The CentOS Download Plug-in R2 tool and CentOS Download Cacher R2 have been updated with the following enhancements:
CentOS Download Plug-in R2 1.0.0.2
The CentOS Download Plug-in R2 can now use packages that are cached by the CentOSR2DownloadCacher’s download_dir (which is referred to as localCache in the plugin.ini) and get packages from the Internet at the same time.
Previously, the CentOSR2Plugin was used in the BigFix Server in either of the following scenarios:
- fully air-gapped using CentOSR2DownloadCacher or
- internet-enabled without using CentOSR2DownloadCacher.
With this enhancement, you can cache the packages offline to save time downloading the packages during a patching cycle.
CentOS Download Cacher R2 1.0.0.2
Package sha1 download support
The CentOS Download Cacher R2 can now download packages as sha1 files instead of RPM.
Previously, when using the “buildRepo –key centos-7-x64” with the download cacher, the CentOS repository “centos-7-x64” structure is mirrored offline. This might result to duplication of packages if they are found in multiple repositories.
Using the --sha1_download_dir will download all packages from all repositories (keys) as files with a sha1 filename into a single flat directory. Only the packages will be stored in the sha1_download_dir. Each repository metadata will still be stored in the download_dir and will still maintain the CentOS Repository directory structure.
Note: When using --sha1_download_dir, consider the cache limit of the BigFix server’s sha1 file folder.
Repository access check
New commands to verify if you have access to the BigFix supported CentOS base repositories and sub-repositories: check-baserepos and check-allrepos
Storage space requirement check
New command to calculate and check the storage space requirement when using the builRepo command: check-storagereq
This command outputs the required space to download the repository metadata and packages with and without the use of the --sha1_download_dir option.
Space-saving benchmarks
Space-saving benchmarks have been established with the use of the --sha1_download_dir option.
Using the --sha1_download_dir option have shown significant decrease in storage size, download size, and time when caching multiple repositories of the same CentOS version. This is because many packages are duplicated among repositories with the same CentOS version (for example, centos-6.8-x64, centos-6.7-x64, centos-6.6-x64). Space is not saved if you only cache a single repository for each CentOS version (for example, centos-6.8-x64, centos-7.1-x64).
Updated Tools Versions:
CentOS Download Plug-in R2, version 1.0.0.2
CentOS Download Cacher R2, version 1.0.0.2
Actions to Take:
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Update to CentOS Download Plug-in version 1.0.0.2 by using the Manage Download Plug-ins dashboard.
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Download the latest CentOS Download Cacher R2 from the BigFix Support site.
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For Windows systems, download the tool at http://software.bigfix.com/download/bes/util/CentOSR2DownloadCacher.exe.
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For Linux systems, download the tool at http://software.bigfix.com/download/bes/util/CentOSR2DownloadCacher-linux.tar.gz. This tool is supported on x86-64 (64-bit) systems.
Published Site Version:
Patching Support, version 765
Additional Resources:
For more information about the new features, see BigFix Patch for CentOS User Guide at https://ibm.biz/Bdi3k3.
Application Engineering Team
IBM BigFix