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

[roooz]

Could an app like apt-watch handy, to track available updates?

[El1iP3S01D]

Thanks for this how to because it works! My question is this, How do i run Sid and only Sid as opposed to Squeeze and Sid?

[didi]

having only sid repos in your sources.list?

[El1iP3S01D]

Look didi,

el1ip3s01d@Iehovah-0007:~$ sudo cat /etc/debian_version
squeeze/sid
el1ip3s01d@Iehovah-0007:~$

#
# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux testing _Sid_ - Official Snapshot amd64 xfce+lxde-CD Binary-1 20090302-08:13]/ sid main

deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux testing _Sid_ - Official Snapshot amd64 xfce+lxde-CD Binary-1 20090302-08:13]/ sid main

deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free

deb http://security.debian.org/ sid/updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ sid/updates main contrib non-free

deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free


deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org sid main
deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org experimental main


Does this helps didi?

[didi]

Looks fine to me, altough I don't think Debian security team provides updates for sid.
I've never run a sid only system, so I wouldn't know if debian_version would then only say sid as opposed to squeeze/sid
It could also be related to the cdrom entry in your sources.list.

[El1iP3S01D]

thanks for your response sweetie!!!

[cb474]

Would using this method be an okay way to upgrade from Lenny to testing? The installer for testing is broken right now (won't detect hard drives). Is there any reason to prefer to wait until the installer is fixed? Or should it be the same to install Lenny and then upgrade to testing, via this method? Thanks.

[Qew]

Surely you would just install Lenny, then change your sources.list file to either testing or squeeze, then do a dist-upgrade. This topic's method is more for those who want to have a mixed system, not upgrade to a another version.

So, install Lenny if you haven't already got it. Then change "/etc/apt/sources.list" so that all references to Lenny or Stable are now "squeeze" or "testing" (no quotes). Then do an "aptitude update && aptitude safe-upgrade", then after that, an "aptitude full-upgrade". You'll now have Squeeze/Testing on your machine, and you can use the method in this topic to make a mixed Testing/Unstable system, if you so desire.

[cb474]

Thanks for the super-fast response. I already have a mixed testing/unstable system, from following this guide a long time ago. But I'm having some totally weird problems and thinking maybe I've just got to reinstall (sadly a first for me with Debian).

[Morticia]

Thank you for this easy to follow and well explained how-to rickh.

[PingFloyd]

I suppose I'm a little late in this discussion, but here is something I came acrossed today.

here's my apt-cache policy output

Package files:
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
release a=now
500 http://mirrors.kernel.org unstable/non-free Packages
release o=Debian,a=unstable,l=Debian,c=non-free
origin mirrors.kernel.org
500 http://mirrors.kernel.org unstable/contrib Packages
release o=Debian,a=unstable,l=Debian,c=contrib
origin mirrors.kernel.org
500 http://mirrors.kernel.org unstable/main Packages
release o=Debian,a=unstable,l=Debian,c=main
origin mirrors.kernel.org
990 http://mirrors.kernel.org testing/non-free Packages
release o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian,c=non-free
origin mirrors.kernel.org
990 http://mirrors.kernel.org testing/contrib Packages
release o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian,c=contrib
origin mirrors.kernel.org
990 http://mirrors.kernel.org testing/main Packages
release o=Debian,a=testing,l=Debian,c=main
origin mirrors.kernel.org
Pinned packages:

Here is output from apt-show-versions -u (which by the way, is a great way to find out which packages aptitude is going to want to upgrade along with from which release)

libcups2/unstable upgradeable from 1.3.8-1lenny5 to 1.3.10-1
libcupsimage2/unstable upgradeable from 1.3.8-1lenny5 to 1.3.10-1

note: this is just by setting setting /etc/apt/apt.conf to:

APT::Default-Release "testing";

I thought it was odd that it wanted to upgrade the libcups* packages on it own when I was doing an "aptitude upgrade". That was when it double-checked the apt-cache policy and apt-show-versions -u above. So this seems to back the notion that pinning may be a requirement to keep packages from moving up to unstable on their own. I'm not sure why tons more packages don't want to upgrade to stable though. This was all checked right after changing to the sources.list and apt.conf to support stable. So there is no unstable packages installed at this point bringing in any dependencies.

