On 24/02/15 17:08, Anto wrote:
> Here is what I plan to do:
>
> 1. Re-install Xen DomU image of Debian squeeze
>
> 2. Add the following files:
>

>    # cat /etc/apt/preferences.d/blocksystemd
>    Package: *systemd*
>    Pin: origin ""
>    Pin-Priority: -1
>    #
>    # cat /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/77norecommends
>    APT::Install-Recommends "0";
>    APT::Install-Suggests "0";

>
> 3. Keep switching the repository from squeeze --> wheezy --> jessie
> --> testing, and do dist-upgrade on each step
>
> 4. I will pin some of the packages to their previous version when they
> fail to be upgraded
>
> Due to the pinning, I might not get the latest version of packages
> from testing repositories. But I think I can live with that until
> Devuan is being released.

I think I finally managed to achieve my goal. That is to have Debian on
my Xen VPS without any file or folder or even dmesg output containing
"systemd". Considering that the initial release of Devuan will be based
on Debian Jessie, I stopped at jessie's repository to avoid possible
problems when I switch to Devuan later on.

A part of pinning all packages containing "systemd" to Pin-Priority: -1
(which I actually have to list them one by one as wildcard does not
work), I also added init-system-helpers into the list as it keeps
creating folders /etc/systemd and /lib/systemd including all other
useless files under that folders. Why am I being forced to have them?
Why do I need those files and folders? I clearly don't want to use
systemd. It is definitely the helper for systemd. So why the other
packages are being made depending on init-system-helpers? Why does it
not only being made as dependency of systemd, which will not be
installed if I don't use systemd?

Anyway. As I expected, I ended up with mixed versions of packages from
multiple repositories. All other packages a part from the ones I noted
below and anything related to them, are from jessie's repository. Some
people say this is not recommended, but I think I can live with this for
a while.

- anacron is kept at version 2.3-19 on wheezy
* anacron version 2.3-23 on jessie depends on init-system-helpers
- at is kept at version 3.1.13-2 on wheezy
* at version 3.1.16-1 on jessie depends on init-system-helpers
- bsdutils is kept at version 1:2.20.1-5.3 on wheezy
* bsdutils version 1:2.25.2-5 on jessie depends on libsystemd0
- consolekit is kept at version 0.4.5-3.1 on wheezy
* consolekit version 0.4.6-5 on jessie depends on libck-connector0 (=
0.4.6-5)
- cron is kept at version 3.0pl1-124 on wheezy
* cron version 3.0pl1-127 on jessie depends on init-system-helpers
- dbus is kept at version 1.2.24 on squeeze-lts
* dbus version 1.6.8 on wheezy depends libsystemd-login0
* dbus version 1.8.16 on jessie depends on libsystemd0
- dmsetup is kept at version 2:1.02.74-8 on wheezy
* dmsetup version 2:1.02.90-2 on jessie depends on libdevmapper1.02.1
(>= 2:1.02.90)
- initscripts is kept at version 2.88dsf-41 on wheezy
* initscript 2.88dsf-58 on jessie depends on sysvinit-utils (>=
2.88dsf-50)
- libck-connector0 is kept at version 0.4.5-3.1 on wheezy
* libck-connector0 version 0.4.6-5 on jessie depends on UNKOWN (must
be related to systemd)
- libdevmapper1.02.1 is kept at version 2:1.02.74-8 on wheezy
* libdevmapper1.02.1 version 2:1.02.90-2 on jessie depends on dmsetup
(>= 2:1.02.90-2)
- libpolkit-gobject-1-0 is kept at version 0.105-3 on wheezy
* libpolkit-gobject-1-0 version 0.105-8 on jessie depends on libsystemd0
- nginx-extras is going to be recompiled
* it reqires nginx-common which even the wheezy's version keeps
creating /lib/systemd/system/nginx.service
- php5 packages are kept at version 5.4.36-0+deb7u3 on wheezy
* php5-fpm version 5.6.5+dfsg-2 on jessie depends on libsystemd0
- rsyslog is kept at version 5.8.11-3 on wheezy
* rsyslog version 8.4.2-1 on jessie depends on init-system-helpers
- sysvinit is kept at version 2.88dsf-41 on wheezy
* sysvinit version 2.88dsf-58 on jessie is forced to depend on
everything related to systemd
- sysvinit-utils is kept at version 2.88dsf-41 on wheezy
* sysvinit-utils version 2.88dsf-58 on jessie replaces sysvinit (<=
2.86.ds1-65)
- sysv-rc is kept at version 2.88dsf-41 on wheezy
* sysv-rc version 2.88dsf-58 on jessie depends on sysvinit-utils (>=
2.86.ds1-62)
- udev is kept at version 175-7.2 on wheezy
* I don't really like to see *systemd* on my dmesg output
- uuid-runtime is kept at version 2.20.1-5.3 on wheezy
* uuid-runtime version 2.25.2-5 on jessie depends on libsystemd0