apt-get source picks Ubuntu version instead of Debian when requesting Debian version and there is only "deb-src", but not "deb"

[Daniel Hahler]

When requesting the version from Debian (3.2.1-2), the Ubuntu version gets downloaded instead (3.2.1-2ubuntu1).

% apt-cache madison backuppc | grep Source
  backuppc | 3.2.1-2ubuntu1 | http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main Sources
  backuppc | 3.2.1-2ubuntu1 | http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main Sources
  backuppc | 3.2.1-2ubuntu1 | http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main Sources
  backuppc | 3.1.0-9 | http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ stable/main Sources
  backuppc | 3.2.1-2 | http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main Sources
  backuppc | 3.2.1-2 | http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ testing/main Sources

% apt-get source backuppc=3.2.1-2
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Need to get 543 kB of source archives.
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main backuppc 3.2.1-2ubuntu1 (dsc) [1,147 B]
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main backuppc 3.2.1-2ubuntu1 (tar) [512 kB]
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main backuppc 3.2.1-2ubuntu1 (diff) [30.1 kB]
Fetched 543 kB in 1s (281 kB/s)
[...]

I have then tried to use the release name instead, but it fails with both "/unstable" and "-t unstable" notation:

% apt-get source backuppc/unstable
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Ignore unavailable target release 'unstable' of package 'backuppc'
E: Unable to find a source package for

% apt-get source -t testing backuppc
Reading package lists... Done
E: The value 'testing' is invalid for APT::Default-Release as such a release is not available in the sources

The issue appears to be that you do not need also "deb" lines in your apt sources.list, not just "deb-src".

It works now with the "deb" line for unstable being added.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: apt 0.8.16~exp5ubuntu14.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-9.16-generic-pae 3.2.1
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-9-generic-pae i686
ApportVersion: 1.90-0ubuntu2
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Jan 18 14:59:14 2012
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release i386 (20110427.1)
SourcePackage: apt
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2011-12-16 (33 days ago)

[Torsten Spindler (tspindler)]

I could not reproduce this problem on Precise:

$ apt-cache policy backuppc
backuppc:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 3.2.1-2ubuntu1
  Version table:
     3.2.1-2ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main i386 Packages
     3.2.1-2 0
        500 http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main i386 Packages
     3.1.0-9ubuntu1 0
        500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ lucid/main i386 Packages

$ apt-get source backuppc=3.2.1-2
...
Need to get 541 kB of source archives.
Get:1 http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main backuppc 3.2.1-2 (dsc) [1,029 B]
Get:2 http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main backuppc 3.2.1-2 (tar) [512 kB]
Get:3 http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main backuppc 3.2.1-2 (diff) [27.7 kB]
Fetched 541 kB in 0s (705 kB/s)
dpkg-source: info: extracting backuppc in backuppc-3.2.1
dpkg-source: info: unpacking backuppc_3.2.1.orig.tar.gz
dpkg-source: info: applying backuppc_3.2.1-2.diff.gz
dpkg-source: info: upstream files that have been modified:

[Daniel Hahler (blueyed)]

What is the output of "apt-cache madison backuppc | grep Source" for you?

[Daniel Hartwig (wigs)]

Disassociating Debian report; this issue is related to the fuzzy version matching.