Add a metalink for DSL isos

Forum: DSL Ideas and Suggestions
Topic: Add a metalink for DSL isos
started by: curaga

Posted by curaga on July 09 2007,12:39

Metalink is, simplified, a xml list of download locations. It also checks the md5sum during download.
As good metalink clients, like aria2, use segmented downloading, making this one link would give speed and stability to capable clients.

I propose adding a metalink as the first link on DSL download page.

I know aria2 can use segmented downloading in itself, but finding say 10 mirrors of DSL and copying all the addresses to the command line takes time.

A web-based creator is here: < http://www.metalinker.org/generator/ >
Using it I created a metalink of DSL 3.4 isolinux iso. It assumes that this metalink is located as "www.damnsmalllinux.org/dsl.metalink" for updating status eg... If you decide to use it, it's < here. >

(to use it, copy it to the DSL server and add a link to it)

Posted by curaga on July 09 2007,12:45

Oh, copy it with wget as browsers tend to format it wrongly

Posted by stupid_idiot on July 09 2007,15:58

Hey! Just as I pulled Metalink and BitTorrent out of aria2.uci too!

Oh no!

p.s. I thought Metalink was unpopular enough to justify removing it. As for BitTorrent, I rationalized that rtorrent was a better and smaller client. aria.uci went from 608K to 224K and I happily sent it in.

aria2 is the only cmdline Metalink client. Maybe I really should put Metalink back.

Posted by curaga on July 09 2007,16:31

Yeah ;)
but ctorrent sweeps the floor with rtorrent ;)

Posted by roberts on July 10 2007,16:31

I have added a Metalink link to the < download > page. Please test and leave feedback.

Posted by curaga on July 10 2007,17:05

Clicking on it causes a "not found" error

Posted by roberts on July 10 2007,17:14

Fixed the oops. Please try again.

Posted by curaga on July 10 2007,17:53

Works great!
My connection's theoretical maximum is 128 kb/s, but the peak went up to 140 kb/s at times.
It downloaded on max speed anyway. Took 6,5min to get dsl-3.4.
As it checked the md5 at the same time, this is the recommended download method..