Hi, people
Tired of the well known yum/yumex incredible slowness, I'm experimenting with Smart Package Manager. I must say I'm impressed with some of its capabilities, like the fast parallel download of files, the possibility to revert a package to an older version from within the GUI, to use a directory with a bunch of RPMs as a repo and to easily set up removable repos, among others useful features. Not having to download and rebuild the package catalogs every time you run the program or install a package saves much time too. However, I did not understand very well how to configure mirrors for channels. My doubts are the following: 1. Is there a way to use a mirrorlist URL, like yum? 2. What is the difference between adding a mirror channel (Edit -> Channels -> New -> Provide channel information -> Mirror Information) and adding a mirror (Edit -> Mirrors -> New)? 3. How to use the first of the above mentioned options? 3.1. Should I add a mirror channel for each mirror of a repo or just one channel for all of them? 3.2. How should I use the "File URL" field? Is this a local path to a text file with the mirrors' informations? How should this file be formated? 3.3. If a mirror channel for each mirror should be added, their name should all be the same? And in this case, what should I fill up in "File URL"? 4. About "Edit -> Mirrors -> New", do I have to fill up the channel URL in "Origin URL" and the mirror URL in "Mirror URL" for each mirror of the same repo, one by one? Isn't there a better way to add mirrors?
Thanks,
Marcelo
on 01/23/2007 07:42 AM Marcelo Magno T. Sales wrote:
Hi, people
Tired of the well known yum/yumex incredible slowness, I'm experimenting with Smart Package Manager. I must say I'm impressed with some of its capabilities, like the fast parallel download of files, the possibility to revert a package to an older version from within the GUI, to use a directory with a bunch of RPMs as a repo and to easily set up removable repos, among others useful features. Not having to download and rebuild the package catalogs every time you run the program or install a package saves much time too. However, I did not understand very well how to configure mirrors for channels. My doubts are the following:
- Is there a way to use a mirrorlist URL, like yum?
- What is the difference between adding a mirror channel (Edit -> Channels ->
New -> Provide channel information -> Mirror Information) and adding a mirror (Edit -> Mirrors -> New)? 3. How to use the first of the above mentioned options? 3.1. Should I add a mirror channel for each mirror of a repo or just one channel for all of them? 3.2. How should I use the "File URL" field? Is this a local path to a text file with the mirrors' informations? How should this file be formated? 3.3. If a mirror channel for each mirror should be added, their name should all be the same? And in this case, what should I fill up in "File URL"? 4. About "Edit -> Mirrors -> New", do I have to fill up the channel URL in "Origin URL" and the mirror URL in "Mirror URL" for each mirror of the same repo, one by one? Isn't there a better way to add mirrors?
I cant really answer any of your questions, but just want to mention that I am using smart for almost 2 years with fedora (after apt4rpm yum makes me sick) and I never bothered to set any additional mirrors for the channels. I didnt manage to find any ready-to-use configuration and I am too lazy to do it completely myself. But I found that smart works just fine even without this. Of course there was couple times when the default mirror was down, but It came back up later and I didnt have to worry much about that.
sorry for offtopic
On Thu, 2007-01-25 at 22:25 -0500, oleksandr korneta wrote:
on 01/23/2007 07:42 AM Marcelo Magno T. Sales wrote:
Hi, people
Tired of the well known yum/yumex incredible slowness, I'm experimenting with Smart Package Manager. I must say I'm impressed with some of its capabilities, like the fast parallel download of files, the possibility to revert a package to an older version from within the GUI, to use a directory with a bunch of RPMs as a repo and to easily set up removable repos, among others useful features. Not having to download and rebuild the package catalogs every time you run the program or install a package saves much time too. However, I did not understand very well how to configure mirrors for channels. My doubts are the following:
- Is there a way to use a mirrorlist URL, like yum?
- What is the difference between adding a mirror channel (Edit -> Channels ->
New -> Provide channel information -> Mirror Information) and adding a mirror (Edit -> Mirrors -> New)? 3. How to use the first of the above mentioned options? 3.1. Should I add a mirror channel for each mirror of a repo or just one channel for all of them? 3.2. How should I use the "File URL" field? Is this a local path to a text file with the mirrors' informations? How should this file be formated? 3.3. If a mirror channel for each mirror should be added, their name should all be the same? And in this case, what should I fill up in "File URL"? 4. About "Edit -> Mirrors -> New", do I have to fill up the channel URL in "Origin URL" and the mirror URL in "Mirror URL" for each mirror of the same repo, one by one? Isn't there a better way to add mirrors?
