On Sam, 2002-08-31 at 08:54, Ian Zimmerman wrote: > > Can someone please explain to me, at long last, how the apt-get -t > option really works (or is supposed to)? The manpage says: > > -t > > --target-release > > --default-release > > This option controls the default input to the > policy engine, it creates a default pin at pri- > ority 990 using the specified release string. The > preferences file may further override this > setting. In short, this option lets you have > simple control over which distribution packages > will be retrieved from. Some common examples might > be -t `2.1*' or -t unstable. > > This gives the impression it instructs apt to prefer packages > according to fields of the respective Release files, as documented in > apt_preferences(5). But _which field_ ?? "unstable" would be in > the Archive: field but "2.1" would be in the Version: field!
I guess either, the one which applies to the argument passed to -t. > The reason I ask is that I cannot persuade apt to do the right thing > with my (peculiar) kind of sources.list file: > > [...] > > deb ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian testing main > deb ftp://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US testing non-US/main > deb ftp://security.debian.org/debian-security testing/updates main > deb ftp://security.debian.org/debian-security stable/updates main > > [...] > > No matter what I do, I can't make apt prefer a security-fixed version > from stable over a later (yet unfixed) version from testing. Do you already have a newer version installed than is available in stable? One thing -t doesn't do is downgrade - I understand 990 is too low a priority for that. -- Earthling Michel Dänzer (MrCooper)/ Debian GNU/Linux (powerpc) developer XFree86 and DRI project member / CS student, Free Software enthusiast
