apt-get update reports spurious failures

Bug #1254225 reported by Edward Z. Yang
14
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
APT
New
Unknown
apt (Ubuntu)
New
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

When one entry in sources.list is incorrect, apt-get update may incorrectly report that other sources (which are fine) are also broken. This is because apt-get first looks for InRelease before actually downloading Release.gpg; so a single failing source will skip the rest of the downloads, and then later when apt-get sweeps the cache looking for missing Release.gpg, it concludes the other sources are not working either. Here is an example transcript:

# with the broken http://localhost:80 repo in sources.list

(saucy-amd64)root@sabre:/etc# cat apt/sources.list
deb http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost:9999/secure/ saucy-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/secure saucy-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost/repo ./

(saucy-amd64)root@sabre:/etc# apt-get update
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy InRelease
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy-updates InRelease
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy-proposed InRelease
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy-security InRelease
Err http://localhost ./ InRelease

Err http://localhost:9999 saucy Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to localhost:9999:
Err http://localhost:9999 saucy-updates Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to localhost:9999:
Err http://localhost:9999 saucy-proposed Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to localhost:9999:
Err http://localhost:9999 saucy-security Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to localhost:9999:
Err http://localhost ./ Release.gpg
  Unable to connect to localhost:80:
Reading package lists... Done
W: Failed to fetch http://localhost/repo/./InRelease

W: Failed to fetch http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/dists/saucy/Release.gpg Unable to connect to localhost:9999:

W: Failed to fetch http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/dists/saucy-updates/Release.gpg Unable to connect to localhost:9999:

W: Failed to fetch http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/dists/saucy-proposed/Release.gpg Unable to connect to localhost:9999:

W: Failed to fetch http://localhost:9999/secure/dists/saucy-security/Release.gpg Unable to connect to localhost:9999:

W: Failed to fetch http://localhost/repo/./Release.gpg Unable to connect to localhost:80:

W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

# Now with the broken entry removed

(saucy-amd64)root@sabre:/etc# cat apt/sources.list
deb http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/ubuntu/ saucy-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://localhost:9999/secure/ saucy-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://localhost:9999/secure saucy-security main restricted universe multiverse

(saucy-amd64)root@sabre:/etc# apt-get update
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy InRelease
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy-updates InRelease
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy-proposed InRelease
Ign http://localhost:9999 saucy-security InRelease
Get:1 http://localhost:9999 saucy Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:2 http://localhost:9999 saucy-updates Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:3 http://localhost:9999 saucy-proposed Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:4 http://localhost:9999 saucy-security Release.gpg [933 B]
Get:5 http://localhost:9999 saucy Release [49.6 kB]
Get:6 http://localhost:9999 saucy-updates Release [49.6 kB]
Get:7 http://localhost:9999 saucy-proposed Release [49.6 kB]
Get:8 http://localhost:9999 saucy-security Release [49.6 kB]
Get:9 http://localhost:9999 saucy/main Translation-en [711 kB]
Get:10 http://localhost:9999 saucy/multiverse Translation-en [101 kB]
Get:11 http://localhost:9999 saucy/restricted Translation-en [2686 B]
Get:12 http://localhost:9999 saucy/universe Translation-en [3886 kB]
[etc]

Also reported upstream (Debian BTS) as #730237

Revision history for this message
N1ck 7h0m4d4k15 (nicktux) wrote :

Hello,

I don't know what Debian developers will do with this report, but this apt's behavior in known long time ago. It's not something new. I mean, what you said is well known and I'm not sure if will considered as a bug.

I linked the upstream bug you reported, to keep track on any developments.

Best Regards
 NikTh

Changed in apt:
status: Unknown → New
To post a comment you must log in.
This report contains Public information  
Everyone can see this information.

Duplicates of this bug

Other bug subscribers

Remote bug watches

Bug watches keep track of this bug in other bug trackers.