Yast2 Red Packages

English Applications
1

Hi,

Something I wanted to know for a long time. When looking at the list of installed packages in Yast2, those with a newer version available appear in blue
but some appear in red. What does it mean exactly when a package is show in red? There appears to be two variants:

  • Packages appearing in red with a single version
  • Packages appearing in red with a second version in parenthesis

What do those mean exactly? When I see the red, it seems to be wanting to be uninstalled but some of them I know are in use!

Thank you.

  • Itai
2

In my experience, they are packages that are installed but no longer exist in any repo.

3

Right, which is is what I expect for the simple red ones with a single version…

…but some show the installed version and another version in parenthesis.

if they don’t exist in any repo, how would yast know about the other version?

Thanks,

  • Itai
4

Where there’s a red package in brackets it means a downgrade because the package installed is no longer available. I’s worth checking the Technical Data though because sometimes it’s an update with changed numbering which the system reads as a downgrade.

5

Those are fairly common among Packman packages, where version numbering at times takes odd turns.
If you are on Leap 15.1 (with Packman enabled) try for instance:

zypper se -s libavcodec57
6

Thanks both!

That makes a lot of sense now :slight_smile:

7

The Yast2 interface is weird in this situation which confused me.

When you look a the versions tab, it lists the version installed and potentially a few others.
There is check mark in front of the installed version but one of the other version is selected
with a radio button!

To get that version, we must select one of the unwanted versions and then select the one
we want. So the GUI basically comes back to its original state except that this time, the
installed version will change! Not very intuitive.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

  • Itai
8

If the problem were only those few libav??? packages from Packman, selecting the Packman repo in the Repositories tab and then hitting “Switch system packages to the versions in this repository” would have done the trick as well.

9

Those were there but there were a few more, less than a dozen, but wanted to find out what to do nonetheless.

Thanks!

10

Yast—Install Software-----View-------Package Classification----All Packages----Go to the Tab Installed(avaible) and klicjk twice on it.

Now you see all packages in red at first, after that are the blue ones.

Red means:
-You have installed an rpm by Hand with zypper or rpm without using a Repo, this packege is in no Repo.
-You have installed a newer Version of a package and that version is in no Repo, but a lower Version (This is often for Packman rpms).

Here on my:

https://www.krauttranslate.de/~sauerland/Auswahl_082.png

The first (gimp) is because I have deleted all gimp in my OBS and startet to build gimp new without this rpm
So the old one from my Repo is installed but not anymore in my Repo, but in the OSS Repo.

https://www.krauttranslate.de/~sauerland/Auswahl_082.jpg

The others are not availble in Packman anymore.

https://www.krauttranslate.de/~sauerland/Auswahl_083.jpg

Blue one means:
There is a newer Version in an Repo, you can install it via update or the Version is in an another Repo and zypper up is not switching automatically to this Version.

PS:
When you try to change packges in this view, it takes a long time.

11

Thank you and great examples! Had many of both cases after years of OpenSUSE upgrades.

Now I just installed LEAP 15.2, so I started fresh but had to install a few drivers not in repo,
so already have 5 red ones… at least now I understand the different types of red packages.

  • Itai
12

In my example, the I switched the gimp one to the OSS Repo and the red package is gone.

Also I deleted the Packman packages because they are not any more in the Repo and not necessary any more.
So I have now no red package…