Zorin OS taking an eternity to first install and update

My internet speed is 60 MB, I know it's not the best one, but its acceptable. The problem isn't my internet, but it seems that the official Ubuntu mirror is slow, this issue started yesterday.

If you have already Zorin installed, go to the terminal and type sudo apt update - it will take so much to the update command to finish, it would take hours easily...
I managed this issue by changing the official Ubuntu mirror to another one, in my case, I've chosen "Bytemark Hosting" and then updated the packages. After that, everything is working perfectly, the command sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade is now working as it should be.

I just warning you guys about this issue. It should be fixed as soon as possible because the users who are going to install Zorin will face this annoying issue. I'm trying to install Zorin OS Core 12.3 on my VirtualBox just for tests and it's taking 4 hours to install - it used to take around 5~10 minutes in the past.

What's wrong with Ubuntu mirror? If you change the mirror the issue is fixed. The main problem is that you can't change the mirror during the installation. It'll use the Ubuntu official mirror by default and new users wouldn't know how to manage it.

I'm actually using Zorin OS Lite instead of the main Core/Ultimate version. This issue is happening during the installation of the Core version and happened yesterday with me on my already installed Zorin Lite. I fixed the problem by changing my mirror to another. New users won't know what to do...

Fix it guys!

Hi haknor,

Just for clarity, I am not a Dev (never have been - wouldn't know where to start), just a volunteer moderator with umpteen years of different Desktop GNU/Linux.
If you look at Global announcements I have clearly outlined in the unofficial Manual that i created how to change the server location for software updates - AFTER installation. What ZorinOS tends to do is, dependent on the language selected at point of install, and the location (time-zone), will prompt Zorin to choose your country's location server that has the Ubuntu updates, plus Zorin. My advice on here has always been to change the update source to 'Main Server'. Also bear in mind the recent fiasco of Intel's Meltdown debacle which after fixes have been installed could also be causing slowdowns. For the average Joe who isn't a developer, CPU speeds will slow by 10% but Developers on Ubuntu could see a slow-down of 50%

I have taken the time and trouble to develop the Unofficial Manual, please take time to read it:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13614

In additional to the information that Swarfendor437 has provided there is quite a bit that can go into impacting the usability of the Internet.

Everything from the IP version being used (IPv4 vs IPv6), your Internet connection, the path being used, peering limits, sever limitations and so on. I can't speak for Zorin in this case, but I know other distros where the the file servers used for hosting are entirely provided by the community. Not every server has a crazy fast connection or unlimited data and such. (Not saying this is the case, just saying that there is alot that goes into the download connection)

I know for quite some time I had issues with IPv6 downloads being very slow despite my much higher than average Download speed, (1000Mbps Down). Regretfully I never looked into the cause of that issue. At the time I would Change to an IPv4 host, disable IPv6, or just wait.

(Not the cause, as changing the mirror resolved the issue for you)
Your last mile connection(your ISP): (whether it be cable or dsl or LTE or SONET or whatever) Has its limits, it is VERY normal for ISP's or oversubscribe this link well beyond what I feel is reasonable.

The Path of the connection: It is possible that to get to the target system that the protocols in place don't actually choose the best path, one of the links may be congested, or bouncing, or just have some kinda horrible config setup.
Example: I once worked for a company that would pretty commonly have transport rings that would be congested.
Another Example: My wife plays some games and every once in a while she will start having connection issues, my investigations found this to be due to a MPLS link from Chicago to LA that her data is transported through. (Dataloss, and intermittent latency where her symptoms)

Peering limitations: Your ISP will at some point connect to someone else, (this is what makes it the Internet) These peers have to effectively communicate and calculate the path that your data is going to take, One Peer may prefer another based on price or speed or uptime or whatever else they want, You data may leave via different peers for any different connection, and if that peer has issues, then you data may be impacted.

Server stuff: Servers are nothing more than a normal computer, usually with higher quality hardware (not always) That Server still has to have a network interface and connect a some set speed to the Internet. I have leased virtual servers that only had a 100M physical connection and that was expected to be shared amongst other virtual servers. If the server is configured as part of a cluster or, or a load balancer these techs aren't without issue, no matter the case, if the Internet is asking for 6Gbps of information from a server that can only hand out 1Gbps or traffic, the userbase is prob going to feel it.

The IPv6 stack is likely default on whatever system your using, but a URL can resolve to either IPv6 (via AAAA Record Lookup) or IPv4 (via A Record Lookup) so by changing the mirror, you can change every possible impacting factor except the last mile used for your connection. The Internet is a complex beast the answer might not be as simple as "fix it".

On that note, I did have some issues a few weeks back where one of the mirrors were not longer reachable, and the pending timeout for each connection before attempting another mirror made it take forever to run updates.

Personally: I make sure the Inet isn't up while I install. Then post install I can pick and choose the mirror.

Hosting really plays an important role during installation, so you should pay attention to its stability. By the way, reliable hosting provide https://hostovita.pl/hosting/

Just for the record,

I've done this How to: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14159 for those that need IPV6 disabling if you follow the instructions after your Zorin release is installed it shouldn't then pick up the IPV6 requirement and just use IPV4 if your system is like mine. Hadn't tried it on the live edition from the disc or usb but I've only tried it when it was installed to hard drive. Thought of letting you know! Note: After disabling IPV6 the actual default repository will then work fully once more this is through experience.