[NTLUG:Discuss] Re: Creating an APT-GET Mirror -- very "real-world" configuration management exercise

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Sun, 2004-10-24 at 18:34, Dennis wrote:
> For continuing to teach Linux to my class at DeVry, I am looking into 
> upgrading to a newer version distro.  For simplisity I am thinking about 
> having the students do a minimum install of Fedora, and setting up an 
> APT-GET mirror in the classroom, where they would download the various 
> applications as they need them, without having to go out to the 
> Internet.

You don't know how "real-world" this is.  Many companies are maintaining
their own, internal APT/YUM repositories for configuration management of
not only Fedora systems, but RHEL systems too.  I have first-hand
experience.  And in some cases, I came in and they had already done so
(i.e., I didn't introduce the idea to the company).

I'm in the middle of some major writing right now, but before next
spring, I hope to start writing a book on configuration management and
release control of Fedora/RHEL systems.  I'd also like to build a
modification of the Anaconda installer called "Aptaconda."  It would
include a rewrite of Synaptic for Newt (which is already somewhat GTK+
like) so it could work in both slang (console) and GTK+ (GUI) versions
of the interactive installer.

I know Red Hat / Fedora Project are rallying around YUM, but Fedora.US's
APT seems to be the best IMHO.

> My question is how to create the mirror.  Would someone be 
> able to point me to the appropriate web site with instructions on how to 
> set one up.

If you are going to setup APT, you might as well setup YUM too.  I
believe the two can use the same tree (I've never done this personally,
which means I need to do what I say too ;-).

Connectiva was the first to port the APT front-end to use RPM as the
back-end.  Here is their HOWTO:  
  http://moin.conectiva.com.br/AptRpm/Repositories  

I found this one for YUM in a simple Google search:  
  http://servers.linux.com/article.pl?sid=04/07/22/1718242  

In a nutshell, for either, you need to:  
 1.  Define a set of release nomenclature
 2.  Build a tree to that nomenclature
 3.  Plop files down in the tree
 4.  Run the "gen" program to build the package lists


-- 
Bryan J. Smith                                  b.j.smith at ieee.org 
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