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How to do parallel snap install when an app requires `--classic` confinement?

cn flag

Having done $sudo snap set system experimental.parallel-instances=true and rebooting, I am able to do parallel snap install of multiple applications. For example:

$ sudo snap install zoom-client skype instagraph
2021-08-04T15:51:12+08:00 INFO Waiting for conflicting change in progress: conflicting slot snap snapd, task
"connect"
zoom-client 5.7.4-28991.0726 from Oliver Grawert (ogra) installed
instagraph 0.4 from Turan Mahmudov (turan-mahmudov-l) installed
skype 8.74.0.152 from Skype✓ installed

However, when an app requires --classic confinement, I noticed that the parallel install command won't work. For example:

$ sudo snap install zoom-client slack --classic
error: a single snap name is needed to specify mode or channel flags

How should I overcome/handle this issue?

galexite avatar
pk flag
The `--classic` flag disables security confinement for all packages on the command line, so I guess this is a feature to ensure the user takes care with what permissions they are giving the snaps they are installing.
Sun Bear avatar
cn flag
@galexite Thanks. Would this mean that apps requiring `--classic` confinement would have to be installed in series and not in parallel?
galexite avatar
pk flag
Yes. In the [source code](https://github.com/snapcore/snapd/blob/61b66aaa1beb861f308ea7dd75c2f0c042bf29a3/cmd/snap/cmd_snap_op.go#L618) which throws the error, there is a deliberate attempt to abort a multiple snap installation on a single line if the `--classic` flag is present.
Sun Bear avatar
cn flag
@galexite I just came across this [article](https://snapcraft.io/blog/parallel-installs-for-classic-snaps) that states that it is possible to do parallel snap install of apps with `--classic` confinement. Still digesting it.
muru avatar
us flag
@SunBear I think you and `snap` use "parallel" differently. For `snap`, it means "multiple instances of the same snap" (so I can install and use two or more versions of e.g., `zoom-client` - it's the usage that's in parallel). For you, it seems to mean the ability to install multiple snaps using a single `snap install` command. I don't think that has anything to do with this experimental feature.
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