Package: dpkg Version: 1.19.6 Hello, If I specify --force-confold option to dpkg -i while upgrading / reinstalling. Then I get the following output:
$ sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive dpkg -D200 --force-confold -i teleport*deb (Reading database ... 265903 files and directories currently installed.) Preparing to unpack teleport_4.0.0-rc.4-42-8_amd64_43a3d__expires-15.46pm-mon-05-aug-2019.deb ... D000200: process_archive conffile '/etc/teleport.yaml' in package teleport:amd64 - conff ? D000200: pkg_conffiles_mark_old '/etc/teleport.yaml' namenode '/etc/teleport.yaml' flags 5 Unpacking teleport (4.0.0-rc.4-42-8) over (4.0.0-rc.4-42-7) ... D000200: conffderef in='/etc/teleport.yaml' current working='/etc/teleport.yaml' D000200: tarobject conffile extracted Setting up teleport (4.0.0-rc.4-42-8) ... D000200: conffderef in='/etc/teleport.yaml' current working='/etc/teleport.yaml' Installing new version of config file /etc/teleport.yaml ... id@asrock-z170-ocf:~$ However there is no explanation whatsoever, being reported back to the user, even with logging level -D200, as to why the behaviour of the --force-confold flag is being overriden. As to why a newer config file is being installed. This was pretty infuriating for me today whilst testing the correctness of my pkg. To make sure that I wasn't doing something else wrong myself! Wheras if the user had edited the config file, then under that other arbitrary circumstance. Well then dpkg DOES indeed report why it's decided to either keep or overwrite the config file. With a proper explanation of what it's detected and what it's doing in this case it says: id@asrock-z170-ocf:~$ sudo nano /etc/teleport.yaml id@asrock-z170-ocf:~$ sudo DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive dpkg -D200 --force-confold -i teleport*deb (Reading database ... 265903 files and directories currently installed.) Preparing to unpack teleport_4.0.0-rc.4-42-8_amd64_065e1__expires-15.57pm-mon-05-aug-2019.deb ... D000200: process_archive conffile '/etc/teleport.yaml' in package teleport:amd64 - conff ? D000200: pkg_conffiles_mark_old '/etc/teleport.yaml' namenode '/etc/teleport.yaml' flags 5 Unpacking teleport (4.0.0-rc.4-42-8) over (4.0.0-rc.4-42-8) ... D000200: conffderef in='/etc/teleport.yaml' current working='/etc/teleport.yaml' D000200: tarobject conffile extracted Setting up teleport (4.0.0-rc.4-42-8) ... D000200: conffderef in='/etc/teleport.yaml' current working='/etc/teleport.yaml' Configuration file '/etc/teleport.yaml' ==> Modified (by you or by a script) since installation. ==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version. ==> Using current old file as you requested. This (to me) is an inconsistent behaviour and should be rectified in the first instance to add more message or logging lines in a similar fashion to the 2nd case (except to say the opposite, why it's overwriting the config file despite the --force-confold flag being specified!) So I suggest that some additional output string(s), be added, to say: D000200: conffderef in='/etc/teleport.yaml' current working='/etc/teleport.yaml' Configuration file '/etc/teleport.yaml' ==> Not modified (by you or by a script) since installation. ==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version. ==> Overriding --force-confold flag, since no user modification(s) to preserve. Installing new version of config file /etc/teleport.yaml ... ==== end of suggestions Hope the reasons for this request are clear. Please do as per your liking. Kind Regards / Hava a good day Dreamcat4 dreamc...@gmail.com
