[Q] "local mirrors", apt-move

[<kynn@panix.com>]

My troubles began when I read in the Securing Debian HOWTO that one
should install Debian packages, sources, and security updates from
something called a "local mirror," and never through the Internet...

This sounded like a fine idea, and I already had CDs of Debian
binaries and source code distributions (Woody).  All I needed was
similar CDs of the security updates.  Unfortunately, CD images of the
security updates were not to be found anywhere, so I decided to make
them myself, somehow, and burn them.

I know from the Securing Debian HOWTO, and elsewhere, that one can use
apt-move to create a "local mirror" of Debian distributions.  I tried
to use apt-move, even though I hardly understand what it does (the man
page is no help with this, as I explain below).  After running
'apt-get update', I tried 'apt-move get'; this is what I got (also,
see my /etc/apt-move.conf and /etc/apt/sources.list files below):

  # apt-move get

  Updating from local Packages files...
  cat: /var/lib/apt/lists/security.debian.org_*_Sources: No such file or directory
  All done, exiting.

Of course, /var/lib/apt/lists/security.debian.org_*_Sources is
nonsense.  At this point, I'm stuck in quicksand.  The apt-move man
page is no help.  (It certainly doesn't tell me anything that would
help me deal with the error message I quote above.)  Like most man
pages it lists the options and the commands and the configurations,
etc., but it says nothing about the big picture where all this fits
in.

Any guidance would be much appreciated.  In particular, *any* of these
would be helpful:

  1. An explanation of what's exactly meant by the term "local
     mirror", as in the sentence "install without connection to the
     Internet, using a local packages mirror for both the Debian
     package sources and the security updates" (quoted from the
     Securing Debian HOWTO).

  2. A URL where I can download the security updates CD images from.
  
  3. A step-by-step recipe for using apt-move to make the CD images of
     the security updates distribution.

  4. Directions to an apt-move tutorial.

  5. Directions to a detailed description of Debian's distributions
     scheme, showing the meaning/rationale for its mirror sites
     directory structure.

Thank you very much in advance.

Kynn

P.S. Please Cc: me in your replies.



Here's my /etc/apt-move.conf:

  APTSITES="security.debian.org"
  ARCHS="i386 all"
  LOCALDIR=/var/mirrors/
  DIST=woody
  PKGTYPE=both
  FILECACHE=/var/cache/apt/archives
  LISTSTATE=/var/lib/apt/lists
  DELETE=no
  MAXDELETE=20
  STRICTMOVE=no

My /etc/apt/sources.list consists of one line:

  deb http://security.debian.org/ woody/updates main contrib non-free