Arch Linux

schneida

Member

Registered: 2009-02-19

Posts: 76

Website

Install Arch on multiple machines with shared cache?

Hi!

I would like to install ArchLinux on about 8 machines (all using the same arch). I thought that the best way to do this would be a central shared pacman cache on my server, so that I don't have to download all package twice and thrice.

The only problem I have are during the installation. Am I right, that during the installation Arch expects the packages to be mounted to /src/core/pkg instead of /var/cache/pacman/pkg. The other thing is that I don't know whats up with the /var/lib/pacman/{sync, local} folders. Where are they expected during the install process?

Are there easier mehtods to have a ArchLinux install with local packages?

Thanks in advance

schneida

Last edited by schneida (2009-12-04 11:55:51)

lilsirecho

Veteran

Registered: 2003-10-24

Posts: 5,000

Re: Install Arch on multiple machines with shared cache?

Perhaps you can setup a "cache" for the packages and use ...pacman -U "path to cache".. to load the other eight machines......

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UnDisbeliever

Member

From: Australia

Registered: 2009-08-07

Posts: 3

Re: Install Arch on multiple machines with shared cache?

Are there easier mehtods to have a ArchLinux install with local packages?

Personally I use a squid cache proxy to keep a copy of the packages that will be used across the various computers.

The interesting sections of my /etc/squid/squid.conf file are;

maximum_object_size 500 MB

refresh_pattern abs.tar.gz$   0       20%     4320 refresh-ims
refresh_pattern db.tar.gz$    0       20%     4320 refresh-ims
refresh_pattern files.tar.gz$ 0       20%     4320 refresh-ims
refresh_pattern pkg.tar.gz$ 10080 90% 43200 override-expire ignore-no-cache ignore-no-store

The patterns will
* Cache all pacman packages for at least a week.
* Check the server if the database has been modified since it was last accessed.

Harlequin

Member

Registered: 2009-07-28

Posts: 25

Re: Install Arch on multiple machines with shared cache?

Or you could turn /var/cache/pacman/pkg and /var/lib/pacman to a nfs network share for all your computers

schneida

Member

Registered: 2009-02-19

Posts: 76

Website

Re: Install Arch on multiple machines with shared cache?

Thank you very much for the replys. I finally got it working by sharing /var/cache/pacman/pkg to /var/core/pkg during the installation. In order to make the installation work you also have to copy the file core.db.tar.gz into the /var/cache/pacman/pkg folder.

Now it's working perfectly.