Project:Infrastructure/Source mirrors

This document explains the requirements for source mirrors.

Minimum Bandwidth
To properly host a source mirror, you should have a minimum of 5Mbps upstream bandwidth. ADSL and cable connections do not generally make adequate connections for distfile hosts due to their limited upstream performance.

Minimum Disk Space
The space requirements depend on whether you choose to run a "Full" mirror or a "Distfiles only" mirror. Full mirrors require 240 GB of disk space. Distfiles only mirrors require 150 GB of space.

Minimum User Count
We ask that you support a minimum of 15 and preferably 30 or more concurrent user connections.

Update Frequency
All mirrors must be synchronized every four hours, starting at midnight in your local time zone. This helps distribute the load out over a period of time, rather than having all mirrors synchronize at the same time.

Mirror Needs
Your mirror may not be added immediately to our listing and given access to the private distribution point. We add mirrors on an as-needed basis so as not to clutter up the listing, and to provide an adequate amount of high speed mirrors. You are more than welcome to peek in #gentoo-mirrors on IRC and chat up to see the status of your mirror being added to our official network.

Implementation details
For new source mirror requests, the procedure will be as follows:

Set up your server to rsync with ftp.ussg.iu.edu::gentoo-distfiles. Once you have a complete mirror of that server, please file a bug report on bugs.gentoo.org under the  category stating that you have a new mirror and wish it to be added to the list of official mirrors. Please specify whether you wish to be a "Full" mirror or "Distfiles only" mirror. Distfiles only mirrors will be designated as such on the website.

Full mirrors must carry the following directories (plus any directories that get added in the future):


 * /releases (60G)
 * /experimental (10-20G)
 * /distfiles (160G)
 * /snapshots (1G)

Distfiles only mirrors need to carry the following directories:


 * /distfiles (160G)
 * /snapshots (1G)

We will then verify that the mirror exists and we can connect to it properly. Then, in the next 2 weeks, we will determine if your mirror is syncing correctly and in accordance with this policy.

If all steps went smoothly, we will then add you to our list of download mirrors on the main web site. We will also send you the login information for our private master distfile mirror which is only available to official Gentoo Linux source mirrors.

Additionally, you, the mirror admin, will be requested to subscribe to the gentoo-mirrors mailing list (low traffic) so that you can follow all issues associated with source mirrors.

Q: Who should I contact regarding new mirrors or to get my mirror added to the Gentoo web site?
A: Please file a bug on bugs.gentoo.org under the  category.

Q: Who should I contact regarding mirror issues and maintenance?
A: Please file a bug on bugs.gentoo.org under the  category.

Q: I run a private source mirror for my company. Can I still access the private master source mirror?
A: Because our resources are limited, we need to ensure we allocate them in such a way to provide the maximum amount of benefit to our users. As such, we limit connections to our master rsync and distfile mirrors to public mirrors only. Users are welcome to use our regular mirror system to establish a private source mirror.

Q: How do I find the mirror nearest to me?
A: mirrorselect was designed to do this for you. If you haven't already run , then please do so. Then run:. An ncurses-based menu will display allowing you to select a mirror close to you.

Q: I don't have that much disk space. Can I mirror part of the sources?
A: Yes, if you are unable to mirror our full sources, you can elect to mirror the following two directories only:


 * /distfiles
 * /snapshots

These two directories will require approximately 160GB of space (combined) and you will be listed on our site as a distfiles-only mirror.

Q: Do I have to turn on Directory Indexing for directories served up via HTTP?
A: Directory Indexing is required for the /releases and /experimental directories, but can be turned off for all other directories (including /distfiles) if you wish.

Q: Do I have to mirror historical? I mean, it is old releases.
A: Of course not, it is quite a bit of data. In your rsync command, add to your rsync options. This will exclude historical and save you quite a bit of space.