New archive snapshot service available
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The Debian Project http://www.debian.org/
New archive snapshot service available press@debian.org
April 12th, 2010 http://www.debian.org/News/2010/20100412
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New archive snapshot service available
The Debian project is proud to announce a new service, available at
http://snapshot.debian.org/, a wayback machine that allows access to
old packages based on dates and version numbers.
The ability to install packages and view source code from any given
date can be very helpful to developers and users alike. It provides a
valuable resource for tracking down when regressions were introduced,
or for providing a specific environment that a particular application
may require to run. The snapshot archive is accessible like any normal
apt repository, allowing it to be easily used by all.
The snapshot service also enables administrators to install a
predictable, tested set of packages by using a view of the archive on a
given date. This feature allows administrators to test an upgrade path
in a staging environment and then repeat the procedure in their
production environment with assurance that they are performing exactly
the tested upgrade. As the snapshot covers the entire archive and all
suites this can be applied to environments that wish to track testing
in a controlled manner as well as those with more stringent change
control who wish to fully audit all stable updates before rolling them
out.
The archive currently holds almost all[1] packages from the main and
security archives since March 2005, as well as selected additional
archives like debian-volatile, debian-ports and backports.org. This new
service currently holds about 6.5 terabytes of data and will grow
constantly.
Hosting of the snapshot service is provided by the Electrical and
Computer Engineering department of the University of British
Columbia[2] and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute[3]. Additional
needed hardware was provided by Nordic Gaming[4]. Initial data was
provided by the Debian ftp-master team as well as Fumitoshi Ukai.
About Debian
------------
Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system, developed by more than a
thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the
Internet. Debian's dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature,
and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux
distributions.
The Debian project's key strengths are its volunteer base, its
dedication to the Debian Social Contract, and its commitment to provide
the best operating system possible.
Contact Information: For further information, please visit the Debian
web pages at http://www.debian.org/ or send mail to <press@debian.org>.
[1]: Some packages have been removed due to license issues since they
were first shipped.
[2]: http://www.ece.ubc.ca/
[3]: http://www.sanger.ac.uk/
[4]: http://www.nordicgaming.com/
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