On Wed, Feb 05, 2025 at 02:53:12PM -0700, Bob Proulx via Dng wrote:
> 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.

So; onefang has turned off ftp and rsync on their server, which I now
undertand was their core "question", and there really is no need to
extend this discussion with opinions this way or that about the degree
of usefulness for devuan package mirrors to offer whatever range of
access methods.

Ralph.