Contents
Abstract
SUSE® Linux Enterprise provides the option of updating an existing system to the new version without completely reinstalling it. No new installation is needed. Old data such as home directories and system configuration, is kept intact. During the life cycle of the product, you can apply Service Packs to increase system security and correct software defects.
Software tends to “grow” from version to version. Therefore, take a look at the available partition space with df before updating. If you suspect you are running short of disk space, secure your data before updating and repartition your system. There is no general rule of thumb regarding how much space each partition should have. Space requirements depend on your particular partitioning profile and the software selected.
Before updating, copy the old configuration files to a separate medium,
such as streamer, removable hard disk, USB stick, or ZIP drive, to secure
the data. This primarily applies to files stored in
/etc
as well as some of the directories and files in
/var
and /opt
. You may also want
to write the user data in /home
(the
HOME
directories) to a backup medium. Back up this data as
root
. Only root
has read permission for all local files.
Before starting your update, make note of the root partition. The command
df / lists the device name of the root
partition. In Example 8.1, “List with df -h”, the root partition to write
down is /dev/hda3
(mounted as /
).
If you update a default system from the previous version to this version, YaST works out necessary changes and performs them. Depending on your customizations, some steps or the entire update procedure may fail and you must resort to copying back your backup data. Check the following issues before starting the system update.
Following the preparation procedure outlined in Section 8.1.1, “Preparations”, you can now update your system:
Optionally, prepare an installation server. For background information, see Section 4.2.1, “Setting Up an Installation Server Using YaST”.
Boot the system as for the installation, described in Section 3.2, “System Start-Up for Installation”. In YaST, choose a language and select in the dialog. Do not select .
YaST determines whether there are multiple root partitions. If there is
only one, continue with the next step. If there are several, select the
right partition and confirm with /dev/hda3
was selected in the example in Section 8.1.1, “Preparations”). YaST reads the old
fstab
on this partition to analyze and mount the
file systems listed there.
In the
dialog, adjust the settings according to your requirements. Normally, you can leave the default settings untouched, but if you intend to enhance your system, check the packages offered in the submenus or add support for additional languages.You also have the possibility to make backups of various system components. Selecting backups slows down the update process. Use this option if you do not have a recent system backup.
In the following dialog, choose to update only the software that is already installed or to add new software components to the system (upgrade mode). It is advisable to accept the suggested composition. Adjustments can be made later with YaST.