APPROX-IMPORT(8)

📦 version 5.13, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 APPROX-IMPORT(8) 💖

okay bestie, listen up — this is a page from the System Manager's Manual, and it's about approx-import, a lil tool that moves your local .deb files into the approx cache. No cap, it's lowkey iconic. Let's get into it. 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

approx-import — copy local .deb files into the approx cache 🌸

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

approx-import [OPTION]... file.deb ...

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

approx-import copies local .deb files — like the ones chilling in /var/cache/apt/archives — into the approx(8) cache. It's giving "let me just tidy this up for you."

The way it does this? It computes the MD5 checksum of each argument. 🧮 If that checksum matches a package in one of the Packages files inside the approx(8) cache, then boom — the file gets copied to the appropriate location in the cache. ✨

heads up bestie 🙈 — all the Packages files have to be scanned, no matter how many .deb files you're importing. And this process may take several minutes. So grab a snack, hydrate, it's a whole thing. 💀

Also!! The approx-import command must be run by the superuser or by the approx(8) user. Permission check is real, periodt. 👑

🌈 OPTIONS 🌈

  • -c file, --config file — specify an additional configuration file. You can use this one multiple times, bestie. Stack 'em. 📚
  • -s, --simulate — process the files but don't actually copy them into the cache. A lil dress rehearsal, a vibe check. 💫
  • -q, --quiet — don't print the names of files that are imported. Shhh. 🤫
  • -v, --verbose — print the disposition of each file. Very "tell me everything" of you. 🔍

⭐ EXAMPLES ⭐

To import packages from the local apt(8) cache:

approx-import /var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb

To import packages from another proxy's cache:

find other-cache -name "*.deb" | xargs approx-import

(where other-cache is the pathname of the other proxy's cache directory) 🫶

🦋 FILES 🦋

  • /etc/approx/approx.conf — configuration file for approx and related programs. 🎀
  • /var/cache/approx — default cache directory for archive files. 📦

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

approx.conf(5), approx(8)

🌸 AUTHOR 🌸

Eric Cooper <ecc@cmu.edu> 👑

mwah 💋 that's the whole page. This little gem came out back in June 2010 as part of the System Manager's Manual for APPROX-IMPORT(8) — and yes, the icon herself is still serving. Go forth and import, bestie. Slay. 💖✨

📦 where this page comes from