[CentOS] Yum w/o direct connect

Ted Miller

tmiller at broadcast.net
Sun Aug 6 12:30:53 UTC 2006


I am hoping someone else is already doing what I need to do, and can give
me some pointers.

Situation:
1. I am running Centos 4.3 x86_64 on a machine at home, without broadband
access.  I have dialup access, but that doesn't work very well for
something like "yum update", so I am still running 4.3 as issued on the CDs.
2. I have high speed access at work, and I have a USB drive to move files
from work to home.

Proposed solution (other than get broadband):
A. Make a "pretend repo" on the hard drive of home machine by:
   1. Install yum "index" file for each repo in directories at home.  Use
      rsync via dialup to keep those repo "indexes" up to date (after
      initial install).  [A sample rsync command line would be helpful.]
   2. Persuade yum to give me a list of packages (that I need to download
      in order to execute a package install or update) and capture that
      list in a format that I can feed into rsync (at work).
   3. Have a way to separate package list into three categories:
      a. Packages already in correct version my local repository.
      b. Packages needing an update in my local repo.
      c. Packages I need to download wholesale.
   4. Have a way to copy packages needing updates to USB drive.
   5. Take list of packages to work, and use rsync to transfer/update the
      packages onto the USB drive.
   6. Bring USB drive home and dump contents into local repo.
   7. Run yum to do the updates.
I think this is how to do things in general terms, but I could use a good
bit of help in coming up with some scripts to automate/semiautomate the
process.  I think #3 may be the hardest one to automate.

Anyone doing this?  Anyone good with rsync and yum, and care to give me a
starting point, even if your try is untested?  Console approach is fine
(GUI OK too), but I am new to yum (moving from Mandriva), and have used
rsync a few times successfully, but am no master at it.

Also, I have 4 install disks.  Which repos are on those disks, and which
repos are on which ones?  Do any of them include CentOS Plus?

Ted Miller
CentOS 4.3 x86_64




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