[kde-linux] 20090815KL -- "Mangling" Pdates

[Duncan]

Bruce MacArthur posted on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:05:56 -0500 as excerpted:

> Greetings --
> 
> It is VERY early on Saturday where I live, but I will not be spending
> much time with my computer until Sunday afternoon -- so please be
> more-than "at liberty" to take some time with this inquiry!

Yours is a very nice post, even noting you won't be back at it for 36 
hours or so, so we can take our time answering. =:^)

> I have an icon on the task-bar which points to some updates that are
> ready for me.  One category (of four items) of these updates is
> described as "blocked".  While I would like to "Apply" the bug-fix
> updates and the security updates, I think that I want to avoid those
> blocked updates.

The update function would be that of your distribution, not of kde.  As 
this is a kde list, the above disoriented me a bit.  Never-the-less, I 
see from below that you are running kubuntu.  While the best course of 
action would be to ask this sort of question on their lists/forums/
whatever, you didn't know that, and since you are here, we'll try to 
help. =;^)  But try the ubuntu/kubuntu forums/lists/whatever, if you 
don't get an answer that quite satisfies you here.

That said, I run gentoo, not kubuntu, so my personal help will be 
somewhat limited, but I see someone else has already answered with a bit 
more specific instructions, tho they seemed to address a different aspect 
of your question than I will, and there may be others posting as well.

> On the other hand, these blocked updates are for (1) XEN administrative
> tools {I am using VirtualBox, rather than XEN}, (2) Python bindings for
> XEN, (3) General Linux kernel headers, and (4) Generic Linux kernel
> image.  The XEN stuff wouldn't "necessarily" hurt and the Linux items
> may well be desireable.  This leads me to wonder -- "WHY they are being
> blocked?"

Generally -- and again I'm not a kubuntu user so the details may be a bit 
different there, but generally -- "blocked" packages or updates can 
indicate one of two things.  

1) That there's a conflict between something you have installed, and the 
"blocked" package or update.  Perhaps whatever is conflicting uses the 
same files, maybe for the same thing, maybe for different things.  Or 
maybe they handle the same functions but in incompatible ways.  Or it can 
be indirect, in that one of the required dependencies conflicts with a 
required dependency of something else you have installed.

The way this sort of conflict is resolved depends very much on the 
distribution, and what the conflict is, exactly.  Jim's suggestion, 
dropping to the command prompt and doing an "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" 
will likely resolve the problem, but it may be that it doesn't resolve it 
in the way you wish.  If you're uncomfortable letting it handle it 
automatically, or to get more specific information, you'd need to go to 
your distribution's (kubuntu's) forums and ask there, listing the 
specific blocks.  They may ask about other stuff you have installed, etc, 
or they may be able to quickly reassure you that it's safe to let the 
automatic handling do its thing, depending on the specific blocker and 
why it was setup /as/ a blocker.

2) Sometimes it's a "soft" blocker.  "Soft" blockers are simply packages 
that need something specific done either before they are applied or 
immediately after.  In this case, it's not really a blocker, it's simply 
setup as a blocker so it doesn't get done automatically, without a human 
being prepared to make whatever change is necessary either immediately 
before or after the installation is done.

Many distributions choose not to do this type of update at all while on 
the same distribution version (kubuntu 9.04 or whatever).  Those users 
won't see the update until they upgrade to the next distribution version 
(kubuntu 9.10 or whatever).  Other distributions roll out such updates 
when they are ready, but put these "soft" blockers in place so users 
don't end up with a broken system due to an automatic update of something 
that needed a manual intervention that never happened as it was all 
handled automatically.  But if a distribution uses such "soft" blockers, 
there's obviously a way to tell the package manager to go ahead and do it 
when you're ready, unblocking it so it gets handled when you are prepared 
to do whatever change is necessary at the same time.

> The "buttons" available are limited to "Apply all available updates",
> "Refresh", and "History".  The "Help" and "Default" buttons are still
> greyed-out.
> 
> QUESTIONS -- Is it possible (if so, then HOW is it possible) to apply
> ONLY the bug-fixes and the security updates?  Or am I better-off to
> apply all?

Regardless of which of these two scenarios above it is here, the 
"blocked" updates normally wouldn't be applied by an "apply all", or 
they'd not be listed as blocked in the first place.  So you /should/ be 
safe in just hitting the apply-all button, and letting the system update 
what it can.  In some cases, it may even be able to safely resolve the 
blocks on its own, but as I said, those aren't normally labeled as 
blockers then (but distributions may vary).  After applying what will 
apply, if you wish, you can go to the kubuntu forums/lists whatever and 
ask about whatever is still blocked.

> PERSPECTIVE -- I am very much NOT a "bleeding-edge" Kubuntu user; I am
> quite content to keep things simple and workable.  I value those who
> will test everything, but I am incompetent for that kind of a role.
> Please be so kind as to consider this aspect of ME before you comment!
> 
> And THANK YOU for the time you have spent with this inquiry!!!!!

Thank you too.  It's a pleasure trying to help! =:^)  While I don't run 
kubuntu or know its specifics, the above is, hopefully, generally helpful 
at the level you indicate you are.  Jim's answer was more specific to 
(k)ubuntu, but it didn't seem to address the "why is this listed this way 
and is it safe to proceed" or "how do I not apply the blocker bits" 
aspects of your question.  I can't get that specific about (k)ubuntu, but 
hopefully, the background of why blockers happen was helpful, and noting 
that if it's a real blocker, the apply all shouldn't apply that bit of it 
anyway, until you adjust whatever is causing the blocker, should be 
reassuring.  But, you'll have to get someone with more specific kubuntu 
knowledge to go much further than that, and unless someone else with that 
knowledge posts here in the hours before you get back to it, that end of 
things is far more likely to be resolved by the kubuntu folks in their 
own lists/forums/irc/whatever.

Hope you get that aspect resolved too. =:^)

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman