debmirror (20060907)

  * Pdiff support

    The Debian archive added pdiff files for the index files to speed
    up apt-get update. Debmirror now uses those pdiff files to update
    the index files but by default keeps them out of the local mirror
    because they greatly slow down operations for local networks. You
    can change the behaviour with the --pdiff-mode option.

  * Postcleanup is now default

    It was mentioned that the default --cleanup removes files before
    the index files are updated. That can result in files missing from
    the mirror when the mirroring fails and the index files aren't
    updated at the end (and also while debmirror runs). The
    --postcleanup does not have that effect but can lead to temporaily
    more space usage on the mirror. If you are short on space you
    might want to make sure you use --cleanup.

  * Autodetecting non-existing archs and sections

    In the past it was impossible to mirror i386,amd64 and sarge,etch
    because sarge has no amd64 architecture. Similary there is no
    debian-installer section in contrib. Debmirror now ignores any
    combination of arch, suite and section that does not exist locally
    and is not listed in the Release file for the suite. This
    obsoletes the previously hardcoded exceptions and should allow to
    mirror unknown archives like Ubuntu without problems.

    Note that debmirror will fail when a combination of arch, suite
    and section that exists locally gets droped from the Release
    file. There is no danger of loosing a branch when the Release file
    is corrupted or the upstream changes.


debmirror (20050207)

  * Release.gpg file and check is now mandatory unless ignored

    Debmirror now checks the Release.gpg signature when mirroring to
    guard against syncing against a compromised mirror. For security
    reasons this check is on by default but can be disabled using
    --ignore-release-gpg. For the check to work the Debian archive key
    must be added to the (debmirror) users keyring or an alternative
    keyring must be configured.

    !!! This breaks existing debmirror scripts and cron !!!
    !!! jobs in almost all cases. Take care to adapt.   !!!

  * Release files are now mandatory unless ignored

    Sometimes downloads of meta files can abort for some reason and the
    download modules are not always reliable on reporting this.
    Debmirror now stops if the md5sum of meta file does not match the
    info in the Release file to guard against tampering or download
    failures. This check can be disabled with --ignore-missing-release
    but that is discouraged strongly.

  * output options have been split into verbose, progress and debug

    Verbose gives an overview of whats happening and a file by file
    progress while progress option adds individual download progress
    for the files (FTP and rsync only). Debug isn't useful unless
    something doesn't work.

  * download methods now include hftp and http

    Hftp is ftp over a http proxy like squid, what most people will
    (mistakenly) know as ftp_proxy.

    Hftp requires the use of a proxy while http will use it if given.
    ftp_proxy or http_proxy are taken from the environment unless
    overridden by --proxy.

  * cleanup can now be done pre or post mirroring

    Cleaning up after mirroring will use more space during mirroring
    but keeps a consistent mirror available at all times. Cleaning up
    before mirroring on the other hand will remove obsolete files
    while they are still referenced from the old Packages/Sources
    files. --postcleanup is recommended unless space prohibits it.

  * rsync options can be specified, e.g. to add --bwlimit

    Take note that --rsync-options override the default options
    completely and should include "-aIL --partial" for normal
    operation.

  * small errors (a missing deb or src)) can be ignored

    Sometimes the upstream mirror is inconsistent in itself. By
    default debmirror will download all available files but not update
    the meta data (Packages/Sources files) unless the mirror is
    consistent. Your mirror will stay stuck in the past until the
    upstream mirror is repaired. With --ignore-small-errors you can
    sync the mirror even if some files are missing.

    Users of --cleanup might want to always use --ignore-small-errors
    to minimize the overall inconsistencies.