Hi list, recently I was trying to install a package from lenny on etch, that has no backport available (yet; request has been filed). I was configuring /etc/apt/apt-conf and /etc/apt/preferences as I saw fit, but learned "the hard way" that it's seemingly not possible to pin releases by their relase name (etch, lenny), but only with stable, testing, unstable.
For instance, Package: * Pin: release a=lenny Pin-Priority: 99 doesn't do anything when checking with 'apt-cache policy', but Package: * Pin: release a=testing Pin-Priority: 99 works. I use only release names in my 'sources.list's, so that apt-cacher doesn't autmatically switch to a new release when it becomes stable. But if pinning is only possible via 'Pin: release a=stable' or 'Pin: release a=testing' instead of 'Pin: release a=etch' and 'Pin: release a=lenny', that won't work in the sane way that it should, IMHO. If I had a sources.list pointing both to etch and lenny, and a /etc/apt/preferences like Package: * Pin: release a=stable Pin-Priority: 700 Package: * Pin: release a=testing Pin-Priority: 600 I'd guess the only way to assure a non-upgrade to lenny once it will be declared stable, would be something like 'APT::Default-Release "oldstable";' in /etc/apt/apt.conf - if that worked at all, just a guess for a somewhat practical workaround... Long story short, why is it not possible to pin by release name? Searching for this returns lots of web pages that show examples with pinning by release name, and I'm wondering why they all propose something that doesn't work at all... I hope somebody can enlighten me on this topic a bit. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org