How to use 'Gnome-software' with a local repository?

Hello,

I’m on Ubuntu (23.04 beta version for now) and I created a local repository on an external hard drive for Ubuntu. I try to use 'Gnome-software" with my local repository. It is well defined in sources.list file and in ‘Gnome-software’ repository path. All software are well displayed on the screen and I can try to install one of those.
The only thing who don’t work is when I click on install button, it is waiting and nothing happens.

So, is there a way that ‘Gnome-software’ working with my local repository ? Can I do software updates trough ‘Gnome-software’ with the help of my local repository ?

Thanks.

Hello,

nobody can help me ?

Is there a way to use ‘Gnome-software’ offline ? My local repository seems to be take in account by ‘Gnome-software’ because I can see the list of applications, I can search a software, and I can uninstall a software installed by an other program (gnome-packagekit). The only problem is I can’t install a software through ‘Gnome-software’. When I click on install button, it says to me ‘on hold’. It seems it use appstream and it try to connect to external server but I’m not connected to the internet as I want to install software locally through my local repository.

So is there a way to use ‘Gnome-software’ without internet and with the help of a local repository ? It seems that appstream-metadata is needed. Can you tell me more about it ?

Thanks.

Note: I’m using the last Ubuntu version : Ubuntu 23.04 final.

What’s the output of gnome-software --verbose when you try and install some software from this local repo?

Using a local repo is not really a use case we particularly have the resources to prioritise, but if it’s easy to fix then we could probably fix it.

@pwithnall: Hello, thanks for your help. I searched on the net , I asked on Ubuntu forums and nobody can help me.

I tried to install brasero software with the help of my local repository. I can’t upload file here (I’m new user) and the results are too long. So I send you the file (Gnomesoftwarerrors.pdf) in your email address that I found on the net (website). Can you check it ? Thanks.

I hope that Gnome developers will add a feature in the future that allow users to install software offline (Gnome-software) with the help, for example, of a local repository (as pamac from Manjaro can do).

Is there a way to do updates or install a software through ‘Gnome-software’ without internet ?

Thank you very much.

From a quick look through the log file, it seems that your local repository is missing appstream catalog metadata, which gnome-software requires from all repositories to provide information about the available software.

You should mirror that from the repository you’re copying from, or build it locally using appstream-compose.

You may find that gnome-software works better when just using .deb files locally, rather than a full apt repository. That has had a bit more testing.

There are plans within Endless OS (my employer) to improve support for installing/updating apps from USB sticks in gnome-software, but it’s not something we’re planning on working on for at least the next 6 months. The time I have to work on gnome-software is limited to a few hours each week, so debugging this further or fixing it is unfortunately not something I’ll be able to do, sorry.

Hello,

Thanks for your reply. I use apt-mirror to do a local repository from Ubuntu. It seems that I’ve got the metadata as I’ve got a dep-11 and cnf repository on my external hard disk. So, I guess that apt-mirror has downloaded appstream catalogue metadata (see it: DEP-11 - Debian Wiki and it: DEP 11: AppStream and Component Metadata for Debian). It is very strange that I can see software when I do a research or see the list of applications proposed by Gnome software (my local repository seems to be taken in account. Otherwise, nothing would be displayed). But I can’t install a software. Could it be a bug ?

Would there be a workaround so that I can use Gnome Software with my local repository ?
If not, I will use Gnome-packagkit.

Thanks.

Note: It seems that I found something that can help me. See it: appstream-generator/usage.md at master · ximion/appstream-generator · GitHub
Do you think it can be the solution of my problem and do you know AppStream Generator ?

Regards.

It could be a bug but unfortunately I really can’t tell without reproducing the setup myself and testing it, and I do not have time to do that.

Not that I know of.

@pwithnall: Hello,

I think there is a bug when we use a local repository as source. When I’m online it is ok. The only thing I can tell to you is that when I push the Install button, the Cancel button appears and after that an item is displayed below :“Ubuntu Unknow source Deb” (in my case). Nothing happens, I’m waiting. Metadata seems to be ok with the help of DEP-11, otherwise I wouldn’t see anything.

Thanks.

Regards.

This topic was automatically closed 45 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.