[SOLVED] Updating without internet (slackware current/multilib)

garpu · 06-01-2023, 09:56 AM

So it looks like we're going to be without internet for 30 days while our contract gets switched over. I'm on slackware current with multilib on my desktop. I have a laptop also with slackware current and multilib that I can take to the library every few days. How can I update my desktop with only LAN?

I thought "slackpkg download", then copy those files over to the desktop, and point slackpkg's mirror to use a local folder would work, but I'm told it wouldn't with multilib? (I'm also using slackpkg+)

I've let my laptop slide for months without updating slackware, and haven't had an issue. But I also realize I'm playing with fire.

elcore · 06-01-2023, 10:02 AM

Code:

# If DELALL is "on", all downloaded files will be removed after install.
DELALL=on

It's not saving by default, but it can save all packages if you set DELALL=off in slackpkg.conf?

allend · 06-01-2023, 10:18 AM

A little tweak on elcore's suggestion.
In /etc/slackpkg/slackpkg.conf,

Code:

##TEMP=/var/cache/packages
TEMP=/var/cache/packages$(/usr/bin/date +%Y%m%d)

This will put the saved packages in directories with a date suffix.

garpu · 06-01-2023, 10:22 AM

Awesome, thanks. This gives me some options, worst case. (And negotiations with the ISP are ongoing. I'm hearing two differing accounts of things, and given our ISP, it's a bit like the movie "Rashomon.")

Is it just the packages that are downloaded to /var/cache/packages? Or the changelogs and md5's, too? (I would need to copy these to the local archive, as well?)

LuckyCyborg · 06-01-2023, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garpu

I have a laptop also with slackware current and multilib that I can take to the library every few days.

Then, may it's time for your to learn the Noble Art of local rsync mirrors (on your laptop) ?

Take a look to Mr. Hameleers' rsync_current.sh

Code:

#!/bin/sh
# $Id: rsync_current.sh,v 1.4 2005/09/11 14:13:23 root Exp root $
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Use rsync to mirror a Slackware directory tree.
# The default is to make a mirror of slackware-current, but you can alter that
# by running the script like this:
#
#   VERSION=10.1 rsync_current.sh
#
# ...which will mirror Slackware-10.1 instead.
# Also, all the parameters that you pass this script will be appended to the
# rsync command line, so if you want to do a 'dry-run', i.e. want to look at
# what the rsync would do without actually downloading/deleting anything, add
# the '-n' parameter to the script like this:
#
#   rsync_current.sh -n
#
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Author: Eric Hameleers <alien at slackware.com> :: 11sep2005
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
VERSION=${VERSION:-current}
TOPDIR="/home/ftp/pub/Linux/Slackware/"
RSYNCURL="slackware.mirrors.tds.net::slackware"

echo "Syncing version '$VERSION' ..."

if [ ! -d ${TOPDIR}/slackware-$VERSION ]; then
  echo "Target directory ${TOPDIR}/slackware-$VERSION does not exist!"
  exit 1
fi

cd ${TOPDIR}/slackware-$VERSION
rsync $1 -vaz --delete --exclude "pasture/*" ${RSYNCURL}/slackware-$VERSION/ .

http://www.slackware.com/~alien/tools/rsync_current.sh

This one is enough to rsync a local mirror for -current.

Based on it, you can make another one for rsync-ing Mr. Hameleers' repository. For the sake of completeness, this is the URL:

rsync://bear.alienbase.nl/mirrors/people/alien/

Finally, once you have the mirrors updated, you can export them on network via a HTTP or FTP server and use your beloved slackpkg.

OR, you can go like the Real Men, with Real Balls, known as Old Slackers, and do the updates manually.

garpu · 06-01-2023, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuckyCyborg

OR, you can go like the Real Men, with Real Balls, known as Old Slackers, and do the updates manually.

That was my first thought (going manually, not balls, that would be an anatomical impossibility), but then wondered if there were a better way. rsync does give me options, too.

allend · 06-01-2023, 10:52 AM

I have always thought that it takes real balls to rely on an rsync mirror that has no way to revert to a previous package.

