[Bug 1078544] Re: python-aptdaemon: upgrading marks auto-installed packages as manual

[Brian Murray]

I tried this with 3 upgradeable packages (epiphany-browser, epiphany-
browser-data, and gdebi-core) on Quantal.   Of the 3 only epiphany-
browser and epiphany-browser-data had 'Auto-Installed' changed from 1 to
0.

This was using aptdaemon version 0.45+bzr861-0ubuntu9.1.

** Also affects: aptdaemon (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided
       Status: New

** Changed in: aptdaemon (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Triaged

** Changed in: aptdaemon (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided => High

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1078544

Title:
  python-aptdaemon: upgrading marks auto-installed packages as manual

Status in Aptdaemon:
  New
Status in “aptdaemon” package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged
Status in “aptdaemon” package in Debian:
  Unknown

Bug description:
  [Originally reported on bugs.d.o]

  Package: python-aptdaemon
  Version: 0.45-1

  An obvious error in worker.py(_mark_packages_for_upgrade), introduced
  in revision 336[1]:

  -            auto = not self._cache._depcache.IsAutoInstalled(pkg._pkg)
  -            pkg.markInstall(False, True, auto)
  +            pkg.mark_install(False, True, pkg.is_auto_installed)

  causes previously auto-installed packages to be marked manually
  installed when upgraded with upgrade_packages or commit_packages.  The
  error is then propagated to _mark_packages_for_downgrade, introduced
  in revision 449.1.3[2].

  Python-apt has package.py(mark_upgrade) which uses “not
  pkg.is_auto_installed” as from_user, the final argument to
  mark_install.  This suggests the original code is intended.  However,
  it is noted that from_user is also influential in
  pkgDepCache::IsModeChangeOk (and others) to determine whether, e.g., a
  hold should be ignored.  It is therefore appropriate to either expose
  from_user to the calling code, or determine whether an application
  requesting specific packages to be upgraded should expect that this
  will override any holds.

  Either way, at least one of the attached patches applies.

  [1] http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~aptdaemon-developers/aptdaemon/main/revision/336
  [2] http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~aptdaemon-developers/aptdaemon/main/revision/449.1.3

  [Impact]

  Applications that use python-aptdaemon, such as software-center and
  update-manager, will trigger this bug when upgrading packages, causing
  those packages to lose their auto-installed status.  Over time, less
  and less packages will be considered for autoremoval and the system
  will become cluttered with unused old libraries and other
  dependencies.

  [Test Case, using update-manager]

  * Identify an upgradeable, auto-installed package:

  $ aptitude search -F '%p' '~U~M'
  …
  udev                                                                            
  $ PKG=udev
  $ grep-dctrl -P -X $PKG /var/lib/apt/extended_states 
  Package: udev
  Architecture: i386
  Auto-Installed: 1

  $ apt-cache policy $PKG
  udev:
    Installed: 175-3.1
    Candidate: 175-7
    Version table:
       175-7 0
          500 http://ftp.iinet.net.au/debian/debian/ sid/main i386 Packages
   *** 175-3.1 0
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

  * Run update-manager (which uses python-aptdaemon by default):

  $ sudo update-manager

  * Unmark all changes, then mark only the package that was identified.
  This issue may not be relevent when performing a complete upgrade.

  * Apply changes.  Quit update-manager.

  * Confirm that the package is no longer auto-installed.

  $ grep-dctrl -P -X $PKG /var/lib/apt/extended_states
  Package: udev
  Architecture: i386
  Auto-Installed: 0

  [Regression Potential]

  The code in python-aptdaemon is *obviously* wrong.  Patch is small.

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