According to the following page which has instructions for setting it up for Ubuntu:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Debmirror There is an alternate method using apt-cacher-server where you are apparently just caching the main mirror for packages that your clients want to use, instead of the whole shebang. Might save on disk space and save on network bandwidth. Apt-cacher also has an instruction page here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Apt-Cacher-Server I should probably do this, for sure. Ted -----Original Message----- From: PLUG <[email protected]> On Behalf Of David Bridges Sent: Friday, June 12, 2026 8:08 AM To: Portland Linux/Unix Group <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [PLUG] Anyone built a .deb repo for offline apt installs? I would suggest debmirror, it is available using apt. I'ved used it for a long time and it works nicely. The example below is what I have in cron to host an internal mirror for our servers. I do not mirror the security repositories but that is also possible. FYI, if you include sid the repo will receive a lot of and take quite a while to complete and use quite a hit of disk space, with the command below our repo is 338G. debmirror -a amd64 --keyring=/home/doofas/.gnupg/pubring.kbx -- keyring=/usr/share/keyrings/debian-keyring.gpg -- dist=bookworm,bookworm-updates,trixie,trixie-updates,sid -s main,contrib,non-free,non-free-firmware,main/debian-installer -- getcontents --diff=mirror --nosource --postcleanup --method=ftp -- passive --h ftp-osl.osuosl.org --progress /srv/repo/mirror/debian -- David -----Original Message----- From: Ben Koenig via PLUG <[email protected]> Reply-To: Portland Linux/Unix Group <[email protected]> To: Portland Linux/Unix Group <[email protected]> Cc: Ben Koenig <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [PLUG] Anyone built a .deb repo for offline apt installs? Date: 06/12/2026 09:36:29 AM That is exactly the kind of thing we like to talk about at this kiddie table ;) I would be interested in learning the steps to do this as an educational exercise. At an abstract level I've implemented this type of infrastructure for my Slackware boxen at home. I would imagine that Debian has a wiki/blog article providing the same steps with different tools. I guess the place to start would be to look up any documentation or how-tos for hosting a Debian 'repository mirror'. You could then customize that process according to your needs. As for the general PLUG mindset - Nobody here is going to lynch you for trying to disconnect yourself from corporate monopolies. We might even help :) -Ben On Thursday, June 11th, 2026 at 11:53 PM, George <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey guys. I'm trying to plan against the inevitable apocalypse and get > all the .deb files i might want onto a local robot. > This way i can reinstall anything i use without internet access (or > roaming the wasteland searching bombed out universities, hoping this > thumb drive still works ). > I figure it's only a matter of time before everything free isn't. I > guess, once downloaded, it gets formatted into a readable > organization, with a Packages file, using reprepro, and then link > nginx over to the pool/ list. > I'm wondering, only recently having wandered in after lurking you > guyses posts on and off since the 90's, if this is the sort of thing > you like to talk about? > Or should i head back over to the kiddie table in shame? > Or, likewise, am i gonna get jailed for talking about stuff that's > reserved to the scripture of paid gurus? > Mostly, i joined cuz i'm looking for someone in Hillsboro to talk to > about this junk over a beer, without having to drive into PDX to do > it. > (I love PDX in that wistful way that i reminisce about how great my > ex-wife used to be.) -gbk
