[pkg-nvidia-devel] Bug#590221: Unnecessary packages want to install with upgrade of nvidia-glx-legacy-173xx

[Andreas Beckmann]

[full quote, please leave the bug Cc:ed]

On 2010-09-10 21:35, Steven Altermatt wrote:
> Andreas,
> 
> I saw no difference in the issue, synaptic is fairly similar to apt-get as
> far as dependencies, etc. Here is the output for 'apt-get -s install
> nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-source':
> 
> NOTE: This is only a simulation!
>       apt-get needs root privileges for real execution.
>       Keep also in mind that locking is deactivated,
>       so don't depend on the relevance to the real current situation!
> Reading package lists...
> Building dependency tree...
> Reading state information...
> The following extra packages will be installed:
>   cpp-4.3 dkms gcc-4.3 gcc-4.3-base libgl1-nvidia-alternatives
>   libgl1-nvidia-legacy-173xx-glx libglx-nvidia-alternatives
>   linux-headers-2.6-686 linux-headers-2.6.32-5-686
>   linux-headers-2.6.32-5-common linux-kbuild-2.6.32 nvidia-glx-legacy-173xx
>   nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-dkms
> Suggested packages:
>   gcc-4.3-locales gcc-4.3-multilib libmudflap0-4.3-dev gcc-4.3-doc
> libgcc1-dbg
>   libgomp1-dbg libmudflap0-dbg
> Recommended packages:
>   nvidia-kernel-173.14.27
> The following NEW packages will be installed:
>   cpp-4.3 dkms gcc-4.3 gcc-4.3-base libgl1-nvidia-alternatives
>   libgl1-nvidia-legacy-173xx-glx libglx-nvidia-alternatives
>   linux-headers-2.6-686 linux-headers-2.6.32-5-686
>   linux-headers-2.6.32-5-common linux-kbuild-2.6.32
>   nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-dkms
> The following packages will be upgraded:
>   nvidia-glx-legacy-173xx nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-source
> 2 upgraded, 12 newly installed, 0 to remove and 101 not upgraded.
> Inst nvidia-glx-legacy-173xx [173.14.25-2] (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable
> [i386]) []
> Inst libgl1-nvidia-alternatives (195.36.31-3 Debian:unstable [i386]) []
> Inst libgl1-nvidia-legacy-173xx-glx (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable [i386]) []
> Inst libglx-nvidia-alternatives (195.36.31-3 Debian:unstable [i386]) []
> Inst dkms (2.1.1.2-5 Debian:unstable [all]) []
> Inst nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-dkms (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst gcc-4.3-base (4.3.5-2 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst cpp-4.3 (4.3.5-2 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst gcc-4.3 (4.3.5-2 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst linux-headers-2.6.32-5-common (2.6.32-21 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst linux-kbuild-2.6.32 (2.6.32-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst linux-headers-2.6.32-5-686 (2.6.32-21 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst linux-headers-2.6-686 (2.6.32+28 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Inst nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-source [173.14.25-2] (173.14.27-1
> Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf libgl1-nvidia-alternatives (195.36.31-3 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf libgl1-nvidia-legacy-173xx-glx (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf libglx-nvidia-alternatives (195.36.31-3 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf dkms (2.1.1.2-5 Debian:unstable [all])
> Conf nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-dkms (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf nvidia-glx-legacy-173xx (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf gcc-4.3-base (4.3.5-2 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf cpp-4.3 (4.3.5-2 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf gcc-4.3 (4.3.5-2 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf linux-headers-2.6.32-5-common (2.6.32-21 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf linux-kbuild-2.6.32 (2.6.32-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf linux-headers-2.6.32-5-686 (2.6.32-21 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf linux-headers-2.6-686 (2.6.32+28 Debian:unstable [i386])
> Conf nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-source (173.14.27-1 Debian:unstable [i386])
> 
> 
> I have gcc-44 installed, with cpp, etc., I am running kernel version
> 2.6.32-18, custom built with the date built to distinguish it- Linux
> Debian-SS2 2.6.32.20100808-18-e17-ss2 #1 SMP. This I build, as I have for 10
> years, with 'make-kpkg  --append-
> -to-version=.2010xxxx-e17-ss2  kernel_image modules_image'. I then install
> with dpkg. I use the Debian way, /usr/src dir to build and have had no
> problems even just upgrading the nvidia module, or other modules. I have
> tried the module assistant but it was more work and caused too many errors.
> I haven't tried the DKMS, so have no idea about it, but why change what
> works. I can install by unchecking 'consider recommends as dependencies' in
> synaptic, but that results in problems with other items, in particular
> printing packages( unless that has been fixed lately), such as unworkable
> printing system. Also for some reason synaptic defaults back to having that
> checked when re-opened. But the problem exists in apt-get also. Why would I
> need to install older versions of gcc, unusable kernel images and headers?
> If you need anymore info let me know. Thank you.

apt (and all the package managers) not default to install recommeds by
default. Therefore you see these extra packages being installed.

The Recommends work in the following way (and they are set up to get the
average user a working nvidia system without him needing to install in
several steps and do manual actions inbetween)

I'm omitting the legacy-xxxx part, all drivers now work in the same way
and you will know where to insert it

nvidia-kernel-source
  Recommends: nvidia-glx -- if you select the source you probably
                            wanted the X driver
nvidia-glx
  Depends: nvidia-kernel-VERSION -- provided by module binary package
                                    (not yet built and installed)
                                    and by nvidia-kernel-dkms

nvidia-kernel-dkms
  Recommends kernel headers -- so you hopefully have the headers for
your running kernel installed and the module can be built automatically

The Recommends n-k-source -> nvidia-glx are now only satisfyable because
the n-k-dkms package is available (and the majority of the users will
use dkms).

You can solve your "problem" in the following two ways:

1. apt-get --no-install-recommends nvidia-kernel-legacy-173xx-source,
then you can build your module and install nvidia-glx-...

2. if you don't want to use dkms, set up apt pinning to prevent it's
installation. see APT_PREFERENCES(5)

Andreas

> Steven Altermatt
> PS I see there is a new package, libgl1-nvidia-legacy-173xx-glx, where can I
> find the info on this - changelog isn't too clear.

Read the changelog of nvidia-graphics-drivers, the full details are there.