Sender: =?UTF-8?Q?Timo_Ter=C3=A4s?= <timo.teras@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:44:04 +0200
From: Timo Teras <timo.teras@iki.fi>
To: Dubiousjim <lists+alpine-devel@jimpryor.net>
Cc: alpine-devel@lists.alpinelinux.org
Subject: Re: [alpine-devel] Some questions about apk-tools
Message-ID: <20121130154404.68b4de2a@vostro>
In-Reply-To: <20121129124028.GE2390@vaio.jimpryor.net>
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On Thu, 29 Nov 2012 07:40:28 -0500 Dubiousjim
<lists+alpine-devel@jimpryor.net> wrote:

> On Thu, Nov 29, 2012 at 08:40:44AM +0200, Timo Teras wrote:
> > > What exactly is the difference between `apk add ...` and `apk
> > > fix ...`?
> > 
> > "add" will record in the '/etc/apk/world' that the package is
> > something user wanted explicitly to be installed.
> > 
> > "fix" will just re-install it only if it is already installed. "fix"
> > will always also re-install the package, "add" will only do things
> > if it was not installed.
> > 
> > > What is the difference between `apk add -u ...` and `apk fix
> > > -u ...` and `apk fix -r ...` and `apk upgrade` (except for the
> > > fact that the last operates on a broader set of packages)?
> > 
> > "add -u" will record the package in world. "fix -u" will do almost
> > same thing except not record the package in world.
> 
> Ok, but I'm still unclear on the difference between the without "-u"
> and the with "-u" version of each of these.
> 
> Suppose I've got these packages installed:
> 
> alpha-1.0
> beta-1.0
> 
> And that these packages are available in my repositories:
> 
> alpha-1.0
> beta-2.0
> gamma-2.0
> 
> The handling of /etc/apk/world aside, will there be any difference in
> the behavior of "apk add _", "apk add -u _", "apk fix _" and "apk fix
> -u _", when each of alpha,beta,gamma are substituted for _:

If gamma-2.0 depends on "beta" (without any version requirement).

"apk add gamma" would just install "gamma-2.0" and do nothing else.
"apk add -u gamma" would install "gamma-2.0" and also upgrade the
dependency "beta" from 1.0 to 2.0.

Basically on add, the -u means "prefer upgraded versions of all
mentioned packages and their dependencies". Without -u minimum changes
to installed packages are attempted, that is the installed package is
always preferred.

Same applies to fix. "fix" alone will re-install the same package
currently installed if available. With -u it will be instead upgraded
if such upgrade is available.

> Trying to get a handle on why the "-u" option is there.
> 
> > With "fix -r" will operate on the specified package list, and can
> > re-install most of the package.
> 
> So "fix -r foo" reinstalls foo and all of foo's dependencies? I'm not
> sure if I'm understanding rightly?

with "fix" -r is actually reinstall, the default behaviour. with -d you
get the fix action propagated to all dependencies. With -d it would
reinstall the named package and all it's dependencies.

> > "upgrade" works with world - it
> > upgrades all packages. "upgrade -a" is also notable, and in
> > addition to regular "upgrade" it also resets all versioned world
> > dependencies, and tries to make sure all packages come from some
> > active repository.
> 
> Right, I understand the broad outlines of upgrade and upgrade -a. But
> let's say that beta is the only installed package I have that's out of
> date (as in the above examples). In that situation, would "apk
> upgrade" have the same net effect as "apk add beta"? Or "apk add -u
> beta"? or some form of "apk fix"?

"apk upgrade" is roughly equivalent to "apk fix -u -d
`cat /etc/apk/world`"

"apk add" always adds the package names to 'world'. If you know the
named package is already there, then "fix -u" and "add -u" do not
really have any functional difference.

So yes, the functionality is slightly overlapping.

-Timo


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