[Bug 830492] Re: Downloads should not lock apt

[James Haigh]

a: This could be solved be checking the cache just after locking for
install. If any changes have occurred that conflict with the install
then Synaptic should remove the install lock and ask the user what do to
about the conflict. This would be failsafe because it is checking
/after/ locking for install, but Synaptic could additionally check
periodically to give users an early warning.

b: I already considered b in the bug description:
"To avoid multiple instances of apt downloading the same file, each partial file should have it's own lock (For example, /var/cache/apt/archives/partial/inkscape_0.48.1-2ubuntu2_i386.deb would have inkscape_0.48.1-2ubuntu2_i386.lock)."

This would prevent 2 applications from downloading the same file.

c: So while an update is still in the download phase, I install a
package that conflicts with the update. This is very rare because if the
package /is/ going to conflict, it will most likely conflict /before/
the update. But in this case, when the update finishes downloading, it
should lock for install, check the cache and notice the conflict, remove
the install lock, print a message about the conflict, and quit.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/830492

Title:
  Downloads should not lock apt

Status in APT:
  New
Status in The synaptic package manager:
  New
Status in “apt” package in Ubuntu:
  New
Status in “synaptic” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  It should be possible to download while installing, or download 2
  things at once.

  Currently an apt-get command with '--download-only' will lock apt
  (/var/lib/dpkg/lock). Synaptic even locks apt just by being open!

  Examples:
  * I might be updating my system. The update is still in the download stage, and I want to download and install a small package for something. Currently I would have to stop the download, install the package, and resume the download.
  * I'm installing lots of application from the Software Centre. While 1 app is installing the next should be downloading.
  * Run apt-get from command line while browsing software in Synaptic.

  To avoid multiple instances of apt downloading the same file, each
  partial file should have it's own lock (For example,
  /var/cache/apt/archives/partial/inkscape_0.48.1-2ubuntu2_i386.deb
  would have inkscape_0.48.1-2ubuntu2_i386.lock). It may also be
  necessary to prevent updating package lists (sudo apt-get update) when
  any download lock exists as well as apt's main lock.

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