netboot install proxy apt-cacher

[Carl Karsten]

I am trying to use apt-cacher with the netboot installer found here:
http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/gutsy/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/ubuntu-installer/i386/
(tried feisty's too)

The only way I could get it to work were with these settings:

### Mirror settings
d-i mirror/country string enter information manually
d-i mirror/http/hostname string cp600:3142
d-i mirror/http/directory string /us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu

I tried a normal hostname and dir (us.archive.ubuntu.com and /ubuntu ) and all sorts of versions of proxy:
d-i mirror/http/proxy string http://cp600:3142/
d-i mirror/http/proxy string cp600:3142/
d-i mirror/http/proxy string http://cp600:3142
d-i mirror/http/proxy string cp600:3142

In both a preseed file and the interactive text based installer. The only thing that I could see working was to put the proxy in hostname, host name in dir and and leave proxy blank. yuck.

It seems odd that the proxy needs the http:// when hostname doesn't.

[Carl Karsten (carlfk)]

instead of using the alt CD image as a repo for netboot install, I am trying apt-cacher and the following:

wget -N http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/gutsy/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/386/ubuntu-installer/i386/linux
wget -N http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/gutsy/main/installer-i386/current/images/netboot/386/ubuntu-installer/i386/initrd.gz

then using either of these in my pxe boot;

label ubuntu-gutsy-alternate
        kernel ubuntu/gutsy/linux
        append initrd=ubuntu/gutsy/initrd.gz root=/dev/rd/0 rw DEBCONF_DEBUG=5 --

label ubuntu-gutsy-alternate-hands-off
        kernel ubuntu/gutsy/linux
        append initrd=ubuntu/gutsy/initrd.gz root=/dev/rd/0 rw locale=en_US console-setup/layoutcode=us netcfg/wireless_wep= netcfg/get_hostname= DEBCONF_DEBUG=5 preseed/url=http://shaz/preseed-gutsy-alt.cfg --

[Carl Karsten (carlfk)]

my workaround of putting the proxly in the hostname and the hostname in the directory has a side effect: it is not used for the additional mirrors when sources.list is created:

deb http://cp600:3142/us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu feisty main restricted (good)

deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu feisty-security main restricted (bad)

(not surprised, just pointing out that the workaround doesn't totally work.

[Carl Karsten (carlfk)]

This isn't a bug.

The installer's use of a proxy isn't to hit a caching proxy for speed, it is for when it is the only way. The fact that the proxy can cache and save bandwidth is a nice side effect.

apt-cacher does the save bandwidth part, but is used differently, which explains need for 'different' installer settings.

It is also possible that apt-cacher could be setup to behave enough like an http proxy so that the installer would use it as a http proxy.

"Multiple ways of installation are possible: as a stand-alone HTTP server, as a daemon executed by inetd or as a CGI program. The client machines are configured by changing APT's proxy configuration or modification of access URLs in sources.list." http://packages.ubuntu.com/edgy/net/apt-cacher

I am leaving this open for 2 reasons:
1. it would be nice if the installer was a bit more apt-cacher aware. basically make the proxy settings would work with it in its "not an http proxy" mode.
2. the "not used for the additional mirrors" side effect should be noted somewhere.

[Brian Pitts (bpitts)]

I'm using apt-cacher as a stand-alone HTTP server and do not have these problems.

[Martin Mai (mrkanister-deactivatedaccount-deactivatedaccount)]

 Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. You reported this bug a while ago and there hasn't been any activity in it recently. We were wondering if this is still an issue for you. Can you try with the latest Ubuntu release? Thanks in advance.

[rusivi2 (rusivi2-deactivatedaccount)]

We'd like to figure out what's causing this bug for you, but we haven't heard back from you in a while. Could you please provide the requested information? Thanks!

[Peter Passchier (peter-passchier)]

This is an upstream bug that still exists in the current netinst. If an apt-cacher url is filled in for a proxy, it refuses to work with it.

[Daniel Hahler (blueyed)]

According to bug 568704 it should work, using "d-i mirror/http/proxy string http://apt-cacher:3142/".

[Daniel Hahler (blueyed)]

Assuming that it is fixed (which might have happened in apt-cacher-ng even) I am closing this in favor of bug 568704, which is about a separate setting for an apt proxy setting.