SPUG: Old versions of modules with CPAN tool

[Yitzchak Scott-Thoennes]

On Sun, Jul 10, 2005 at 11:24:23AM -0700, Jeremy Mates wrote:
> * Peter Darley <pdarley at kinesis-cem.com>
> > I'm trying to get a new server to have the same versions of modules on
> > it as my old servers. I can't find a way to get the CPAN shell to
> > install an older version of a module; is there such a way? If not, is
> > it likely to be OK just copying parts of the perl module directories
> > over to the new machine?
> 
> >From the CPAN shell:
> 
> install L/LD/LDS/CGI.pm-2.45.tar.gz
> 
> Modules can be deleted by the author, so you may want a local copy in
> some fashion (source tarballs, render to a vendor package system, feed
> a local Software Depot). Copying bits around can work, though can
> easily lead to odd problems (whoops, forgot to copy X) and scary
> unmaintainable systems.

I second the recommendation to not copy bits around.

Note that even deleted modules are still accessible from
backpan.cpan.org.  (At least everything uploaded since PAUSE
started, just before perl 5.001n.)