Apt-Cacher-ng is a software package that keeps a cache, on the disk, of Debian/Ubuntu Packages and Release files.When an apt-get like client issues a request for a file, Apt-Cacher intercepts it and if the file is already cached it serves it to the client immediately, otherwise it fetches the file from the Internet, saves it on the cache, and then serves it to the client. This means that several Debian machines can be upgraded but each package need to be downloaded only once.

Apt-Cacher-NG does not require neither an interpreter, nor a web server and not even a huge runtime library. It does never fork after server startup, it does not create flag files, flock() files or similar fun. Instead, it uses native system functions (mmap, sendfile) to operate with few overhead.

Apt-cacher-ng caches the repo’s from the different versions of ubuntu quite nicely. It even nicely supports the different installs of intrepid in my home with different personal package archives (PPA, you know as in ppa.launchpad.net/*).

Install Apt-Cacher-NG in Ubuntu Intrepid

First you need to download the latest version of Apt-Cacher-NG from here or using the following command

wget http://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/a/apt-cacher-ng/apt-cacher-ng_0.3.3-1_i386.deb

Install .deb package using the following command

sudo dpkg -i apt-cacher-ng_0.3.3-1_i386.deb

or you can use the following command to install

sudo apt-get install apt-cacher-ng

Now you need to Add a proxy entry to the apt system

Configure the apt system (apt-get, aptitude, etc.) to use apt-cacher-ng

$ echo ‘Acquire::http { Proxy “http://localhost:3142″; };’ | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01proxy

Run the following command if you need to disable it

sudo rm /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01proxy

Add a proxy entry to the Synaptic system for this go to: Settings->Preferences->Network->Manual Proxy Configuration and enter

HTTP Proxy: localhost 3142

FTP Proxy: localhost 3142

Click OK

Click Reload

Dashboard & manual

For apt-cacher-ng dashboard use the following URL

http://localhost:3142/acng-report.html

For apt-cacher-ng manual: (right click &) open with your browser

file:///usr/share/doc/apt-cacher-ng/html/index.html

Import .deb files from the local apt cache

apt-cacher-ng use the .deb files that are already in /var/cache/apt/archives/

sudo mkdir -p /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import

sudo chown apt-cacher-ng /var/cache/apt-cacher-ng/_import

Now open browser using the following URL

http://localhost:3142/acng-report.html

and click “Start Import”

Configure Client Machines

If you want to use apt-cache-ng in ubuntu or debian clients use the following command to use this proxy

$ echo ‘Acquire::http { Proxy “http://serverip:3142″; };’ | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01proxy