simplaret: simplepkg retrieval tool
-----------------------------------

Simplaret is a simplepkg tool used to download packages from local and remote repositories.
With simplaret, one can grab packages for all archictectures and versions of slackware-like
distributions that follows the mirror guidelines, allowing an easy management all
jails and slackware installations in a machine, no matter wich arquiteture or version
each one has.

It was inspired in swaret behavior but don't tries to get its complexity level, but
execute package download in a different way, where the local repository is organized
by archictecture and version. It can also search for packages.

Documentation
-------------

The always updated english documentation is hosted at http://slack.sarava.org/node/17

Downloading and installing
--------------------------

Simplaret comes with simplepkg, wich installation and configuration is detailed
at http://slack.sarava.org/node/15. Simplaret uses /etc/simplepkg/simplepkg.conf for
its definitions and /etc/simplepkg/repos.conf for repository information.

Repository organization
-----------------------

Simplaret local storage folder is defined through STORAGE parameter and is organized
in this manner:

  $STORAGE/arch/version/

Packages from contributed repositories (i.e, not from an official distro mirror) are
stored at

  $STORAGE/arch/version/repository-name/

This means, for example, that slack 10.2 packages are located in

  $STORAGE/i386/10.2/

And the slack.sarava.org's slamd64 packages can be stored in a place such as

  $STORAGE/x86_64/10.2/slack.sarava.org/

In the repository definition file (/etc/simplepkg/repos.conf), the entries must match
the following schema, something that remembers a swaret.conf:

  ROOT-i386="http://slack.sarava.org/slackware/"
  ROOT-x86_64="http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/slamd64/"
  REPOS-i386-10.2="slack.sarava.org%http://slack.sarava.org/packages/slackware/slackware-10.2/"
  REPOS-x86_64-10.2="slack.sarava.org%http://slack.sarava.org/packages/slamd64/slamd64-10.2/"

Repositories defined as ROOT are those wich

  - Have packages from the official distro or
  - Are organized by version according to the mirror guidelines

Repositories defined as REPOS are those containing packages from a specific version or
non-oficial packages.

When simplaret searches for a package, precedence is given first for ROOT definitions and then
for REPOS ones. REPOS definitions should also include a identification name, delimited from
the repository URL by the special sign %.

Fetching the package list
-------------------------

After configured, simplaret can fetch the package list with

  simplaret --update

This updates the package list from arch defined in DEFAULT_ARCH and version from DEFAULT_VERSION.
To fetch package listings for x86_64 (slamd64) and version 10.2, use

  ARCH=x86_64 VERSION=10.2 simplaret --update

Searching
---------

To search for a package, use the following commands as examples:

  simplaret --search coreutils

for a Slack/390 package,

  ARCH=s390 simplaret --search x11

for slack 10.1 with contributed i686 packages,

  ARCH=i686 VERSION=10.1 simplaret --search icecast

Downloading
-----------

To download a package,

  simplaret --get icecast

Simplaret downloads the first package found with the precedence explaned above.
Future versions should contain an option to explicit get a package from a
specific repository.

Downloading patches
-------------------

From the PATCHES_DIR parameter is possible to specify a folder where patches are
placed, sorted by arch and version.

Patches for slack 10.2 are always located at

  $PATCHES_DIR/i386/10.2/

In reality, patches are downloaded with a "simplaret --get" and stored in the $STORAGE
subfolder for its arch and version and a symlink is created in $PATCHES_DIR/$ARCH/$VERSION.

To grab all patches from an arch and version, use

  ARCH=architecture VERSION=version simplaret --get-patches

Purging the cache
-----------------

Simplaret cache from an arch and version can be purged with a

  simplaret --purge

But why use that?
-----------------

You may ask why someone wishes to use such tool.

Simplaret was written with a *x86 environment in mind, where lots of jails with different archs
and versions are installed. Suppose a x86_64 with the following chroots installed:

  - slamd64 10.2
  - slackware 10.2
  - slackware 10.1 with additional i686 packages
  - uSlack (i386 uClibc) 

Keep all this stuff update manually is really a headache. Simplaret just tries to make it trivial.