Re: Comments on new archive setup

[joostje@debian.org]

> 
> 
> There have been some discussion about a new setup for the archive to
> better represent import & export problems. I want to make a few remarks
> which I think people should consider:
> 
> * I think we should always have a `main archive' that can be mirrored
>   everywhere without having to play weird tricks with mirror. We should
>   put a mirror configuration somewhere to show people how to do this.

Although I agree it would be a (very) good thing if this is enforced,
I would like to note that it wouldn't be impossible if we were to
require some specific debian tool to mirror the archive.

This `debian-mirror' tool can then be used by one (or more) central
site in every `resriction-region', and the other sites in that
`restriction-region' would mirror from that central site.

Or, as an example: suppose the main archive is in the UK, and contains
crypto stuff. And we need some `debian-mirror --non-crypto' tool to
filter out this crypto stuff. Then ftp-us.debian.org (the central
US site) would use that `debian-mirror --non-crypto' tool go get
the stuff it needs from the site in the UK, and every other site in
the US simply mirrors from that `ftp-us.debian.org' site. The other
mirrors can run NT or whatever, and don't need the special
`debian-mirror' tool (or whatever the name will be).

Having said that, I do agree it would be better to have the main
site mirrorable in every coutry directly. It's just that, as there
come more strange laws in strange countries (vi in illegal in the
USE (United States of Emacsen, to be created by Emacs fanatics)?).

> * This main archive *should not have unmet dependencies*.=20

Yes. That's best achieved by putting the complete distribution
in main, including the crypto stuff. (and by letting packages inherit
the restrictions from the packages they depend on, all of the
derived archives also don't have unmet dependencies).

[Agree with everything that follows]