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7.1 Administering Package Manager

Session overview#

In this session, you will:

  • Learn about different package sources and repositories available in RSPM
  • Configure different sources in RSPM
  • Configure multiple repositories in RSPM

Administering RSPM#

From the CLI, you can:

  • Initiate CRAN metadata sync
  • Add sources and repositories
  • Configure different methods of serving packages
  • Configure server settings

From the web interface, you can:

  • Verify and view repositories
  • Explore package details and dependencies
  • View package usage
  • Inform users on how to get packages from RSPM

Different types of sources in RSPM#

Single source and single repository#

Package sources can be one of the following types:

  • cran, curated cran, local, git

Package repositories use a database and specialized web server to handle HTTP requests from R and serve a package, archived package, or PACKAGES file.

More details on repositories and sources are provided in the documentation on Repositories and Sources.

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Multiple sources and single repository#

  • The order of source subscriptions is important and determines the precedence in which packages will be served

  • The order of sources within a repository can be changed using the rspm reorder command.

  • For repositories with multiple sources, RSPM will show which source a package came from.

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Multiple sources and multiple repositories#

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Configuring sources#

Configuration quickstarts:

  • Serving CRAN Packages
  • Serving Local Packages
  • Serving Local Packages from Git
  • Serving CRAN and Local Packages
  • Supplementing CRAN with Bleeding Edge Packages from GitHub
  • Serving an Approved Subset of CRAN
  • Serving an Approved Subset of CRAN and Local Packages

All of these configuration scenarios are described in the documentation on Get Started - Configuration.

Repository configurations in RSPM#

Serving CRAN packages#

  • A common use case for RStudio Package Manager is making CRAN packages available in environments with restricted internet access and tracking package usage statistics.

  • The CRAN source is included as an internal source by default.

  • The sync mode is configured to lazy downloads by default, but the CRAN.SyncMode property the RSPM configuration file and can be set to eager downloads for eager package fetching.

  • The CRAN source is updated according to a the CRAN.SyncSchedule property. By default, RSPM will sync once a day at midnight (in the server’s timezone).

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Serving a subset of CRAN packages#

  • A curated CRAN source enables administrators to give access to an approved list of CRAN packages using change management to preview changes, add new packages, and run updates.

  • The required dependencies for the specified packages are automatically discovered and included in the repository.

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Serving local packages#

  • Many teams have a handful of internally built packages.

    • You can create a bundled version of each package and copy the resulting package files to the RStudio Package Manager server.

  • RStudio Package Manager will ensure that the latest version is the default package version that is available

    • But will keep older versions available in the repository's archive for users who want to use specific versions.

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Serving packages from Git#

  • Serving packages from a local source requires manual steps to add and update bundled versions of packages.

  • If your organization uses Git to store internal R packages, you can automate this process using a git source.

  • More details on building R packages from Git are provided in the documentation on Building R Packages.

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Your turn#

In the following lab you will configure your instance of RSPM.

Signs of success:

  • You understand the different types of sources and repositories available in RSPM
  • Your RSPM instance is configured with repositories and packages from multiple sources