First things first: Linux Mint Debian isn't like Linux Mint "main edition"
As you have noticed, Mint "main" is based on Ubuntu. Mint "main" sources.list is composed like this:
- Ubuntu archive, like "precise"
- Ubuntu archive updates, like "precise-updates"
- Ubuntu security, like "precise-security"
- Medibuntu archive, "precise"
- Ubuntu parter archive, "precise"
- Linux Mint packages, like "maya"
So, Linux Mint is actually only providing some packages needed to transform ("mintify") an Ubuntu 12.04 "precise" into a Linux Mint 13 "maya". You can browse them there:
http://packages.linuxmint.com/list.php?release=Maya
Not many stuff to mirror, only 13 GB of data. Therefor, many people running mirrors around the world, helping everybody getting best possible speed to download the Mint-specific packages.
You can see the full mirror list (ISO, packages, Debian) here:
http://www.linuxmint.com/mirrors.php
Now, let's talk about LMDE. It's sources.list is composed like this:
- Debian testing snapshot, "latest"
- Debian security snapshot, "latest/security"
- Debian multimedia snapshot, "latest/multimedia"
- Linux Mint packages, "debian"
2 main parts: the Debian testing repository snapshot (codename "latest" and build in Update Packs), and the "mintification" packages. Linux Mint does here a full copy and then tests it's stability (codename "incoming"), releasing it then in "latest" as update packs. To operate a Linux Mint Debian repository mirror, you need more than 500 GB of disk space: that's very much. Also the mirroring system was changed for UP5, that's why there are only 3 mirrors available. All in Europe
To help people select the best mirror for them, the Mint team has created the "mint-debian-mirrors" package which comes with UP5 (it only selects the Debian mirror, not the Packages mirror). The actual choice is:
- Mint team's mirror (USA)
- Gwendal Le Bihan's mirror (France)
- RTS Informatique's mirror (France)
- Lund University's mirror (Sweden)
As an Australian, I guess you will land on the Mint's mirror, and it will still be slow. We really could need more mirrors worldwide, but as said.. a hi-speed dedicated server with 1 TB hard disk space isn't quite cheap, so yeah
BTW I'm operating the "mirror.rts-informatique.fr" mirror,
posted some stats recently.
Summary
- Let "mint-debian-mirrors" find the best suited Debian mirror for you
- Use this as packages in your sources.list, if works well:
deb http://mirror.internode.on.net/pub/linuxmint-packages/ debian main upstream import
- If you know someone at Internode (or elsewhere) who could open a Mint Debian mirror, it would be really helpful*
*says the sysadmin who's expecting 5 TB traffic in 2 weeks on his servers
Just as example, my full LMDE sources.list looks like this:
Code: Select all
deb http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr/linuxmint/packages debian main upstream import
deb http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr/linuxmint/debian/latest testing main contrib non-free
deb http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr/linuxmint/debian/latest/security testing/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://mirror.rts-informatique.fr/linuxmint/debian/latest/multimedia testing main non-free