How To Install Apt-Cacher-NG in Ubuntu Linux

[docplastic]

The following procedure describes How To install the Apt-Cacher-NG package in Ubuntu Linux.

(published at: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=981085)

Apt-Cacher-ng <http://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~bloch/acng/> is a software package that keeps a cache on the disk, of Debian Packages and Release files.
When an apt-get issues a request for a file, Apt-Cacher intercepts it and if the file is already in the cache it serves it to the client immediately, otherwise it fetches the file from the Internet, saves it on disk, and then serves it to the client. This means that each package needs to be downloaded only once, in order to let several Debian machines to use it afterwards.

Apt-Cacher-NG does not require an interpreter, nor a web server.
It does not: fork after server startup; create flag files; flock() files.
It uses native system functions (mmap, sendfile) to operate with few overhead.

1. Install Apt-Cacher-NG on the server machine
1.1. Download & Install from Ubuntu pool
sudo apt-get install apt-cacher-ng

1.2 RECOMMENDED: build & install from latest sources
sudo apt-get install libbz2-dev libfuse-dev # install support apps

# goto <http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt-cacher-ng/?C=M;O=D> and download the newest source:

cd $(mktemp -d) ; # create a temp dir and cd to it
wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/ma....6.orig.tar.gz
# get the sources from the debian/ubuntu repositories
apt-get source apt-cacher-ng
cd $(ls -d apt-cacher-ng-*/)

# update package info to new version
(export DEBFULLNAME='dummy';export DEBEMAIL='dummy <dummy@example.com>';uupdate --upstream-version 0.4.6 ../apt-cacher-ng_0.4.6.orig.tar.gz)
cd ../"$(dpkg-parsechangelog | sed -n 's/^Source: //p')-0.4.6"

# customize maintainer data
grep '^Maintainer\|^Uploaders\|XSBC-Original-Maintainer' debian/control
sed -i '/^Maintainer/s/: .*/: dummy <dummy@example.com>/;/^Uploaders/s/: .*/: dummy <dummy@example.com>/;/XSBC-Original-Maintainer/d' debian/control;

# adjust runlevel arguments
sed -i 's/2 3 5/2 3 4 5/;s/0 6/0 1 6/' debian/apt-cacher-ng/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng # grep '2 3\|0 ' debian/apt-cacher-ng/etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng
sed -i 's/2 3 5/2 3 4 5/;s/0 6/0 1 6/' debian/apt-cacher-ng.init # grep '2 3\|0 ' debian/apt-cacher-ng.init

# build the new package
(export DEBFULLNAME='dummy';export DEBEMAIL='dummy@example.com';debuild -i -us -uc);

cd .. ; cp -avf apt-cacher-ng*deb /home/ftp/it-sw-bin/
sudo apt-get purge libbz2-dev libfuse-dev # remove support apps

sudo dpkg -i apt-cacher-ng*deb && echo "apt-cacher-ng hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

2. Configure (apply to server and each client machine)
# search & replace 192.168.1.100 by the IP of the machine that will act as apt-cacher-ng server

# enable proxy usage by apt-get, aptitude, etc.
echo 'Acquire::http { Proxy "http://192.168.1.100:3142"; };' | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01apt-cacher-ng-proxy

# enable proxy usage by Synaptic
sudo grep --color -i 'proxy' /root/.synaptic/synaptic.conf || sudo nano /root/.synaptic/synaptic.conf

# ...and overwrite the last line }; with:
useProxy "1";
httpProxy "192.168.1.100";
httpProxyPort "3142";
ftpProxy "192.168.1.100";
ftpProxyPort "3142";
noProxy "";
};
sudo grep --color -i 'proxy' /root/.synaptic/synaptic.conf

# ...or enable proxy using the Synaptic GUI:
a) In Synaptic go to "Settings->Preferences->Network"
b) click "Manual Proxy Configuration"
c) enter:
HTTP Proxy: 192.168.1.100 3142
FTP Proxy: 192.168.1.100 3142
Click OK
Click Reload

sudo apt-get update # now update the apt-get system

3. Import local .deb files
test -x /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import || sudo mkdir -p -m 2755 /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import
sudo mv -uf /var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import/

sudo chown -R apt-cacher-ng.apt-cacher-ng /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import

