Mandriva allows users to install software from CDs/DVD and network servers (http and ftp). All system-updates, security-patches and bugfixes are usually only available through the online-software mirrors. Thus users are encouraged to set up software mirrors. Mandriva allows an easy management of the mirrors. Don't be afraid, it is very straightforward.

Note: General information about software installation on Mandriva can be found at this Wiki page.

It is recommended (for ease of use and for system-stability reasons) to upgrade your system using the EasyURPMI tool. Easyurpmi is a small "web-application" that allows you to set up your software mirror in an easy, efficient and fast way.

Things you should know:
Mandriva has official and non-official software-repositories. The main official repositories are called Main, Contrib and Update.
It is also possible to add independent repositories. The best known are PLF-free and PLF-nonfree. These independent repos that contain e.g. multimedia codecs must be added manually. There are also "backports" repositories available. These provide newer software versions but the contributions there are not maintained by Mandriva themselves. That means that there is no guarantee that the packages will work perfectly.

If you want a stable system, stick to the official repositories and the plf-mirrors. If you want to experiment a bit, use backports. (adding cooker repositories is not recommended to newcomers to Mandriva!)

Setting up EasyURPMI:
1. Select your version of Mandrake/Mandriva in the first dropdown. Then select your CPU architecture in the second. If you are unsure, pick i586.

2. For each of the dropdowns, select the location nearest to you then check the checkbox next to the dropdown. Once you have done this, click 'Proceed to step 3'

3. Decide if you want to use the full hdlist.cz file (more information on packages but bigger size) or the synthesis.hdlist.cz (less information on packages and dependencies, smaller download. For the average user, this file is sufficient)

4. Open any command line (for example konsole or gnome-terminal) and copy the things in the black box into the command line. Do this by selecting it and middle mouse clicking or left and right click at the same time in the command line. Hit enter. Alternatively add the lines to the Mandriva Control Center (MCC, aka "Configure your computer"), software section, software management area, "add mirror" tool. (The command line version is faster! One easy copy & paste, that's all)

Once you have set up the mirrors, it is recommended to update the system as many bugs are fixed through the available updates. You can use the MCC or the command line urpmi tool (urpmi --auto-select) for updating your system.

If you have further questions about easyurpmi and its usage, please post them below.

Since 2007 it's not entirely true. All directories including Main and Contrib have four subdirectories: release, testing, backports and update.

Instead of Easyurpmi you can use http://www.mandrivauser.de/smarturpmi It's already updated with the 2007.1 repos and has some nice features over Easyurpmi. But if you are using 2007.1 you only have to use them if you want to add the plf repos. Because the first time you launch the package manager tool (rpmdrake) it pops up a window asking if you want to add some mirrors. You only have to choose from the mirror list. Add both the Distribution and the update sources.

Also from the 2007.1 release you have a free update tool which automatically checks for updates. You don't have to use the command line for that.

Thanks for the additional info, dexter11.

Unfortunately smarturpmi lists neither distrib-coffee nor anorien mirrors the two most up-to-date mirrors

ftp://distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr/pub/.../MandrivaLinux/
ftp://anorien.csc.warwick.ac.uk/Mandriva/

these are the only 2 public mirrors people from mandriva, though not officially, make sure are working properly, if you are using cooker or want to upgrade your distro early it is best to use these mirrors....

I cannot speak highly enough of anorien. Used it for the past 3yrs and never a problem always reliable and almost always first with updated mirroring.
In a word they are EXCELLENT.

Cheers. John.

Nice and local for you too, hey John?

Arctic, is there a particular reason why you decided not to put this post in the wiki? Isn't this exactly the kind of thing that should go in the wiki for reference for everybody? And your "Mandriva versions" post too?

Part of this information is actually from the wiki. Feel free to copy some stuff of this to the wiki. I am sadly to busy to do it right now.

I tried to install these repositories and got this:

ftp://distrib-coffee.ipsl.jussieu.fr/pub/.../MandrivaLinux
Unable to update medium, errors reported:

...retrieving failed: curl failed: exited with 9 or signal 0

It's impossible to retrieve the list of new packages from the media
`coffee'. Either this update media is misconfigured, and in this case
you should use the Software Media Manager to remove it and re-add it in order
to reconfigure it, either it is currently unreachable and you should retry
later.

and for Anorien:
Unable to update medium; it will be automatically disabled.

Errors:
...retrieving failed: curl failed: exited with 3 or signal 0

It's impossible to retrieve the list of new packages from the media
`Anorien'. Either this update media is misconfigured, and in this case
you should use the Software Media Manager to remove it and re-add it in order
to reconfigure it, either it is currently unreachable and you should retry
later.

hmmm... any suggestions?

change from using curl to wget in media manager,that'll fix it.

And maybe not,

I use wget and get the same. I think Anorien has disappeared of the face of the Earth, at least as far as Mandriva is concerned. Can any one confirm this? A quick visit to the mirrors page,

http://anorien.csc.warwick.ac.uk/mirrors/

shows no sign of Mandriva. ?

I've mailed the anorien maintainer to ask what's up.

It'd be cool if the first post could be modified to mention the non-free section for 2007.1 (I tend to use 'section' to refer to main, contrib and non-free, and 'repository' to refer to the release, updates, backports, testing directories within each section), and also to refer to http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Docs/Basic_tas...moving_software .

Unfortunately, the anorien Mandriva is no more,

awilliamson wrote,



http://forum.club.mandriva.com/viewtopic.php?t=65291

Thanks for the info. I am getting used to Konqueror, so I won't bother hunting elsewhere for an updated Firefox package.

I'll forget Firefox for now.

You don't mention where to obtain easyUrpmi, where can I get it from?
Moshe

There's a link in arctic's post: www.mandrivausers.org/easyurpmi.

It also appears at the top of each page on this forum.