"--force-downgrade" does not allow installing an older version of a package

The usage page says:
"--force-downgrade       Allow opkg to downgrade packages"

From this description, I would expect that using "--force-downgrade" as an 
option on the install command would let me install an older version of a 
package when a newer version of the same package is already installed.  I 
cannot get this to work.

Steps to reproduce:

These (2) packages were obtained to experiment with: 

http://feeds.angstrom-distribution.org/feeds/v2013.06/ipk/eglibc/armv7ahf-vfp-ne
on/base/opkg-doc_0.1.8+svnr649-r13.0.2_armv7ahf-vfp-neon.ipk

and

http://feeds.angstrom-distribution.org/feeds/v2013.12/ipk/eglibc/armv7ahf-vfp-ne
on/base/opkg-doc_0.1.8+svnr653-r13.0.4_armv7ahf-vfp-neon.ipk

1) Build a local opkg repository containing ONLY the r13.0.2 package.  Success 

2) Install the r13.0.2 package using "opkg update" then "opkg install 
opkg-doc".  Success

3) Build a new local opkg repository containing both the r13.0.2 and the 
r13.0.4 packages.  Success

4) Install the r13.0.4 package using the commands "opkg update" then "opkg 
upgrade".  Success

5) Build a local opkg repository containing ONLY the r13.0.2 package. (Repeat 
step 1).  Success

6) Try downgrading from r13.0.4 to r13.0.2:

root@targetNFS-md:~# opkg update
Downloading file:////home/root/repo/Packages.gz.
Inflating file:////home/root/repo/Packages.gz.
Updated list of available packages in /var/lib/opkg/local.

root@targetNFS-md:~# opkg install --force-downgrade opkg-doc
Package opkg-doc (1:0.1.8+svnr653-r13.0.4) installed in root is up to date. 

No matter what I try, I cannot install r13.0.2 without first removing r13.0.4.  
The reason that I care about this is that I am trying to automate a potential 
downgrade of an embedded system and I would rather not be concerned with 
removing whatever package is currently installed.

-------------

What version of the product are you using? On what operating system?
Using opkg version 0.1.8
# uname -r
3.12.10-ti2013.12.01 

Thanks,
- Mike

Original issue reported on code.google.com by mikedann...@gmail.com on 17 Sep 2014 at 9:39

Merged into: #76

dskvr / opkg

"--force-downgrade" does not allow installing an older version of a package #146