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nicudotro
Asked: 2009-05-04 18:18:29 +0800 CST

update a network of ubuntu desktops from a server

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I need to update 100+ workstations that run ubuntu.

The problem is that i want them to download the packages from a local server so that they don't use to much internet bandwidth.

I net a kind of caching proxy for this that downloads a specific package only once an than distributes it to all the workstation.

ubuntu proxy package-management update

4 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    There are many available tools

    You can even simply install a simple cache like squid and simply adjust the maximum_object_size so it will cache larger files like the package updates.

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  2. I recommend approx over the alternatives, as it tends to fail the least.

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  3. I'd recommend apt-cacher, it won't create a full mirror of the entire repository but instead will download and retain anything someone requests though it. It will also stream directly to the first user, so there's no unnecessary wait. It's also a lot more stable than apt-proxy.

    Also has a nice web reporting interface so you can check its actually working and how much bandwidth you're saving.

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  4. A slightly alternative system is to use debmirror to make a complete mirror of the distributions you want. It takes more disk space and the initial download is a little heavy, but you can keep it up to date over night and then you won't have to wait when you want to download new packages in the future. I've also found it slightly more reliable than using the proxy server.

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