[Gllug] managing a large number of debian boxes

[Bruce Richardson]

On Mon, Jun 07, 2004 at 09:44:21PM +0100, Dean wrote:
> On Mon, Jun 07, 2004 at 08:54:00PM +0100, Bruce Richardson wrote:
> > pkgsync, on the other hand, is specifically geared to this task.  You
> > can use cfengine (or rdist or something similar) to distribute pkgsync's
> > config files.
> > http://packages.debian.org/pkgsync
> 
> And for the audience; when would you use this and when would you use
> Jablicator?[0]

Jablicator takes a snapshot of the packages on a system, creating a
virutal package which depends on all of them.  Install that package on a
new, basic Debian install and you create a rough clone of another
installation.

pkgsync is more flexible and is specifically designed to bring a number
of machines into a more-or-less similar state.  It has 'must be
installed', 'may be installed' and 'must not be installed' lists, so you
have a choice between using it to mandate a strict package list or to
make sure that a wide range of machines share a certain minimum tool
set.  It is easy to maintain; once you have installed pkgsync, all you
have to do is distribute the package lists.

You could use Jablicator to duplicate the functionality of pkgsync but
it would take more work (for instance, you'd have to build a new version
of the virtual package every time you made a change).

-- 
Bruce

I must admit that the existence of Disneyland (which I know is real)
proves that we are not living in Judea in AD 50. -- Philip K. Dick
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