How to get an RPM database?

I was interested in getting the whole RPM DB for my distro (only it's version and arch, and no experimentals), but even that is still gigs upon gigs. I created a program to download the whole thing automatically, but even when I use a public computer at the library it would take days to download! (I have like a 1 bit per second dial-up internet connection, so I can't do it overnight at home) So, does anyone know how I could obtain a hard-copy of this? It's become obvious, that I'm really not going to be able to get it by downloading. I couldn't find any place that you could order some disks from (like you can with Ubuntu).

Couldn't you have a friend download it and burn it to a CD for you?

Couldn't you get a better internet connection at home?

Or even better, get a real package manager like apt-get or yum. Why bother downloading everything; you won't use 99%.

>> Couldn't you get a better internet connection at home?
Only dial-up is available here.

>> Couldn't you have a friend download it and burn it to a CD for you?
Most of my friends are restricted to dial-up also. And the ones who don't have internet slower than the library (DSL I think) so it would take a long time for them too. (Also, it would take several DVDs)

>> Or even better, get a real package manager like apt-get or yum. Why bother downloading everything; you won't use 99%.
Already have. The problem is, when they download big packs, they go through all sorts of trouble to get to a different mirror in the simple event of the TCP connection failing. And my internet has a nil chance of maintaining a single unique connection through 10 megs. So right now, I use a download manager that uses resume support, then, I manually install them. (Tedious!)

Bummer. :p

Well I guess then ordering the CD's would be the only real option (no idea where you'd get that though). And just out of curiosity - where on earth do you live that doesn't have decent high-speed internet?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yarin

>> Couldn't you get a better internet connection at home?
Only dial-up is available here.

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If there are internet cafes w/ high speed at all there, I can tell you how I solved this last year when all I had was dial-up and I installed FC7.

It took me no more than 90 minutes to download 2 DVD's worth, which I now use the same size repository with FC10 -- there is no point in keeping more than that. You can never include all the weird little rpms that you may need in the future; many are not even in fedora's repository anyway. So 8gb is plenty enough, it will be 90%+ of anything you ever install. There's probably a 2 DVD set for FC11, just like there was for 7 & 10. Just use that, for whichever hardware is most appropriate. I think fedora uses an install CD, and then the 2 DVD rpms.

They charge you to burn a DVD -- but it has to come out right, or don't pay for it. Put it in a machine, make sure the files are there, etc. Don't bother worrying about the checksums, these are often incorrect.

I think it cost me $20 or $30 US and that was in Manhattan. Maybe you have to go and sit somewhere for four hours...