I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

user456132 · 2022-08-01 10:49:16

Hi there. I have arch linux installed as a virtual machine and I use it from time to time. It's okay for me to have not fully up-to-date packages and kernel in that system. After a while when I try to install some packages it requires me to update packages it depends on, because pacman installs the latest version of a package that may depend on newer versions of dependencies. It may be annoying because sometimes it requires me to update such a low level packages like glibc, which can break dependent packages and sometimes I end up with upgrading the entire system.
I wonder if there is a way to install package version that match current system environment, so it depends on package versions that are already installed and not requires me to upgrade anything else?
Thanks in advance!

P.S.: I know that upgrading the entire system is taking less than 20 minutes, but sometimes I use the system once a month and I don't want to wait for the full system upgrade to install a small single package.

WorMzy · 2022-08-01 11:58:00

If you don't want to update the entire system, you're using tho wrong distro.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/System … nsupported

user456132 · 2022-08-01 12:08:04

WorMzy wrote:

If you don't want to update the entire system, you're using tho wrong distro.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/System … nsupported

Got it, thanks

jonno2002 · 2022-08-01 14:50:59

add this to the end of your '/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist'

Server = https://archive.archlinux.org/packages/.all

V1del · 2022-08-02 10:36:13

That's not a fix and will generally lead to the same problems and depend on luck on whether you avoid an ABI break.

Scimmia · 2022-08-02 12:15:49

V1del wrote:

That's not a fix and will generally lead to the same problems and depend on luck on whether you avoid an ABI break.

How so? You don't update your databases, so the system should be consistent.

V1del · 2022-08-02 12:45:14

Ah right, if you do consistently just -S it should be safe, sorry for the noise

Trilby · 2022-08-02 12:53:57

Except based on the description of the OP, they are already doing database updates without updating the system (i.e., they are doing some variation of `pacman -Sy`).

user456132 wrote:

... when I try to install some packages it requires me to update packages it depends on, because pacman installs the latest version of a package that may depend on newer versions of dependencies

This would not happen if one was just using `pacman -S $pkg` on an aging database. The OP would either get a 404 for the package, or the succesfully downloaded package would be appropriate for the versions of dependencies already on their system. So using the archive/.all link will result in (more) problems as this would only solve the 404 error for older packages which is not what the OP is facing.

Last edited by Trilby (2022-08-02 12:55:11)

ewaller · 2022-08-02 13:50:48

At this point, let's wait for a response from user456132.

Arch Linux

#1 2022-08-01 10:49:16

I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#2 2022-08-01 11:58:00

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#3 2022-08-01 12:08:04

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#4 2022-08-01 14:50:59

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#5 2022-08-02 10:36:13

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#6 2022-08-02 12:15:49

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#7 2022-08-02 12:45:14

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#8 2022-08-02 12:53:57

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

#9 2022-08-02 13:50:48

Re: I'm not able to install packages without upgrading the entire system

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