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-rw-r--r--doc/apt_preferences.5.xml50
1 files changed, 32 insertions, 18 deletions
diff --git a/doc/apt_preferences.5.xml b/doc/apt_preferences.5.xml
index 3d7896226..abcf56744 100644
--- a/doc/apt_preferences.5.xml
+++ b/doc/apt_preferences.5.xml
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ APT will not questioning the preferences so wrong settings will therefore
lead to uninstallable packages or wrong decisions while upgrading packages.
Even more problems will arise if multiply distribution releases are mixed
without a good understanding of the following paragraphs.
+Packages included in a specific release aren't tested in and
+therefore doesn't always work as expected in older or newer releases or
+together with other packages from different releases.
You have been warned.</para>
<para>Note that the files in the <filename>/etc/apt/preferences.d</filename>
@@ -95,6 +98,12 @@ algorithm to set the priorities of the versions of a package. Assign:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
+<term>priority 1</term>
+<listitem><simpara>to the versions coming from archives which in their <filename>Release</filename>
+files are marked as "NotAutomatic: yes" like the debian experimental archive.</simpara></listitem>
+</varlistentry>
+
+<varlistentry>
<term>priority 100</term>
<listitem><simpara>to the version that is already installed (if any).</simpara></listitem>
</varlistentry>
@@ -113,7 +122,9 @@ algorithm to set the priorities of the versions of a package. Assign:
<para>If the target release has not been specified then APT simply assigns
priority 100 to all installed package versions and priority 500 to all
-uninstalled package versions.</para>
+uninstalled package versions, expect versions coming from archives which
+in their <filename>Release</filename> files are marked as "NotAutomatic: yes" -
+these versions get the priority 1.</para>
<para>APT then applies the following rules, listed in order of precedence,
to determine which version of a package to install.
@@ -192,8 +203,15 @@ Pin: origin ""
Pin-Priority: 999
</programlisting>
-<simpara>A note of caution: the keyword used here is "<literal>origin</literal>".
-This should not be confused with the Origin of a distribution as
+<simpara>A note of caution: the keyword used here is "<literal>origin</literal>"
+which can be used to match a hostname. The following record will assign a high priority
+to all versions available from the server identified by the hostname "ftp.de.debian.org"</simpara>
+<programlisting>
+Package: *
+Pin: origin "ftp.de.debian.org"
+Pin-Priority: 999
+</programlisting>
+<simpara>This should <emphasis>not</emphasis> be confused with the Origin of a distribution as
specified in a <filename>Release</filename> file. What follows the "Origin:" tag
in a <filename>Release</filename> file is not an Internet address
but an author or vendor name, such as "Debian" or "Ximian".</simpara>
@@ -208,11 +226,11 @@ Pin-Priority: 50
</programlisting>
<simpara>The following record assigns a high priority to all package versions
-belonging to any distribution whose Codename is "<literal>squeeze</literal>".</simpara>
+belonging to any distribution whose Codename is "<literal>&testing-codename;</literal>".</simpara>
<programlisting>
Package: *
-Pin: release n=squeeze
+Pin: release n=&testing-codename;
Pin-Priority: 900
</programlisting>
@@ -345,7 +363,7 @@ APT priorities:
<para>The <filename>Release</filename> file is normally found in the directory
<filename>.../dists/<replaceable>dist-name</replaceable></filename>:
for example, <filename>.../dists/stable/Release</filename>,
-or <filename>.../dists/woody/Release</filename>.
+or <filename>.../dists/&stable-codename;/Release</filename>.
It consists of a single multi-line record which applies to <emphasis>all</emphasis> of
the packages in the directory tree below its parent. Unlike the
<filename>Packages</filename> file, nearly all of the lines in a <filename>Release</filename>
@@ -373,14 +391,14 @@ Pin: release a=stable
<term>the <literal>Codename:</literal> line</term>
<listitem><simpara>names the codename to which all the packages
in the directory tree belong. For example, the line
-"Codename: squeeze"
+"Codename: &testing-codename;"
specifies that all of the packages in the directory
tree below the parent of the <filename>Release</filename> file belong to a version named
-<literal>squeeze</literal>. Specifying this value in the APT preferences file
+<literal>&testing-codename;</literal>. Specifying this value in the APT preferences file
would require the line:
</simpara>
<programlisting>
-Pin: release n=squeeze
+Pin: release n=&testing-codename;
</programlisting>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
@@ -466,10 +484,6 @@ distribution.</para>
<para>Each record in the APT preferences file can optionally begin with
one or more lines beginning with the word <literal>Explanation:</literal>.
This provides a place for comments.</para>
-
-<para>The <literal>Pin-Priority:</literal> line in each APT preferences record is
-optional. If omitted, APT assigns a priority of 1 less than the last value
-specified on a line beginning with <literal>Pin-Priority: release ...</literal>.</para>
</refsect2>
</refsect1>
@@ -584,14 +598,14 @@ the example configurations above.
<programlisting>
Explanation: Uninstall or do not install any Debian-originated package versions
-Explanation: other than those in the distribution codenamed with squeeze or sid
+Explanation: other than those in the distribution codenamed with &testing-codename; or sid
Package: *
-Pin: release n=squeeze
+Pin: release n=&testing-codename;
Pin-Priority: 900
Explanation: Debian unstable is always codenamed with sid
Package: *
-Pin: release a=sid
+Pin: release n=sid
Pin-Priority: 800
Package: *
@@ -602,7 +616,7 @@ Pin-Priority: -10
<para>With a suitable &sources-list; file and the above preferences file,
any of the following commands will cause APT to upgrade to the
-latest version(s) in the release codenamed with <literal>squeeze</literal>.
+latest version(s) in the release codenamed with <literal>&testing-codename;</literal>.
<programlisting>
apt-get install <replaceable>package-name</replaceable>
@@ -614,7 +628,7 @@ apt-get dist-upgrade
<para>The following command will cause APT to upgrade the specified
package to the latest version from the <literal>sid</literal> distribution.
Thereafter, <command>apt-get upgrade</command> will upgrade
-the package to the most recent <literal>squeeze</literal> version if that is
+the package to the most recent <literal>&testing-codename;</literal> version if that is
more recent than the installed version, otherwise, to the most recent
<literal>sid</literal> version if that is more recent than the installed
version.