summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/includes/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-uptodate.en.html
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'includes/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-uptodate.en.html')
-rw-r--r--includes/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-uptodate.en.html479
1 files changed, 479 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/includes/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-uptodate.en.html b/includes/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-uptodate.en.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b271f29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/includes/common/doc/FAQ/html/ch-uptodate.en.html
@@ -0,0 +1,479 @@
+<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
+
+<html>
+
+<head>
+
+<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
+
+<title>The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ - Keeping your Debian system up-to-date</title>
+
+</head>
+
+<body>
+
+<p><a name="ch-uptodate"></a></p>
+<hr>
+
+<p>
+[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">previous</a> ]
+[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">3</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">4</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">5</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">6</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">7</a> ]
+[ 8 ]
+[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">9</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">10</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">11</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">12</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">13</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">14</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">15</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">next</a> ]
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h1>
+The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
+<br>Chapter 8 - Keeping your Debian system up-to-date
+</h1>
+
+<hr>
+
+<p>
+A Debian goal is to provide a consistent upgrade path and a secure upgrade
+process. We always do our best to make upgrading to new releases a smooth
+procedure. In case there's some important note to add to the upgrade process,
+the packages will alert the user, and often provide a solution to a possible
+problem.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+You should also read the Release Notes document that describes the details of
+specific upgrades. It is shipped on all Debian CDs and available on the WWW at
+<code><a
+href="http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/releasenotes">http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/releasenotes</a></code>.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h2><a name="s-libc5to6upgrade"></a>8.1 How can I upgrade my Debian 1.3.1 (or earlier) distribution, based on libc5, to 2.0 (or later), based on libc6?</h2>
+
+<p>
+There are several ways to upgrade:
+</p>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+Using a simple shell script called <samp>autoup.sh</samp> which upgrades the
+most important packages. After <samp>autoup.sh</samp> has done his job, you
+may use dselect to install the remaining packages <em>en masse</em>. This is
+probably the recommended method, but not the only one.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Currently, the latest release of <samp>autoup.sh</samp> may be found on the
+following locations:
+</p>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+<code><a
+href="http://www.debian.org/releases/2.0/autoup/">http://www.debian.org/releases/2.0/autoup/</a></code>
+</p>
+</li>
+</ul>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+<code><a
+href="http://www.taz.net.au/autoup/">http://www.taz.net.au/autoup/</a></code>
+</p>
+</li>
+</ul>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+<code><a
+href="http://debian.vicnet.net.au/autoup/">http://debian.vicnet.net.au/autoup/</a></code>
+</p>
+</li>
+</ul>
+</li>
+</ul>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+Following closely the <code><a
+href="http://debian.vicnet.net.au/autoup/HOWTO/libc5-libc6-Mini-HOWTO.html">Debian
+libc5 to libc6 Mini-HOWTO</a></code> and upgrade the most important packages by
+hand. <samp>autoup.sh</samp> is based on this Mini-HOWTO, so this method
+should work more or less like using <samp>autoup.sh</samp>.
+</p>
+</li>
+</ul>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+Using a libc5-based <samp>apt</samp>. APT stands for Advanced Package Tool,
+and it might replace dselect some day. Currently, it works just as a
+command-line interface, or as a dselect access method. You will find a libc5
+version in the <samp>dists/slink/main/upgrade-older-i386</samp> directory at
+the Debian archives.
+</p>
+</li>
+</ul>
+<ul>
+<li>
+<p>
+Using just dselect, without upgrading any package by hand first. It is highly
+recommended that you do NOT use this method if you can avoid it, because
+dselect alone currently does not install packages in the optimal order. APT
+works much better and it is safer.
+</p>
+</li>
+</ul>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h2><a name="s-howtocurrent"></a>8.2 How can I keep my Debian system current?</h2>
+
+<p>
+One could simply execute an anonymous ftp call to a Debian archive, then peruse
+the directories until one finds the desired file, and then fetch it, and
+finally install it using <samp>dpkg</samp>. Note that <samp>dpkg</samp> will
+install upgrade files in place, even on a running system. Sometimes, a revised
+package will require the installation of a newly revised version of another
+package, in which case the installation will fail until/unless the other
+package is installed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Many people find this approach much too time-consuming, since Debian evolves so
+quickly -- typically, a dozen or more new packages are uploaded every week.
