# apt-get install --dry-run -t xenial-security systemd Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following additional packages will be installed: libpam-systemd libsystemd0 Suggested packages: systemd-ui systemd-container The following packages will be upgraded: libpam-systemd libsystemd0 systemd 3 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 221 not upgraded. Inst libpam-systemd [229-4ubuntu7] (229-4ubuntu21.1 Ubuntu:16.04/xenial-security [amd64]) [] Inst libsystemd0 [229-4ubuntu7] (229-4ubuntu21.1 Ubuntu:16.04/xenial-security [amd64]) [systemd:amd64 ] Conf libsystemd0 (229-4ubuntu21.1 Ubuntu:16.04/xenial-security [amd64]) [systemd:amd64 ] Inst systemd [229-4ubuntu7] (229-4ubuntu21.1 Ubuntu:16.04/xenial-security [amd64]) Conf systemd (229-4ubuntu21.1 Ubuntu:16.04/xenial-security [amd64]) Conf libpam-systemd (229-4ubuntu21.1 Ubuntu:16.04/xenial-security [amd64])
# apt-get install --dry-run systemd=229-4ubuntu21.1 Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable distribution that some required packages have not yet been created or been moved out of Incoming. The following information may help to resolve the situation: The following packages have unmet dependencies: systemd : Depends: libsystemd0 (= 229-4ubuntu21.1) but 229-4ubuntu21.4 is to be installed Recommends: libpam-systemd but it is not going to be installed E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Touch seeded packages, which is subscribed to apt in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1788486 Title: apt behaviour with strict dependencies Status in apt package in Ubuntu: Confirmed Status in apt source package in Xenial: Confirmed Status in apt source package in Bionic: Confirmed Bug description: [Impact] We notice that situation while investigating a security update using Landscape, but it also applies to 'apt' outside the Landscape context. 'apt' should be smarter to detect/install packages with strict dependencies such as systemd[1] when a version is specified for upgrade (Ex: $ apt-get install systemd=229-4ubuntu-21.1). It should automatically install the dependencies (if any) from that same version as well instead of failing trying to install the highest version available (if any) while installing the specified version for the one mentionned : ======================== $ apt-get install systemd=229-4ubuntu-21.1 .... "systemd : Depends: libsystemd0 (= 229-4ubuntu21.1) but 229-4ubuntu21.4 is to be installed" ========================= To face that problem : - Package with lower version should be found in -security ( Ex: systemd/229-4ubuntu21.1 ) - Package with higher version should be found in -updates ( Ex: systemd/229-4ubuntu21.4 ) - Package should have strict dependencies ( Ex: libsystemd0 (= ${binary:Version}) ) - The upgrade should only specify version for the package, without it's dependencies. (Ex: $ apt-get install systemd=229-4ubuntu-21.1" #systemd without libsystemd0 depends) Using systemd is a good reproducer, I'm sure finding other package with the same situation is easy. It has been easily reproduced with systemd on Xenial and Bionic so far. [1] debian/control Depends: ${shlibs:Depends}, ${misc:Depends}, libsystemd0 (= ${binary:Version}), ... [Workaround] If package + dependencies are specified, the upgrade work just fine : Ex: $ apt-get install systemd=229-4ubuntu-21.1 libsystemd0=229-4ubuntu-21.1 To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/1788486/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~touch-packages Post to : touch-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~touch-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp