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Creating a private CRAN with webpages

4 messages · Joshua Bradley, Rainer M Krug, Martin Maechler +1 more

Original
Joshua Bradley
# 
Hello,

I am trying to setup a private CRAN for work (behind a firewall). The best
options available include miniCRAN
<https://github.com/RevolutionAnalytics/miniCRAN>, drat
<https://github.com/eddelbuettel/drat> and packrat
<https://rstudio.github.io/packrat/>. One problem is these packages do not
automatically generate the web pages that are on the CRAN.

Examples:
https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/index.html
https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/available_packages_by_name.html

Each time the CRAN adds a package, there must be an automated process in
place to regenerate the pages again with the new package added (example - A3
<https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/A3/index.html>). I read somewhere
(possibly on stackoverflow) that the CRAN html pages are statically built.
I would like for users to be able to explore the packages in my private
CRAN just like the public CRAN without having to open R and search for
packages/documentation through the command line.

The R Manual includes a small section
<https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/R-admin.html#Setting-up-a-package-repository>
on setting up a repository but it only discusses the structure of the
directories needed to host packages. Nothing is mentioned about how the
CRAN creates/updates the /web directory. What is the best way to
generate/maintain the web pages for a private CRAN?

P.S. Let me know if this question is best answered on one of the other
mailing lists.

Josh Bradley
Rainer M Krug
# 
If I understand you correctly, you want to have a mirror of CRAN on a private server behind your firewall. Check out https://cran.rstudio.com/mirror-howto.html <https://cran.rstudio.com/mirror-howto.html> which gives instructions on how to do this.

Cheers,

Rainer
--
Rainer M. Krug, PhD (Conservation Ecology, SUN), MSc (Conservation Biology, UCT), Dipl. Phys. (Germany)

University of Z?rich

Cell:       +41 (0)78 630 66 57

Fax (D):    +49 - (0)3 21 21 25 22 44

email:      Rainer at krugs.de

Skype:      RMkrug

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Martin Maechler
# 
> If I understand you correctly, you want to have a mirror
    > of CRAN on a private server behind your firewall. Check
    > out https://cran.rstudio.com/mirror-howto.html
    > <https://cran.rstudio.com/mirror-howto.html> which gives
    > instructions on how to do this.  Cheers,

    > Rainer

Yes, definitely:  Just use your private CRAN mirror... and instead
of the above URL, one with the same speed (and AFAIK still
sponsored by the same monney) is
  https://cloud.r-project.org/mirror-howto.html

There it tells you to use  rsync, and I strongly recommend you do!  

Martin Maechler,
ETH Zurich
(running one of the oldest - public - CRAN Mirrors)


    >> On 8 Jun 2017, at 23:29, Joshua Bradley
>> <jgbradley1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
    >> Hello,
    >> 
    >> I am trying to setup a private CRAN for work (behind a
    >> firewall). The best options available include miniCRAN
    >> <https://github.com/RevolutionAnalytics/miniCRAN>, drat
    >> <https://github.com/eddelbuettel/drat> and packrat
    >> <https://rstudio.github.io/packrat/>. One problem is
    >> these packages do not automatically generate the web
    >> pages that are on the CRAN.
    >> 
    >> Examples:
    >> https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/index.html
    >> https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/available_packages_by_name.html
    >> 
    >> Each time the CRAN adds a package, there must be an
    >> automated process in place to regenerate the pages again
    >> with the new package added (example - A3
    >> <https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/A3/index.html>). I
    >> read somewhere (possibly on stackoverflow) that the CRAN
    >> html pages are statically built.  I would like for users
    >> to be able to explore the packages in my private CRAN
    >> just like the public CRAN without having to open R and
    >> search for packages/documentation through the command
    >> line.
    >> 
    >> The R Manual includes a small section
    >> <https://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/r-release/R-admin.html#Setting-up-a-package-repository>
    >> on setting up a repository but it only discusses the
    >> structure of the directories needed to host
    >> packages. Nothing is mentioned about how the CRAN
    >> creates/updates the /web directory. What is the best way
    >> to generate/maintain the web pages for a private CRAN?
    >> 
    >> P.S. Let me know if this question is best answered on one
    >> of the other mailing lists.
    >> 
    >> Josh Bradley
    >> 
    >> [[alternative HTML version deleted]]
    >> 
    >> ______________________________________________
    >> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
    >> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel

    > --
    > Rainer M. Krug, PhD (Conservation Ecology, SUN), MSc
    > (Conservation Biology, UCT), Dipl. Phys. (Germany)

    > University of Z?rich

    > Cell: +41 (0)78 630 66 57

    > Fax (D): +49 - (0)3 21 21 25 22 44

    > email: Rainer at krugs.de

    > Skype: RMkrug

    > xapplication/pgp-signature [Click mouse-2 to save to a
    > file]

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