+This number is larger just before a new major release. To deal with this
+avalanche, many people prefer to use a more automated method. Several
+different packages are available for this purpose:
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h3><a name="s-aptitude-upgrade"></a>8.2.1 aptitude</h3>
+
+<p>
+APT is an advanced interface to the Debian packaging system. It features
+complete installation ordering, multiple source capability and several other
+unique features, see the User's Guide in
+<samp>/usr/share/doc/apt-doc/guide.html/index.html</samp> (you will have to
+install the <samp>apt-doc</samp> package).
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<code>aptitude</code> is the recommended package manager for Debian GNU/Linux
+systems. It is a text-based interface to APT using the curses library, and can
+be used to perform management tasks in a fast and easy way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before you can use <code>aptitude</code>, you'll have to edit the
+<samp>/etc/apt/sources.list</samp> file to set it up. If you wish to upgrade
+to the latest stable version of Debian, you'll probably want to use a source
+like this one:
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ http://http.us.debian.org/debian stable main contrib non-free
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+You can replace http.us.debian.org with the name of a faster Debian mirror near
+you. See the mirror list at <code><a
+href="http://www.debian.org/misc/README.mirrors">http://www.debian.org/misc/README.mirrors</a></code>
+for more information.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+More details on this can be found in the <code>sources.list(8)</code> manual
+page.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To update your system, run
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ aptitude update
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+followed by
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ aptitude dist-upgrade
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+Answer any questions that might come up, and your system will be upgraded. See
+also <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-aptitude">aptitude, Section 7.1.3</a>.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h3><a name="s-apt"></a>8.2.2 apt-get, dselect and apt-cdrom</h3>
+
+<p>
+<code>apt-get</code> is an APT-based command-line tool for handling packages,
+and the APT dselect method is an interface to APT through <code>dselect</code>.
+Both of these provide a simple, safe way to install and upgrade packages.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To use <code>apt-get</code>, install the <code>apt</code> package, and edit the
+<samp>/etc/apt/sources.list</samp> file to set it up, just as for <a
+href="#s-aptitude-upgrade">aptitude, Section 8.2.1</a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then run
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ apt-get update
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+followed by
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ apt-get dist-upgrade
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+Answer any questions that might come up, and your system will be upgraded. See
+also the <code>apt-get(8)</code> manual page, as well as <a
+href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-apt-get">APT, Section 7.1.2</a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To use APT with <code>dselect</code>, choose the APT access method in dselect's
+method selection screen (option 0) and then specify the sources that should be
+used. The configuration file is <code>/etc/apt/sources.list</code>. See also
+<a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html#s-dselect">dselect, Section 7.1.4</a>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+If you want to use CDs to install packages, you can use <code>apt-cdrom</code>.
+For details, please see the Release Notes, section &quot;Setting up for an
+upgrade from a local mirror&quot;.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Please note that when you get and install the packages, you'll still have them
+kept in your /var directory hierarchy. To keep your partition from
+overflowing, remember to delete extra files using <samp>apt-get clean</samp>
+and <samp>apt-get autoclean</samp>, or to move them someplace else (hint: use
+<code>apt-move</code>).
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h3><a name="s-dpkg-ftp"></a>8.2.3 dpkg-ftp</h3>
+
+<p>
+This is an older access method for <code>dselect</code>. It can be invoked
+from within <code>dselect</code>, thereby allowing a user the ability to
+download files and install them directly in one step. To do this, select the
+<samp>ftp</samp> access method in <code>dselect</code> (option 0) and specify
+the remote host name and directory. <code>dpkg-ftp</code> will then
+automatically download the files that are selected (either in this session of
+<code>dselect</code> or earlier ones).
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Note that, unlike the <code>mirror</code> program, <code>dpkg-ftp</code> does
+not grab everything at a mirror site. Rather, it downloads only those files
+which you have selected (when first starting up <code>dpkg-ftp</code>), and
+which need to be updated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<code>dpkg-ftp</code> is somewhat obsolete. You should use the APT access
+method with ftp:// URLs in <code>sources.list</code> instead.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h3><a name="s-mirror"></a>8.2.4 mirror</h3>
+
+<p>
+This Perl script, and its (optional) manager program called
+<code>mirror-master</code>, can be used to fetch user-specified parts of a
+directory tree from a specified host <em>via</em> anonymous FTP.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<code>mirror</code> is particularly useful for downloading large volumes of
+software. After the first time files have been downloaded from a site, a file
+called <samp>.mirrorinfo</samp> is stored on the local host. Changes to the
+remote file system are tracked automatically by <code>mirror</code>, which
+compares this file to a similar file on the remote system and downloads only
+changed files.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The <code>mirror</code> program is generally useful for updating local copies
+of remote directory trees. The files fetched need not be Debian files. (Since
+<code>mirror</code> is a Perl script, it can also run on non-Unix systems.)
