FreeBSD changing pkg_add package ftp site location

FreeBSD changing pkg_add package ftp site location

by nixcraft

pkg_add is a utility for installing software package distributions. It works like Linux apt-get command. It can download package from freebsd ftp site with the remote fetching feature. This will determine the appropriate objformat and release and then fetch and install the package. You can use following syntax:
pkg_add -v -r {package-name}

For example, you can install vim package:

# pkg_add -v -r vim

By default it downloads, the package from ftp.freebsd.org if this site is too busy then you need to use other ftp site location. You can define the environment variable PACKAGEROOT specifies an alternate location for pkg_add to fetch from. The fetch URL is built using this environment variable and the automatic directory logic that pkg_add uses when the -r option is used. For example:

# export PACKAGEROOT=ftp://ftp3.FreeBSD.org
# pkg_add -v -r vim 

You can select FreeBSD ftp mirror sites list. At the writing of this HONG KONG is nearest mirror for me so I will use ftp://ftp.hk.freebsd.org/

# export PACKAGEROOT=ftp://ftp.hk.freebsd.org
# pkg_add -v -r zip

Besides environment variable PACKAGESITE specifies an alternate location for
pkg_add to fetch from. By default, ftp server uses directory path /pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-VERSION-release/Latest/. This variable subverts the automatic directory logic that pkg_add uses when the -r option is used. Thus it should be a complete URL to the remote package file(s).

 

from : http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/freebsd-changing-pkg_add-package-ftp-site-location.html