On Sun, 26 Feb 2023 Albretch Mueller wrote:
Basically, I am trying to download all packages that are part of the
installation dependencies of a given one into a directory of my
choosing to then install packages on an unexposed machine.
Like Roberto Sanchez wrote, this sounds like a use-case for the
apt-offline package (which I have not used).
There is also an apt-doc package available that includes a (relatively
old-looking) tutorial called...
Using APT offline
Abstract: This document describes how to use APT in a non-networked
environment, specifically a 'sneaker-net' approach for performing
upgrades.
... which I assume predates the apt-offline package. It looks brief
and to-the-point, and might satisfy some of the curiosity you have
about how APT works.
apt-rdepends nicely lists all dependencies ordered as a depth first
graph,
Sure, sort of like
$ apt-cache --recurse rdepends xterm # or whatever
but I am getting "pkgcache.bin" and "srcpkgcache.bin" files for all
package names.
I suspect that what is happening, which makes you say this, is that
you are running a script that is looking in the wrong directory for
deb files.
If I am correct, then the answer is to fix your script. See below.
I found a nice explanation of what seems to be all there is to be
known about apt (any other documentation you would recommend?):
https://www.juliensobczak.com/inspect/2021/05/15/linux-packages-under-the-hood.html
but I don't see an answer to my question.
Is this your question?
Subject: Re: where are the actual ".deb" packages? all I see are
"pkgcache.bin" and "srcpkgcache.bin"
The answer could be that you are looking in the wrong directory.
Here, I look in the wrong directory for my own *.deb files that APT
archives for me.
$ ls -p /var/cache/apt
archives/ pkgcache.bin srcpkgcache.bin
Instead, this is the correct directory:
/var/cache/apt/archives/
Where are [the .deb files]
The ones kept around after normal package installation/upgrades/etc
are in /var/cache/apt/archives/ .
But the .deb files your homemade script is downloading are in whatever
directory it runs this command
apt --option APT::Architecture="${_ARCH}" --option Dir::Cache="${_DL_DIR}" download
"${_DEB_PKG_2DL}"
You think apt is putting them in "${_DL_DIR}". But it isn't.
"${_DL_DIR}" is just where apt is storing its binary cache (as you
requested it to do).
If you want to see the debs you're downloading, list the contents of
the directory you run the apt command in, not "${_DL_DIR}".
or how do I get the ".deb" package out of those binary
files?
You don't. That would be like trying to get your great-grandfather out
of the parish archives of some town he once lived in. His name may be
in some ledger, but you won't find him there.
pkgcache.bin and srcpkgcache.bin are described here in the source you
cite
https://www.juliensobczak.com/inspect/2021/05/15/linux-packages-under-the-hood.html#wynk-apt-cache-files
which in turn cites
APT Cache File Format
http://www.fifi.org/doc/libapt-pkg-doc/cache.html/index.html#contents
But insofar as you only want to know what information those binary
cache files contain, I think studying
$ man apt-cache
would be more profitable use of time.
Here ends my commentary.
I leave your included script intact below:
_DEB_PKG="gimp"
_ARCH=$(dpkg --print-architecture)
_DT=$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)
_LOG="apt-rdepends_${_DT}_${_DEB_PKG}_${_ARCH}.log"
echo "// __ \$_LOG: |${_LOG}|"
###
time apt-rdepends "${_DEB_PKG}:${_ARCH}" | grep --extended-regexp
'^[a-zA-Z0-9]' | tac > "${_LOG}" 2>&1
ls -l "${_LOG}"
wc -l "${_LOG}"
_DEB_PKG_2DL=$(head -n 1 "${_LOG}")
echo "// __ \$_DEB_PKG_2DL: |${_DEB_PKG_2DL}|"
_DL_DIR="$(pwd)/${_DT}/${_DEB_PKG_2DL}"
mkdir --parents --verbose "${_DL_DIR}"
apt --option APT::Architecture="${_ARCH}" --option
Dir::Cache="${_DL_DIR}" download "${_DEB_PKG_2DL}"
ls -l "${_DL_DIR}"
file "${_DL_DIR}/"*.*
// __ $_LOG: |apt-rdepends_20230226170006_gimp_amd64.log|
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 3254 Feb 26 17:00
apt-rdepends_20230226170006_gimp_amd64.log
270 apt-rdepends_20230226170006_gimp_amd64.log
// __ $_DEB_PKG_2DL: |xdg-utils|
mkdir: created directory '/home/user/20230226170006'
mkdir: created directory '/home/user/20230226170006/xdg-utils'
Get:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian bullseye/main amd64 xdg-utils all
1.1.3-4.1 [75.5 kB]
Fetched 75.5 kB in 1s (143 kB/s)
total 67616
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 34678812 Feb 26 17:00 pkgcache.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 34555088 Feb 26 17:00 srcpkgcache.bin
/home/user/20230226170006/xdg-utils/pkgcache.bin: APT cache data,
version 16.0, little-endian, 97918 packages, 87142 versions
/home/user/20230226170006/xdg-utils/srcpkgcache.bin: APT cache data,
version 16.0, little-endian, 97917 packages, 87141 versions
--
Ce qui est important est rarement urgent
et ce qui est urgent est rarement important
-- Dwight David Eisenhower