I cant really answer any of your questions, but just want to mention that I am using smart for almost 2 years with fedora (after apt4rpm yum makes me sick) and I never bothered to set any additional mirrors for the channels. I didnt manage to find any ready-to-use configuration and I am too lazy to do it completely myself. But I found that smart works just fine even without this. Of course there was couple times when the default mirror was down, but It came back up later and I didnt have to worry much about that.
sorry for
I don't understand you post. When I install smart I don't get a livna channel. When I try add one I get in trouble because smart is not smart enough to interpret the variables in the yum repo's baseurls. With the livna channel one gets in trouble because it can't handle multiple baseurls in the same channel (as yumex doesn't). It is certainly not as intuitive to use as yumex is. I can't understand why smart does not have a function to convert all the yum repos to channels automatically. To me it is a real. pain but YMMD
Em Sexta 26 Janeiro 2007 13:24, Aaron Konstam escreveu:
On Thu, 2007-01-25 at 22:25 -0500, oleksandr korneta wrote:
on 01/23/2007 07:42 AM Marcelo Magno T. Sales wrote:
Hi, people
Tired of the well known yum/yumex incredible slowness, I'm experimenting with Smart Package Manager. I must say I'm impressed with some of its capabilities, like the fast parallel download of files, the possibility to revert a package to an older version from within the GUI, to use a directory with a bunch of RPMs as a repo and to easily set up removable repos, among others useful features. Not having to download and rebuild the package catalogs every time you run the program or install a package saves much time too. However, I did not understand very well how to configure mirrors for channels. My doubts are the following:
- Is there a way to use a mirrorlist URL, like yum?
- What is the difference between adding a mirror channel (Edit ->
Channels -> New -> Provide channel information -> Mirror Information) and adding a mirror (Edit -> Mirrors -> New)? 3. How to use the first of the above mentioned options? 3.1. Should I add a mirror channel for each mirror of a repo or just one channel for all of them? 3.2. How should I use the "File URL" field? Is this a local path to a text file with the mirrors' informations? How should this file be formated? 3.3. If a mirror channel for each mirror should be added, their name should all be the same? And in this case, what should I fill up in "File URL"? 4. About "Edit -> Mirrors -> New", do I have to fill up the channel URL in "Origin URL" and the mirror URL in "Mirror URL" for each mirror of the same repo, one by one? Isn't there a better way to add mirrors?
I cant really answer any of your questions, but just want to mention that I am using smart for almost 2 years with fedora (after apt4rpm yum makes me sick) and I never bothered to set any additional mirrors for the channels. I didnt manage to find any ready-to-use configuration and I am too lazy to do it completely myself. But I found that smart works just fine even without this. Of course there was couple times when the default mirror was down, but It came back up later and I didnt have to worry much about that.
sorry for
I don't understand you post. When I install smart I don't get a livna channel. When I try add one I get in trouble because smart is not smart enough to interpret the variables in the yum repo's baseurls. With the livna channel one gets in trouble because it can't handle multiple baseurls in the same channel (as yumex doesn't). It is certainly not as intuitive to use as yumex is. I can't understand why smart does not have a function to convert all the yum repos to channels automatically.
Because smart was not designed to be used specifically with Fedora/Red Hat. It is a generic package manager, suitable for several distributions and packaging schemes, and not many of these distributions use yum. Of course, an automatic conversion of yum repositories would be useful, but it seems no one yet have wished this feature badly enough, once no one has programmed it so far.
[]'s Marcelo
on 01/26/2007 11:52 AM Marcelo Magno T. Sales wrote:
intuitive to use as yumex is. I can't understand why smart does not have a function to convert all the yum repos to channels automatically.
Because smart was not designed to be used specifically with Fedora/Red Hat. It is a generic package manager, suitable for several distributions and packaging schemes, and not many of these distributions use yum. Of course, an automatic conversion of yum repositories would be useful, but it seems no one yet have wished this feature badly enough, once no one has programmed it so far.
