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**cookie77** · Sep 02, 2008, 12:28 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

I may be a 'newbiee'...to Linux, but...in using XP Pro, I made a File on the desktop
Aptly named "My Installs". (Title is 'self-explanatory'.)
I download all the 'patches/updates'...required for ALL the Programs I use on XP, to this.
Then, I have enough to either fill a CD or DVD, I 'burn' them........to the appropriate Media medium.
For Future use....should there be a need to do an Install ......of my System,
(I also check...on a Monthly basis..........for newer versions. To stay up to date.)

I don't see why not.....that this method can also be used.................for Linux.
Especially in what you want do.

**Rog131** · Sep 02, 2008, 02:24 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

Adept is a frontend > FAQ: Package Managers

>> Apt HowTo

When you install a package APT retrieves the needed files from the hosts listed in /etc/apt/sources.list, stores them in a local repository (/var/cache/apt/archives/), and then proceeds with installation...

Package managers also check first /var/cache/apt/archives/ before they try to download packages. BUT note that: package manager will (download and ) install the latest version of the package (there are ways to force version > Force version).

=> You could copy the updates from one machine to another (from /var/cache/apt/archives/ to /var/cache/apt/archives/).

There is also possibily to make local package archive:
> Making Local Repository
> Ubuntu Documentation: Personal Repositories

**dibl** · Sep 02, 2008, 03:58 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

Semi-related:

http://aptoncd.sourceforge.net/

**Rayson** · Sep 02, 2008, 04:57 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

Yes - we already copy the archives from one machine to another but a considerable amount of connect time is used fetching the updates first. It seems that we have to do this on each machine so that it opens repositories per the updated sources.list. My real question is how to eliminate this repeated "Fetch Updates" process. Is there any way to do that - simply?

Ray

**Rog131** · Sep 02, 2008, 05:26 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

but a considerable amount of connect time is used fetching the updates first. It seems that we have to do this on each machine so that it opens repositories per the updated sources.list. My real question is how to eliminate this repeated "Fetch Updates" process. Is there any way to do that - simply?

Is the problem this ?: All machines check upgradable packages from the Ubuntu repositories, so they are eating all the bandwidth.

Solution: Only one machine should have Ubuntu repositories in the sources.list. Other machines should have the local repository in the sources.list, nothing else.

**Rayson** · Sep 02, 2008, 09:09 PM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

Good, I will try to learn about setting up a local repository. That sounds like what I need (assuming that I will not have to download all the "Fetch Update" stuff for each machine).

Thanks,

Ray

**Rayson** · Sep 02, 2008, 11:29 PM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

Here is a little more "light" on the problem.
From the command line I enter>>

ray@mva:~$ sudo apt-get install ktouch
Password: *****
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
E: Couldn't find package ktouch

however ktouch_4%3a3.5.2-0ubuntu9_i386.deb is in the archives directory.

Furthermore, some times when installing a application using either Adept or command line, it is necessary to connect to the Internet - even though the archives files were moved from another machine that was very recently connected to the Internet and used to install the very same program. Why does this happen and how to install without a Internet connetion even though I have moved a fresh copy of the archives from another machine?

Ray

**Rog131** · Sep 03, 2008, 01:42 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

E: Couldn't find package ktouch

Did you:

Code:

sudo apt-get update

first ?

Furthermore, some times when installing a application using either Adept or command line, it is necessary to connect to the Internet - even though the archives files were moved from another machine that was very recently connected to the Internet and used to install the very same program. Why does this happen and how to install without a Internet connetion even though I have moved a fresh copy of the archives from another machine?

Could you tell the package name - There are packages, like flashplugin-nonfree.

Package flashplugin-nonfree will:
1) download tar ball from the Adobe with the wget,
downloading to the /var/cache/flashplugin-nonfree.
2) unpack tar ball.
3) install libflashplayer.so.

Another way to install/upgrade a bunch of packages:

Synaptic package manager has "Add downloaded packages".

Synaptic > File > Add downloaded packages > Select directory > Ok.

It will install all packages from that directory.

Note #1
I tried this with few packages from the /var/cache/apt/archives/. Moving packages from the /var/cache/apt/archives/ to another location. Synaptic > File > Add... It seems to work. This was tested with the Kubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon.

Note #2
Synaptic is a GTK (Gnome/Ubuntu) program so it will install:

docbook-xml gksu launchpad-integration libcairo-perl libgksu2-0 libglib-perl
libgnome2-canvas-perl libgnome2-perl libgnome2-vfs-perl libgnomeui-0
libgnomeui-common libgtk2-perl libgtop2-7 libgtop2-common
liblaunchpad-integration1 libscrollkeeper0 libvte-common libvte9
python-cairo python-glade2 python-gtk2 python-numeric scrollkeeper sgml-data
software-properties-gtk synaptic

Package list is from the Synaptic installation with the Kubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex.

**Rayson** · Sep 04, 2008, 08:56 PM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

Hi,

Thanks for all your help. We are not using any non-free repositories.

I will study your inputs more however the problem still remains, not so much with the need to connect to the internet when I install software that was also installed in a machine that I took the Archives from, but from the fact that we need to do a long (several MByte) download on each new machine when we do a "Fetch Update" or a sudo apt-get update. This Fetch Update process seems to be necessary before we can even find ask to install new applications. It just seems to me that once this Fetch Updates is done on one machine, there should be some files that could be copied from that machine to another machine in such a manner that Fetch Updates would not be necessary on the 2nd machine.

Thanks,

ray

**Rog131** · Sep 05, 2008, 03:23 AM

Re: Where do Fetch Updates go?

but from the fact that we need to do a long (several MByte) download on each new machine when we do a "Fetch Update" or a sudo apt-get update.

Yes - update will get package lists (Packages.gz /Packages.bz2 ) from the repositories:

http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dis...n/binary-i386/
=>
Packages.bz2 08-Jun-2006 13:23 605K
Packages.gz 08-Jun-2006 13:23 802K

http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dis...e/binary-i386/
=>
Packages.bz2 08-Jun-2006 16:06 2.3M
Packages.gz 08-Jun-2006 16:06 3.1M

+ multiverse + restricted...

Hmm - are you also loading source package lists ? You could comment those off:

# deb-src...

If you don't need/want those.

I'm not sure where apt is saving information from the package lists. Maybe it is /var/cache/apt/pkgcache.bin ? Source packages : /var/cache/apt/srcpkgcache.bin ?

Googling:
> APT-RPM configuration options

pkgcache Apt's memory mapped package cache location, normally /var/cache/apt/pkgcache.bin

> apt-get, aptitude, synaptic, update- manager crash

Try removing /var/cache/apt/pkgcache.bin and /var/cache/apt/srcpkgcache.bin then re-run apt-get update
See http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=383223 for the bug that has been logged (https://launchpad.net/products/apt/+bug/63850 is the launchpad link)

So, it seems that apt-get update will build those files.

It just seems to me that once this Fetch Updates is done on one machine, there should be some files that could be copied from that machine to another machine in such a manner that Fetch Updates would not be necessary on the 2nd machine.

Maybe: pkgcache.bin and srcpkgcache.bin ??

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Where do Fetch Updates go?

Where do Fetch Updates go?

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