[ubuntu-uk] Peer to peer apt

[Alan Lord (News)]

On 14/05/10 12:18, Samuel Toogood wrote:
> First post for a while, and I don't usually start threads, but I've been
> lurking, and I don't think this has appeared before.
>
> I recently had an idea for improving ubuntu: Wouldn't it be good if
> packages could be distributed in a peer to peer manner, as .isos can be?
> This would have several advantages, including:
> 1. If you have more than one ubuntu machine, no need to download
> everything multiple times, and no need to maintain an apt-mirror, it all
> just happens.

I run apt-cacher-ng 
(http://www.ubuntugeek.com/apt-cacher-ng-http-download-proxy-for-software-packages.html) 
on one machine which acts as an apt proxy and cache. All machines 
apt-updates etc are routed via that. Once a package has been requested 
once, the rest get it very quickly.

I realise this isn't a total answer to your idea but that's what I use. 
P2P sounds like something interesting but I wonder about issues of 
"trust" and security etc..

Al



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