LuckyCyborg · 06-01-2023, 10:55 AM

Well, I guess that the simpler would be rsync-ing the local mirrors and starting an HTTP server by hand on your laptop, when you arrive home.

For file serving, I guess that's enough to put the files on a sub-folder from /var/www/htdocs and doing manually as root:

Code:

sh /etc/rc.d/rc.httpd start

Your mirrors will become available on an URL like this: http://192.168.100.47/mirrors/slackware-current

Yep, it's the hassle to look what IP have currently your laptop, BUT once you know it, you can just update your config files from desktop and do your job.

OR, even better, you may assign in your local network a "fixed" IP - the DHCP servers knows to do this trick, based on MAC address.

LuckyCyborg · 06-01-2023, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allend

I have always thought that it takes real balls to rely on an rsync mirror that has no way to revert to a previous package.

Is there a way on Slackware to rollback the updates, excluding switching to an older mirror? Permit me to doubt this.

Anyway, I believe that's at user exercise to eventually keep backups for older trees, even when using rsync mirrors.

garpu · 06-01-2023, 11:48 AM

Marking this one solved because my solution involving the laptop and a cafe is moot. (Laptop is dying.) Thanks, folks! It does give me some ideas, had I a working laptop...

dhalliwe · 06-01-2023, 01:49 PM

Look on the bright side: with no Internet, you don't need to worry about security updates. The best protection against someone trying to hack into your systems is to be completely unreachable...

garpu · 06-01-2023, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhalliwe

Look on the bright side: with no Internet, you don't need to worry about security updates. The best protection against someone trying to hack into your systems is to be completely unreachable...

This is true. Also, my productivity goes through the roof.

LuckyCyborg · 06-01-2023, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garpu

Marking this one solved because my solution involving the laptop and a cafe is moot. (Laptop is dying.) Thanks, folks! It does give me some ideas, had I a working laptop...

Well, even in this case, not all hopes are lost...

Here are three additional ways involving a smartphone, all the ways being tested by myself:

Firstly, any reasonable old smartphone has ability of (at least) 3G connections and it's capable also of USB tethering. So, almost any smartphone is capable to be used as a "3G modem" for a computer, if you have a data plan on your SIM. This one is most straight-forward, giving Internet access to your computer. With a data cap.

Secondly, there is an rsync app for Android, which can be used to rsync the interesting repos to your smartphone SD-card, then back to home, you can mount the smartphone as a storage device and transfer the data to your PC.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...impurity.rsync

There is a bit of warning, as the SD-cards are typically formatted as FAT32 or EXFAT (FAT64) , then it does not support symlinks and hardlinks. BUT, for rsync-ing only the packages there should not be issues.

Thirdly, it's kinda complicated, but it's possible to install Linux in an Android chroot, which Linux installation then can be used to rsync your repos on the go. For example, there's Linux Deploy:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...ik.linuxdeploy

By the nature of my profession (I am a geologist), I have lived for long time in remote locations, where the Internet solution was at best a 3G connection, and I have survived well. And many years my data cap was of 3GB or 5GB

Heck, even today at home I for one I use 2 routers - each one with a separate 4G connection, but when I am on a job trip usually I will end for some weeks in the middle of the Wild, where having a working 3G connection means luxury and pure luck.

garpu · 06-01-2023, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuckyCyborg

Well, even in this case, not all hopes are lost...

Here are three additional ways involving a smartphone, all the ways being tested by myself:

Firstly, any reasonable old smartphone has ability of (at least) 3G connections and it's capable also of USB tethering. So, almost any smartphone is capable to be used as a "3G modem" for a computer, if you have a data plan on your SIM. This one is most straight-forward, giving Internet access to your computer. With a data cap.

Yeah, this was super-easy to set up, and I did a trial run yesterday surfing web content. Plugged my phone in via USB, turned on tethering, and did /sbin/ifconfig eth0 down, /sbin/ifconfig usb0 up. Problem is, we have 40 gigs a month for two people. I'm not sure how big slackware updates are, but the biggest packages are the kernel source, firmware, and another I'm forgetting at 1.3-1 GB. Worst, worst case, I just run updates like that. It's slow as hell, because I seem to be in some sort of cellular black hole by my desk. I know, roughing it.