APT-ZIP(8)                                             APT-ZIP(8)



NAME
       apt-zip-list, apt-zip-inst - Use apt with removable media

SYNOPSIS
       apt-zip-list  [  --help]   [ --version]  [ --medium=mount-
       point]   [  --aptgetaction=action]    [   --packages=pack-
       age[,package...]]   [  --fix-broken]   [  --skip-mount]  [
       --method=method]    [   --options=opt[,opt...]]    [     [
       --accept=accept[,accept...]]                             [
       --reject=reject[,reject...]] ]


       apt-zip-inst [ --help]  [  --version]   [  --medium=mount-
       point]    [   --aptgetaction=action]   [  --packages=pack-
       age[,package...]]  [ --fix-broken]  [ --skip-mount]


DESCRIPTION
       This manpage should be up-to-date with version  0.13.1  of
       the programs.

       The  apt-zip-list  and  apt-zip-inst commands simplify the
       upgrade process  of  a  non-networked  Debian  host  using
       apt(8),  by  using  (preferably  high-capacity)  removable
       media, like a ZIP drive.

       apt-zip-list produces two files. One is a script that  can
       be  used  on another host (maybe not running a Debian sys-
       tem) to fetch packages previously selected  in  dselect(8)
       or   indicated   in  the  command  line,  the  other  apt-
       zip.options saves the  options  used  by  apt-zip-list  to
       indicates  to  apt-zip-inst  what action to perform and/or
       which packages to install.  Various types of  scripts  can
       be  generated,  by  specifying a fetch method supported by
       the host that will fetch the packages.  If you prefer, the
       script may generate a tarball containing the fetched pack-
       ages.

       The name of the script (as well as the name of the tarfile
       when using the tar option) contains the name of the Debian
       host for which the packages are to be fetched.   Thus  you
       can,  using  the same medium, upgrade several hosts at the
       same time, provided you have enough space  on  this  disk.
       This should work with or without the tar option.

       The  script  is  written to the removable medium, which is
       mounted if necessary, and then restored  to  the  original
       unmounted state when applicable.  It is the responsibility
       of the user then to run the script on  a  host  that  will
       fetch  the  packages,  and  to have them (or the generated
       archive) copied to the removable medium.

       When back on your Debian host, you just run  apt-zip-inst,
       which  will  take  care  of the script-produced files, and
       call apt(8) to install the packages on your disk.

OPTIONS
   COMMON OPTIONS
       --help, -h
              Show summary of options.

       --version, -V
              Show version of program.

       --medium, -m
              Select a  removable  medium  other  than  the  site
              default.

       --aptgetaction, -a
              Select the action done by apt-get. Possible actions
              are dselect-upgrade,upgrade and dist-upgrade.

              If --packages is not set the  default  is  dselect-
              upgrade  (See also apt-zip.conf), if it is set none
              is selected.

       --packages, -p
              Comma-separated list of extra packages to  install.

       --fix-broken, -f
              Run apt-get with the --fix-broken option.  See apt-
              get(8) for more details.

       --skip-mount
              Allow specifying a non-mountpoint directory to  the
              --medium  option.   This  may  help on laptops only
              getting  point-to-point  networking  without  being
              routed  to.   This is also useful while testing the
              program, as it allows sending the script into /tmp.

   OPTIONS FOR APT-ZIP-LIST
       --method, -M
              Select  a  method other than the default one.  Only
              the wget method is supported for now.

       --options, -o
              Specifies a set of options to be used while  gener-
              ating  the  script.  A warning is issued only if an
              option is unkown to  apt-zip-list,  but  all  known
              options  may  not  be  supported  by  all  methods.
              Options may be given a value, with the option=value
              syntax.

              Currently available options include:

              tar[=gnutarprogram]
                     causes  the  dowloaded  files  to be grouped
                     into a tarball.  The name of a  tar  program
                     on the download machine can be specified, if
                     different from tar.  Example: tar=gtar.

                     When used in conjunction  with  the  restart
                     option, a GNU tar must be specified, so that
                     2 tarballs man be  concatenated  -  this  is
                     only  needed  on the 3rd and subsequent runs
                     of the fetch script.

              restart
                     causes the downloaded files  to  be  grouped
                     into a tarball.

       --accept , -A / --reject , -R
              Comma-separated list of accepted/rejected protocols
              for download. By default are only accepted http and
              ftp.

CONFIG FILE
       The   /etc/apt/apt-zip.conf   file  can  be  used  to  set
       defaults:  method,  removable  medium,  options,   apt-get
       action  and  accepted/rejected  protocols.   It is a self-
       explainatory bourne-shell script snippet.   It  allows  to
       provide site defaults for command-line options.

METHOD API
       A  method  is  handled  by an executable object (usually a
       script) placed in the  /usr/share/apt-zip/methods/  direc-
       tory.   This  executable is fed on standard input with the
       output of apt-get --print-uris.

       It is communicated the state of  requested  options  using
       for each option an environment variables named OPTION_OPT-
       NAME, where OPTNAME is the uppercased name of an option.

       Additional environment variables are  also  set,  such  as
       APTZIPVERSION,  APTZIPTARFILE, APTZIPINSFILE, and OPTIONS.

LIMITATIONS
       · Only one disk can be used.  If your packages do not  fit
         on  one,  you  have to deselect some packages using dse-
         lect(8) or you have to select a suitable list  of  pack-
         age.

       · The  files  on  an Internet distribution site can change
         rather frequently.  It is up to the user  to  make  sure
         the  site was not updated between the build of the fetch
         script by apt-zip-list and the fetch  itself,  otherwise
         some required files may not be possible to fetch.

FILES
       /etc/apt/apt-zip.conf

       /usr/share/apt-zip/methods/

BUGS
       · The  restart feature is really slow.  The tar command on
         Solaris(tm) has an option to seek in the file instead of
         assuming  a  non-seekable device, which greatly improves
         performance.  GNU tar does not seem to  be  able  to  do
         that.

       · Virtually  no  error-checking is done.  Examples of such
         error conditions include: - out-of-diskspace on both the
         removable medium and in apt archive cache when using tar
         option.

       · Somewhat consequently, error-recovery  also  nears  non-
         existence.   As  examples,  an  interrupted fetch in tar
         mode has to be restarted from zero;  changes  in  status
         file  between  runs of apt-zip-list and apt-zip-inst are
         not detected and may lead to failure.

AUTHOR
       The   programs   were   written   by   YannDirson    <dir-
       son@debian.org>.  It was maintained previously by SantiBe-
       jar <tiarda@yahoo.es>, and currently maintained by  Giaco-
       moCatenazzi  <cate@debian.org>   for  the Debian GNU/Linux
       system.

       The source for this reference page is an SGML file,  which
       can be converted to UNIX manpages using docbook2man(1)

SEE ALSO
       apt(8), apt-get(8), dselect(8).



Debian GNU/Linux         02 November 2001              APT-ZIP(8)