Arch uninstall package from specific repository

Question

I've run into an unusual problem. I have two different versions of xorg-server in two different repositories in my computer: extra repo - 1.19 and xorg116 repo (built from source) - 1.16. How do I uninstall the package from extra repository while keeping another version in xorg116? I would've installed a different version from /var/cache/pacman/pkg but I've cleared the folder.

P.S.: I need to downgrade it so I can install AMD drivers. P.P.S.: here's some output from "pacman -Si xorg-server":

Repository      : extra
Name            : xorg-server
Version         : 1.19.3-1
Description     : Xorg X server
Architecture    : x86_64
URL             : http://xorg.freedesktop.org
Licenses        : custom
Groups          : xorg
Provides        : X-ABI-VIDEODRV_VERSION=23  X-ABI-XINPUT_VERSION=24.1
              X-ABI-EXTENSION_VERSION=10.0  x-server
Depends On      : libepoxy  libxfont2  pixman  xorg-server-common  libunwind
              dbus  libgl  xf86-input-libinput  libpciaccess  libdrm
              libxshmfence
Optional Deps   : None
Conflicts With  : nvidia-utils<=331.20  glamor-egl  xf86-video-modesetting
Replaces        : glamor-egl  xf86-video-modesetting
Download Size   : 1283.00 KiB
Installed Size  : 3557.00 KiB
Packager        : Laurent Carlier <[e-mail]>
Build Date      : Thu 16 Mar 2017 04:49:41 PM EET
Validated By    : MD5 Sum  SHA-256 Sum  Signature

Repository      : xorg116
Name            : xorg-server
Version         : 1.16.4-1
Description     : Xorg X server
Architecture    : x86_64
URL             : http://xorg.freedesktop.org
Licenses        : custom
Groups          : xorg
Provides        : X-ABI-VIDEODRV_VERSION=18  X-ABI-XINPUT_VERSION=21
              X-ABI-EXTENSION_VERSION=8.0  x-server
Depends On      : libepoxy  libxdmcp  libxfont  libpciaccess  libdrm  pixman
              libgcrypt  libxau  xorg-server-common  xf86-input-evdev
              libxshmfence  libgl
Optional Deps   : None
Conflicts With  : nvidia-utils<=331.20  glamor-egl
Replaces        : glamor-egl
Download Size   : 1298.91 KiB
Installed Size  : 3632.00 KiB
Packager        : Laurent Carlier <[e-mail]>
Build Date      : Wed 11 Feb 2015 10:11:37 AM EET
Validated By    : MD5 Sum  SHA-256 Sum  Signature

Answer 1

The entire question is based on false premises.

• You cannot install two packages with the same name. Trying to do so would merely upgrade or downgrade the existing package.

• pacman -Si does not show installed packages – it shows packages available for installation from those repositories.

  To check installed packages, one would use pacman -Qi, and such packages would have no relation at all to their "origin" repository.

Also, the old AMD "Catalyst" drivers probably aren't worth using in the first place, unless you really want to squeeze out the most out of an old (pre-amdgpu) graphics card. Otherwise just stick with the standard radeon driver.

And if your card is new enough to use amdgpu instead, then you're installing the completely wrong drivers anyway – you'll probably want the amdgpu-pro package instead.

---

That said, if you want pacman to prefer a specific repository, list it first in pacman.conf – that is, put the whole [xorg116] section before [core] and [extra].

Then force a downgrade using pacman -Syuu and the 1.16 packages will be installed.

Alternatively, it is possible to install individual packages from a non-preferred repository using pacman -S xorg116/xorg-server, but this will not be remembered.