[Spacewalk-list] Problems with Debian Stretch on SW 2.7. Can reinstall packages over and over again

[Robert Paschedag]

Hi all,

after fixing my problems with the errata import, I found another problem 
with Debian...especially with

Debian "stretch" and SW 2.7. At least, I did not yet see a major (or 
even minor) error with Debian jessie on SW 2.7


I can successfully deploy a Debian stretch system via SW 2.7, register 
it and install packages.

The "installed" packages on the client is reported to SW. No problem so far.


But, even if SW reports, that there are no newer packages in SW for the 
client, and I have done

"apt-get upgrade" several times, the "client" does not recognize, that a 
particular package

is already installed. I can install (for example "adduser") with

"apt-get install adduser"

over and over again. It does not tell.."that package is already 
installed with the newest version"

The client also reports, that it installes the "same" version above "the 
already" installed version of this package.


So, for example, my freshly installed debian system has 372 packages. 
After installation, "apt-get upgrade", it "always" upgrades about 260 
packages again and again and again.


Also after applying 
https://github.com/spacewalkproject/spacewalk/wiki/DebianUbuntuSupportIn27

on the client. It does not change. What is changed then, if that the 
"installed" packages is correctly "reflected" in the SW WebUI for that 
system.

I *think*, that the problem is located on the client, especially in the 
"improvement of apt" in Debian 9 (see 
https://www.debian.org/releases/stable/amd64/release-notes/ch-whats-new.en.html#apt-improvements 
and https://wiki.debian.org/DebianRepository/Format )

...

If the following fields exist in the control file of a .deb file they 
also must exist in the record about the package in the Packages file and 
the value must match /exactly/ or a client might recognize a metadata 
mismatch and redownloads/reinstalls a package:

  * Depends et al
  * Installed-Size
  * Multi-Arch

...

I know that the "Multi-Arch" header is not written to the packages list 
(see https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1243387) and the 
workaround mentioned there (that I use for debian jessie) does not work 
here. The "Multi-Arch" header often has different values.


I just want to know, if anybody can confirm this behavior.


Next time I'm in the office, I'll try to modify the packages list to add 
the "Multi-Arch" headers (and their) values to the packages list and 
see, if this is really the problem.


Kind regards,

Robert


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