Question

15

Hold packages back from updates without APT Pin?

rated 0 times [ 15] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 7783 / 2 Years ago, sat, may 14, 2022, 6:56:57

I know about pinning packages with Apt. That's not what I want to do. Other questions have been answered with either using pinning or by using pins temporarily. I don't want to do this.

What I want to do is keep packages back the same way the kernel has been:

# apt-get upgrade

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree       

Reading state information... Done

The following packages have been kept back:

  linux-generic-pae linux-headers-generic-pae linux-image-generic-pae

The following packages will be upgraded:

I want to add tomcat-* and mysql-* and sun-* to this list. In the past, there was a configuration parameter to do this. I've always thought it was something like Apt::Get::HoldPkgs or Apt::HoldPkgs but I can't find it.

I want to have these packages held from updates until I specifically request them with an apt-get install.

I found the apt-get configuration Apt::NeverAutoRemove. Will this do what I want?

Added Question: I notice that Apt::NeverAutoRemove and Apt::Never-MarkAuto-Sections (among others) are not documented so far as I can see. They're not in the manpages. Neither is aptitude::Keep-Unused-Pattern and aptitude::Get-Root-Command.

Is there any comprehensive and complete documentation for apt.conf?

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housecoarmer

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answered 2 Years ago ampust · Accepted Answer

The answer is to use dpkg --set-selections. If you run the command dpkg --get-selections you can see what is set already:

$ dpkg --get-selections | head

acct                                            install

adduser                                         install

apparmor                                        install

apparmor-utils                                  install

apt                                             install

apt-transport-https                             install

apt-utils                                       install

aptitude                                        install

at                                              install

auditd                                          install

Consider, in this case, the package dnsutils:

$ sudo apt-get upgrade

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree

Reading state information... Done

The following packages will be upgraded:

  bind9-host dnsutils libbind9-60 libdns64 libisc60 libisccc60 libisccfg60 liblwres60

8 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Need to get 1,257kB of archives.

After this operation, 0B of additional disk space will be used.

Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n

Abort.

Now let's change it - put the package on hold:

$ echo dnsutils hold | sudo dpkg --set-selections

Check the results:

$ dpkg --get-selections | grep dnsutils

dnsutils                                        hold

Try the update again:

$ sudo apt-get upgrade

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree

Reading state information... Done

The following packages have been kept back:

  bind9-host dnsutils libbind9-60 libdns64 libisc60 libisccfg60 liblwres60

The following packages will be upgraded:

  libisccc60

1 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 7 not upgraded.

Need to get 29.9kB of archives.

After this operation, 0B of additional disk space will be used.

Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n

Abort.

Now, dnsutils - and its related packages - are being held back, just as we wished.