Hey guys. If any of ya were on the old Mandriva users I was a regular on there a few years back. I just couldn't get into Mandriva since 2006. I've been in Debian Land since then. But this year things have gone south and I'm looking around for a new route. Been toying with Mepis as it's straight debian based. But finally decided to give PCLOS a look. But got a couple questions coming back to the old rpm deal.
OK. Here's my scenario. I have 1 main computer connected to the internet. I have two other boxes not connected. I'm looking for a way to make a similar install on the unconnected machines. In debian I used apt-move to make a local mirror and burned the dirs to cd and used those cd's as repositories. Now I've done some searches on here but can't really find an answer on how to do something similar in PCLOS. I've gone into Synaptic and told it to keep all downloaded packages in the cache. But what would be the best way to then take those downloaded packages and install them onto a disconnected box. I'd hate to have to do the old rpm -i in terminal way. And clicking on an rpm no longer gives you the option to install the rpm (old Mandrake way).
Also. trying to find some of my old files I'm missing here (xgammon, xgalaga, defendguin, camstream) I've used rpmfind before. But the searches don't seem to be to successful lately. Are there repos out there that might include such packages? Or another search site?
The first thing you have to realize is that this being a rolling upgrade distro, you only have one repo open at a time, and all repos are mirrors of each other, so find the one that is closest or fastest from your location and stick with it. Also forget rpmfind... what you'll find is trouble and a broken system. Also be aware that our apt is apt4rpm and the commands used will differ from those used by Debian; be careful with that. It's best to stick with Synaptic.
Once installed, the first order of business is an immediate upgrade of the full system, to get your system in sync with with the repo mirrors. Don't be surprised if the upgraded packages runs into the hundreds, it probably will. It's been a couple of months since the last liveCD iso was released, and there have been a lot of packages upgraded since then. Only after doing the upgrades and getting your system in sync with the repos can you attempt to install additional applications. To do so without the full system upgrades is inviting disaster. To install apps from outside our own repos is equally hazardous, and can cause no end of problems with your installation. There are a few exceptions, but always ask before attempting this. If you really need an application and it is not in the repos, you can ask that it be added in the Package Suggest area. If it can be legally and safely added, it will be. Depending on the degree of difficulty creating a specific package, most requests are honored in a matter of days. Easy to build packages have been provided on the same day the request was made, in some cases. It depends on who among the packagers has the time available.
With each new application you wish to add in the future, always do the upgrade procedure again, first. You may be surprised at how many packages have been upgraded since the last time you installed an application. I check for new upgrades three times a day, using update-notifier. In the last two days I've upgraded four or five times; the first being hundreds of packages owing to an upgrade of python.
If you want to successfully keep the "not on line" units fully upgraded, you'd best be served with a private repo mirror on the connected system. Many here do just that. Putting saved packages on DVD means your packages will be out of date in a matter of days, maybe hours.
I'm not trying to scare you off, just make you aware that with PCLinuxOS you're not in Kansas anymore. Things here are different. You can embrace the difference, or reject it, but if you install PCLinuxOS and try to do things in some form of hybrid manner of your own making, you will break your system. It may be sooner or later but it's not a maybe; it's a certainty.
Now, after all that doomsday sounding stuff... welcome to the forum; that funny farm on the net we call home.
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