apt-zeroconf is a fantastic little program that uses Avahi to automatically find and download packages from other Debian computers on your LAN with apt-zeroconf installed.
The configuration is ridiculously easy (I use Proxy Mode), and I’ve already noticed a huge speed increase when updating/installing packages on multiple machines. (Obviously this is only useful for networks with multiple Debian boxes.)
For added fun, you can see how many computers are using apt-zeroconf on your network by installing and configuring service-discovery-applet:
- Install service-discovery-applet with your favorite package manager
- Add it to your Gnome panel (you are using Gnome, right?)
- Go to Applications > System Tools > Configuration Editor
- Open /apps/service-discovery-applet/services
- Add a new boolean key called _apt._tcp and set it to true
I always like to see what Avahi/Zeroconf services I’m publishing, which you can do by right-clicking on the service-discovery-applet panel icon, selecting Preferences, going to the Advanced tab, and checking the Browse services published on this machine checkbox.
Hi Michael,
first, thanks very much for the publicity.
Just a small hint for avahi service discoveries: One can also use avahi-discover to view all published avahi services on the LAN if not using gnome-panel. It’s just a nifty little python script using a minimalistic GTK UI. Also, it doesn’t require any configuration as it lists all services per default.
Cheers,
Franz