Re: keeping multiple debian machines in sync
H, I wonder if its possible to create an master 'image' and xfer it over to other machines. Of course all the machines must the same hardware. On Wed, 2 Apr 1997, Steve Hsieh wrote: Having used debian for quite awhile now, I've really come to appreciate the package system and it works great on an individual machine basis. But as soon as you have to start keeping many debian systems in sync with each other, it starts to get time consuming using dselect. How have others tackled this problem of keeping 10 or more debian linux machines synced together? I assume you don't go about running dselect on each machine. One alternative I can think of is to use dpkg --get-selection to get the list of installed packages on a master machine, and then use dpkg --set-selection on the rest of the machines to set what is selected to be installed, and then to run dpkg over there. Still in that case, I still have to babysit each install process and answer the same questions in the post-install scripts as I did on the master machine. The other alternative seems to be using rdist or some similar program and rdisting /usr and selected parts of /var to the other machines. But in that case, I break the package lists on the other machines since the other machines will no longer know the correct list of packages already installed, and it is conceivable that someone might want to add one or two packages not in the standard distribution in which case it might fail. Ideas? Thanks.
Re: keeping multiple debian machines in sync
On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Rick Hawkins wrote: The ideal way would be for dpkg or dselect to be more network aware, and allow remote installs. The main problem right now is that there is no way to save all the keystrokes that I'd type during the configuration stage, so I have to type the same things for each install. just off the top of my head, but how about using deselect to select the packages, then replacing /var/lib/dpkg/status on the other machines with this file from the master? Then master downloads the files by ftp (or whatever), and the others get their files from master? rick This works for me. I often have to do this when playing with the bo packages. You could easily put it in a script with proper checking of dpkg exit() codes. 1) nfs is used (/mirrors/debian is a symlink to /mnt/dx2/mirrors/debian) 2) use dselect or view Packages to get dependencies 3) something like this: cd /mirrors/debian/bo/libs dpkg -i neededlib1* dpkg -i neededlib2* cd ../admin dpkg -i wantedapp* I have used this method several times to sucessfully get back to the point where install from dselect would succeed again. I suppose you could write a version that would first deselect several of the default packages that are initially selected for install/upgrade. If server disk space is not a problem, place the packages in directories numbered by dependency level: cd /mirrors/debian/local/level1 dpkg -i *.deb cd ../level2 dpkg -i *.deb cd ../level3 dpkg -i *.deb or just put symlinks in the levelN directories: cd /mirrors/debian ln -s contrib/binary/package.deb level1/package.deb Paul Wade - Greenbush Technologies Corporation http://www.greenbush.com/cds.html Linux CD's sent worldwide
Re: keeping multiple debian machines in sync
The ideal way would be for dpkg or dselect to be more network aware, and allow remote installs. The main problem right now is that there is no way to save all the keystrokes that I'd type during the configuration stage, so I have to type the same things for each install. just off the top of my head, but how about using deselect to select the packages, then replacing /var/lib/dpkg/status on the other machines with this file from the master? Then master downloads the files by ftp (or whatever), and the others get their files from master? rick
Re: keeping multiple debian machines in sync
On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Matthew Tebbens wrote: H, I wonder if its possible to create an master 'image' and xfer it over to other machines. Of course all the machines must the same hardware. Yes, that's what I was referring to when I talked about using rdist (which is how we keep our sunos and solaris machines in sync). But as you pointed out, this requires that the machines have very similar hardware configurations, and I can't assume this especially when it comes to video support. Also, using rdist will mean that the installed packages info for dpkg will be incorrect on all other machines besides the master image machine (if the owner of one machine adds a package for example, that info would go away if I pushed over an dpkg info file from the master). The ideal way would be for dpkg or dselect to be more network aware, and allow remote installs. The main problem right now is that there is no way to save all the keystrokes that I'd type during the configuration stage, so I have to type the same things for each install.
