Re: reutilizing downloaded packages

[Jan Suchy <moose@abu.ath.cx>]

Ritesh Raj Sarraf wrote:
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> On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 14:47:35 -0600
> "Jacob S." <stormspotter@6texans.net> wrote:
>
>
> > Have you tried apt-proxy? If so, what prompted you to try the exported
> > directory instead? My understanding of apt-proxy was that it only
> > downloaded the needed packages as they were requested and then kept a
> > cache so other computers on the same network could use them without
> > having to wait for them to download from the nearest mirror again.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jacob
>
>
> i've very less experience with apt-proxy. but AFAIK apt-proxy requires a setup to be made in the structure of the debian tree i.e. something like main contrib non-US non-free ( tell me if i'm wrong). where as reutilizing the packages stored in the archives folder doesnot have any such tree structure.. I'm not sure. I just copy the archives folder as said in my previous mail.  I'm just concerned of using the archives folder over NFS with rw permission.
>
> rrs
>
> - -- 
> Ritesh Raj Sarraf
> RESEARCHUT (www.researchut.com)
> Happy GNU/Linux user since 1998
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> <Knghtbrd> Subject: [GR PROPOSAL] Should we vote on trivial matters?
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Sharing/copying /var/cache/apt/archives is possible.
But how to make apt see all those new packages?
apt-get update does this by fetching package lists
from the internet. In your present solution you do
apt-get update on both machines and that's slow.
I see two solutions for this.

#1 hack: If you use the same sources.list on both machines
   copy package lists between the machines along with
   the debs. It should be in /var/cache/apt/pkgcache and
   var/cache/apt/srcpkgcache. But I didn't ever try this.
   There could be more files that you need sync.

#2 use apt-proxy. It caches both debs and package lists.
   apt-get update is then less painful because it
   downloads lists from the internet only on first use.

You're right that apt-proxy stores all downloaded packages
in the same tree directory structure as debian archives use.

But there's no need to setup that manually. Apt-proxy builds/
fills/updates/deletes it all automatically. You just need to
properly configure it. You can check my config at http://abu.ath.cx
if you're interested.

--
Jan Suchy