I was going to say just the same. The developer of the smart probably does not care about integrating it too much in any specific linux distribution. And this make sense, because even being so generic smart is way better than any frontend to yum (you better believe me I've tried probably 5 different of these). If smart is packaged for FC and someone is using it that some addiional coding should be done by fedora people. Personally I didnt think about that too much, except maybe "yeah, it would be nice to have something like that". Just because even if had to create the .channel files manually, I had to do that only one time, right after the system is installed. Another thing, is that the maintainers of the repositories (particularly Livna) do not think about providing the configuration packages for smart, like they usually do for yum or even apt (???). So looks like someone should give them a little push.
On Sat January 27 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
Personally I didnt think about that too much, except maybe "yeah, it would be nice to have something like that". Just because even if had to create the .channel files manually, I had to do that only one time, right after the system is installed. Another thing, is that the maintainers of the repositories (particularly Livna) do not think about providing the configuration packages for smart, like they usually do for yum or even apt (???). So looks like someone should give them a little push.
The SMART faq has gotten a lot better, and bears a read before using it. It would save folks from much frustration. It is true that most repos have to be set up manually, but it's real easy to do once you figure out their method.
As regards Livna, if you install their livna-release package for FC6, you can subsequently look in /usr/share/doc/livna-release-6 and find there a script 'livna-smart-channels.sh' which you should run from a root terminal prompt 'sh livna-smart-channels.sh' - that will install the channels for Livna in Smart.
SMART is worth the effort to figure out in my estimation - I've been using it for many months and have had NO problems save one small annoyance, currently ongoing. SDL-gfx and mjpegtools are currently doing a little dance. I open SMART and check the repos - it will return a list of what's updatable - one or the other package will be listed as an update, and the other will be listed as a downgrade, which if you look, is explained - namely that the other new package version requires the slightly older version of the other; if you allow the update to proceed, then, the next time you update, the packages will reverse roles, and the downgraded one will be listed as upgradable, and the previously upgraded one will be listed in the downgrade list. You can lock a package with a single click to prevent it from being tampered with, and that's what I've done, keeping the newer version of mjpegtools , because that program is of greater interest to me...
Mirror lists are a pain, because each mirror has to be entered manually. I've dealt with that by simply picking a mirror that's close to my geographical location, and solely configuring that as my sole main repo. I very rarely have had any issues regarding inaccessible repos doing it that way. Adding mirrors had been on my to-do list but when something's not causing a problem, I find it hard to budget time, so I haven't bothered.
Hope this helps - take a half hour with the faq, and another half hour to set up your channels - it's well worth the effort. Once its set up, you will probably forget about it. It generally just works. I've got it running on three FC boxes and on several other distros as well, and that's been my experience. I sub to the SMART list and it's pretty low volume - there are some folks having problems, but after you separate out the folks that are trying out new features, and the ones that are doing some unusual things, the remainder is pretty small.
on 01/27/2007 01:40 AM Claude Jones wrote:
On Sat January 27 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
Personally I didnt think about that too much, except maybe "yeah, it would be nice to have something like that". Just because even if had to create the .channel files manually, I had to do that only one time, right after the system is installed. Another thing, is that the maintainers of the repositories (particularly Livna) do not think about providing the configuration packages for smart, like they usually do for yum or even apt (???). So looks like someone should give them a little push.
As regards Livna, if you install their livna-release package for FC6, you can subsequently look in /usr/share/doc/livna-release-6 and find there a script 'livna-smart-channels.sh' which you should run from a root terminal prompt 'sh livna-smart-channels.sh' - that will install the channels for Livna in Smart.
I take my words back. Seems like livna is the best out of all repositories in terms of supporting Smart since it even specifies the mirrors. How come that I never knew about this script? Is there a documentation somewhere?
On Mon January 29 2007 11:45 am, oleksandr korneta wrote:
I take my words back. Seems like livna is the best out of all repositories in terms of supporting Smart since it even specifies the mirrors. How come that I never knew about this script? Is there a documentation somewhere?
I'm sorry, but I can't remember how I discovered it. Livna is making many good efforts, but, they badly need help. There've been several appeals on this list over the past year for maintainers and volunteers. My plate is full so I can't do it. Their documentation is one thing that is suffering because of the lack of manpower. I just poked around their site and didn't find anything - I suspect someone told me about the script over on the smart list...
