An Alternate Data Distribution Client

update_mirror.py is a simple client for the IPP distribution system. It requires only Python 2.6 to run; the IPP software need not be installed. The script understands the IPP distribution system communication protocol and is intended to be run from cron to implement daily updates of a mirror site.

The advantages of the script are simplicity, brevity, ease of installation and ease of operation. Potential disadvantages are:

• The script does not maintain a local MySQL copy of the distribution source database. This can be imported directly, however, and the corresponding information is available in the .mdc files of the distribution.
• The script is not intended to serve as a distribution server in its own right, so it cannot form part of a distribution chain using the IPP distribution mechanism. The mirrored files can be redistributed using rsync, however.
• The distribution protocol is pretty stable, but it may change at some future time. That change will break the script until a corresponding update can be made.