Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

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seaken64
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Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#1 Post by seaken64 »

In another topic there was discussion about upgrade, dist-upgrade, and using repos. (here: viewtopic.php?f=94&t=47747). I am learning but still not sure exactly what is happening when I use some of these features in MX.

For example, I like to use Remmina as my remote desktop access software. When I run "update" on the default setup and then try "apt-get install remmina" I get the report that it cannot be found.

I then go to the MX Repo tool and enable the mxlinux "test" repo and then "update" again. I again type "apt-get install remmina" and it finds remmina this time and installs it. Great!

But now I look at the updater icon and it says I have 104 upgrades available. I run the updater and it proceeds to do it's thing. But then I remember - "oops, I forgot I had the test repo enabled".

So, now I am wondering, what is the harm, if any, in having this non-default repo enabled when I run an dist-upgrade? Is this "test" repo what triggered the updater to tell me I had 104 upgrades available? or was this going to happen anyway, even if I didn't have the test repo enabled?

I just updated another MX-17 system and I did the same thing to install Remmina (enabled the MX test repo). But this time I turned it back off before I ran the dist-upgrade. I got only 1 upgrade available in that session. What does this mean? Do I now have a different version of MX installed on this machine where I have the test repo enabled? Or are these systems both the most current MX-18 after the dist-upgrade and the only difference is the test repo database of available packages is downloaded on one and not the other?

Does it matter if I have the MX test repo enabled or should I turn it off before a dist-upgrade?

Seaken64
MX21-64 XFCE & W11 on Lenovo 330S LT. MX21-KDE & MX21-XFCE on Live USB.
MX18-64 & W7, Fedora on HP Core2 DT
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richb
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#2 Post by richb »

You should use MX package Installer Test Repo tab. It will enable the test repo, install the app you want and then automatically disable the repo. By manually enabling the repo you upgraded all apps in test. This is not advisable. Apps are in test as they have not been fully vetted. And if there is a problem how do you know which app has caused it. By using MX Package installer and installing one at a time if a problem occurs it is much easier to track down.
By the way I would suggest reading/ reviewing the Manual. Information of this type is detailed there.
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timkb4cq
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#3 Post by timkb4cq »

Yes, please disable the Test repo before doing a dist-upgrade. It's called Test for a reason.
Backported packages often require some newer libraries than ship with MX. This is a manageable situation when installing one package at a time from Test - If there'a a problem, you uninstall that package & dependencies and reinstall the old version. But because Linux libraries are shared systemwide, upgrading everything with Test enabled can lead to broken dependencies that are hard to track down.

That said, some users have done it and are OK, but it's akin to situation with a rolling release except that the MX developers aren't testing the rolling everything part first.
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seaken64
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#4 Post by seaken64 »

Okay, thanks. I'm off to read the manual again in more detail.

A couple of things -

First, I use antiX and also some earlier versions of MX. Those systems do not have the latest MXPI so I am used to not seeing these features in the Package Installer. I have noticed the latest MXPI has these nice features that you are outlining for me. But I still need to get a handle on understanding what is going on behind the scenes so I can upgrade properly on these older systems without messing stuff up.

Second, I DID only install ONE package - Remmina. So why did dist-upgrade update 104 packages? Is that because of the association with many more packages thru the dependencies needed by Remmina? So, that 104 packages would not have been selected if I just installed Remmina and then turn the test repo off? Still cloudy. But off to read the manual again.

Thanks,
Seaken64
MX21-64 XFCE & W11 on Lenovo 330S LT. MX21-KDE & MX21-XFCE on Live USB.
MX18-64 & W7, Fedora on HP Core2 DT
MX21-32 XFCE w/ MX-Fluxbox on P4HT DT w/ antiX21, SUSE Tumbleweed, Q4OS, WXP
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richb
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#5 Post by richb »

No. With the test repo enabled an upgrade sees all those packages as upgradable and proceeds. If you must use Synaptic enable the test repo, reload, install your package and then immediately disable it and reload. If using the CLI do the same, enable, reload,install, disable reload..
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asqwerth
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#6 Post by asqwerth »

Do not use the MX Repo Tool Manager to enable or disable repos if you don't really understand the whole process. That PERMANENTLY enables a repo if you tick it. Of course with that door open, Test Repo packages which would have higher version numbers than those in Main Repo, would be seen as updates when the updater is checking. That's what happened to your system.

For you, the Repo Tool should just be used to choose the fastest MX/Debian mirrors (tabs 1 and 2).


Use the MX PACKAGEINSTALLER to SEARCH the Test Repo for a particular package you are looking for. This is the tool for one-at-a-time updating/installation of packages from Test Repo/Debian Backports. The MXPI turns non-default repos on only to install the test package, then turns it off again.

Anyway, like I said before, you've let all kinds of stuff in now. Nothing might go wrong, or it might. Only time will tell.
Last edited by asqwerth on Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#7 Post by asqwerth »

richb wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:27 pm No. With the test repo enabled an upgrade sees all those packages as upgradable and proceeds. If you must use Synaptic enable the test repo, reload, install your package and then immediately disable it and reload. If using the CLI do the same, enable, reload,install, disable reload..
OP used the last tab of MX Repo Manager, not Synaptic, to enable repos without understanding the process. I think many of us have forgotten about that tab.
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timkb4cq
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#8 Post by timkb4cq »

There are over 500 source packages in MX-17/18 Test with a number of those including more than one binary package. Many of those are newer versions of packages in the Main repos so any of those you have installed will show as upgradeable if the Test repo is enabled.
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richb
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#9 Post by richb »

asqwerth wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:35 pm
richb wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:27 pm No. With the test repo enabled an upgrade sees all those packages as upgradable and proceeds. If you must use Synaptic enable the test repo, reload, install your package and then immediately disable it and reload. If using the CLI do the same, enable, reload,install, disable reload..
OP used the last tab of MX Repo Manager, not Synaptic, to enable repos without understanding the process. I think many of us have forgotten about that tab.
I did forget. Never used it for that. But since there are the other methods I mentioned, not a bad idea to warn users on how they should be used.
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seaken64
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Re: Enable or disable test repo before dist-upgrade?

#10 Post by seaken64 »

asqwerth wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:35 pm
richb wrote: Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:27 pm No. With the test repo enabled an upgrade sees all those packages as upgradable and proceeds. If you must use Synaptic enable the test repo, reload, install your package and then immediately disable it and reload. If using the CLI do the same, enable, reload,install, disable reload..
OP used the last tab of MX Repo Manager, not Synaptic, to enable repos without understanding the process. I think many of us have forgotten about that tab.
Yes, that is correct. Maybe there needs to be a wall to prevent newbies from using that tab without understanding.

It's not a problem for me. This system is not critical and more experimental than it is an enterprise mission-critical system. I'll just start over if I have to. But so far I have had no ill effects. In fact, I've never had any observable issues with MX dist-upgrades myself. But I did bork an eariler version antiX and that is what prompted me to start figuring out what is going on behind the scenes.

I'm getting there. Pretty soon I will no longer be "without understanding".

Seaken64

Oh, and I turned off testing. Not that it will make a difference since I already brought in the new packages. Maybe there should be a "revert to previous versions of packages" feature?
MX21-64 XFCE & W11 on Lenovo 330S LT. MX21-KDE & MX21-XFCE on Live USB.
MX18-64 & W7, Fedora on HP Core2 DT
MX21-32 XFCE w/ MX-Fluxbox on P4HT DT w/ antiX21, SUSE Tumbleweed, Q4OS, WXP
antiX21 on Compaq PIII 1 Ghz DT, w/ Debian, MX18FB, W2K

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