Ubuntu
ubiquity package

Additional local mirrors for South Africa

Asked by JP Meijers

While installing Ubuntu10.10beta today, I realised it automatically downloaded updates from za.archive.ubuntu.com. This was because it was inside VirtualBox, NATing my open internet connection from my host computer. There are a couple of other Ubuntu mirrors in South Africa, of which many is on university networks. I am too. If, for example, ftp.sun.ac.za was tried automatically as a mirror by the Ubuntu installer, it would have been able to auto update always, without internet. The same goes for ftp.leg.uct.ac.za.

Why not add these two mirrors to the Ubuntu installer and try to use one of them if za.mirror.ac.za did not succeed. Or should this rather be added to the System->Admin->Software Sources program? It would be nice to have the other mirrors listed under South Africa too. Debian does it.

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delance (olivier-delance) said : 		#1

When you are in update manager, you can:
   else configure manually your update source (sorted by country)
   else ask a search for best source

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JP Meijers (jpm) said : 		#2

I saw that update_manager/software_sources does include these mirrors. But, one can only select them after install. It should be possible to use these additional repo's during install.

I am installing Ubuntu 10.10 beta on my laptop now using the alternate install. When it tries to download updates from the repo's it just hangs for a few seconds saying "Retrieving file 1 of x", and gives up after a while. The computer has access to ftp.sun.ac.za, but not za.archive.ubuntu.com or any other.

I ran Torch on the laptop's LAN and didn't find anything going to ftp.sun.ac.za, telling me that the installer does not even try to use this mirror.

Does anybody know how the algorithm works that determines which mirror is used during install?

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Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said : 		#3

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.