Ubuntu

How to update packages across LAN (not Internet)

Asked by Bob Harvey

I am on a modem link to Internet, so package update can take a long time. I have installed Ubuntu dapper on a 2nd machine from the distro CD, and would like to update it from my main machine. That way I only need to update one machine from the Internet and can do any others across the local LAN.

Q1 -- can this be done? I can't find a way to redirect repositories away from the Internet onto my main computer.

Q2 -- And anyway, can the main computer be treated as a repository?

Q3 -- If not, how can I do this?

Thanks for your help.

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Maurizio Moriconi (bugman) said : 		#1

Try this:

http://aptoncd.sourceforge.net/

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Carles Oriol (carlesoriol) said : 		#2

I use a disk mirror of repositories using debmirror:

with

debmirror --passive --host=archive.ubuntu.com --root=ubuntu/ --method=http --progress --dist=edgy,edgy-updates,edgy-security,edgy-backports,edgy-proposed, --section=main,multiverse,universe,restricted --arch=i386 ubuntu/ --ignore-release-gpg --nosource

i get them synchronized and i've:
deb file:/media/usbdisk/repos386/ubuntu/ edgy main restricted universe multiverse
deb file:/media/usbdisk/repos386/ubuntu/ edgy-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb file:/media/usbdisk/repos386/ubuntu/ edgy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb file:/media/usbdisk/repos386/ubuntu/ edgy-backports main restricted universe multiverse

in my sources list

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Bob Harvey (bob-harvey) said : 		#3

Thanks both of you for the prompt response!

Carles, I am not sufficiently confident to go the debmirror way just at present. Also, it seems to require me to create a mirror on my main machine and this appears to require a whole new download -- is this correct? I really don't want to have to do that.

Maurizio, I have downloaded aptoncd and after a couple of false starts managed to get some of my packages updated on the 2nd machine. However there's still some 17MB of updates required -- is this stuff (ekiga, firefox, gnupg, libnss3, locales, tcpdump) I have to specifically identify to aptoncd by source directory? If so, where do I find them?

Bob.

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Carles Oriol (carlesoriol) said : 		#4

You'll have to redownload the packages.

It willl take around 15 Gb (may be some days) to complete. But you'll have an independent repository that you could use with an USB disk (that's the way I use it) or sharing the folder with apache.

After it you'll be able to install a completely new machine with all your wanted packages in minutes...

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fringd (fringd) said : 		#5

Bob, It's been a while, but it sounds to me like the thing you really want is apt-proxy.

It just downloads things as needed. I'm gonna install it myself.

here is more information:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptProxy?action=show&redirect=AptProxyHowTo

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Bob Harvey (bob-harvey) said : 		#6

Hello fringd

Thanks for this -- it looks like exactly what I need, so I shall declare this problem solved. Wa-hey!

Bob