Mirror
About
The UMBC Linux Users Group operates a high-performance public mirror service dedicated to supporting the broader free and open-source software community. Our mirror provides fast, reliable access to popular Linux distributions and packages hosted within UMBC’s datacenter.
The mirror runs on robust server hardware generously donated by members of our community and is managed by our dedicated sysadmin team. By maintaining this service, we aim to reduce bandwidth costs for the FOSS ecosystem while providing students and developers with quick local access to essential Linux resources.
Access the mirror:
- HTTPS: https://mirror.lug.umbc.edu
- HTTP: http://mirror.lug.umbc.edu
- RSYNC: rsync://mirror.lug.umbc.edu
Uptime information can be found at https://uptime.blahaj.uno/status/lug
Supported Distributions
We currently maintain synced mirrors of the following Linux distributions, with updates synced periodically throughout the day:
| Distribution | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Arch Linux | Full repository |
| Debian | Full repository |
| Ubuntu | Packages & Release ISO images |
| Linux Mint | Packages & ISO images |
| Manjaro | Full repository |
| EndeavourOS | Full repository |
| Puppy Linux | Full distribution archive |
| Kali Linux | In Progress |
| Alpine | In Progress |
All repositories are synchronized automatically using the archvsync tool suite maintained by the Debian community.
Infrastructure
Our mirror service is powered by enterprise-grade hardware:
Primary Server: Dell R710
- CPU: 2x Intel Xeon X5660 (12 cores, 24 threads total)
- Memory: 160GB DDR3
- Operating System Proxmox Virtual Environment
- Storage: 12TB+ of dedicated mirror storage
- 6x SAS hard drives (4TB & 8TB)
- 1TB SATA SSD for hypervisor
- 512Gb NVMe read cache for performance optimization
Router: Dell Optiplex 7010
- CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 (4 cores, 8 threads)
- Memory: 16GB DDR3
- Operating System OPNsense
Network: 5 Gigabit uplink
Location: UMBC Departmental Computer Room
History
October 2023 - Sean Stultz (then LUG President) proposes establishing a community mirror service
January 2025 - Alex Merryman commits to launching the mirror and begins acquiring hardware through community donations
April 2025 - Initial outreach to UMBC’s Division of Information Technology (DoIT)
May 2025 - Formal approval obtained from DoIT to host infrastructure in the campus datacenter
June 2025 - Server installed and setup in the UMBC datacenter
August 2025 - Mirror enters beta operation with initial distribution repositories
February 2026 - Full sysadmin team onboarded for ongoing operations and maintenance
Project Team
Project Founders & Current Leadership:
- Alex Merryman, LUG President
- Danielle Esposito, LUG Vice President
Community Hardware Contributors:
- Alex Merryman
- Danielle Esposito
- AJ Angarita
- LMN1460
This project wouldn’t exist without the generous donations of hardware and time from our community members.