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(Vocabulary)
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If one or more other OS(es) are able to load on your system, we call that '''"dual boot"''' if there is two OSes and '''"multi boot"''' for more, often simplified by '''"dual boot"''' in any case. e.g.: A clean installation in dual boot.
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If one or more other OS(es) are able to be loaded on your system, we call that '''"dual boot"''' if there is two OSes and '''"multi boot"''' for more, often simplified by '''"dual boot"''' in any case. e.g.: A clean installation in dual boot.
  
 
{{note|You can't do a clean install if you don't have a separate /home partition}}
 
{{note|You can't do a clean install if you don't have a separate /home partition}}

Revision as of 18:36, 7 November 2017

Proposal for extra information to add in the wiki and/or in the manuals ?

Presentation

This page deals with the different ways to upgrade a Mageia operating system version from n to n+1. It is different from a simple packages update. It is not possible to upgrade from more than one step.

Requirements

To be able to choose the right upgrade method, you may need to know one or several following features about your existing system:

  • If it has or hasn't a separate /home partition
  • Its architecture, 32 or 64 bit
  • Its firmware mode, bios or UEFI
  • The disks partitioning mode, ms-dos (also called MBR) or GPT.
  • The installed desktop(s) environment
  • The user-names with their UIDs and GIDs
  • The used boot loader

You also need to know which of theses features you want to change in the new system if any.
At last, whatever your decision is, always

  • read the errata, there is a wiki page for each release,
  • backup your data
  • update your Mageia version n

Vocabulary

We are used to name the different upgrades according to what partitions are formatted as shown in the following table, but take care that other names may be used in other pages.

Situation No formatted partition only / is formatted / and /home are formatted
Name Simple upgrade Clean install New install

If one or more other OS(es) are able to be loaded on your system, we call that "dual boot" if there is two OSes and "multi boot" for more, often simplified by "dual boot" in any case. e.g.: A clean installation in dual boot.

Note:
You can't do a clean install if you don't have a separate /home partition

Media choice

Media possibilities

You need to choose you media according to the upgrade you plan to do.

Media Simple upgrade Clean installation New installation
Live no yes yes
Classical yes yes yes
CLI (changing the repositories) yes no no


Note:
Netinstall.iso is not really a media by itself but a way to boot and then load a media that is present locally or via a network.


Advantages and drawbacks

Simple upgrade
Advantages: Quick (no afterwards configuration), easy (no questions from the installer)
Drawbacks: If problems, instabilities, useless data, ... exist, they are kept. Some upgrades can be risky when the step is important (e.g. KDE4 > Plasma5)
Special features:
  • In case of important graphic evolutions (e.g. KDE4 -> Plasma5) it is more secure to do the upgrade in text mode. See the Howto below.
  • It is impossible to change any of the characteristics listed above
  • Third party applications are not updated
  • Boot loader configuration is updated, may need manual action in dual boot.
Note:
If you want to change the architecture from 32 bit to 64 bit, an upgrade is not possible as / must be formated


Clean installation
Advantages: Clean the system (see Simple upgrade drawbacks), few configuration (icons, widgets, wallpapers, bookmarks, data ... are preserved), low risk of failure.
Drawbacks: Need some skills (to choose the partitions and the desktop, to create the users, ...). Some configuration to do again (e.g. networks, some devices not fully supported)
Special features:
  • Take care the installation preserves the same users UIDs and GIDs. See the Howto below.
  • Third party applications are not updated
  • Allow to move from 32 bit architecture to 64 bit one and vice versa
  • Boot loader configuration is updated, may need manual action in dual boot.
New installation
Advantages: Everything is clean, /home included,
Drawbacks: need skills and is longer, it is like a first installation, the whole configuration must be re-done.
Special features:
  • It is an opportunity to update the disc partitioning,
  • If no dual boot, it is also an opportunity to move from bios to UEFI mode
  • Boot loader configuration is updated, may need manual action in dual boot.
Note:
If you want to change a msdos disc to GPT, only a new installation allow that as a new disc partitioning is needed.


Whatever in dual boot
Advantages: Add the possibility to use two or more OSes on the same computer and if wanted, to share the data,
Drawbacks: The boot loader is rewritten and skills are needed to re-configure it if necessary.
Special features:
  • If you don't want the Mageia boot loader to be installed by default, take care during the installation to act in order to keep your favourite boot loader (see the Installer manual).

Help

Howto do a simple upgrade in text mode

After having started and updated your system:

Open a console and enter the root mode
Konsole.png
[user@computer ~]$ su -
Stop the graphic interface Template:Root console
Delete the current repositories Template:Root console
Add the new repositories Template:Root console
Test the upgrade, all the packages are downloaded and the upgrade simulated Template:Root console
If the test is OK, start the upgrade Template:Root console
When it is over, reboot the system Template:Root console


Dragon-head.png Here be dragons!
To be very careful, you can at the very beginning enter the command script upgrade_log.txt to fetch the error messages during the upgrade. At the end, enter the command exit to stop the record. You will find the backtraces in the file /root/upgrade_log.txt

Howto keep the users IDs in a clean install

blablabla