[sf-lug] committing to a distro, automated updates

[Rick Moen]

Quoting David Reber (morpheus2485 at gmail.com):

[Ubuntu:]

> Will I have to download the install disk and upgrade with that?

That's a definite "no", for starters.  (Good news, there.  Ubuntu is 
designed to be incrementally upgraded, by pulling down update packages
from the Internet package mirrors.  Of course, you might be _able_ to
use some sort of install disk, but you're not obliged to.)


> Being new to ubuntu, and as the release of dapper looms, I am
> wondering how updating will work.
> 
> If I run an update utility on 6-1-6, will it upgrade to dapper? I
> wouldn't really expect that, but I'm kinda unsure as to how I am
> supposed to upgrade.

So, I'm assuming you are running the current Ubuntu stable release, v.
5.10 "Breezy Badger".  I can answer your question if you will post the
contents of /etc/apt/sources.list .  

Apologies for having to make that request:  I don't have an Ubuntu box
to refer to, to check for myself; I have only my good ol' Debian server,
which (as you're probably aware) uses the same software-package
technology.  Here is a relevant portion my server's /etc/apt/sources.list 
(note underlining):

deb ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free
                                    ^^^^^^^
deb http://security.debian.org/ testing/updates main contrib non-free
                                ^^^^^^^

In Debian, keyword "testing" is a floating tag that is assigned at any
given time to whatever is the current beta prerelease, via the mechanism
of a symbolic link set at the Internet Debian package archives:

$ ftp ftp.debian.org
Connected to ftp.debian.org.
220 saens.debian.org FTP server (vsftpd)
Name (ftp.debian.org:rick): ftp
530 Please login with USER and PASS.
530 Please login with USER and PASS.  SSL not available
331 Please specify the password.
Password:
230-
230-This site is just another one in a worldwide array of Debian mirrors.
230-It is not the "primary Debian FTP site" -- it is merely an official
230-mirror that is in the United States of America.
230-
230-If you are connecting from outside the USA, please consider using another
230-official Debian mirror, one that is closer to you. This will likely help
230-you by speeding up your downloads, and it will help us by lessening the
230-load on this machine.
230-
230-Current list of Debian mirrors is at http://www.debian.org/mirror/list
230-
230 Login successful.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> ls debian/dists
200 PORT command successful. Consider using PASV.
150 Here comes the directory listing.
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176            5 Feb 22 02:06 Debian3.0r6 -> woody
lrwxrwxrwx    1 1176     1176            5 Apr 18 21:22 Debian3.1r2 -> sarge
-rw-rw-r--    2 1176     1176          449 Apr 18 00:48 README
drwxr-sr-x    7 1176     1176         4096 May 21 21:16 etch
drwxr-sr-x    5 1176     1176         4096 May 21 21:16 etch-proposed-updates
drwxr-sr-x    5 1176     1176         4096 May 21 21:16 experimental
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176            5 Feb 21 12:24 oldstable -> woody
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176           22 Feb 21 12:24 proposed-updates -> sarge-proposed-updates
drwxr-sr-x    5 1176     1176         4096 Apr 18 21:17 sarge
drwxr-sr-x    5 1176     1176         8192 May 21 21:16 sarge-proposed-updates
drwxr-sr-x    7 1176     1176         4096 May 21 21:16 sid
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176            5 Feb 21 12:25 stable -> sarge
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176           22 Feb 21 12:25 stable-proposed-updates -> sarge-proposed-updates
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176            4 Feb 21 12:25 testing -> etch
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176           21 Feb 21 12:25 testing-proposed-updates -> etch-proposed-updates
lrwxr-xr-x    1 1176     1176            3 Feb 21 12:25 unstable -> sid
drwxr-sr-x    5 1176     1176         4096 Mar 12 04:50 woody
drwxr-sr-x    5 1176     1176         4096 Mar 12 04:50 woody-proposed-updates
226 Directory send OK.
ftp> bye
221 Goodbye.
$


You'll notice (from the "testing -> etch" line) that "testing" is thus
currently synonymous with (pointed towards) "etch", the current Debian
beta branch.  "testing" _used_ to be pointed towards "sarge", until the
day "sarge" was released as the replacement Debian stable branch,
diplacing "woody":  On that day, symbolic link "stable" was repointed
from "woody" to sarge" and symbolic link "testing" was repointed from
"sarge" to "etch".

Because my /etc/sources.list uses the symlink name "testing" rather than
the named branches (woody, sarge, etch, etc.), it would have
automatically transitioned on that day from sarge to etch, courtesy of
the symlink repointing.



What does the above have to do with Ubuntu?  Well, I strongly suspect
that Ubuntu doesn't use the functional symbolic-link names that Debian
does, but of course it _does_ use its distinctive series of named
branches (warty, hoary, breezy, dapper).  Which, if true, means that
your system would _not_ automatically transition to follow new Dapper
Drake packages, but rather would continue to receive only new Hoary
Hedgehog ones -- unless you adjust /etc/apt/sources.list to specify
otherwise.  That is, I _think_ your /etc/apt/sources.list contents are
something like this:

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ breezy main restricted
[There's probably also a line for security updates.]


...and, indeed, looking at the package archive on the Internet, I see 
no symlinks:

$ ftp archive.ubuntu.com
Connected to archive.ubuntu.com.
220 Ubuntu FTP server (vsftpd)
Name (archive.ubuntu.com:rick): ftp
530 Please login with USER and PASS.
530 Please login with USER and PASS.  SSL not available
331 Please specify the password.
Password:
230 Login successful.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
ftp> ls ubuntu/dists
200 PORT command successful. Consider using PASV.
150 Here comes the directory listing.
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 18:36 breezy
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 breezy-backports
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 00:39 breezy-proposed
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 breezy-security
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 breezy-updates
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 18:36 dapper
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 dapper-backports
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 00:39 dapper-proposed
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 dapper-security
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 dapper-updates
drwxrwsr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 18:36 hoary
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 hoary-backports
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 00:39 hoary-proposed
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 hoary-security
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 hoary-updates
drwxrwsr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 18:36 warty
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 00:39 warty-backports
drwxr-sr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 04 00:39 warty-proposed
drwxrwsr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 warty-security
drwxrwsr-x    6 1001     1001         4096 Feb 03 18:11 warty-updates
226 Directory send OK.
ftp> bye
221 Goodbye.
$



You can expect the eventual release notes for Dapper Drake to probably
provide specific guidance on the very question you asked.  We know this
because they did it for Hoary Hedgehog.  ;->

See:  http://www.ubuntu.com/download/releasenotes/504
(Scroll down to "Upgrade Notes", about 4/5 of the way down the page.)

Notice that they provided a couple of alternative ways of making the
change, and basically all they did is have you change the word "warty"
to "hoary" in /etc/apt/sources.list.

I hope that helps.