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NovHak
Asked: 2021-01-28 06:20:22 +0800 CST

Update-manager doesn't keep all packages up to date. What is the logic?

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I've noticed with my current Groovy, that if I rely solely on the graphical Update Manager, some packages aren't kept up to date. Currently, 18 packages are concerned : gnome-shell-common gnome-shell-extension-prefs gnome-shell libpulse-dev libpulse-mainloop-glib0 libpulse0 (amd64 & i386) libpulsedsp lshw pulseaudio-module-bluetooth pulseaudio-utils pulseaudio qemu-block-extra qemu-system-common qemu-system-data qemu-system-gui qemu-system-x86 qemu-utils.

Any apt or apt-get full-upgrade, dist-upgrade or upgrade command would upgrade the packages, but not the Update Manager, which keeps telling that my system is up to date. Even when I open a tty (text only) session, I get the message that no updates are available (which I suppose means the Update Manager comes into play here too).

Is this a bug, or intended behaviour ? But then if it's intended, what is the logic ?

EDIT : After performing an apt update, the update manager detected a few updates, among which was a security update that has likely been added in the meantime, but for some mysterious reason it then decided to upgrade the Pulse Audio-related packages as well.

Then I ran the following commands in order (output included) :

$ apt list --upgradable

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

Listing...
gnome-shell-common/groovy-updates,groovy-updates 3.38.2-1ubuntu1~20.10.1 all [upgradable from: 3.38.1-1ubuntu1.1]
gnome-shell-extension-prefs/groovy-updates 3.38.2-1ubuntu1~20.10.1 amd64 [upgradable from: 3.38.1-1ubuntu1.1]
gnome-shell/groovy-updates 3.38.2-1ubuntu1~20.10.1 amd64 [upgradable from: 3.38.1-1ubuntu1.1]
lshw/groovy-updates 02.18.85-0.3ubuntu2.20.10.1 amd64 [upgradable from: 02.18.85-0.3ubuntu2]
qemu-block-extra/groovy-updates 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.3 amd64 [upgradable from: 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.2]
qemu-system-common/groovy-updates 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.3 amd64 [upgradable from: 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.2]
qemu-system-data/groovy-updates,groovy-updates 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.3 all [upgradable from: 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.2]
qemu-system-gui/groovy-updates 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.3 amd64 [upgradable from: 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.2]
qemu-system-x86/groovy-updates 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.3 amd64 [upgradable from: 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.2]
qemu-utils/groovy-updates 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.3 amd64 [upgradable from: 1:5.0-5ubuntu9.2]

$ apt-cache policy gnome-shell
gnome-shell:
  Installed: 3.38.1-1ubuntu1.1
  Candidate: 3.38.2-1ubuntu1~20.10.1
  Version table:
     3.38.2-1ubuntu1~20.10.1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy-updates/main amd64 Packages
 *** 3.38.1-1ubuntu1.1 100
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     3.38.1-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy/main amd64 Packages

# apt update

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

Hit:1 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy InRelease
Hit:2 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy-security InRelease
Hit:3 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy-updates InRelease
Hit:4 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu groovy-backports InRelease
Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
Reading state information...
10 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.

Then I ran apt list --upgradable and apt-cache policy gnome-shell, again, and got the exact same output as before apt update (I compared the redirected outputs with cmp). update-manager still says my system is up to date.

apt

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    It's not a bug. You have discovered Phased Updates.

    Phased Updates is a nifty little risk-management (belt-and-suspenders) technique that Ubuntu uses.

    The idea is that if a catastrophically-bad package upgrade were to slip through QA Review and -proposed testing, let's NOT send that upgrade to everybody on the same day. Instead, spread that upgrade over a week. A few hours after a catastrophe hits the repos, the community alarm would cause the new package to be identified and pulled...thereby protecting 90-95% of the community.

    It's a great idea, but it can sure be confusing if you're looking at it from the inside.

    Here's why you have the discrepancy between apt and Update Manager:

    • Apt in 20.10 does NOT used Phased Upgrades. (It's coming in 21.04)
    • Update Manager DOES use Phased Upgrades.

    So the output from the two is not directly comparable in 20.10.

    You will still get all the upgrades, regardless of how you choose to upgrade. You just might get some of the packages on different days, that's all.

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