On Mon, 2007-01-29 at 11:45 -0500, oleksandr korneta wrote:
on 01/27/2007 01:40 AM Claude Jones wrote:
On Sat January 27 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
Personally I didnt think about that too much, except maybe "yeah, it would be nice to have something like that". Just because
even
if had to create the .channel files manually, I had to do that only
one
time, right after the system is installed. Another thing, is that
the
maintainers of the repositories (particularly Livna) do not think
about
providing the configuration packages for smart, like they usually
do for
yum or even apt (???). So looks like someone should give them a
little
push.
As regards Livna, if you install their livna-release package for
FC6, you can
subsequently look in /usr/share/doc/livna-release-6 and find there
a
script 'livna-smart-channels.sh' which you should run from a root
terminal
prompt 'sh livna-smart-channels.sh' - that will install the channels
for
Livna in Smart.
Well this script must install livna channels but I can't figure out where . They are not in /etc/smart/channels/ and I can't find the channels in this directory when I execute smart --gui. So what is the deal. This all was working before I ran that script. -- ======================================================================= "I'd love to go out with you, but the last time I went out, I never came back." ======================================================================= Aaron Konstam telephone: (210) 656-0355 e-mail: akonstam@sbcglobal.net
On Mon January 29 2007 6:59 pm, Aaron Konstam wrote:
Well this script must install livna channels but I can't figure out where . They are not in /etc/smart/channels/ and I can't find the channels in this directory when I execute smart --gui. So what is the deal. This all was working before I ran that script.
Don't look for them there, Aaron. It's a mystery which I tried to get answered once on the Smart list, but no one responded. Most of the channel info is stored in some binary somewhere... Open Smart and go to Edit/Channels - there you'll find your channels and you can tick and un-tick the boxes to select them or no...
on 01/29/2007 06:13 PM Claude Jones wrote:
On Mon January 29 2007 6:59 pm, Aaron Konstam wrote:
Well this script must install livna channels but I can't figure out where . They are not in /etc/smart/channels/ and I can't find the channels in this directory when I execute smart --gui. So what is the deal. This all was working before I ran that script.
Don't look for them there, Aaron. It's a mystery which I tried to get answered once on the Smart list, but no one responded. Most of the channel info is stored in some binary somewhere... Open Smart and go to Edit/Channels - there you'll find your channels and you can tick and un-tick the boxes to select them or no...
indeed. It is added by
smart channel --add
and it does not go into /etc/smart/channel I'll keep digging.
On Tue January 30 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
indeed. It is added by
smart channel --add
and it does not go into /etc/smart/channel I'll keep digging.
I just use the channel edit interface. There are some decent instructions in the faq on the smart site for how to fill in the various fields, or you can just compare the fields to one of the existing ones. It's really easy once you get the syntax...it would be nice if there was a file somewhere that I could copy from box to box, since I run a number of Fedora boxes - let us know if you figure it out
On 1/29/07, Claude Jones claude_jones@levitjames.com wrote:
On Tue January 30 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
indeed. It is added by
smart channel --add
and it does not go into /etc/smart/channel I'll keep digging.
I use "locate". I'm not at my computer at the moment; but if I recall correctly, the data is stored at /var/lib/smart/...
I just use the channel edit interface. There are some decent instructions in the faq on the smart site for how to fill in the various fields, or you can just compare the fields to one of the existing ones. It's really easy once you get the syntax...it would be nice if there was a file somewhere that I could copy from box to box, since I run a number of Fedora boxes - let us know if you figure it out
-- Claude Jones Brunswick, MD, USA
On Tue January 30 2007, Kam Leo wrote:
On 1/29/07, Claude Jones claude_jones@levitjames.com wrote:
On Tue January 30 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
indeed. It is added by
smart channel --add
and it does not go into /etc/smart/channel I'll keep digging.
I use "locate". I'm not at my computer at the moment; but if I recall correctly, the data is stored at /var/lib/smart/...
I just use the channel edit interface. There are some decent instructions in the faq on the smart site for how to fill in the various fields, or you can just compare the fields to one of the existing ones. It's really easy once you get the syntax...it would be nice if there was a file somewhere that I could copy from box to box, since I run a number of Fedora boxes - let us know if you figure it out
I found that a long time ago. But that folder does not have channel configuration info, it's got the actual files it downloads from the various channels in it - I just double checked myself. Maybe I just don't understand what I'm looking at.
on 01/30/2007 08:58 PM Claude Jones wrote:
On Tue January 30 2007, Kam Leo wrote:
On 1/29/07, Claude Jones claude_jones@levitjames.com wrote:
On Tue January 30 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
indeed. It is added by
smart channel --add
and it does not go into /etc/smart/channel I'll keep digging.
