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#1 2011-05-11 01:29:30
- yktula
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- Registered: 2010-07-18
- Posts: 14
Performing a system update after a long break
This question mentions:
With rolling releases, it is usually bad to go without updating for extended periods of time (say a month or two.) But what happens if you're unable to update because of lack of internet or time (e.g: study/vacation abroad)?
So, are either of the solutions proposed in the superuser question possible? Is there a standard way of going about this? Is just performing the update and then reading pacman's logs the best way to deal with this?
Last edited by yktula (2011-05-11 01:30:08)
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#2 2011-05-11 01:54:32
- jasonwryan
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- From: .nz
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
The second solution seems as sensible as the first is fanciful...
The conclusion you have drawn is the right one.
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#3 2011-05-11 03:07:25
- ewaller
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
In general, It usually works pretty darn well anyway. It will probably ask to upgrade pacman first. Do it. Then it will tell you it wants to replace some packages with others, Do it. Go have dinner with the significant other.
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#4 2011-05-11 03:36:22
- yktula
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- Registered: 2010-07-18
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
Well, things can break, but this is resolvable. I guess the answer to the question is suboptimal, then.
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#5 2011-05-11 04:16:12
- jasonwryan
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
I think the second answer is fine (if you are talking about the Superuser answer). Arch is a rolling release and, if you install it that's what you sign up for...
As you note, reading pacman's output (and reviewing the news) and taking the time to work through any/all of the changes will in most cases be sufficient.
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#6 2011-05-11 04:25:48
- ngoonee
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- From: Between Thailand and Singapore
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
Updating packages one at a time (solution 2) just sounds like a recipe for breakage for me, since we rarely use versioned deps.
Just update everything at once, output the post-install messages to some sort of log-file, and go through it when you get back.
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jasonwryan-Installing Arch is a measure of your literacy. Maintaining Arch is a measure of your diligence. Contributing to Arch is a measure of your competence.
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#7 2011-05-11 22:13:30
- _alexmyself
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- From: france
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
i've pacman -Syu my laptop recently and it was turned-off since september, no problem. more than 1G of downloads (the whole system? 
).
maybe i've been a bit lucky on this...
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#8 2011-05-12 01:47:26
- kyla
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- From: Arlington, VA
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
I'm inclined to say you'll be fine just -Syu ing, but still probably a good idea to make a back up of anything really important, just in case something goes bonkers
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#9 2011-05-13 00:19:47
- yktula
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- Registered: 2010-07-18
- Posts: 14
Re: Performing a system update after a long break
i've pacman -Syu my laptop recently and it was turned-off since september, no problem. more than 1G of downloads (the whole system?
maybe i've been a bit lucky on this...
Great! But I might have quite a few more packages installed now.
I'm inclined to say you'll be fine just -Syu ing, but still probably a good idea to make a back up of anything really important, just in case something goes bonkers
Ah, backups. Of course. Good idea.
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#10 2011-05-13 02:11:29
- mhertz
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- From: Denmark
- Registered: 2010-06-19
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Re: Performing a system update after a long break
I have a fresh-install backup-image/tarball of the mbr, root partition and my home folder, and I frequently image back to start from a clean slate, and then run a unattended bash script, which updates and sets everything up, and apart from e.g. recently needing to add 'pacman-db-upgrade' in between the first and second pacman -Syu(the first -Syu for pacman itself), then I have had no issues whatsoever, and that image goes almost a year back!
Think also about that the arh official installers is not only in net, but also core-only versions, and the stable version is about a year old allready, and with the core version, then you'ed also had to run pacman -Syu to bring it current i.e. a whole year forward!
As allready stated, the key is to look at the pacman output(just check /var/log/pacman.log) and keep an eye on *.pacnew files...
Last edited by mhertz (2011-05-13 02:12:31)
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