Presentation
Downloading packages from the Internet takes time.
To be able to quickly deploy new VMs, you need a local repository.
Configuration Procedure
Install the Apache package:
# yum group install -y "Basic Web Server"
Create the directories for the CentOS distribution and the updates:
# cd /var/www/html # mkdir -p conf repo/CentOS/7 # cd repo/CentOS/7 # mkdir -p centosplus/x86_64 extras/x86_64 os/x86_64 updates/x86_64
In the software requirements, it was specified to download the DVD version or the Everything version of the CentOS 7 distribution. It is now time to use it.
Mount the previously downloaded iso and copy it into the right place:
# mount -o loop CentOS-7.0-1406-x86_64-DVD.iso /mnt # cd /mnt # tar cvf - . | (cd /var/www/html/repo/CentOS/7/os/x86_64; tar xvf -) # cd /; umount /mnt
In order to prepare the centosplus, extras and updates repositories, install the createrepo package:
# yum install createrepo
Prepare the centosplus, extras and updates repositories:
# cd /var/www/html/repo/CentOS/7/centosplus/x86_64; createrepo . # cd ../../extras/x86_64; createrepo . # cd ../../updates/x86_64; createrepo .
Go into the directory where the repository configuration is:
# cd /etc/yum.repos.d
Create the local.repo file and paste the following lines:
[os] name=master - Base baseurl=http://192.168.1.5/repo/CentOS/$releasever/os/$basearch/ gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-7 [updates] name=master - Updates baseurl=http://192.168.1.5/repo/CentOS/$releasever/updates/$basearch/ gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-7 [extras] name=master - Extras baseurl=http://192.168.1.5/repo/CentOS/$releasever/extras/$basearch/ gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-7 [centosplus] name=master - CentosPlus baseurl=http://192.168.1.5/repo/CentOS/$releasever/centosplus/$basearch/ gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-7
Note1: A yum update command will update the system with what the local Apache server’s got.
Note2: Don’t try to display the $releasever and $basearch variables with the echo command. They aren’t shell variables but specific values provided by yum (see this thread for more details).
Copy the local.repo file into the /var/www/html/conf directory to make it available to the new VMs:
# cp local.repo /var/www/html/conf
Assign the SELinux attributes to the files:
# restorecon -R /var/www/html
Activate the Apache server at boot and start it:
# systemctl enable httpd && systemctl start httpd
Clean up the yum configuration:
# yum clean all
Check the yum configuration:
# yum repolist all Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks centosplus | 2.9 kB 00:00 extras | 2.9 kB 00:00 os | 3.6 kB 00:00 updates | 2.9 kB 00:00 (1/2): os/7/x86_64/group_gz | 157 kB 00:00 (2/2): os/7/x86_64/primary_db | 4.9 MB 00:00 Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile repo id repo name status centosplus/7/x86_64 master - CentosPlus enabled: 0 extras/7/x86_64 master - Extras enabled: 0 os/7/x86_64 master - Base enabled: 8,465 updates/7/x86_64 master - Updates enabled: 0 repolist: 8,465
Finally, you need an extra step to regularly update your lab local repository.
Create a Bash script called /root/rsync.sh and paste the following lines (where mirror.ovh.net/ftp.centos.org/7/ is the url of a close CentOS repository):
#!/bin/bash /usr/bin/rsync -av --delete --delete-excluded --exclude "local" --exclude "isos" --exclude "*.iso" --exclude "xen4" --exclude "*.i686.*" --exclude "i386" rsync://centos.mirrors.ovh.net/ftp.centos.org/7/ /var/www/html/repo/CentOS/7
Give the execution permissions:
# chmod u+x /root/rsync.sh
Put this script into the root crontab (# crontab -e):
00 02 * * * /root/rsync.sh
Note: The first synchronization will last a while but, after, it will be quick.
After synchronization, you will get this kind of result:
# yum repolist all Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile repo id repo name status centosplus/7/x86_64 master - CentosPlus enabled: 70 extras/7/x86_64 master - Extras enabled: 44 os/7/x86_64 master - Base enabled: 8,465 updates/7/x86_64 master - Updates enabled: 866 repolist: 9,445
Additional Resources
The DeviantEngineer website provides a tutorial to Install your own local Repo server on CentOS 7 with Nginx.
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8 Comments on "RHEL7: Set up a local repository for a lab."
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Depending on the disc you used to install CentOS 7, you may need to remove the currently existing repos to achieve the same output — and avoid a warning about each repo “being defined twice.”
Just do an rm /etc/yum.repos.d/* before you create your local.repo, and you should be set!
Yes, absolutely.
My example doesn’t work anymore because the url has changed.
I updated the tutorial because the line should now be:
# /usr/bin/rsync -av –delete –delete-excluded –exclude “local” –exclude “isos” –exclude “*.iso” –exclude “xen4” –exclude “*.i686.*” –exclude “i386” rsync://centos.mirrors.ovh.net/ftp.centos.org/7/ /var/www/html/repo/CentOS/7
ah sorry when I said it doesn’t give any error now that was because I forgot to remove the #…it stills give me an error
[root@master yum.repos.d]# /usr/bin/rsync -av –delete –delete-excluded –exclude “local” –exclude “isos” –exclude “*.iso” –exclude “xen4” –exclude “*.i686.*” –exclude “i386” rsync://centos.mirrors.ovh.net/ftp.centos.org/7/ /var/www/html/repo/CentOS/7
Unexpected remote arg: rsync://centos.mirrors.ovh.net/ftp.centos.org/7/
rsync error: syntax or usage error (code 1) at main.c(1214) [sender=3.0.9]
I checked the command, it works fine.
Did you create the /var/www/html/repo/CentOS/7 directory?
Should also be included in “Prepare the centosplus, extras and updates repositories:” step?
These operations are not asked for the RHCSA/RHCE exams.