HOWTO Create a Debian mirror using only CDs

[Erik Rossen <rossen@freesurf.ch>]

HOWTO Create a Debian mirror using only CDs

SCENARIO: You need to build a http/ftp/nfs mirror of Debian in order that
several workers can quickly install a bunch of different machines
simultaneously.  You have a local network, but no Internet connectivity (not
even an analog modem), and only a complete Debian Official CD set as a source
of .debs.


BEGIN

Run apt-cdrom for each CD of your set:

	apt-cdrom add


Install the necessary packages for building and running the mirror:

	apt-get install apt-move apache


Create a directory on the server for the Debian mirror:
	
	mkdir -p /mirrors/debian/dists
	ln -s /mirrors/debian /var/www/debian


Set Apache to serve the mirror directory (i.e. set up a Directory spec for it
in /etc/apache/httpd.conf), reload Apache, and test by browsing
http://localhost/debian


Edit /etc/apt-move.conf:
	
	Insert each complete CD specification in the variable APTSITES like this:

	APTSITES="CDSPEC1
	CDSPEC2
	...
	CDSPEC7"
	
	Where CDSPEC1 is:
	Debian%20GNU_Linux%203.0%20r0%20%5fWoody%5f%20-%20Official%20i386%20Binary-1%20(20020718)
	if the corresponding entry in /etc/apt/sources.list is:
	deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 r0 _Woody_ - Official i386 Binary-1 (20020718)]/ unstable contrib main non-US/contrib non-US/main
	
	Set DIST="woody"


Import the package list information from the CDs (found in /var/lib/apt/lists):
	
	apt-move get


For each CD, import the .deb files into the mirror:

	[INSERT CD]
	mount /cdrom
	apt-move movefile `find /cdrom -name '*.deb'`
	[WAIT A REALLY LONG TIME]
	umount /cdrom
	[EJECT CD]


Rebuild the package lists on the mirror:

	apt-move packages

END


OPTIONAL:  Copy base.tgz and all of the boot floppies into the mirror directory too.


QUESTIONS:

Is there no simpler way of doing this???

What if I want to use apt-move to mirror several distribs?  Do I make a
seperate config file for each?

Why are the original package lists from the CDs even necessary?  Each .deb has
enough info in its control file to rebuild the Packages lists and frankly I
don't care how the .debs are organised, as long as they can be found
afterwards.

Surely others have needed to do this task.  Did I miss a HOWTO or a package?
Am I really using the correct tools?
-- 
Erik Rossen                          ^    OpenPGP key: 2935D0B9
rossen@freesurf.ch                  /e\   "Use GnuPG, see the
http://people.linux-gull.ch/rossen  ---    black helicopters."