+Though the <code>mirror</code> program provides mechanisms for excluding files
+names of which match user-specified strings, this program is most useful when
+the objective is to download whole directory trees, rather than selected
+packages.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h3><a name="s-dpkg-mountable"></a>8.2.5 dpkg-mountable</h3>
+
+<p>
+dpkg-mountable adds an access method called `mountable' to dselect's list,
+which allows you to install from any file system specified in /etc/fstab. For
+example, the archive could be a normal hard disk partition or an NFS server,
+which it will automatically mount and umount for you if necessary.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It also has some extra features not found in the standard dselect methods, such
+as provision for a local file tree (either parallel to the main distribution or
+totally separate), and only getting packages which are required, rather than
+the time-consuming recursive directory scan, as well as logging of all dpkg
+actions in the install method.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h2><a name="s-upgradesingle"></a>8.3 Must I go into single user mode in order to upgrade a package?</h2>
+
+<p>
+No. Packages can be upgraded in place, even in running systems. Debian has a
+<samp>start-stop-daemon</samp> program that is invoked to stop, then restart
+running process if necessary during a package upgrade.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h2><a name="s-savedebs"></a>8.4 Do I have to keep all those .deb archive files on my disk?</h2>
+
+<p>
+No. If you have downloaded the files to your disk (which is not absolutely
+necessary, see above for the description of dpkg-ftp), then after you have
+installed the packages, you can remove them from your system.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<h2><a name="s-keepingalog"></a>8.5 How can I keep a log of the packages I added to the system? I'd like to know when which package upgrades and removals have occured!</h2>
+
+<p>
+Passing the <samp>--log</samp>-option to <code>dpkg</code> makes
+<code>dpkg</code> log status change updates and actions. It logs both the
+<code>dpkg</code>-invokation (e.g.
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ 2005-12-30 18:10:33 install hello 1.3.18 2.1.1-4
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+) and the results (e.g.
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ 2005-12-30 18:10:35 status installed hello 2.1.1-4
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+) If you'd like to log all your <code>dpkg</code> invokations (even those done
+using frontends like <code>aptitude</code>), you could add
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ log /var/log/dpkg.log
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+to your <code>/etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg</code>. Be sure the created logfile gets
+rotated periodically. If you're using <code>logrotate</code>, this can be
+achieved by creating a file <code>/etc/logrotate.d/dpkg</code> with contents
+</p>
+
+<pre>
+ /var/log/dpkg {
+ missingok
+ notifempty
+ }
+</pre>
+
+<p>
+More details on <code>dpkg</code> logging can be found in the
+<code>dpkg(1)</code> manual page.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+<code>aptitude</code> logs the package installations, removals, and upgrades
+that it intends to perform to <code>/var/log/aptitude</code>. Note that the
+<em>results</em> of those actions are not recorded in this file!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Another way to record your actions is to run your package management session
+within the <code>script(1)</code> program.
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<p>
+[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">previous</a> ]
+[ <a href="index.en.html#contents">Contents</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-basic_defs.en.html">1</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-getting.en.html">2</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-compat.en.html">3</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-software.en.html">4</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-ftparchives.en.html">5</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-pkg_basics.en.html">6</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-pkgtools.en.html">7</a> ]
+[ 8 ]
+[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">9</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-customizing.en.html">10</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-support.en.html">11</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-contributing.en.html">12</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-redistrib.en.html">13</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-nexttime.en.html">14</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html">15</a> ]
+[ <a href="ch-kernel.en.html">next</a> ]
+</p>
+
+<hr>
+
+<p>
+The Debian GNU/Linux FAQ
+</p>
+
+<address>
+version 3.1.3, 25 April 2006<br>
+<br>
+Authors are listed at <a href="ch-faqinfo.en.html#s-authors">Debian FAQ Authors</a><br>
+<br>
+</address>
+<hr>
+
+</body>
+
+</html>
+