[ltp] How safe is ubuntu 11.10?

[Joerg Bruehe]

Hi Steven, all!


Steven J. Owens wrote:
> ((...))
> 
>      However, for various reasons I need to upgrade to a more recent
> release.  For once, I'd like to find out - *before* I jump out the
> window - about hardware gotchas.  Anybody know how to check for this?
> 
>      ((...))

The following is not specific to either Thinkpads or Ubuntu, but still:

I have met difficulties on upgrade much too often to risk an in-place
update.
Granted, they may have been due to my very unusual hardware setup (two
monitors dual-head, one of them rotated), so I don't blame any distro
for not catching them.

I use my machines for my daily paid work, so I cannot afford extended
periods of bug (or workaround) search.

My solution:
1) Set up a second system partition.
2) Use the tool of choice ("rsync -a", "cpio -p", ...) to copy all files
   of the  current system partition into the new one.
3) Adapt "/etc/fstab" in the new partition.
4) Ensure the boot configuration can boot from both partitions,
   check that.
5) Check the system on the new partition works as intended.
6) Upgrade one of these partitions, leave the other unchanged.
7) Check whether the upgraded system works:
   a) If yes, enjoy.
   b) If not, search for the cause and fix it.
      If the search takes longer than you can afford, boot the other
      partition and do your urgent work; later resume the search.

If for any reason you prefer a new installation to an upgrade, the
procedure still applies, you just replace steps 2, 3, and 4 by the new
install.

The only caveat I must say:
It might be wise to also backup your desktop configuration files in your
home directory, otherwise the old system may have trouble when it finds
the new files. KDE 3 -> 4 is such a moment.


Doing similar checks from a live CD/DVD may be sufficient, but it mimics
a new install rather than an upgrade (using all the additional packages
you installed locally).


HTH,
Joerg

-- 
Joerg Bruehe  - persoenliche Aeusserung / speaking only for himself
mailto:joerg.bruehe@web.de