Toradex Debian feeds lack a 'testing' variant for 'next-rc' images

Technical Support
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1

I am using :next-rc Torizon Docker images, which are based on Debian ‘testing’. These images come with Toradex ‘stable’ feeds. These feeds have higher priority than the default Debian feeds:

root@061a1abf3f5c:/# apt-cache policy
Package files:
 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     release a=now
 900 https://feeds.toradex.com/stable/upstream//snapshots/20250306T081938Z stable/main arm64 Packages
     release o=20250306T081938Z stable,a=stable,n=stable,l=20250306T081938Z stable,c=main,b=arm64
     origin feeds.toradex.com
 900 https://feeds.toradex.com/stable/upstream//snapshots/20250306T081938Z stable/main amd64 Packages
     release o=20250306T081938Z stable,a=stable,n=stable,l=20250306T081938Z stable,c=main,b=amd64
     origin feeds.toradex.com
 500 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie/main arm64 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,n=trixie,l=Debian,c=main,b=arm64
     origin deb.debian.org
 500 http://deb.debian.org/debian trixie/main amd64 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,n=trixie,l=Debian,c=main,b=amd64
     origin deb.debian.org
Pinned packages:

This is problematic and confusing. For example, if I were to install qt6-base-dev, the default setup would provide me with an outdated package (‘trixie’ provides 6.8.2) from the Toradex feed:

root@061a1abf3f5c:/# apt search qt6-base-dev
qt6-base-dev/stable 6.4.2+dfsg-10+toradex1 amd64
  Qt 6 base development files

I would expect the Toradex feed for ‘next-rc’ images to either:

  • provide a ‘testing’/‘trixie’ variant (same as for ‘stable’)
  • be disabled completely

To disable the feed in ‘trixie’, where deb822 format is used, execute:

echo "Enabled: no" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/toradex.sources
2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

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Hello! Thank you for your detailed observations regarding the package sources in the :next-rc Torizon Docker images.

You’re absolutely right—the Toradex feeds are configured with a higher priority (Pin-Priority: 900) compared to the default Debian repositories (Pin-Priority: 500). This prioritization does mean that, when installing packages such as qt6-base-dev, APT will prefer the package from the Toradex feed even if it’s an older version than what’s currently available in Debian ‘testing’ (trixie).

Your assessment and suggestion are both correct and align with best practices for managing package sources in these images:

  • If you need newer package versions from Debian ‘testing’, such as a newer Qt 6, you can disable the Toradex feed using the deb822 format as shown:

    echo "Enabled: no" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/toradex.sources

    After that, run:

    apt update

    Now, installing qt6-base-dev (or similar packages) will resolve to the Debian ‘testing’ version instead of the older Toradex package.

  • Alternatively, you can monitor for package updates in the Toradex testing feeds, though the timings for these updates may not always synchronize with upstream Debian releases.

It’s also good to note that Toradex recommends using the Torizon IDE extension for development, which uses these containers as the base images. You might want to ensure that the package versions meet your project needs, especially when relying on newer software stacks.

More information on provided containers and their configuration for Torizon can be found here:

Let me know if you need additional guidance on managing sources or customizing your Torizon development environment!

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

3

Hi @vilchanskyio,

Why are you trying to use Debian Trixie? From your post, it seems that you want to run the latest version of Qt, but I would like to confirm if this is the case indeed. Besides that, is there any other reason?

Why did you consider using the tag next-rc? Are you aware that this is not a release, and therefore, there are no guarantees regarding the state of it? We must understand how you interpret the Debian Containers for Torizon tags and versioning, so we review and improve the messaging about it.

4

Why are you trying to use Debian Trixie? From your post, it seems that you want to run the latest version of Qt, but I would like to confirm if this is the case indeed. Besides that, is there any other reason?

We have long and very long-term projects that we want to base on the latest technology available at the time of the product release. Since it also takes some time to develop the product, by the time it is ready, newest libraries such as Qt 6.8 will become part of the stable release. We are naturally interested in developing code against the target version instead of later spending more time porting upwards.

Why did you consider using the tag next-rc?

Because we would have to build all dockers from ground zero without using anything from Torizon. Why wouldn’t I, given that it is available?

Are you aware that this is not a release, and therefore, there are no guarantees regarding the state of it? We must understand how you interpret the Debian Containers for Torizon tags and versioning, so we review and improve the messaging about it.

I interpret it as technological preview that is my responsibility to use correctly and fix as the problems arise (such as this one). The point of my post is to:

  1. suggest (not demand, or expect) quality of life improvements for my current use-case
  2. post the solution for other users in case they encounter the same issue
5

It is nice to know that you are concerned about the long-term maintenance of your product and that you are adopting a strategy of working on the latest software. I was worried that you expected next-rc to be supported with a given degree of quality, and all the reasons I can think of why you shouldn’t use it are based on this assumption.

As you are aware that next-rc is a technical preview, this also clarifies to me you were able to get this message and that the documentation achieved its goal.

Regarding your suggestion, I will present it to the developers of the containers, so that they consider it when they start working on the next branch.

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