apt-spy is a program that tests a series of Debian archive mirrors for bandwith.It writes an /etc/apt/sources.list with the fastest server.You can select which of the many Debian sites to benchmark by geographical location.
Install apt-spy in Debian
#apt-get install apt-spy
Install apt-spy in ubuntu
sudo apt-get install apt-spy
This will start the installation this time it will prompt for certificates select yes and click on ok
apt-spy Syntax
apt-spy -d distribution [ -a area ] [ -c config ] [ -e number ] [ -f file ] [ -i file ] [ -m mirror-list ] [ -o output-file ] [ -p proxy ] [ -s country-list ] [ -t time ] [ -u update-URL ] [ -w file ] [ -n number ] [ -h ] [ -v ] [ update ]
To retrieve the latest list of Debian mirrors you need to run the following command
# apt-spy update
To find the fastest mirror in europe for stable,you need to run the following command
# apt-spy -d stable -a europe
To find the fastest mirror in US for stable, run the following command
# apt-spy -d stable -s us
Here is the list of options available
# apt-spy -h
Usage: apt-spy [options]
options:
-d distribution Debian distribution (ie, stable). Required unless updating.
-a area Area to benchmark. (eg, Europe).
-c config Configuration file to use.
-e number Number of servers to benchmark before exiting.
-f file File to grab when benchmarking. (relative to Debian base).
-i file Specify input file. For use with the -w option.
-m mirror-list Mirror list to use, or mirror-list to update when updating.
-o output-file Where to put output.
-p proxy Proxy server to use. In format
Do NOT run this under Ubuntu, not supported as of current date 4/22/2007