Re: keeping multiple debian machines in sync / dselect dependecies
This brings up another point -- why can't dselect list the order in which deb files should be installed for me? Or can it and I just don't know? Right now, when you use dselect, it seems to just try to install packages in alphabetical-recursive order (which is why I run into catch-22 problems such as not being able to install ghostview because gs-aladdin is not installed, but not installing gs-aladdin because ghostview failed to configure). If I could get it to generate a script that issues dpkg -iOEGB deb files in the right order without me having to manually construct such a tree as you suggest below, that would be a large step in the right direction. On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Paul Wade wrote: On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Rick Hawkins wrote: just off the top of my head, but how about using deselect to select the packages, then replacing /var/lib/dpkg/status on the other machines with this file from the master? Then master downloads the files by ftp (or whatever), and the others get their files from master? This works for me. I often have to do this when playing with the bo packages. You could easily put it in a script with proper checking of dpkg exit() codes. 1) nfs is used (/mirrors/debian is a symlink to /mnt/dx2/mirrors/debian) 2) use dselect or view Packages to get dependencies 3) something like this: cd /mirrors/debian/bo/libs dpkg -i neededlib1* dpkg -i neededlib2* cd ../admin dpkg -i wantedapp*
Re: keeping multiple debian machines in sync / dselect dependecies
On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Steve Hsieh wrote: This brings up another point -- why can't dselect list the order in which deb files should be installed for me? Or can it and I just don't know? Right now, when you use dselect, it seems to just try to install packages in alphabetical-recursive order (which is why I run into catch-22 problems such as not being able to install ghostview because gs-aladdin is not installed, but not installing gs-aladdin because ghostview failed to configure). If I could get it to generate a script that issues dpkg -iOEGB deb files in the right order without me having to manually construct such a tree as you suggest below, that would be a large step in the right direction. Okay, I'll work on that. Besides, the current method of recursing through stable, non-free, and contrib just to install one or two packages takes way too long on my 386-40 or 486-66. When dselect is loaded, it locks the database. You can't use it as a viewer/selector and run dpkg on another console at the same time. When do you want it ready? Probably yesterday, like me. On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Paul Wade wrote: On Thu, 3 Apr 1997, Rick Hawkins wrote: just off the top of my head, but how about using deselect to select the packages, then replacing /var/lib/dpkg/status on the other machines with this file from the master? Then master downloads the files by ftp (or whatever), and the others get their files from master? This works for me. I often have to do this when playing with the bo packages. You could easily put it in a script with proper checking of dpkg exit() codes. 1) nfs is used (/mirrors/debian is a symlink to /mnt/dx2/mirrors/debian) 2) use dselect or view Packages to get dependencies 3) something like this: cd /mirrors/debian/bo/libs dpkg -i neededlib1* dpkg -i neededlib2* cd ../admin dpkg -i wantedapp* Paul Wade - Greenbush Technologies Corporation http://www.greenbush.com/cds.html Linux CD's sent worldwide
RE: keeping multiple debian machines in sync
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- On 02-Apr-97 Steve Hsieh wrote: Having used debian for quite awhile now, I've really come to appreciate the package system and it works great on an individual machine basis. But as soon as you have to start keeping many debian systems in sync with each other, it starts to get time consuming using dselect. How have others tackled this problem of keeping 10 or more debian linux machines synced together? I assume you don't go about running dselect on each machine. One alternative I can think of is to use dpkg --get-selection to get the list of installed packages on a master machine, and then use dpkg --set-selection on the rest of the machines to set what is selected to be installed, and then to run dpkg over there. Still in that case, I still have to babysit each install process and answer the same questions in the post-install scripts as I did on the master machine. The other alternative seems to be using rdist or some similar program and rdisting /usr and selected parts of /var to the other machines. But in that case, I break the package lists on the other machines since the other machines will no longer know the correct list of packages already installed, and it is conceivable that someone might want to add one or two packages not in the standard distribution in which case it might fail. Ideas? Thanks. Off the top of my head, I'd say the best choice is to do a backup prior to major mod's. Once the first system is upgraded do a differential backup to a differe nt archive. Then do a restore/update to the other systems. The system will have to be offlimits during upgrade to keep others from modifyin g files other than the pkgs in question. Write a script to make backups of config files that are different between the or iginal system and the rest. Maybe de-select those config's for restore/update. For minor changes cp the dpkg database and debian sub-dir to the other systems b efore going to the install phase of the d/l process. You will ofcourse have to run dpkg --config --pending etc... on the other systems and answer the questions over again, but this is the minor update scenario. Just quick thoughts. Maybe Debian has an easier way. Maybe they will change ds elect to allow for network installation. I know there's a program out there that updates all systems in a network but I c an't think of the name right now. Hope this sparks an idea. Have a good one. - -- Rick [EMAIL PROTECTED] E-Mail: Rick [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 02-Apr-97 Time: 15:38:45 - -- -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBM0LD5Qi+Ph+i3TgpAQFXUgP/bquYrB6xX8en5Ub1Y2mxaY9OoG1Jz7Jq yK+Bb1EPHKhjz1U8SayUiQlEcb7GB/6k1m17eiO2eOKVrwKmHCNLZ6PMVgMxyOiZ iKQIe2sS5Nw2zlc/+5qHL2gurp9qVICIFhhrGazNs4Y5cL5Hyo3ZMn8rfRswaayV SrWGg7BgJ+0= =UjxQ -END PGP SIGNATURE-
