Re: Local repository

Jeff Barnett wrote:
> Ulrike Fischer wrote, On 9/3/2014 1:17 AM:
> > Am Tue, 02 Sep 2014 22:43:55 -0600 schrieb Jeff Barnett:
> >
> >> I recently installed MikTeX (full) on a new machine. I started by
> >> downloading files to a local repository from the network then the
> >> installer used that repository to do the actual system install/build.
> >>
> >> Is there any good reason to keep the local repository and/or is there
> >> any harm in deleting it? Its size is approximately 1.66GB.
> > If you installed everything from the local repository it doesn't harm
> > to delete it if you need the space. But I would first check in the
> > package manager(s) if they use the local repository and in this case
> > switch to an online repository.
> There's an implication from your response that I want to check. I think
> you are saying that on-the-fly package installation could happen using the
> local repository. Is that correct? If so why does the repository not get
> updated when I use the MikTeX updater? It seems that the on-the-fly
> facility, using local repository, could pick up a seriously outdated
> package.
> 
> I have almost 8TB of growing room so I'm not worried about the repository
> because I'm squeezed for space; rather, I hate leaving big gobs of data
> laying around and not knowing in a couple of years whether it's vital or
> not. GB's have a habit of hiding in mysterious places and reproducing.
> 
> I checked the repository manager and saw no check marks. So I think I'll
> tell it to use the net and get rid of the local stuff.

The primary purpose of making a local repository is to install to multiple machines, although personally I also find it also helpful to lock down a known configuration of packages (since if I suddenly have to move to a different computer, I don't wish to find that package X is broken or updated package Y no longer works with package Z while doing an emergency reinstall).

The MiKTeX updater is designed to update your *installation* from a repository (remote or local), its primary function is not to update the repository itself. You can do this using rsync or other tools against one of the mirrors or, looking at this thread, possibly using some switches in miktex-update. So when using a local repository, updating is a two-step process:
1. Update the local repository
2. Update the installation(s)

HTH,


David

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