[SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

860lacov · 2020-12-26 00:12:40

Not a long time ago I upgraded my CPU to Ryzen 5900x
I read that kernel 5.10 has some improvements for this CPU.

I enabled testing repos to install linux 5.10, hedares, nvidia, nvidia-settings and then disabled testing.

During regular updates there was no problem until now. After reboot, after GRUB list my system stopped booting on blinking cursor at the top of the screen.

I used Arch livecd to chroot into the system. Then I was able to enable again testing repos. I did full update (there was new kernel 5.10.2 and new Nvidia driver). Just to be sure I did mkinitcpio -P and sudo grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg

After reboot everything works fine, but I prefer not to use testing repos. Can I do something or only way is to use testing repos until kernel 5.10 shows in core repos? Or downgrade everything do 5.9.14 ?

Last edited by 860lacov (2021-02-08 23:02:42)

V1del · 2020-12-26 00:17:18

There should be no problem in using the compatible kernel and nvidia packages without having testing repos as a whole enabled.

Assuming the nvidia nor the kernel package changed during your regular update, it's more likely that the issue on boot you had was due to race conditions that can be alleviated by adding the relevant nvidia kernel modules to your initramfs https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NV … de_setting (you don't need to add the parameter, the kernel modules are what's relevant)

Last edited by V1del (2020-12-26 00:20:21)

860lacov · 2020-12-26 00:26:12

I didn't want to say that it was caused by nvidia. Maybe another package from regular / not testing updates.
At the beginning I did upgrade everything to testing.
I'm not sure but I think that kernel was in version 5.10.1 and nvidia ...-7
Nvidia -7 is now in extra repos and in testing there is -9
Is it possible that kernel 5.10.2 is still in testing and nvidia -7 was moved to stable? Could it be the problem?

What shoul I do from the begenning?

Enable testing and install only nvidia and linux?
Disable testing
or
Enable testing and do full upgrade
Disable testing

I did the second option.

V1del · 2020-12-26 00:32:41

No, for this particular set of packages you want only linux and nvidia.

These two will not lead to compat issues with the rest of the system, guarantees are off for anything else.

Disable testing repos, downgrade your entire system with the -Syyuu flags, the enable testing install nvidia and linux, disable testing.

Generally the kernel is quite standalone and it and direct dependencies of it like the nvidia package are fairly safe to have from the testing repos.

860lacov · 2020-12-26 00:37:58

Ok.
Will try but one more question.
only linux and nvidia or linux linux-headers nvidia nvidia-settings?
(It they are dependant than sorry for the question)

V1del · 2020-12-26 00:56:55

Only linux and nvidia. Nvidia is what contains the kernel module built for the relevant kernel. Everything else is irrelevant in this context. If a new major version of nvidia was in testing (as in not just a pkgrel bump for the rebuild) you'd also need nvidia-utils but that's not the case yet.

CarbonChauvinist · 2020-12-26 01:52:52

Follow V1del's advice.

Another option, is enable testing as a sync and search only repo, unless directly specified otherwise.

$ cat /etc/pacman.conf
...
[testing]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
Usage = Sync Search

[core]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

[extra]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

[community-testing]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
Usage = Sync Search

[community]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

...

Then you can be specific when installing repo/pkg like when you want from testing:

$ sudo pacman -Syu testing/linux testing/nvidia

Otherwise all other operations work as expected pulling from main repos when updating. Read man pacman.conf for all the deets.

Arch Linux

#1 2020-12-26 00:12:40

[SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

#2 2020-12-26 00:17:18

Re: [SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

#3 2020-12-26 00:26:12

Re: [SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

#4 2020-12-26 00:32:41

Re: [SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

#5 2020-12-26 00:37:58

Re: [SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

#6 2020-12-26 00:56:55

Re: [SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

#7 2020-12-26 01:52:52

Re: [SOLVED] Use only 2 packages from testing repositories?

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