ClamAV Private Database Mirror Updater Tool

Warnings

• gotcha As of v1.1.3, info-level and debug-level messages are directed to stdout instead of stderr. This change can impact existing scripts or logging configurations that differentiate between stdout and stderr.
  Fix: Adjust scripts or logging configurations to capture stdout for informational/debug messages. Consider redirecting stdout/stderr explicitly if needed.
• gotcha Running `cvd clean all` followed by `cvd update` too frequently (e.g., repeatedly in quick succession) can result in the official ClamAV database servers temporarily refusing download requests due to rate-limiting. This can cause databases to enter a 'cool-down' period.
  Fix: Avoid excessively frequent updates. The tool is designed to only download new content when available, so frequent execution without new content is generally safe, but forced re-downloads (like after `cvd clean all`) should be spaced out.
• breaking In version 1.2.0, `cvdupdate` migrated its internal logging dependency from `coloredlogs` (unmaintained) to `colorlog`. While this is primarily an internal change, users relying on specific behaviors or customizations of the `coloredlogs` dependency might observe subtle differences, particularly if they were using internal logging mechanisms of `cvdupdate`.
  Fix: Review any custom logging configurations or programmatic interactions that might have implicitly relied on the `coloredlogs` library's presence or behavior. The change is generally transparent for command-line usage.
• gotcha For users upgrading from versions prior to 1.1.0 (specifically from 1.0.2), the configuration file (`config.json`) was automatically migrated and split into `config.json` and `state.json` upon running `cvd update`. This was done to separate database state from user configuration, allowing for easier management with configuration tools.
  Fix: Be aware of this change if you manage `cvdupdate`'s configuration files manually or with external configuration management tools. Ensure your tools account for the new `state.json` file.
• gotcha It is important to NOT use `cvdupdate` if you do not need to host a private database mirror. For direct updates on individual ClamAV clients, `freshclam` is significantly more efficient as it can update using small CDIFF patches. `cvdupdate`, conversely, downloads both the new daily CDIFF and the entire daily CVD.
  Fix: Utilize `freshclam` for direct client updates. Only use `cvdupdate` when setting up a centralized private mirror for multiple ClamAV clients.

Install

• pip install cvdupdate Install via pip

Imports

• cvdupdate

  This library is primarily used as a command-line tool, not typically imported programmatically.

  Invoke using `cvd` command or `python -m cvdupdate`.

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to install `cvdupdate` and use its primary command to download ClamAV database files. It also includes optional commands to serve the databases locally for testing purposes and to customize the database storage location.

# Install cvdupdate (if not already installed)
pip install cvdupdate

# Run the update command to download ClamAV databases
cvd update

# (Optional) Serve the downloaded databases for testing (not production)
cvd serve

# (Optional) Configure database directory
cvd config set --dbdir /path/to/your/mirror