Command dnf repository-packages

[j-mracek]

The command should be not implemented. Some sub-commands can be replaced by another syntax, som may be dropped without a replacement

Sub-commands:

• dnf repository-packages list #951
  • alias dnf5 list --repo - document it
• dnf repository-packages info #952
  • alias dnf5 info --repo - document it
• dnf repository-packages remove #953
• dnf repository-packages reinstall #954
• dnf repository-packages move-to #955
• dnf repository-packages install #956
• dnf repository-packages upgrade #957
• dnf repository-packages check-update #958
• dnf repository-packages remove-or-reinstall #959
• dnf repository-packages remove-or-distro-sync #960
• dnf repository-packages reinstall-old #961

[Conan-Kudo]

We definitely need a way to force packages to be requested from a specific repository though. That is critical for enabling sticky vendors by default.

[j-mracek]

Yes I agree.

[evan-goode]

Some of the functionality of repository-packages could be replaced by a --from-repo <repository ID> flag. --from-repo would select packages from the given repository but (unlike e.g. --disablerepo) would still include packages from other repositories during dependency resolution.

If we did it this way, DNF 4 commands with their DNF 5 equivalents might look like:

dnf4 repository-packages myrepo remove [<package-spec>...]
dnf5 remove --from-repo myrepo [<package-spec>...]

dnf4 repository-packages move-to [<package-spec>...]
dnf5 reinstall --from-repo myrepo [<package-spec>...]

dnf4 repository-packages upgrade [<package-spec>...]
dnf5 upgrade --from-repo myrepo [<package-spec>...]

dnf4 repository-packages install [<package-spec>...]
dnf5 install --from-repo myrepo [<package-spec>...]

Another possibility suggested in our dev meetings was to extend the pkgspec format to allow specifying a repository; for example dnf5 install librepo@copr:copr.fedorainfracloud.org:rpmsoftwaremanagement:dnf-nightly, but we would still need something like a --from-repo flag for cases where no pkgspecs are specified, as in dnf repository-packages upgrade. And IMO, changes to the pkgspec format are not as discoverable as adding a --from-repo flag.

As for repository-packages reinstall, remove-or-reinstall, remove-or-distrosync, and reinstall-old, I don't know how widely these are used or whether they are worth implementing. @jrohel could the do command replace any of these assuming that the --installed-from-repo flag is added?

[kontura]

Personally I am for dropping the repository-packages in favor of --from-repo.
I find repository-packages confusing, the command CLI structure is very different to all other commands, it duplicates package management commands and has way too many subcommands.

Plus it has been missing for quite while now and I saw basically no requests for it.

[Conan-Kudo]

Plus it has been missing for quite while now and I saw basically no requests for it.

That's because I've been telling people the issue already exists. Nobody has reported anything because people already know the ticket exists.

[evan-goode]

Let's drop repository-packages reinstall, remove-or-reinstall, remove-or-distrosync, and reinstall-old. They are pretty esoteric and confusing.

Everything else in repository-packages can be replaced with --from-repo or list --repo.

This issue should stay open until we have a section in man dnf5-changes-from-dnf4 documenting the replacement for each repository-packages command.