jablicator - Share package collection choice across machines
SYNOPSIS
jablicator [--versions]
DESCRIPTION
jablicator generates an "apt-get"-able package. The package itself is
empty. However it has a dependency for every non-required
Debian package that is on the machine. This program will
create and populate two directories
dists and
pool in your working directory. You can then move them to a
web accessible location.
This utility is designed to reduce software distribution and
maintenance costs by reducing redundant system administration. For
example, I have spent a lot of time finding and vetting image
processing software from Debian's large package collection. With this
utility, my image processing colleague down the hall can easily
benefit from the fruit of my labor.
There are many replication techniques in Debian. This one has the
advantage of using the apt and dpkg infrastructure. A disadvantage is
the possibility of packages changing out from under you in the Debian
distribution (especially in testing or unstable). That means that
jablicator output can grow stale over time if it is not regenerated.
SECURITY
The packages produced by this program contain a lot of information,
including a list of the Debian packages installed on the machine and
a listing of
apt-get sources. Some system administrators consider sharing such information a
security risk.
FILES
/etc/apt/sources.list
OPTIONS
--versions
Specify that that package version numbers are recorded in the dependency.
Useful for people who wish to replicate hybrid Debian installations (i.e. some
packages from the stable distribution, some are from the unstable
distribution). This option has disadvantages due to the fact that Debian
is a dynamic distribution; most users should not use this option.
