[Yum-devel] Changing the layout of repodata to simplify making local yum repo.

[seth vidal]

On Thu, 2006-06-01 at 23:08 +1000, David Timms wrote:

> I have searched the archives in relation to this but only found Jesse's:
> "Changing the way that Development lands", so if this has been done
> before kindly point me to some better google terms.
> 
> What I would like to see changed is a common structure between online
> and CD/DVD layouts and the downloaded yum cache eg currently:
> 

> This could be advantageous in other ways eg:
> 1. the repodata folder is not inside the packages/RPMS dir, hence
> machines trying to ftp repodata/* wont need to cause a complete folder
> contents traversal of say thousands of rpms.
> 2. rsync or other mirroring of the structure could be done, and the
> result is immediately usable by yum.
> 3. mock building easier since a local {partial} mirror easier to setup
>   (just copy the downloads that mock does first time, ht/f tp serve it,
> config mock-yum to retrieve from above. and keep it up2date with what
> further mock runs retrieve).

reposync and che's fedora-mirror tool are even easier to use to build a
local mirror.


> Disadvantages:
> 1. other repos would need to catch up for the yum changes.

and other tools
> 2. Is it of limited usefulness ?

yes.


> 
> I can see that at least various bits would need to change:
> 1. yum to store it's cached repodata in a folder one level down called
> repodata, ie changes to yum itself

why not keep a mirroring tool separate rather than counting on yum to do
it 'by default'

> 2. layout of each repo changed and rebuild the filelist.xml to suit

then you're not mirroring, you're making a whole new repository.


> 3. mirroring {as Jesse worked out for the other layout changes} needs
> some tricks.

those tricks are more or less dealt with in reposync and che's tool.
> 

> What problems/etc can people see with this proposal ? Is changing yum in
> this way a bad idea ?

not necessarily bad just not terribly beneficial.

-sv