Just wanted to share this, and thanks for posting the how-to. Running mixed releases has always been one of those things that is there is a lot of different ideas about how to "do it the right way". I think it is great this thread is having this discussion so we can figure out what the best formula for success is in running a mixed-system.

[roooz]

I use this system for a while now, and I like it.

But in the last month the /etc/apt/apt.conf APT::Default-Release "testing";

Is not working always. Some weeks ago, I wanted to upgrade and the system tried to upgrade to full unstable. I dropped the unstable line out, and after some days I tried it again, and /etc/apt/apt.conf did work.

But this morning that system fails again.

[Coco]

I use this system for a while now, and I like it.

But in the last month the /etc/apt/apt.conf APT::Default-Release "testing";

Is not working always. Some weeks ago, I wanted to upgrade and the system tried to upgrade to full unstable. I dropped the unstable line out, and after some days I tried it again, and /etc/apt/apt.conf did work.

But this morning that system fails again.

Well, that sucks. I was thinking of doing this. I even put the unstable repos in my sources.list. I guess I'll be commenting it out for the time being. Anybody have the same problem as roooz?

[debil]

I use this system for a while now, and I like it.

But in the last month the /etc/apt/apt.conf APT::Default-Release "testing";

Is not working always. Some weeks ago, I wanted to upgrade and the system tried to upgrade to full unstable. I dropped the unstable line out, and after some days I tried it again, and /etc/apt/apt.conf did work.

But this morning that system fails again.

Well, that sucks. I was thinking of doing this. I even put the unstable repos in my sources.list. I guess I'll be commenting it out for the time being. Anybody have the same problem as roooz?

Nope. Works well here.

$ cat /etc/apt/apt.conf

Code: Select all

APT::Default-Release "testing";

$ cat /etc/apt/preferences

Code: Select all

Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian,a=testing
Pin-Priority: 900

Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian,a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 300

Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian
Pin-Priority: -1

$ cat /etc/apt/sources.list

Code: Select all

deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free

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

deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org/ squeeze main

deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free

[Coco]

I use this system for a while now, and I like it.

But in the last month the /etc/apt/apt.conf APT::Default-Release "testing";

Is not working always. Some weeks ago, I wanted to upgrade and the system tried to upgrade to full unstable. I dropped the unstable line out, and after some days I tried it again, and /etc/apt/apt.conf did work.

But this morning that system fails again.

Well, that sucks. I was thinking of doing this. I even put the unstable repos in my sources.list. I guess I'll be commenting it out for the time being. Anybody have the same problem as roooz?

Nope. Works well here.

$ cat /etc/apt/apt.conf

Code: Select all

APT::Default-Release "testing";

$ cat /etc/apt/preferences

Code: Select all

Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian,a=testing
Pin-Priority: 900

Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian,a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 300

Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian
Pin-Priority: -1

$ cat /etc/apt/sources.list

Code: Select all

deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main contrib non-free

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

deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org/ squeeze main

deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free

Thanks! I'll go ahead with it then. The geek in me got bored with Testing!

[debil]

Thanks! I'll go ahead with it then. The geek in me got bored with Testing!

I'd say go. For example, right now I have only one package from sid installed. It helps if you really need a fresher version of some app but it also helps solving possible conflict/dependency issues when upgrading.

[Coco]

Success! Seems to be working pretty well. Thanks again. Pulled in the new transmission and midori from Sid without any probs.

[debil]

Glad it worked. Thanks transmitted metaphysically to OP.

[Burt]

i tried this, as i'd set up my sources.list all wrong, mixing etch with unstable and testing. to cut a long story short im still quite newby to linux so this may seem like a silly problem....after mixing the testing and unstable sources.list like in page one of this thread i know how have an error when i do an apt-get update :

Code: Select all

W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://www.debian-multimedia.org testing/main Packages (/var/lib/apt/lists/www.debian-multimedia.org_dists_testing_main_binary-amd64_Packages)
W: Duplicate sources.list entry http://www.debian-multimedia.org testing/main Translation-en_GB (/var/lib/apt/lists/www.debian-multimedia.org_dists_testing_main_i18n_Translation-en%5fGB)

any ideas?

[bugsbunny]

Post your entire sources.list