[Bug 849736] Re: apt-cache policy silently shows inaccurate information when any file in /etc/apt/sources.list.d is unreadable

[Torsten Spindler]

The attached patch returns a true from pkgSourceList::ReadAppend when
the file is not readable (!F.is_open).

It might be better to change the semantic of ReadAppend to return three
values, like ok, fail, fatal. pkgSourceList::ReadSourceDir could then
check this return value and either continue (on ok and fail) or abort
(fatal). Currently it aborts on any false returned by ReadAppend,
causing this bug upon encountering non-readable sources files.

** Patch added: "apt-unreadable_sources.patch"
   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/849736/+attachment/2794013/+files/apt-unreadable_sources.patch

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
       Status: Confirmed => Triaged

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided => Low

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/849736

Title:
  apt-cache policy silently shows inaccurate information when any file
  in /etc/apt/sources.list.d is unreadable

Status in “apt” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Version: 0.8.16~exp5ubuntu8
  Release:	11.10

  I've noticed some odd behaviour from apt-cache policy where it
  pretends, without protest, that package versions in PPAs don't exist.

  The trigger seems to be a newly-added source whose .list file I set up
  to be only readable by root (it contains authentication information).

  When any file in /etc/apt/sources.list.d is unreadable, apt-cache
  won't try to read further files, and it also apparently discards
  information from any of the files it did manage to read.  (Assuming it
  reads them as it goes — I was only tracing calls to open(2).)

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