you mean “locked version”? There are multiple programs and documents using this term to mean different things, please state exactly how you “locked” these packages.

[B Bobo (yout-bobo123)]

Versions locked using Synaptic per Ubuntu Pinning Howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PinningHowto#line-97
and Ubuntu Apt Get Howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto#line-67

[Daniel Hartwig (wigs)]

On 31 May 2013 12:49, B Bobo <email address hidden> wrote:
> Versions locked using Synaptic per Ubuntu Pinning Howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PinningHowto#line-97
> and Ubuntu Apt Get Howto https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto#line-67
>

[It seems the advise in those documents is outdated and inaccurate. I
will file some reports on that.]

Synaptic version locking is ineffective in other apt tools. See bug
#42178. The same issue exists with aptitude holds.

The only solution is to use apt/dpkg holds, supported everywhere. The
PinningHowto says to do:
# echo libxfont1 hold | dpkg --set-selections

If your apt is recent enough, you can instead use:
# apt-mark hold harpia shogun-octave

After applying this hold, confirm the changes with e.g.:
$ dpkg -s harpia | grep Status
Status: hold ok installed

[Daniel Hartwig (wigs)]

On 31 May 2013 13:15, Daniel Hartwig <email address hidden> wrote:
> After applying this hold, confirm the changes with e.g.:
> $ dpkg -s harpia | grep Status
> Status: hold ok installed

At that point ‘apt-get upgrade’ should not remove the packages, and
‘apt-get dist-upgrade’ should give a warning.

I leave it to Ubuntu-types to identify the expected interaction of
‘do-release-upgrade’ and held packages.

[B Bobo (yout-bobo123)]

Thank you for explaining that.

It is sad and ironic that synaptic was deliberately changed (according to comment#1 at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/synaptic/+bug/42178#bug-branches-container) to use /var/lib/synaptic/preferences instead of the global preferences file /etc/apt/preferences

I think synaptic is actually more confusing because of that change! I agree with what you wrote on the bug report. I too would like to see the 2004 change reverted, so that synaptic uses the global preferences file in future.

[Daniel Hartwig (wigs)]

On 31 May 2013 15:34, B Bobo <email address hidden> wrote:
> Thank you for explaining that.
>

Once setting the holds with dpkg or apt-mark, does
‘do-release-upgrade’ work as expected?