Debian/Ubuntu dselect question

[David Bandel]

On 7/17/07, Net Llama! <netllama at linux-sxs.org> wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Jul 2007, David Bandel wrote:
> > On 7/17/07, Net Llama! <netllama at linux-sxs.org> wrote:
> > [snip]
> >
> >>>> just want to point dpkg to the on-network deb package and have it get
> >>>> installed.  Is that not possible?  Its dead easy with RPM based distros.
> >>>
> >>>       You don't need access to the internet at large to use apt-get. Just edit
> >>> your /etc/apt/sources.list file to point to a mounted cd-rom or to a
> >>> directory containing .deb files as your source. The source can be on your
> >>> local machine or any other suitable system on the private network.
> >>>
> >>> http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/
> >>
> >> This just adds another layer of complexity.  Now i'd need to start
> >> automating the addition of the local source in sources.list, plus I'd
> >> still need to get the packages onto the box somehow.
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >
> > Lonnie, not sure what you're smoking, but let me recap this thread:
> > 1.  You have some systems on a private network that can't access the Internet.
> > 2.  You want to install a package from
> > http://mirrors.kernel.org/<blah> (last time I looked that was on the
> > Internet)
>
> That was an example.  Call it http://foo.bar if that makes it easier for
> you.

Your first post mentioned _nothing_ about a private network, only
mentioned  a kernel.org repository.  Learn to be more clear because
you got an answer to the question you asked.  If what you asked wasn't
what you wanted to know, you of all people should have rephrased it.
And dpkg is the installer, not the downloader.  Stop using a hammer to
do the job of a screwdriver.

>
> > 3.  You lament that dpkg/dselect/apt-whatever can't do this, but RPM can.
> > 4.  You don't want to look at the documentation that would tell you
> > _exactly_ how you could do whatever it is you want to do (except of
> > course access the inaccessible).
>
> Contrary to your claim, I spent quite a bit of time googling for an answer
> and found nothing.  Seeing as how no one in this thread has provided a
> solution, its quite apparent that its just not possible to install a
> package over the network without hacking up sources.list and using
> apt-get.

Oh gee, never dawned on you that some folks use robots.txt to prevent
google from having answers to questions that change often enough they
don't want folks confused with old documentation.  Go to Ubuntu or
Debian and peruse the docs.

>
> >
> > So why don't you just use RPM?  You can use RPM on a Debian-based
> > system (and Ubuntu is Debian-based).  And if you must use the
> > particular debian .deb file, you can use alien to convert it.
>
> Again, that's a ridiculous amount of kludge just to get a few packages
> installed.

Seems to be your preference.

>
> >
> > But I still would like to know how RPM can access from a private
> > network miles away that doesn't have Internet access, an RPM on the
> > Internet.  And for that matter, how do you access that network if you
> > have Internet access and they don't?
>
> You're hung up on the fact that I used an internet domain name in my
> example.

And that you failed to mention the systems in question had no Internet
access.  That's a pretty big omission.  how were they installed to
begin with?  how are they maintained with security patches?  What, no
local repository?  There are packages to help with just these
situations.


>
> >
> > Or are you just fishing for ways to pooh-pooh something you haven't
> > bothered to learn?
>
> Ahh, the irony, coming from someone who continues to rant about ancient
> problems with PHP which haven't been valid for a long time, or looks for
> excuses to complain about any RPM based distro even though you've not
> used one in years.

Ancient perhaps, but fsck me once, shame on you -- I don't plan on
having it happen again.  Also, PHP remains a security disaster (try
reading securityfocus.org's database sometime) that makes sendmail
look like a bastion of security.

I have no need to revisit things that didn't work when I have
something else that just works.  I leave that sillilmess for folks
like you with lots of time on their hands.

>
> Anyway, the bottom line here is that dpkg just can't install packages over
> the network.  I've accepted that and moved on with my life.

Hammers don't drive screws well either.

We should add this thread to the "how not to ask questions" FAQ.

David A. Bandel
-- 
Focus on the dream, not the competition.
            - Nemesis Air Racing Team motto