[tex-live] Using Jigdo as a downloader

[Manfred Lotz]

On Sunday 04 January 2004 21:34, Sebastian Rahtz wrote:

>
> >Since TeX-Live is mostly assembling files which are also available from
> >the various CTAN servers, it make IMHO a very good candidate of this way
> >to download ISOs.
>
> TL is a _lot_ more complicated than downloading files from CTAN. A
> typical LaTeX macro package,
> for instance, is stored on CTAN as one .dtx file and one .sty file.
> These have to be processed,
> and the resulting files placed in the right places in a hierarchy.
> Documentation files are run to PDF,
> font metrics are created etc. And that's just for a simple package...
>
> So using jigdo to talk to CTAN would not work. However, it might work as
> a distribution mechanism
> from the copy of the TeX Live master tree on tug.org.
>
> To be honest, I don't really understand what jigdo is doing after a
> quick read of the web page, and the dark green background makes it too
> hard work for now :-} 

My understanding of jigdo ist that instead of for instance downloading one fat 
(in our case 1.19 GB  file ) it enables you to downloading the contents of 
the big iso file, i.e. the files of the cd image themselves.  jigdo is able 
to assemble the stuff on your local harddisk and to keep track about the 
progress.  

This way jigdo can easily resume a download. I don't know what is actually 
required to be done on the server's side. 


Manfred