The best way to upgrade Mandrake 9.1 ?
Tux
and i'm interested what is the best way to upgrade my Linux?
Is it enough to install newest kernel (which site you
suggest for detailed instructions?),
or reset computer with new Mandrake CD in CD-ROM?
I somewhere heard that upgrade through the Mandrake procedure
from CD can sometimes be unstable and could end with the
lost of all system, so that "some experts" upgrade system on
"some other way". Could you describe me how?
Thank you
Rod McCall
> I have Mandrake 9.1 on Celeron 533 MHz, 128 MB RAM
> and i'm interested what is the best way to upgrade my Linux?
>
> Is it enough to install newest kernel (which site you
> suggest for detailed instructions?),
>
> or reset computer with new Mandrake CD in CD-ROM?
I am in a similar situation, as well and have 9.2. If I don't (see post
elsewhere) buy am AMD64 then I may end up migrating to 10 on the current
machine I have.
However if I was you I'd put more RAM in your machine first. I've got 384mb
in my machine at the moment, and I think you'll notice a much better
improvement by going to 256mb or above than you will by changing to 10.
Best,
Rod
--
Dr Rod McCall
Runtime Revolution Ltd
www.runrev.com
Runtime Revolution - User-Centric Developer Tools
Bit Twister
> search_tag_install_upgrade
> i'm interested what is the best way to upgrade my Linux?
>
> Is it enough to install newest kernel (which site you
> suggest for detailed instructions?),
No. Usually, major version numbers 5.x, 6.x, 7.x require recompile of
all the binaries.
>
> or reset computer with new Mandrake CD in CD-ROM?
I'll recommend a clean install.
> I somewhere heard that upgrade through the Mandrake procedure
> from CD can sometimes be unstable
Applications can change keywords used in configuration files. Old
keywords may cause new code to fail. Some applications worked better
when you deleted their .app_name_rc file and recreate it fresh.
Applications can be rewritten and installed with new names. You might
run old application and dinkup configuration files.
Applications get repackaged into new rpms, you will not get
the new one. New applications in new rpms, you would have to know
about them to load them. Obsolete libraries/files left on the disk.
I found that it works better when you do a format and a clean install
when going from 1 major release (8.x) level to another (9.x).
Keeps the problems of incompatiable libraries from helping
you into the ditch.
I have see where some people had problems upgrading between minor
release 9.0 to 9.1. Their problems went away after they did a clean install.
> and could end with the lost of all system, so that "some experts"
> upgrade system on "some other way". Could you describe me how?
I alway do a clean install. I have several spare 6 gig partitions
that I can use for new installs, hot backup copy of an install, testing,
creating isos, ...
You can create a lilo boot diskette with
lilo -b /dev/fd0
change the bios boot order and test the diskette.
Now you know you can boot the _production_ install.
Change the bios boot order back to cd/disk.
Then do a install into one of the spare 6gig partitions.
During the partition phase you select custom,
pick a spare partition for / and format it to erase any files.
Next pick the current install and label it, example /md91
That will allow you to have access to the old install's files.
After install you can cut/paste the old install into lilo and boot
whichever installation you like. Example:
grep label /etc/lilo.conf
label="md10oe"
label="md10ce"
label="linux-nonfb"
label="failsafe"
label="win_XP"
label="floppy"
label=md91
label=md90
label=Redhat
append="root=LABEL=/"
Once you no longer need the old installation, it's partition becomes
the new parttiion to test with.
I have extra partitions which are shared between the production
install and the new install.
/site - my custom stuff,
/opt - third party stuff not on cds,
and /accounts - user accounts.
The normal folders/directories are in the 6gig partition.
I will do a clean install with the same users in /home.
I copy the /account's ~/.kde/Autostart/* and ~/Desktop to /home
I play around to see what is going on and what new files show up in /home.
If no problems, I copy /home/bittwister/* to /accounts/bittwister and
change /home in /etc/passwd to /accounts.
Stacey
> I have Mandrake 9.1 on Celeron 533 MHz, 128 MB RAM
> and i'm interested what is the best way to upgrade my Linux?
>
>
Better question is why do you feel you need to upgrade? Is there soemthing
that doesn't work or that is unsupported that would require a newer
version? Is there software you want install that won't because of libraries
not being new enough? If your install is working, DON'T think you need to
"upgrade" just to do it. I've found many times the "upgrade" broke more
things than it fixed. I'm stiull using 9.1 after trying 9.2 and 10.0 and
found, for me, 9.1 was less buggy and more stable.
--
Stacey
AM Christophe
I have to agree. If you have a stable 9.1 than 9.2 or 10.0 don't worth the
troubles.
Note that I use 10.0. On my PC it gives me speed + big applications list +
kernel 2.6 stability.
Note also that it's better (1) to create a new user to test the new distro
(like this you won't have problem with program configuration files) (2) to
install instead of upgrad (this only need to format '/' and not '/home').
--
,,,
(._.)
/|\+\\
\|/ @u(==-
Stacey
> Stacey wrote:
>
>> Tux wrote:
>>
>>> I have Mandrake 9.1 on Celeron 533 MHz, 128 MB RAM
>>> and i'm interested what is the best way to upgrade my Linux?
>>
>> Better question is why do you feel you need to upgrade? Is there
>> soemthing that doesn't work or that is unsupported that would require a
>> newer version? Is there software you want install that won't because of
>> libraries not being new enough? If your install is working, DON'T think
>> you need to "upgrade" just to do it. I've found many times the "upgrade"
>> broke more things than it fixed. I'm stiull using 9.1 after trying 9.2
>> and 10.0 and found, for me, 9.1 was less buggy and more stable.
>
>
> I have to agree. If you have a stable 9.1 than 9.2 or 10.0 don't worth the
> troubles.
>
> Note that I use 10.0. On my PC it gives me speed + big applications list +
> kernel 2.6 stability.
>
Especially on older hardware.
--
Stacey
Bill Unruh
]AM Christophe wrote:
]>
One reason is that Mandrake support for 9.1 in general has expired and even
kernel support will expire in about a month. Ie, no more security updates--
you are on your own to discover and patch the holes that will be found in
the kernel, in applications, etc.
Toby Newman
[snip recommendation of clean install over an upgrade from 9.1 - 10]
On the 7th July, Clippy the paperclip and Bit Twister were advising me
in this group how easy it would be to upgrade, rather than reinstall.
They told me it was just a matter of doing following:
Backup my data in case of failure
Backup my config files
Backup my firewall settings
# urpmi.removemedia -a
Go to http://plf.zarb.org/~nanardon/
Select my system as Version 10.0 (Official, I guess? I don't know.)
Tick all the sources
Paste the result into a root shell
Once it finishes downloading all the lists, type:
# urpmi --auto-select
# urpmi --kernel
I haven't had the guts to try it yet. You seem to say that it won't be
that easy?
--
Toby
Bit Twister
> # Bit Twister
> [snip recommendation of clean install over an upgrade from 9.1 - 10]
>
> On the 7th July, Clippy the paperclip and Bit Twister were advising me
> in this group how easy it would be to upgrade, rather than reinstall.
I never recommend upgrade, always install. I have indicated some have
problems and some do not. If you are going to do it, copy to new
partition and do the upgrade on the copy.