Scheduled Maintenance: We are aware of an issue with Google, AOL, and Yahoo services as email providers which are blocking new registrations. We are trying to fix the issue and we have several internal and external support tickets in process to resolve the issue. Please see: viewtopic.php?t=158230

 

 

 

Howto: Set up and Maintain a Mixed Testing/Unstable System

Share your HowTo, Documentation, Tips and Tricks. Not for support questions!.
Message
Author
User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#81 Post by rickh »

Is there anything obvious I'm not doing here?
Nope. Try again.
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

User avatar
anarchyinc666
Posts: 300
Joined: 2008-10-22 13:44

#82 Post by anarchyinc666 »

Nice Howto, I've been wondering how I was going to do this the correct way once the freeze is over and I might have to start pulling programs from stable or testing. Is unstable ever actually "unstable" this has been the most stable OS I have ever used.
-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GIT d- s: a- C++++ UL++++ P+ L+++ E-- W+++ N- o-- K- w++
O- M-- V-- PS+++ PE+++ Y PGP+++ t-- 5-- X+++ R* tv+++ b DI++++ D
G e+ h---- r+++ y++++
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

Debian-SID Xfce

User avatar
graysky
Posts: 495
Joined: 2008-10-10 20:58

#83 Post by graysky »

rickh wrote:
Is there anything obvious I'm not doing here?
Nope. Try again.
It worked now, thank you for the guide and the time it took you to write it :)

Image

A follow-up question: if for some reason I wish to go back to a purely Lenny system, what method do you recommend to do so?

My thought is:

1) # aptitude purge iceweasel
2) remove the sid sources from my /etc/apt/sources.list
3) # aptitude update && aptitude install iceweasel

Thanks again!

User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#84 Post by rickh »

A follow-up question: if for some reason I wish to go back to a purely Lenny system, what method do you recommend to do so?
With a Howto as well written and discussed as this one, newbies should read the entire thread before recycling issues that have already been discussed.

As long as your entire Sid contribution consists of one program, your method will, of course, work. In your case, of course, you don't even have to remove Sid. The only way you'll ever get another program from Sid is if you specify it with -t ... of course.
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

User avatar
graysky
Posts: 495
Joined: 2008-10-10 20:58

#85 Post by graysky »

Thanks for the link, rich. "apt-show-versions | grep unstable" rocks.

User avatar
graysky
Posts: 495
Joined: 2008-10-10 20:58

#86 Post by graysky »

@richk - I'd like to use vlc from the experimental repo. I used your method to get it and all is well. When I did an apt-show-versions | grep unstable I had a few extra packages installed that were not present prior to the vlc installation. Does aptitude mix and match from the lenny, unstable, and experimental repos as it goes? After issuing an aptitude remove vlc, I still had a few unstable libraries installed. I then attempted to remove them, but aptitude told me it would remove over 200 packages in the process including gnome. What am I doing wrong?

User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#87 Post by rickh »

Does aptitude mix and match from the lenny, unstable, and experimental repos as it goes?
It might. It will definitely pull files from Sid to satisfy dependencies for an Experimental application you requested.

You're doing nothing wrong. You're just learning about metapackages and mixed systems. Learn carefully.

Those packages didn't get there by themselves. If they didn't come with your vlc installation, they came with something else you pulled from either Experimental or Unstable. If you installed an app that needed a Gnome dependency upgraded, it's likely that Gnome claimed it even after you deleted the application it came with.
Last edited by rickh on 2008-12-02 20:52, edited 1 time in total.
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

User avatar
graysky
Posts: 495
Joined: 2008-10-10 20:58

#88 Post by graysky »

Thanks for the info.. trial by fire :) I just reinstalled my system. I'd like to have the more recent vlc, but I'm not willing to potentially roach my system again. Is there any other option or do I have just have to accept that some libs will remain even when the package that installed them has been removed?

