[Solved] how to get "select best server" utility for Daryna

[rbanavara]

ubuntu has a tool in synaptic that finds the fastest mirror. I was trying to see if I could get one installed on Daryna, but no luck. did lot off googling and endedd up getting various unrelated links. Also I am finding it hard to form an effective search phrase. I have considered netselect-apt but its debian specific. Also tried to change the url in netselect-apt code to reflected ubuntu mirror site, but getting the "you are behind the firewall error." Probably the formatting of the ubuntu mirror list might be in a different format than of Debian.

Today was curious and tried to trace what program the ubuntu tool runs & it seems it runs something like "software-properties-gtk" but after this no info on how to install or does it actually chooses best repository server.

let me know if there is some similar thing in Mint.

Edit: installtion of "software-properties-gtk" does provide this functionality. And it wont remove any linux mint repositories. Just updates ubuntu repositories with fastest mirrors.

Ah...., now atleat I can happily go for frequest updates or installtion of softwares without worrying about waiting for hours...

[ed@Mint]

You could use this list and modify your sources.list manually.
There may be other lists.. This one was just a quick 'ubuntu repo mirror' search.

[67GTA]

This isn't the same as Ubuntu. You are only using a few of the Ubuntu repos. Mint doesn't have the same amount of severs, and uses it's own Mint repos. You would have to set separate servers for the Ubuntu and Mint repos to make this work. I don't think that is possible.

[ed@Mint]

It is possible and is already the case.

If you have a look at your sources.list, you'll notice that the mint repos and the ubuntu ones are on different servers.
Mint has its own servers for which there aren't alternative mirrors.
For all the others, you are free to use any mirror that you wish.

[67GTA]

I never thought about it that way. I was thinking about the Mint repos not being able to use the Ubuntu servers. I guess the OP can install

Code: Select all

software-properties-gtk

That is the "Software Sources" menu entry that controls this in Ubuntu. Click on the drop down server menu, select other, and then the "select best server" button.

[ed@Mint]

In would be careful about that software.
It might generate a new sources.list without the mint repos and replace yours with this ubuntu-specific one.

My advice : hand edit /etc/apt/sources.list, the Linux way

[rbanavara]

ok..., I will try installing software-properties-gtk some time... and a backup of sources.list would be a better idea before running the find best server. Though mint uses its own repository & am not sure on availability of mirrors, atleast the ubuntu part can be improved. This helps in frequent updates being faster.

The other approach would be, to modify netselect-apt to read the ubuntu mirror format. Its a shell scipt and needs to be changed for the ubuntu format of the mirrors.

but installing software-properties-gtk and testing it out seems to be the easiest way...