Help: Package builder

The integrated Package builder is a comfortable tool to create Debian packages directly from the m23 webinterface. These packages can be installed on the m23 clients like any other package and can contain single files or complete file directory trees.

The packages are created from archive files in tar format compressed with bzip2 or gzip. User and access rights of files and directories are tranferred to the Debian package without recompression. The resulting Debian packages are independent of a certain distribution or release branch. This means that the same package can be installed on Debian, Ubuntu or Kubuntu clients.

Creation of the package step-by-step:

1. Filing of the tar or deb- file into the directory /m23/data+scripts/extraDebs/. This can be done e.g. with scp or the integrated file upload "Upload tar file for conversion".
2. Click on "Refresh" after the filing to see the file in the list "File list".
3. Choose the tar file you want to convert and click after its file name on "Convert to Debian package". The package index files are re-created automatically to ensure a ready-for-use package source.

Hint

Of course you can put already created Debian packages into the package source and re-create the package index afterwards by clicking on "Re-create package index".

BitTorrent

If you would like to distribute large files to many client computers, and would like to reduce the strain this puts on the server, you can use the BitTorrent functionality. BitTorrent makes it possible that the m23 clients share parts of already downloaded files among each other, which (in the ideal case) will result in the m23 server only transferring this file a single time.

To use Bittorrent, follow these steps:

1. Copy the file(s) you would like to transfer to the clients into the directory "/m23/data+scripts/extraDebs/" on your m23 server.
2. Click on the button labelled "Create .torrent" behind the corresponding file name.
3. In your own scripts, use the m23 function BT_dlFile($torrentFileName, $DestinationDirectoryOnClient).

GPG key for signing the package source

Select the private GPG key that will be used to sign the package sources created with your m23 server here. The corresponding public key will be transferred to the m23 clients, so the authenticity of the packages can be checked.

At "GPG key in use", the key which is currently in use is displayed. If there is no key indicated, the packages will currently not be signed.

To be able to use a private GPG key, select one from the list and click on "Select". The GPG key will now be used to sign all package sources that are created or updated, and will also be transferred to clients that are created or restored.

If you would like to remove or add a GPG key, click on "Manage GPG keys".