Faster Updates and Installs with Debian Approx Server

More than one Debian box?  (Should work for Ubuntu, also.)  Upgrade and install faster with approx.  From the package, itself:

Approx is an HTTP-based Debian archive server.  It fetches packages from remote repositories on demand, and caches them for local use.

Approx saves time and network bandwidth if you need to install or upgrade Debian software for a number of machines on a local network.  Each package is downloaded from a remote site only once, regardless of how many local clients install it.  The approx cache typically requires a few gigabytes of disk space.

Approx also simplifies the administration of client machines: repository locations need only be changed in approx's configuration file, not in every client's /etc/apt/sources.list file.

Setting it up is easy:

1.  As root, type the following on the command line: apt-get install approx.  Or use synaptic, or aptitude, or whatever apt interface you are most familiar with.

Network Cables

2.  Edit /etc/approx/approx.conf.  Mine is as follows:

        interval        120
        max_wait        10
        #debug          true   #  log debug info to /var/log/syslog

        debian          http://http.us.debian.org/debian
        security        http://security.debian.org/debian-security
        non-us          http://debian.teleglobe.net/non-US
        wine            http://wine.sourceforge.net/apt
        java            ftp://ftp.tux.org/java/debian
        beryl           http://debian.beryl-project.org

3.  Edit /etc/apt/sources.list.  Mine follows.  Note that I have--in my /etc/hosts file--set deb-proxy to the ip address of the approx machine.  In this specific case, 127.0.0.1.  Don't forget the port (9999)!

        #stable
        #deb http://deb-proxy:9999/debian stable main non-free contrib
        #deb-src http://deb-proxy:9999/debian etch main non-free contrib
        #deb http://deb-proxy:9999/security stable/updates main non-free contrib
        # deb-src http://deb-proxy:9999/security etch/updates main contrib non-free

        # etch
        deb http://deb-proxy:9999/debian etch main non-free contrib
        #deb-src http://deb-proxy:9999/debian etch main non-free contrib
        deb http://deb-proxy:9999/security etch/updates main non-free contrib
        # deb-src http://deb-proxy:9999/security etch/updates main contrib non-free

        # wine
        #deb http://deb-proxy:9999/wine binary/

        #java
        #deb http://deb-proxy:9999/java etch non-free

        #sid
        deb http://deb-proxy:9999/debian sid main non-free contrib

        #experimental
        deb http://deb-proxy:9999/debian experimental main non-free contrib

        #beryl
        deb http://deb-proxy:9999/beryl etch main

4. Restart the approx server: /etc/init.d/approx restart.

5. From the client machine, apt-get update.  At first, things won't look like they work, but be patient...  The proxy will continue to get the files, even if apt times you out...  Just run apt-get again.  If things really aren't working, enable the debug option on the server, and tail syslog.

This makes upgrading multiple machines a breeze and multiple installs fairly fly, after the first one!

SB