[Bug 1978125] Re: apt ignoring pin/block/hold files in preferences.d for snapd

[rec9140]

Ok... this looks to resolve what ever was changed.... THANK YOU! I will
make a note to add this to our config changes for our base images.... I
take it that 22.10 didn't get this yet??? So this will be needed going
forward or 22.10 solves this glitch???

This is way above my pay grade... I'd just like to get some clarity and
understanding on part of this.....

My question on this is:

My BASE 22.04 VM image what we use to create a new 22.04 VM, is
cloned/copied... to a VM.. then updated then. setup....

So in that cycle testing it power up, check that it still honors the
pin/hold/reject file... OK, works, power down... come back to it a day
later, rinse repeat, and IT WAS NOT HONORING THE PIN FILE! NO UPDATES
were performed, ie: sudo apt-get update, upgrade, dist-upgrade, nothing.
Just sudo apt-get -s install snapd to test.....auto-upgrades are blocked
in the various config files... so what triggers this fails as expected
initially, then exhibits the same behavior... that tells me something is
updating stealthy that should not. Which I need to disable. We don't
want anything updating till I tell it to via sudo apt-get update,
upgrade|dist-upgrade etc...

Thank you again, for the solution, and I look forward to the educational
reply to understand this more.. Thank you.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1978125

Title:
  apt ignoring pin/block/hold files in preferences.d for snapd

Status in apt package in Ubuntu:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Did some upgrades on a new box on 22.04, and had previously removed
  snapd and BLOCKED via a file in /etc/apt/preferences.d/

  And this upgrade cycle REINSTALLED snapd! and the stupid FF snap! Had
  to repurge it again!

  I had done this previously, and it appears that apt or something is
  IGNORING any pin/holds of snapd

  I use preferences.d files as using:
  sudo apt-mark hold snapd 

  This has never worked on any package, ever...

  
  I have: 
  /etc/apt/preferences.d$ cat snapd

  Package: snapd
  Pin: origin *
  Pin-Priority: -1

  And that previously resulted in an error on apt in any attempt to
  install snapd, including using -s... NOW it will still attempt to
  install snapd!

  I've tried several variants of this as well, which other 22.04 and
  20.04 boxes have, same on 22.04, it will allow snapd install!

  Did sudo apt-get update, apt update several times, rebooted several
  times, had various levels of the Pin-Priority from -1 to -9999, still
  will attempt to install snapd, versus the expected error

  sudo apt-get -s install snapd

  Expected error: Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree
  Reading state information... Done Package snapd is not available, but is referred to by another package. This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or is only available from another source

  E: Package 'snapd' has no installation candidate

  20.04 boxes still seem to fail correctly with this pin file,.....

  Checking my BASE VM IMAGE of 22.04 and this still works there, as its
  not been touched, this pin file blocks snapd from installing as
  expected... this is apt 2.3.15, updated one is 2.4.5....

  If I pick ANY OTHER RANDOM PACKAGE out and use the same pin/block
  file, and change the name to that package, it blocks it from
  installing! Anything but snapd this works for!

  1)$ lsb_release -rd
  Description:    Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
  Release:        22.04

  2)  sudo apt-cache policy apt
  apt:
    Installed: 2.4.5
    Candidate: 2.4.5
    Version table:
   *** 2.4.5 500
          500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy/main amd64 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

  What I expect to happen? HONOR MY BLOCK on snapd! It works for any
  random package chosen, EXCEPT snadp!

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