Manage package updates and installations on (multiple) machines, which may not be on the internet or even on a local network.
Request packages for particular target machines from apt-medium using your favorite apt-tool to select the packages. Have apt-medium download them when you are on a machine with network access and have apt-medium install what you requestet when you are on the target machine.
Have the packages you download cached on your apt-medium, so you have them handy to install on other or new disconnected machines without further downloading.
An apt-medium is a CD or USB-Disk etc. that contains the apt-medium script that manages the apt-medium directory (package cache, machines, selections, ...). It lets you perform offline updates and installing additional software on debian (apt) based systems from a removable medium or a network share. Download packages only once to your apt-medium and use it to install on multiple machines.
Currently it consists of several scripts that wait for someone to integrate them into a single apt-medium script.
attachment:apt-medium-0.2.tar.gz (extract this, for example on a USB-harddisk)
keywords: offline networkwide update upgrade apt-get aptitude synaptic adept local packages .deb repository
- "apt-medium"
Manages an installation medium, especially writeable ones, for multiple, even disconnected and remote, machines.
1) You mount your apt-medium directory. (i.e. plug in your USB-disk etc.) or copy it to the hard disk.
2) If you want to install something on the machine you are loged-in to enter:
"apt-medium install <package>", and if the necessary packages are already on the apt-medium they will get installed right away. If you want to have something installed on another machine use "apt-medium --machine=<hostname> install <package>"
3) If some Packages are missing on the apt-medium you are told you need to
- execute "apt-medium download". You might want to do this at another machine with a (faster) internet connection. You can even download on a machine running some other operating system. (with "apt-medium.bat download")
After downloading you just run "apt-medium install" on your target machines, and what you have requested and downloaded for those machines will get installed.
If you want to use a graphical apt-frontend with your apt-medium, for example aptitude or synaptic, you can do so with "apt-medium --apt-tool=aptitude"
Discussion: How a developer should work on this tool? I'm updating the architecture selection code, since i will be updating a 64bit machine sans internet connection.
- Hi! apt-medium was created as a spin-off to get a otherwise quite tedious update event done. And published because it may be of use for others that could benefit from it, maybe managing (one or many) unconnected machines on a regular basis. Just add diffs and a new tarball to this wikipage, I guess, and you are apt to be the new lead medium developer. Or take it on to cvs/packaging as you like. It's GPLed.