Upgrading your VPS's OS

[Pierre_@_VPSLink]

I figured I'd create a sticky as we have had several clients doing it recently:

DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR OS FROM INSIDE YOUR VPS. (using yum, apt-get, etc..)

This will break some important functionalities inside your vps like networking or ssh, and we will not be able to fix it.

The only method to change your OS is to use one of the provided templates available through cp.vpslink.com.

[jasonaward]

Maybe it should be added also that if you need source /headers for your OS to ensure that you get the correct package and version. Using source or headers for a different version than what you're running (kernel for example) will inevitably cause bizarre results.

[bfp]

Do you mean that incremental OS upgrades (eg the recent upgrade of CentOS from 4.3 to 4.4) that I performed via yum should be handled only via the VPSLink Control Panel?

That doesn't seem possible within the Control Panel without completely nuking the existing OS and everything else on your server, which is not really a practical way to do an OS upgrade.

So I guess you are saying people shouldn't do a new OS installation via any route except the VPSLink Control Panel...

Or in fact do you NOT want people to never upgrade their OS version at all, even point upgrades, once they do their initial install, except via a complete OS re-install (and associated system re-build etc etc)? That could be an awkward policy.

[maeper]

So can you for example change your debian stable repositories to debian testing and do and apt-get upgrade without upgrading the kernel and just do the packages?

[flamesrock]

What about Gentoo?

We have versions like 2006.* but not in the sense that ubuntu has Dapper Drake and Edgy Eft.

Are you saying that I can't emerge -u world?

[jasonaward]

Originally Posted by flamesrock

What about Gentoo?

We have versions like 2006.* but not in the sense that ubuntu has Dapper Drake and Edgy Eft.

Are you saying that I can't emerge -u world?

Yes, you can emerge -u world.... with one exception. Just make sure you have the correct kernel sources, and no you can't upgrade kernel sources, so you'll probably want to hard mask all other versions of the kernel. Otherwise, you're in for all kinds of problems if you try compiling against the wrong kernel source.

This topic has been discussed several times on the board.

[mark100net]

I am not clear on this.

For Ubuntu, I presume this means we shouldn't execute

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

But does it also mean we cannot do

sudo apt-get upgrade

?

[Tikus]

Basically, it just means you shouldn't be doing any major upgrades to your system packages. Glibc, GCC, and binutils being examples of such packages.

[mark100net]

Binutils and gcc are not even installed by default (on my distro, at least, and I suspect on most)...since they are not required to run the OS and most other packages. So I don't know how you could call them system packages (I'm sure you could by some definition, but not by many others).

CS courses spend whole lectures talking about what is and is not part of the OS. And of course it always ends up, "it depends".

So, if you're going to tell us not to "upgrade the OS" then you're not helping anybody much.

Some specifics would help a lot (preferably from someone from VPSLink).

Absent any response I personally will feel free to upgrade anything that I installed myself.

[Tikus]

Originally Posted by mark100net

Binutils and gcc are not even installed by default (on my distro, at least, and I suspect on most)...since they are not required to run the OS and most other packages. So I don't know how you could call them system packages (I'm sure you could by some definition, but not by many others).

CS courses spend whole lectures talking about what is and is not part of the OS. And of course it always ends up, "it depends".

So, if you're going to tell us not to "upgrade the OS" then you're not helping anybody much.

Some specifics would help a lot (preferably from someone from VPSLink).

Absent any response I personally will feel free to upgrade anything that I installed myself.

If GCC isn't installed by default, then how are you compiling anything? lol