How to to:find the fastest apt mirror server for Debian or Ubuntu (how to find the fastest apt mirror site for Ubuntu or Debian)

How to to:find the fastest apt mirror server for Debian or Ubuntu
How to find the fastest apt mirror server in Debian or Ubuntu

Submitted by Ggarron on Wed, 05/14/2008–16:51

If you are want to use the fastest mirror to download the "Deb" files you'll need to upgrade or update your Debian machines, y OU have to remember that isn't always your nearest server is the fastest one, and that could being because not only the Distanc E The server is from your but also the network congestion is a factor when talking about network.
When you want to upgrade or update your Debian system from the fastest mirroring download. Deb, you must understand that the nearest server is not necessarily the fastest, because the speed depends not only on the distance between you and the server, but also on the network congestion.


For instance, your ISP could have a direct satellite connection to another country, and thus your nearest server should am I n that country, to avoid your hassle to get this info, Debian give you some tools, I'll touch two of them.
For example, your ISP (Internet provider) may have a proprietary satellite link to another country, so the nearest server is likely to be in other countries. To address the problems you might encounter in obtaining this information, Debian provides a number of tools, including two of them first.

1.0 netselect-apt

This tool would download the full list of mirrors and would quickly explore throw them for the fastest to you, the U SE of it really easy and reliable.
This will download the entire list of mirrors, and quickly find the fastest mirror, the operation is very simple and reliable.

Installation
You are just need to run:
Install, enter at the end of:
sudo aptitude install netselect-apt

Running it
Once installed, run
To run the command, after the command has finished, continue typing:
sudo netselect-apt-n-S Lenny

Be sure to change Lenny for your appropriate version, can use the name of the version, (Edge, Lenny, sid) or the words Stable, testing, unstable, experimental.
To change the Lenny to your version, you can replace it with the name of the version (for example, lenny,sid) or use a version of the text: stable (Stable), testing (Beta), unstable (unstable edition), Experimental (trial version).

It'll then write a sources.list file in the current directory, and may then copy that file To/etc/apt/sources.list or J UST Edit and copy the lines you need from one to the other.
It will create a sources.list file in the current folder, you can copy the parts you need to/etc/apt/sources.list, or you can replace the original file with this file.

If you are, I have used-n and-s options, because I wanted to get the Non-free section, and DEB-SRC to is able to use apt -get Source
As you can see, I use the-N and-s arguments, because I want to download Apt-get and DEB-SRC (source code files)

2.0 Apt-spy

Apt-spy is a little bit more flexible, down maybe flexible is isn't the right word, as in netselect-apt you can also select Some specific mirrors to explore, you have to edit the Mirrors_full file, while with Apt-spy you just enter the countries You may want to explore for servers.
Apt-spy is a little more flexible than netselect-apt, perhaps, and flexibility does not accurately describe the difference. When you want to test a particular mirror server, Netselect-apt asks you to enter the full name of a particular server in the Mirrors_full file, Apt-spy as long as you type the name of the country.

Installation
To install it run:
Install, enter at the end of:
sudo aptitude install Apt-spy

Running it
Run command

You are the mirrors file, and contrary to netselect-apt apt-spy, need. :
You must first download the image file, because Apt-spy will not automatically download like Netselcet-apt, so, first enter:
sudo apt-spy update

Now it's time to run the tool:
OK, now you can use the Apt-spy command:
sudo apt-spy-a north-america-a Europe

To check for available servers in Noerth-america and Europe, if your want to create your own, zone edit the Just Apt-spy.conf and add something like this:
This is an available server in North America and Europe, and if you want to create your own area, just add the region name like this in the/etc/apt-apy.conf file:

France-germany-netherlands:
FR
DE
NL
France-Germany-Holland

The sources.list would be then copied to/etc/apt/sources.list.d/apt-spy.list
This sources.list will be copied to/etc/apt/sources.list.d/apt-spy.list.

As you'll be really easy to manage, it's takes a little bit longer than to run, netselect-apt but works.
Although Apt-spy is a little longer than netselect-apt, it is not difficult to master and run
。
Note:remember that during the week, or even the "not the" same server is the fastest one for your, as conditions in the Internet change all of the time.

PS: Remember, the internet is changing all the time, this week, or the fastest mirror server that is tested today is not necessarily the fastest in the future.