forcing update to use downloaded packages

[65vitesse]

Hi All,

i have a laptop running Ubuntu (6.06) and i have spent a lot of time online (dialup) downloading various packages and updates, including large chunks of KDE stuff.

Can i transfer the downloaded packages from the laptop to a desktop machine running Kubuntu and force it to use these instead of downloading everything again?

thanks for listening,

[Rog131]

Re: forcing update to use downloaded packages

From APT HOWTO /3/


2.2 How to use APT locally /1/

Sometimes you have lots of packages .deb that you would like to use APT to install so that the dependencies would be automatically solved.

To do that create a directory and put the .debs you want to index in it .

So you put .debs in the directory and tell the system where they are.

Or



You copy the packages to the /var/cache/apt/archives/. Apt/adept/synaptic/whatever checks first ~/archives/ before it tries to download packages.

From:
3.6 Removing unused package files: apt-get clean and autoclean /2/

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

/1/ http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/ap...g-scanpackages

/2/ http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/ap...n.html#s-clean

/3/ http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/ap.../index.en.html

[65vitesse]

Re: forcing update to use downloaded packages

thanks very muchly,

i will give this a go some time today. (i am UTC +9.5 hrs so we will probably be out of phase)
i will let you know how i get on.
the debian.org docs look interesting, hadn't found those before.
i am not new to computers, i used to build 8 bit single board systems when they were cutting edge, but i am new to linux.


cheers,

derek

[65vitesse]

Re: forcing update to use downloaded packages

Hi,

tried it; i copied 400 odd Mb into the /var/cache/apt/archives

and guess what?  it went to the net and started downloading them from there.  i will report back if i work out whats going on.


thanks,

derek

[Rog131]

Re: forcing update to use downloaded packages

Hmm - i tried this only with one package:

Download, modem offline, moved package from ~/archives/, cleaned cache, moved package back, tried to install, everything went smooth.



The "2.2 How to use APT locally" trick should work. You basically make own repository.

[65vitesse]

Re: forcing update to use downloaded packages

Hi,

worked on the second attempt.

i installed kdeaddons with apt-get and it downloaded a few hundred k and kept several Mb from the debs.


thanks for your help.

derek