# start import at: <http://192.168.1.100:3142/acng-report.html?doImport=Start+Import#bottom>

# cleanup and update apt cache index files
sudo rm -fr \
/var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import \
/var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb \
/var/cache/apt/*cache.bin \
/var/lib/apt/lists/*Packages \
/var/lib/apt/lists/*Sources
sudo apt-get update

4. To stop using the proxy
# disable proxy usage
sudo rm /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01apt-cacher-ng-proxy # by apt-get
sudo sed -i '/useProxy/s/1/0/' /root/.synaptic/synaptic.conf # by synaptic
sudo /etc/init.d/apt-cacher-ng stop # stop
sudo apt-get update
# do click Reload in the Synaptic GUI

# to completly remove the proxy from your system
#sudo apt-get purge apt-cacher-ng
#sudo rm -fr /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng

5. Other: optional customizations
# days before deleting unreferenced files
grep ExTreshold /etc/apt-cacher-ng/acng.conf
sudo sed -i 's/^ExTreshold:.*/ExTreshold: 15/' /etc/apt-cacher-ng/acng.conf

6. Dashboard & manual
# see the apt-cacher-ng dashboard at: <http://192.168.1.100:3142/acng-report.html>
# see apt-cacher-ng User Manual at: (right click at the link and open with your browser): <file:///usr/share/doc/apt-cacher-ng/html/index.html>
# Howtos: <http://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~bloch/acng/html/howtos.html>
## -- END --

[my_key]

Thanks a lot! I've set it up on my slug (nslu2) running Debian Lenny. I've installed apt-cacher-ng from the repo's. It was already configured for Debian and Ubuntu, so from the server side this was plug 'n' play. For the clients I've used your settings.

Apt-cacher-ng caches the repo's from the different versions of ubuntu quite nicely. It even nicely supports the different installs of intrepid in my home with different personal package archives (PPA, you know as in ppa.launchpad.net/*).

Although the slug is a very slow machine (226 Mhz processor, 28 MB ram). I don't see any noticeable slowdown on htop.

I'm very impressed with this package and it will come in very handy since I live in Belgium, which has fair adsl speeds, but with stupidly low bandwidth flat-rates. And that is a nasty combination.

The only bad thing about apt-cacher-ng is that the documentation tries to make everything look very difficult, but thanks to your help, it's not.

[lord_alan]

Thanks, that was clear and easy to follow.

And the cacher seems to be working fine

[rozilla]

what's the difference between apt-cacher and apt-cacher-ng? which one should i be installing?

[docplastic]

what's the difference between apt-cacher and apt-cacher-ng? which one should i be installing?

You should use apt-cacher-ng as it is newer, faster, needs less resources and is better maintained.

M.

[koshari]

echo 'Acquire::http { Proxy "http://localhost:3142"; };' | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01proxy

so you run this on the client machines and thats it?

[magicfab]

Why "download the latest version" ? At least make it clear that requires manual updates/upgrades! apt-cacher-ng is already packaged in Ubuntu.

Step 3 also strikes me as unneeded.

[reqlar]

Why "download the latest version" ? At least make it clear that requires manual updates/upgrades! apt-cacher-ng is already packaged in Ubuntu.

Step 3 also strikes me as unneeded.

Code for Step One:

apt-get install apt-cacher-ng

Step 3 is necessary in order to reload the repository indexes. If you skip step 3, you will get an error when importing the local cache into apt-cacher-ng.

If you don't wish to use the GUI tools, then substitute the following code for Step 3:

sudo apt-get update

Also... I've tested apt-cacher and apt-cacher-ng... I agree that apt-cacher-ng is SOOOO much faster!

Enjoy!

[expelledboy]

Is it neccessary to add a proxy to synaptic? I assumed it used the proxy that you specified in apt.conf.d?

[expelledboy]

Also has anyone tried this offline?

I want to install a computer using net-boot-installer that fetches the pre-cached files from a server that is away from any sort of internet connection.