onefang wrote:
> The documentation for setting up a Devuan package mirror says to let me
> know if your mirror is using HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, or rsync. I suspect those
> last two are not actually needed. I want to get rid of them.

I am late to comment but I think this is okay.

* APT uses HTTP and optionally HTTPS

* FTP has been deprecated for APT use for a long time. FTP is not
required nor recommended for repository mirroring for a long time.

* RSYNC is *not suitable* for repository mirroring, at least not
without special handling, of the Packages and Release files et al
which will be out of sync in the default rsync mirror ordering.

> Apt doesn't look like it supports rsync at all, so no idea why that's in
> there.

I am sure it was thought to provide for easy mirroring of the
repository. But it takes so long for an rsync to complete that the
Packages and Release files will likely be out of sync with the on disk
deb files in the mirror.

One /could/ make a snapshot instantly and atomically and then make the
snapshot available by rsync to another snapshot which /could/ then be
promoted to a live repository. But I don't think anyone actually does
this. That's why I say it /could/ be possible.

I think disabling ftp and rsync is desirable. But if downstream
mirrors are using rsync then that would force them to upgrade to
another mirroring mechanism.

Bob