I use "locate". I'm not at my computer at the moment; but if I recall correctly, the data is stored at /var/lib/smart/...
I just use the channel edit interface. There are some decent instructions in the faq on the smart site for how to fill in the various fields, or you can just compare the fields to one of the existing ones. It's really easy once you get the syntax...it would be nice if there was a file somewhere that I could copy from box to box, since I run a number of Fedora boxes - let us know if you figure it out
I found that a long time ago. But that folder does not have channel configuration info, it's got the actual files it downloads from the various channels in it - I just double checked myself. Maybe I just don't understand what I'm looking at.
I found that a while ago too, but this is not what we are looking for. This are file storing repositories metadata, as described here http://linux.duke.edu/projects/metadata/
We might need to ask the developer.
On 1/30/07, oleksandr korneta atenrok@gmail.com wrote:
on 01/30/2007 08:58 PM Claude Jones wrote:
On Tue January 30 2007, Kam Leo wrote:
On 1/29/07, Claude Jones claude_jones@levitjames.com wrote:
On Tue January 30 2007, oleksandr korneta wrote:
indeed. It is added by
smart channel --add
and it does not go into /etc/smart/channel I'll keep digging.
I use "locate". I'm not at my computer at the moment; but if I recall correctly, the data is stored at /var/lib/smart/...
I just use the channel edit interface. There are some decent instructions in the faq on the smart site for how to fill in the various fields, or you can just compare the fields to one of the existing ones. It's really easy once you get the syntax...it would be nice if there was a file somewhere that I could copy from box to box, since I run a number of Fedora boxes - let us know if you figure it out
I found that a long time ago. But that folder does not have channel configuration info, it's got the actual files it downloads from the various channels in it - I just double checked myself. Maybe I just don't understand what I'm looking at.
I found that a while ago too, but this is not what we are looking for. This are file storing repositories metadata, as described here http://linux.duke.edu/projects/metadata/
We might need to ask the developer.
I believe you're searching for /var/lib/smart/config (binary)
-- regards, Oleksandr Korneta
/The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from./
-- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@redhat.com To unsubscribe: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list
On Wed January 31 2007, Kam Leo wrote:
I believe you're searching for /var/lib/smart/config (binary)
Yes! I had previously stated that I thought the channel info was stored in a binary, in this thread - I just had forgotten where. So, Kam, do you have an idea of what's in that binary? Can it be copied between different installations on different computers, to just 'pre-configure' SMART? I did ask this question on the smart list many months ago, but didn't get any replies.
Claude Jones escribió:
On Wed January 31 2007, Kam Leo wrote:
I believe you're searching for /var/lib/smart/config (binary)
Yes! I had previously stated that I thought the channel info was stored in a binary, in this thread - I just had forgotten where. So, Kam, do you have an idea of what's in that binary? Can it be copied between different installations on different computers, to just 'pre-configure' SMART? I did ask this question on the smart list many months ago, but didn't get any replies.
Here's an example from livna to use smart mirrors:
http://rpm.livna.org/smart-mirrors.txt
You use it like this:
smart mirror --add http://rpm.livna.org/smart-mirrors.txt
BTW, you shouldn't touch what's in /var/lib/smart/. Those files get changed by smart when you change things in /etc/smart/.
Hope it helps.
On Wed January 31 2007, Martin Marques wrote:
Here's an example from livna to use smart mirrors:
http://rpm.livna.org/smart-mirrors.txt
You use it like this:
smart mirror --add http://rpm.livna.org/smart-mirrors.txt
BTW, you shouldn't touch what's in /var/lib/smart/. Those files get changed by smart when you change things in /etc/smart/.
Hope it helps.
At first glance, I was going to say that perhaps you'd missed some of the discussion in the thread, and had missed the point. On second take, I see possibilities. I do know how to configure mirrors using the GUI interface - I haven't bothered because it is tedious and consumes much time, and I hadn't found a need to. But, I can see where it would be much easier, perhaps, to generate that little text file, then add all the mirrors at once using the "add" command - I'll have to try that - thanks for your input.
-
Aaron Konstam -
Claude Jones -
Kam Leo -
Marcelo Magno T. Sales -
Martin Marques -
oleksandr korneta