User avatar
jtodd
Posts: 457
Joined: 2008-06-04 01:24
Location: Michigan

#89 Post by jtodd »

graysky wrote:Thanks for the info.. trial by fire :) I just reinstalled my system. I'd like to have the more recent vlc, but I'm not willing to potentially roach my system again. Is there any other option or do I have just have to accept that some libs will remain even when the package that installed them has been removed?
Use debfoster, deborphan, orphaner, and dpkg --get-selections to find unneeded packages and libs.
Debian GNU/Linux Sid | Intel Celeron 2.2GHz | 224mb RAM | 27GB HD | 320GB Ext. HD | dwm

User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#90 Post by rickh »

jtodd wrote: Use debfoster, deborphan, orphaner, and dpkg --get-selections to find unneeded packages and libs.
Totally out in left field advice in terms of this thread. Pay no attention to it.
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

User avatar
graysky
Posts: 495
Joined: 2008-10-10 20:58

#91 Post by graysky »

rickh wrote:
jtodd wrote: Use debfoster, deborphan, orphaner, and dpkg --get-selections to find unneeded packages and libs.
Totally out in left field advice in terms of this thread. Pay no attention to it.
OK.. but can you answer my question :)

User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#92 Post by rickh »

As far as I'm concerned, it's already been answered. I don't do "chat."
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

User avatar
bugsbunny
Posts: 5354
Joined: 2008-07-06 17:04
Been thanked: 1 time

#93 Post by bugsbunny »

graysky wrote:@richk - I'd like to use vlc from the experimental repo. I used your method to get it and all is well. When I did an apt-show-versions | grep unstable I had a few extra packages installed that were not present prior to the vlc installation. Does aptitude mix and match from the lenny, unstable, and experimental repos as it goes? After issuing an aptitude remove vlc, I still had a few unstable libraries installed. I then attempted to remove them, but aptitude told me it would remove over 200 packages in the process including gnome. What am I doing wrong?
If you're installing a package from experimental (aptitude install <packagename>/experimental) then aptitude will pull any dependencies that can't resolved from testing/unstable from experimental. It will prefer the packages from testing/unstable.

If you install using "aptitude -t experimental <packagename>" then it will prefer experimental and will look there first for any dependencies it needs, that are not already installed.

The unstable libraries that you have installed that would pull over 200 packages probably (almost certainly) have versions in testing. You could always force a downgrade to the testing version. If you have a version from unstable installed then "aptitude install <packagename>/testing" will force a downgrade.

User avatar
graysky
Posts: 495
Joined: 2008-10-10 20:58

#94 Post by graysky »

Thanks for the info, bugs!

roooz
Posts: 143
Joined: 2008-07-27 21:01

#95 Post by roooz »

Why is there not a synaptic like tool for aptitude? Or am I wrong?

User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#96 Post by rickh »

Synaptic is for children and incompetent newbies. There is a GUI version of Aptitude that will probably move into Sid sometime after the Lenny freeze. Quick! Learn how to use Aptitude correctly (from the command line) before the confusion starts.
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

roooz
Posts: 143
Joined: 2008-07-27 21:01

#97 Post by roooz »

rickh wrote:Synaptic is for children and incompetent newbies.
That's exactly why I'm interested.. nothing wrong with children and newbies btw ;)
There is a GUI version of Aptitude that will probably move into Sid sometime after the Lenny freeze. Quick! Learn how to use Aptitude correctly (from the command line) before the confusion starts.
Ok, nice.

Besides that, ' they' say that apt is now also installing the recommended dependencies. Does this mean I can also use apt-get in a mixed system now? Are there still advantages for aptitude?

User avatar
rickh
Posts: 3434
Joined: 2006-06-29 02:13
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA

#98 Post by rickh »

There are plenty of other threads discussing aptitude / apt-get / synaptic / etc. Don't clutter up this one.
Debian-Lenny/Sid 32/64
Desktop: Generic Core 2 Duo, EVGA 680i, Nvidia
Laptop: Generic Intel SIS/AC97

roooz
Posts: 143
Joined: 2008-07-27 21:01

#99 Post by roooz »

I think the question, 'can I maintain a mixed system the way you describes with apt instead of aptitude now apt is also installing recommended dependencies?' belong in this thread...

thanks in advance

roooz
Posts: 143
Joined: 2008-07-27 21:01

#100 Post by roooz »

I've noticed that aptitude search doesn't find packages pretty often...

For example

Code: Select all

d@debianstudio32:~$ aptitude search apt-show-versions
d@debianstudio32:~$ apt-cache search apt-show-versions
apt-show-versions - lists available package versions with distribution
metche - configuration monitor to ease collective administration

no response from aptitude, apt-cache does...

EDIT: and file-bugs can't find the info:

Code: Select all

Retrieving bug reports... 0% Fail
 E: HTTP GET failed
Retry downloading bug information?[Y/n]? y

Post Reply