How to downgrade?

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Drugwash
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How to downgrade?

Post by Drugwash »

I have the unstable 4.2.0 version that used to be in alpha stage, recently it went to beta and its network performance became crappier with each new build.
I want to downgrade it. Went to the Launchpad repository and downloaded the two .deb packages pertaining to an earlier alpha version.
Tried to install either of them but the GUI said "No can do, there's a newer version installed". Which is stupid, because it should've continued: "Do you want to downgrade? Yes/No/Cancel" but that's probably an issue with the OS (Linux Mint 19.2 x64).
Then went to Synaptic and tried to force an older version - no result whatsoever.
Then tried to uninstall it in Synaptic, although there is working and configuration data that should be preserved. It wanted to install an alternative version instead (the -nox), same version number.
Last resort, I went to Menu > Internet > qBittorrent >> right-click > Uninstall and it presented me with the uninstall dialog where the application and debug symbols were listed, no alternative install; but now I'm worried: would currently paused/incomplete/completed items and the custom configuration remain in the system or would they all be wiped out upon uninstallation? And why can't there be a simple way to downgrade?

So, how the heck can I downgrade qBittorrent in Linux Mint (eq. Ubuntu 18.04) without losing the work-in-progress and configuration?
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Peter
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Re: How to downgrade?

Post by Peter »

Downgrading on Linux (like not all, but Linux Mint / .deb based distros) is not exactly straightforward.
I mean, if you just remove qBittorrent via Synaptic, or via "apt remove", you won't lose configuration files.

So it's perfectly safe to just remove it like that and then re-install whatever version you want.
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Drugwash
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Re: How to downgrade?

Post by Drugwash »

Thank you, I had already found out an easy way in the mean time:
sudo apt deb <path to the .deb package>
This works with manually downloaded packages stored locally (on HDD or other media) and performs an in-place upgrade/downgrade overwriting existing application file(s). Since there's no actual uninstallation involved, the configuration files are bound to remain unaltered. But thank you for confirming that even regular uninstall wouldn't remove them, it's good to know.

One problem remains: very poor network activity. But after more testing I came to the conclusion that it's not application's fault - it's kernel's.
Rebooting with a kernel lower than 5.0.0.33 restored normal network activity even with latest beta. Testing performed with 5.0.0.31 and 5.0.0.32.
Cannot say anything about the 5.3 kernel line since my old nVidia video driver is not supported by those.

So, if possible, please test current development versions thoroughly under kernels from 5.0.0.33 up, see if there's anything abnormal and if it can be fixed.
And also if possible, it would be great if there was a real changelog retrievable through the Update Manager, instead of the cryptic "Auto build", for the alpha/beta versions - it would be of help in pinpointing issues.
tenapril

Re: How to downgrade?

Post by tenapril »

where can you find the .deb files from the other versions?
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Drugwash
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Re: How to downgrade?

Post by Drugwash »

It depends on the OS and CPU you're using. I'm on Mint 19.2 x64 PC so I use the Ubuntu 18.04 amd64 branch.
The unstable (alpha) versions can be found here. Stable ones are here.
Just make sure you get a version corresponding to your OS and CPU version.
Last edited by Drugwash on Wed Apr 22, 2020 7:46 am, edited 2 times in total.
Dunland

Re: How to downgrade?

Post by Dunland »

Thanks for this.

I am looking to downgrade from 4.2.3 because of the issues i am having with download/Upload (where it starts on load of the application/service, but then stops shortly after)

Is there a similar guide for Ubuntu Server boxes, and is there a step by step that i can follow to downgrade? Any suggestions on the version that fixes that issue?
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Drugwash
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Re: How to downgrade?

Post by Drugwash »

Have you tried the 4.3.0 alpha versions first? Chances are some bugs are fixed and new useful features may have been implemented. Although I'm having some speed issues myself with the recent alphas, reason why I use an older one (qbittorrent_4.3.0~202003041903-6879-ca01b04~ubuntu18.04.1_amd64). I also noticed a heavy speed decrease with 5.0 kernels higher than 5.0.0.32, reason why I'm using 5.0.0.31. The 5.3 line of kernels doesn't fit my old hardware very well so I'm not using any of them. Dunno about even higher versions.

Thing is, it's all very dependent on the hardware so you may have to perform extensive testing with various qBittorrent versions as well as different kernels, in order to find out the best combination of them.

I'm not sure if Ubuntu Server is any different from regular versions but maybe someone else knows more on the subject.
Downgrading as well as upgrading through sudo apt deb <path to the .deb package> should be straightforward. The only thing to keep in mind is that libtorrent-rasterbar may also have to be downgraded/upgraded according to the qBtittorrent version that's going to be installed.

If someone else has more information on this please chime in.
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