Rollback from buster/sid

[SteveHodge]

By some mischance I managed to accidentally move my system from Jessie to Buster/SID, via, I think, stretch
I really don't like the idea of running a non stable version
My question is: Can I rollback from buster/sid to stretch?
Buster/SID seems to run OK apart from a few niggles and I don't want to take a big risk with roll back
What is the risk in a roll back and how would I do it?

My apt/sources.list looks like this. I think the cause of the problem was the references to distros other than stretch.
Can I just comment them out and run apt-get update and update-distro?

Quote:
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ stretch main
deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ stretch main


deb http://security.debian.org/ stretch/updates main
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ stretch/updates main

# wheezy-updates, previously known as 'volatile'
deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ stretch-updates main
deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ stretch-updates main

deb http://download.webmin.com/download/repository/ sarge contrib
deb http://webmin.mirror.somersettechsoluti ... epository/ sarge contrib
deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ sid main

deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ sid main
unquote

[Dai_trying]

It looks like you have what is commonly referred to as a "FrankenDebian", search the forum for enlightenment.

If it were my system and I wanted/needed stability I would backup all data and re-install to ensure the cleanest possible result, having said that there are ways to "roll back" and although I am in no way an expert on this you could start by setting your sources to stable (or stretch specifically) and then search for packages that are from outside the official sources and either upgrade/downgrade/replace or remove them, I cannot offer specific instructions for this but I recall some of the frequent posters offering some advice for others wanting to do similar things and would hope they will chirp in with some advice with that.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Can I rollback from buster/sid to stretch?

Yes, just restore your backup

If you don't have a backup then go and stand in the naughty corner for half an hour then try following this guide:

https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debi ... owngrading

Note the warning though, this might not work at all.

[Bulkley]

While I agree with Dai_trying and Head_on_a_Stick I'd seriously consider converting sources to Buster and living with it. Buster is presently on the tail end of its Testing life and will become Stable later this year. Set your sources as follows:

Code: Select all

deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ buster main contrib non-free
deb http://security.debian.org/ buster/updates main contrib non-free

Get rid of the other sources. Buster won't have a 'volatile' until it becomes Stable so you can wait before adding that line.

BTW, your desire to stick with Stable is commendable.

[Deb-fan]

Very confused about where you are or are even talking about. Sources show Stretch, Sarge for some unfathomable reason and Sid/unstable. What are you trying to accomplish and what did you follow? Big +1 HOAS, in having and keeping an incremental and proven backup/restore plan in place. Just have to consider it good practice. Also what he'd posted in terms of apt-pinning, what I understand about it anything pinned above 1001,will actually cause a forced downgrade of packages. So between one branch/release in your sources VS another, that would be the big hammer approach to os-wide downgrade. Meaning if someone pins Stretch repositories at 1010, everything else takes a backseat to packages in those repositories. If set that way and you ran "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" should run rough-shod over anything else installed.

Never had a reason to try doing it, so no idea how it's likely to turn out.

Install apt-show-versions it's a package that can tell you what/which packages are actually installed on that os from a certain repository. Since it's called sid in your sources.list aka:unstable, use

Code: Select all

 apt-show-versions |grep /sid

To show which packages were even installed from the repository named sid in your sources. What's installed from Sid? Both apt and aptitude support installing a certain version of a given package, see that, gnu/Linux developers are amazing! So what have you done, are trying to do?

[Deb-fan]

Barring meaningful answers, honestly backup important data and freshly reinstalling gets my vote. Unless there's some profound do or die, this is my one shot situation. Who knows but think this type of thing is why FrankenDebian is so commonly touted. People who have zero idea what they're doing, mixing sources and indiscriminately installing whatever, leading to a horribly borked up mess.

[SteveHodge]

Many thanks to all who replied. I will try a roll back, and if that doesn't work do a re-install

Steve

[Deb-fan]

Getting strong spam vibe. Joined yesterday 4 posts, 2 here and this is an all over the place weird OP and another which looks more than a tad strange too, gnome apps only launching in terminal? Wth is with this new reiteration of spam? Don't see any back links(which shouldn't have seo value anymore anyway.) Just some party deciding to screw with Debian forum or what?

Btw: Whatever the hades this nonsense is (and similar I've seen) , it's clearly human in origin, Devaun fanboi plague? Such should hopefully be brain infused enough to know, that aggravating this forum is sure to make little difference in Debian's overall function. Or perhaps some clue even if you were capable of impeding such with such crap, if it weren't for the amazing folks who do support Debian, 1001 downstream would die.

[CwF]

Many thanks to all who replied. I will try a roll back, and if that doesn't work do a re-install

Steve

In my opinion Bulkley gave you the correct and most prudent path forward. Search the forums, I've laid out such path before.