[Bug 2137404] [NEW] do-release-upgrader should ignore held back packages

[Heinrich Schuchardt]

Public bug reported:

Do-release-upgrade cannot be started if there are held back packages.
This make any sense to users:

$ sudo apt-get update
Hit:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing InRelease
Hit:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing-updates InRelease                  
Hit:3 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing-security InRelease                
Hit:4 https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable InRelease       
Hit:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing-backports InRelease
Reading package lists... Done
$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages have been kept back:
  qemu-user qemu-user-binfmt
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
$ do-release-upgrade -d
Checking for a new Ubuntu release
Please install all available updates for your release before upgrading.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 25.10
Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:25.10.8
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.17.0-7.7-generic 6.17.2
Uname: Linux 6.17.0-7-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.33.1-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CrashDB: ubuntu
CurrentDesktop: KDE
Date: Sun Jan  4 01:43:05 2026
InstallationDate: Installed on 2021-07-01 (1648 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 21.04 "Hirsute Hippo" - Release amd64 (20210420)
PackageArchitecture: all
RebootRequiredPkgs: Error: path contained symlinks.
SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader
Symptom: ubuntu-release-upgrader
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to questing on 2025-05-15 (233 days ago)
VarLogDistupgradeXorgFixuplog:
 INFO:root:/usr/bin/do-release-upgrade running
 INFO:root:No xorg.conf, exiting

** Affects: ubuntu-release-upgrader (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: amd64 apport-bug dist-upgrade questing wayland-session

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2137404

Title:
  do-release-upgrader should ignore held back packages

Status in ubuntu-release-upgrader package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Do-release-upgrade cannot be started if there are held back packages.
  This make any sense to users:

  $ sudo apt-get update
  Hit:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing InRelease
  Hit:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing-updates InRelease                  
  Hit:3 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing-security InRelease                
  Hit:4 https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb stable InRelease       
  Hit:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu questing-backports InRelease
  Reading package lists... Done
  $ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree... Done
  Reading state information... Done
  Calculating upgrade... Done
  The following packages have been kept back:
    qemu-user qemu-user-binfmt
  0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 2 not upgraded.
  $ do-release-upgrade -d
  Checking for a new Ubuntu release
  Please install all available updates for your release before upgrading.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 25.10
  Package: ubuntu-release-upgrader-core 1:25.10.8
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 6.17.0-7.7-generic 6.17.2
  Uname: Linux 6.17.0-7-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.33.1-0ubuntu3
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
  CrashDB: ubuntu
  CurrentDesktop: KDE
  Date: Sun Jan  4 01:43:05 2026
  InstallationDate: Installed on 2021-07-01 (1648 days ago)
  InstallationMedia: Kubuntu 21.04 "Hirsute Hippo" - Release amd64 (20210420)
  PackageArchitecture: all
  RebootRequiredPkgs: Error: path contained symlinks.
  SourcePackage: ubuntu-release-upgrader
  Symptom: ubuntu-release-upgrader
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to questing on 2025-05-15 (233 days ago)
  VarLogDistupgradeXorgFixuplog:
   INFO:root:/usr/bin/do-release-upgrade running
   INFO:root:No xorg.conf, exiting

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