I wrote a web-app for downloading packages + dependencies.

[kaens]

Hey everyone, I'm not entirely sure if this is the best place to stick this semi-announcement, but since the actual announcement forum is locked, and it doesn't seem to fit anywhere else, I guess this will do.

I wrote a little web-app using python and cherrypy that allows people to download a package and it's dependencies as a tarfile. I've run into a couple situations where I had one box that didn't have internet access, needed to do some installation on it, and had lots of fun manually resolving package dependencies, until I found apt-get build-dep, and then it's still two commands to get the package and it's dependencies, etc.

Anyhow, it's open source (of course), and can be viewed / used at http://packagedepends.homelinux.org:8080. It's currently hosted on my personal machine, so I don't think it can handle too much of a hit as far as load goes, but if you're interested or could use it, feel free to check it out.

[blithen]

Wow! Works great. Pretty cool program. Great job!

[eldragon]

freakin awesome, how do i install it on my personal apache web server so that i dont kill your bw...?

i suppose it uses the local package cache to pack things.......right?

[koenn]

I get


404 Not Found
The path '/download' was not found. with each package I try. Then when I try the same package again, it works.

Other than that, it seems to be doing what you intended. Nice work.

[kaens]

freakin awesome, how do i install it on my personal apache web server so that i dont kill your bw...?


Branch from launchpad, bzr branch lp:pd or something like that. I'm not sure about setting up cherrypy to run behind apache. There are install instructions, the funkiest thing you have to do is add a line to /etc/sudoers for apt-get build-dep -dy



i suppose it uses the local package cache to pack things.......right?

No, I don't think so. I'm not actually sure what you mean by local package cache. It actually runs aptitude download packagename and apt-get build-dep -dy -oDir::Cache:Archives=path packagename. It does keep the tarfile handy in canse someone else downloads the same package, but the packages are generated on the fly.



Wow! Works great. Pretty cool program. Great job!


Thanks!

[kaens]

I get


404 Not Found
The path '/download' was not found. with each package I try. Then when I try the same package again, it works.

Other than that, it seems to be doing what you intended. Nice work.

Odd, I don't have any 404's in my logs. What browser are you using, and what packages are you searching for?

Edit: I found the 404s... apt-proxy - looks like it's sending you the download link before actually making the package, weird.

[koenn]

Odd, I don't have any 404's in my logs. What browser are you using, and what packages are you searching for?

Edit: I found the 404s... apt-proxy - looks like it's sending you the download link before actually making the package, weird.

yep, that would be me. I tried apt-proxy, bash, and something virtualbox - same result each time.

I use FF 3.0.1 through a squid proxy - could the proxy affect how your app works ?

[kaens]

I use FF 3.0.1 through a squid proxy - could the proxy affect how your app works ?

That's definately possible. I haven't tried accessing it through a proxy at all. When download?package=packagename is hit, it then downloads / generates the package and serves it back - download corresponds to a method, not to an actual file. If the proxy tries to fetch the "page" before the method was finished (and it looks like it is), it would 404.

[eldragon]

Branch from launchpad, bzr branch lp:pd or something like that. I'm not sure about setting up cherrypy to run behind apache. There are install instructions, the funkiest thing you have to do is add a line to /etc/sudoers for apt-get build-dep -dy



No, I don't think so. I'm not actually sure what you mean by local package cache. It actually runs aptitude download packagename and apt-get build-dep -dy -oDir::Cache:Archives=path packagename. It does keep the tarfile handy in canse someone else downloads the same package, but the packages are generated on the fly.



Thanks!

well, when you do apt-get update, you download a list of available packages and their versions..


anyway, browsing through launchpad i found it how it worked, quite clever :D

this should come as an option directly through apt-get

say: apt-get pack-dep package

[OutOfReach]

Haha works like a charm!
Nice work ;)

[kaens]

well, when you do apt-get update, you download a list of available packages and their versions..


Oh, yes. It uses those, if you're referring to the files in /var/lib/apt/lists.



anyway, browsing through launchpad i found it how it worked, quite clever :D

this should come as an option directly through apt-get

say: apt-get pack-dep package

It almost does, it comes _so frustratingly close_ to being there as one command.

[koenn]

That's definately possible. I haven't tried accessing it through a proxy at all. When download?package=packagename is hit, it then downloads / generates the package and serves it back - download corresponds to a method, not to an actual file. If the proxy tries to fetch the "page" before the method was finished (and it looks like it is), it would 404.

I seem to get the same problem also without proxy.
Let me know if there's anything I can do if you want to investigate this further.

[kaens]

I seem to get the same problem also without proxy.
Let me know if there's anything I can do if you want to investigate this further.

I'd really like to know what's going on, but you seem to be the only person it's happening to, and I frankly don't have any clue why.

I've tried it in firefox 3.0.1, so I don't think that's the problem.

Maybe it will happen to some other people and we can figure it out. I'm a bit stumped, as it is.

It is happening consistently, right?

[Newuser1111]

It crashed FireFox.

[kernelhaxor]

thts a cool idea .. I guess ur hard disk is getting full with all the tarballs it prepares for other ppl .. Oh well, I guess u can delete the tarballs as and when required ..

thanks mate!

[kaens]

It crashed FireFox.

Are you the person who searched for "a"? It certainly might crash firefox if you tried to load such a huge results list.

Edit: if not, what did you search for that crashed it?


thts a cool idea .. I guess ur hard disk is getting full with all the tarballs it prepares for other ppl .. Oh well, I guess u can delete the tarballs as and when required

The tarballs tend to be pretty small. The tarball directory is currently taking up 278M, a lot of that is gcc-4.2-source and eclipse tarballs.

If I had a dedicated server / real host for this, I would just make sure to have enough hard-drive space for them, and perhaps clean cache every once in a while, or when packages get updated.

[Newuser1111]

Are you the person who searched for "a"? It certainly might crash firefox if you tried to load such a huge results list.

Edit: if not, what did you search for that crashed it?
I typed "WINE" or something similar.

[kaens]

I typed "WINE" or something similar.

Could it have just been a random firefox crash? Does is crash again when you try it again? If so, what version of firefox?