Updating Etch RC discs to stable

apolinsky · 04-10-2007, 02:25 PM

I downloaded a complete set of the final release candidate of Etch a few weeks ago using jigdo. I never burned the iso's to disc. I would like to update those iso's to the stable version of Etch with as little downloading as possible. What is the most efficient way of accomplishing that task?

Thank you

cgjones · 04-10-2007, 02:47 PM

I've never used jigdo, but you might want to check out the following link.

Updating Your Image

apolinsky · 04-10-2007, 03:27 PM

Thank you so much; that's exactly what I wanted

cgjones · 04-10-2007, 03:34 PM

No problem, and I even learned a little about jigdo myself.

Junior Hacker · 04-11-2007, 05:03 AM

I used jigdo also
I've downloaded many distributions over time, doing it jigdo style blows the doors off any other method. Usually when I go to download a large file such as an ISO via http, it starts off fast and gradually comes down to a slower speed and levels off, I've spent over 24 hours doing a DVD this way (not the best speed here). BitTorrent can be somewhat slow depending on the traffic and popularity of the distribution, and part of your bandwidth is used for uploading. The biggest problem with these two methods is that you can't switch to another mirror like jigdo if things are going slow.
When I started an Etch DVD using a high traffic mirror, it was pulling an average of 50kbps, after 14 hours I got fed up, did not know that all I had to do was stop it, then start over in the same directory so it can resume using the partial download and select another mirror. I found a couple mirrors that gave me 90kbps speed but kept looking. Then I hit one at 360kbps and it did not slow down. It took 14 hours to do the first half, it took 1.5 hours to do the second half.
Jigdo does not download a 4.3GB DVD ISO, it downloads thousands of the little files individually that make up the DVD, and just like the http method, when you start downloading a file, it hits good speed, but because it is so small it is done in a flash and starts another, real fast again, etc. etc. etc.

And when it's done, you are left with an ISO that passed the checksums.

IBall · 04-11-2007, 05:24 AM

Having said that, do you really need ISO images at all?

Since Debian Stable receives only security updates, the packages will not get outdated, but you will still have to get the security releases. I always just use a netinstall, and download the most recent version of any other packages from the net.

--Ian

Junior Hacker · 04-11-2007, 05:40 AM

That's my plan exactly, even if I'm on dial up, the net install CD can be downloaded overnight. I prefer the minimal install for the performance. I was a little choked spending all that time up town downloading three DVD's and coming home to do a minimal install, then download some more once a week. I'm staying with testing, and net install is the way to go, no doubt about it. Spend a couple nights letting it fetch KDE and the few goodies I want and it's done.

Never again!

Junior Hacker · 04-11-2007, 05:43 AM

Mind you, I shouldn't have to do it again anyway, I just changed my apt sources.list to testing.
BTW: Will doing it this way give me the latest kernel?

Daws · 04-11-2007, 03:14 PM

You may know this already, but a nice way to find faster mirrors is to install apt-spy.

eg. if I were Junior Hacker living in Canada:

Code:

apt-spy update                         # Grabs a list of mirrors

apt-spy -d stable -s CA -o mirror.list # specifys the dist, the country (CAnada in this case)
                                       # and specifies the output file (by default you apt-spy 
                                       # will overwrite your current sources.list, and you may
                                       # not want that)

Once its done (takes a while depending on number of mirrors), take a look at mirrors.list and see the fastest mirror in sources.list form. You could then use this mirror for jigdo or otherwise...

Junior Hacker · 04-11-2007, 04:01 PM

Is that better than netselect?
I've never used either of them, I only had Windows on my laptop at the time when I did those DVD's with jigdo, but it would have been nice to have one of these utilities, save some time.

Daws · 04-11-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Is that better than netselect?

Don't really know, but I think that netselect is based more on server location, using its ping rather than actual download speed, as per apt-spy.

Junior Hacker · 04-11-2007, 05:05 PM

Well
Seeing how mirror speed changes every day, probably depending on traffic, and it's so easy to change it in the sources.list, I'm going to install apt-spy. Being on dial-up, it'll more than likely make a difference.

Daws · 04-11-2007, 06:44 PM

Most of the time its not going to make a huge difference, I've stuck with ftp.uk.debian.org since I started. The only reason I found and used apt-spy was due to release of Etch. Unsurprisingly the servers have been taking a hit lately.

Junior Hacker · 04-11-2007, 07:26 PM

Yes, the number of questions regarding Etch installations lately appears to have risen.