Selective support for installing backports
Backports currently carry a risk of regression. Although is it not recommended, many users enable backports by default, and thus a single regression can cripple their systems if it is well placed. By having the backports repo in Soyuz pinned lower than 100 so APT doesn't touch it by default, and having an easy to use interface to install packages (aka a frontend against apt-get -t dist-backports install backport), we prevent regressions from crippling users who many not be interested in that specific backport. THis mechanism must also allow us to push a security update if necessary, but only have that update installed if the user has a backport enabled.
Blueprint information
- Status:
- Not started
- Approver:
- Michael Vogt
- Priority:
- Undefined
- Drafter:
- Michael Casadevall
- Direction:
- Needs approval
- Assignee:
- None
- Definition:
- Discussion
- Series goal:
- None
- Implementation:
-
Unknown
- Milestone target:
- None
- Started by
- Completed by
Whiteboard
mvo: I like the idea. I think a implementation around the "NotAutomatic: yes" flag in the Release file would be easiest as it avoids having to have a apt preferences editor etc. A proof-of-conecpt branch is at lp:~mvo/update-manager/not-automatic
<jdong> ScottK: I like the general idea and behavior described in the spec, though I'm not 100% confident that pinning is the method we should settle upon for effecting it
<jdong> ScottK: I'd like to look more into mvo's "NotAutomatic" flag
<ScottK> jdong: Yeah, well I was going to just leave that as an implementation detail to mvo.
<ScottK> If you're OK with the concept, I want to push to get it approved.
<jdong> ScottK: gotcha; but yea, I love the concept
Changes required in update-manager (in the "not-automatic" branch:
- support detection of upgradable versions that are NotAutomatic [done]
- support toggling versions that are not automatic [done]
- support displaying changelog for NotAutomatic versions [done]
- support dependency resolution from other "NotAutomatic: yes" packages (needs go into libapts problem resolver)
- support installing packages via extended synaptic install syntax
