Should I upgrade to weewx 4.1.1?

[Boston Tom]

I am running 3.7.1 on an rpi with the interceptor driver to collect data from my Lacrosse system and publish it to the web, CWOP, APRS, etc.

Everything has been running fine for several years, but I am considering upgrading.  I am not Linux or programming  savvy.  I just do things logically by trial and error and eventually get things to work.....somehow.

It took me quite a while to get my existing set-up working, so now I am a little nervous to tinker with anything.  

I am running Raspian GNU/Linux 8.0 (jessie), release 8.0

Should I upgrade to weewx 4.1.1, or just leave it alone?

If upgrading will not be too disruptive to my system, it looks like I will need to upgrade the operating system (based on the weewx page prerequisites).

Will an operating system upgrade affect my current set-up?

Will updating to weewx 4.1.1 wipe out my current config settings, or mess with the interceptor driver I need to run to collect the data?

Thanks in advance.

[Tom Keffer]

If your system is working fine, why mess with it? Especially if it involves an OS upgrade.

The only catch is that eventually Python 2 will be phased out and, to keep up with security upgrades, you may be forced to switch.

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[Boston Tom]

Yes, that's the reason behind wanting to upgrade.  I want to keep up to date every so often so that I don't wind up with a set up that gets completely phased out.  Do you recommend just leaving it alone until something stops working?

[John Kline]

If another Raspberry Pi is affordable for you, you might consider setting up a completely new system.  That would give you time to get things right.  If you are successful, you could then stop both WeeWX instances, copy over the database (weewx.sdb) to the new system and restart.

On Oct 24, 2020, at 10:51 AM, Boston Tom <tka...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, that's the reason behind wanting to upgrade.  I want to keep up to date every so often so that I don't wind up with a set up that gets completely phased out.  Do you recommend just leaving it alone until something stops working?

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/weewx-user/f50cea27-a70a-46ae-b10a-efad8873c491n%40googlegroups.com.

[Tom Keffer]

Good suggestion from John, and probably the safest.

You'll have to decide for yourself whether to do an in situ upgrade.

I can say that we have worked hard on common upgrade paths, and Debian 8 to 9 is one of them. 

If you decide to go the upgrade route, remember to upgrade your interceptor driver as well.

-tk

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/weewx-user/B90993D6-014E-4151-A59D-09BA59932AC6%40johnkline.com.

[vince]

On Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 10:26:59 AM UTC-7, Boston Tom wrote:

I am running 3.7.1 on an rpi with the interceptor driver to collect data from my Lacrosse system and publish it to the web, CWOP, APRS, etc.

Everything has been running fine for several years, but I am considering upgrading.  I am not Linux or programming  savvy.  I just do things logically by trial and error and eventually get things to work.....somehow.

It took me quite a while to get my existing set-up working, so now I am a little nervous to tinker with anything.  

You 'always' want to have a backup of your working system.  SD cards fail.  All computers can break.

• save your database someplace occasionally
• save your weewx.conf file
• run "sudo wee_extension --list" to keep track of what you installed as extensions or skins

 

I am running Raspian GNU/Linux 8.0 (jessie), release 8.0

Should I upgrade to weewx 4.1.1, or just leave it alone?

There is no ticking clock in weewx or the os requiring you to change anything if it is working for you now, assuming you run your pi LAN-only and don't expose anything to possible Internet attacks.   It really comes down to how much time you want to invest and when you want to do so.

If you only have one pi and wouldn't mind not feeding CWOP etc. for an hour perhaps, the simplest thing is to buy another SD card for $10 or so and start from scratch with the new os and current weewx and get that working.  Once the pi works on your network ok, restore your old database and start weewx up again and you'll be all upgraded.   If you mess it up, just run off your old SD card that you know is set up correctly.

But agree with John that if you had a second pi it's a little easier perhaps.

 

[Boston Tom]

Thanks all, those are excellent suggestions.  In fact I do have another rpi4 still in the box.  I will build that one and get it working before repurposing the existing set-up.

Thanks again!