[FEATURE REQUEST] ensure consistent behavior in pkg.list_updates between Debian-based and RedHat-based systems for held packages
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Description
There is a behavioral discrepancy in the pkg.list_updates function between Debian-based and RedHat-based systems:
- On Debian-based systems, pkg.list_updates does not list packages that are held from being updated.
- On RedHat-based systems, pkg.list_updates does list packages even when they are held
user@host:~$ salt-minion --version
salt-minion 3006.13 (Sulfur)
user@host:~$ apt-mark showhold
salt-common
salt-minion
user@host:~$ sudo salt-call pkg.list_upgrades
local:
----------
sudo:
1.9.13p3-1+deb12u2
user@host:~$ cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)"
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="12"
VERSION="12 (bookworm)"
VERSION_CODENAME=bookworm
ID=debian
[user@host ~]$ salt-minion --version
salt-minion 3006.13 (Sulfur)
[user@host ~]$ cat /etc/yum/pluginconf.d/versionlock.list
# Added lock on Fri Jun 27 22:27:33 2025
salt-0:3006.13-0.*
# Added lock on Fri Jun 27 22:27:42 2025
salt-minion-0:3006.13-0.*
[user@host ~]$ sudo salt-call pkg.list_upgrades
local:
----------
salt:
3007.5-0
salt-minion:
3007.5-0
[user@host ~]$ cat /etc/os-release .
NAME="Rocky Linux"
VERSION="9.6 (Blue Onyx)"
ID="rocky"
ID_LIKE="rhel centos fedora"
VERSION_ID="9.6"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el9"
PRETTY_NAME="Rocky Linux 9.6 (Blue Onyx)"
Describe the solution you'd like
I propose that held packages should not be included in the output of pkg.list_updates across all platforms for the sake of consistency and clarity. Held packages, by definition, are not eligible for upgrades and should be excluded unless explicitly requested.
Additional context
I believe check-update should be able to be used for both yum and dnf in this line of the code https://github.com/saltstack/salt/blob/master/salt/modules/yumpkg.py#L1040
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at pkg.list_updates and the referenced salt/modules/yumpkg.py line 1040, then compare the Debian-based implementation with the RedHat-based behavior shown in the examples. Check how yum and dnf handle check-update and held or version-locked packages. Done means held packages are consistently excluded from update listings across the supported platforms.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- devops, infrastructure
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 4/5
- Estimated time
- 3-5 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100