[ubuntu-za] ubuntu-9.10 - saving update files

[Charl Wentzel]

On Thu, 2010-02-11 at 18:00 +0200, Johan Scheepers wrote:

> Kindly what happens to the update/upgrate files after installed.
> 
> If deleted what can be done to save them please.
> 
> I would like to keep two drives the same without downloading again or using 
> ddrescue and simmilar.
> 
> Just install both once and keep them same with updates.
> 

Hi Johan

I have three machines in my office and also wanted to save bandwidth by
preventing all the machines to download the same updates.

I'm using "apt-cacher-ng", not "apt-cacher".  The latter is harder to
configure.  In short it works as follows:

1. You install apt-cacher-ng on one of the machines

2. You setup all your machines to connect to that one machine for
updates

3. You can also import all existing file from /var/cache/apt/archives

4. Any updates that are downloaded for the first time are now stored by
apt-cacher-ng.  All machines that need it after that uses the stored
copy.  Updates are never downloaded more than once.

Other than setting it up apt-cacher-ng, there are no special processes
you have to perform or regular actions you need to take.


This however does not solve your problem of keeping machines the same,
e.g. if you download a new package to one machine it does not
automatically get downloaded to the next.  So you still have to go and
install it from the other machines, but at least you only download the
package from the Internet once.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Charl