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<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
"/usr/share/xml/docbook/xml-dtd-4.5/docbookx.dtd">
<chapter id="ch_updates">
<title>Keeping Track of Updates</title>
<indexterm>
<primary>system updates</primary>
</indexterm>
<section id="updates_stable">
<title>The -stable Branch</title>
<para>
After a new version of Slackware is released, the Slackware team will,
as needed, release updated packages to fix serious security
vulnerabilities and particularly nasty bugs. Therefore, it's
important to keep up with all of the patches for your version of
Slackware, which is referred to as the <emphasis>-stable</emphasis>
branch. There is also a <emphasis>-current</emphasis> branch, which
is where we do our development work toward the next stable release
(and as such, there are often intrusive changes there), but unless
you're willing to work with a possibly broken system and are able to
fix things on your own, we strongly recommend that you stick with the
-stable branch.
</para>
<para>
Since -stable updates aren't distributed on the disks, you'll need to
obtain them from the Internet. Many people and organizations offer
mirrors from which you can download the entire Slackware tree (or only
the <filename>patches/</filename> directory) in any number of
ways. While some mirrors offer web access, the most common ways of
obtaining updates are via ftp and/or rsync servers. The Slackware
project maintains a small list (organized by country) of known
mirrors. If you're unsure which mirror to use, simply consult <ulink
url="http://www.slackware.com/getslack/">http://www.slackware.com/getslack/</ulink>
for suggestions. If you have a major university near you, there's a
good chance that they offer a mirror of numerous open source projects,
and Slackware may be among them. The only real requirement for a
mirror is that it be complete; usually it's best to use a mirror near
where you live in order to achieve the fastest transfer times and use
the least amount of Internet resources.
</para>
<indexterm>
<primary>changelog</primary>
</indexterm>
<para>
So how do you know when there are updates? The best way is to consult the
<filename>ChangeLog.txt</filename> on any up-to-date mirror. You can always
find the latest changelogs for the -current and most recent -stable
branch on the Slackware Project's web page, but if you're running an older
version of Slackware, you'll need to check a mirror.
</para>
<screen><prompt>darkstar:~# </prompt><userinput>wget -O - \
ftp://slackware.osuosl.org/pub/slackware/slackware64-current/ChangeLog.txt \
| less</userinput>
Thu Aug 16 04:01:31 UTC 2012
Getting close! Hopefully we've cleared out most of the remaining issues
and are nearly ready here. We'll call this release candidate 2.
Unless there's a very good rationale, versions are frozen.
Any reports of remaining bugs will be gladly taken, though.
#include <more/cowbell.h>
a/aaa_base-14.0-x86_64-4.txz: Rebuilt.
Remove mention of HAL in the initial welcome email (mention udisks2
instead). Thanks to Dave Margell.
a/bash-4.2.037-x86_64-1.txz: Upgraded.</screen>
</section>
<section>
<title>Security Update Mailing List</title>
<para>
While the Slackware team does release updated bugfix-only packages (i.e.
not security fixes) occasionally, you're probably most interested in
security fixes for vulnerabilities discovered after the -stable release.
The Slackware Project maintains a mailing list that will notify you of any
updated packages for such serious issues. In order to subscribe to the
mailing list, send an e-mail to <email>majordomo@slackware.com</email>
with the words 'subscribe slackware-security' in the body of the message.
The majordomo will be happy to add your name to the list, and when new
packages are released, it will mail an advisory to you.
</para>
</section>
<section id="updates_upgrading-slackware">
<title>Upgrading Slackware Versions</title>
<indexterm>
<primary>system upgrade</primary>
</indexterm>
<indexterm>
<primary>operating system upgrade</primary>
</indexterm>
<para>
Now that we've gone this far, you should feel reasonably competent in your
ability to manage your Slackware system. But what do we do with it when
there's a new release? Updating from one release of Slackware to another
is a lot more complicated than simply updating a few packages. Each release
changes a lot of things, and while many of these changes are small, some of
them can completely break your system if you haven't prepared for them and/or
don't understand what is changing and why. While some Linux distributions
provide highly automated tools that attempt to handle every tiny detail for
you, Slackware takes a much more hands-on approach to things.
</para>
<para>
The very first thing you should do before attempting an upgrade is the one
that many people neglect: decide if it's really necessary to upgrade. If
the old system is stable and doing everything you want it to do, there may
be no need to do an operating system upgrade at all.
</para>
<para>
Assuming you decide to do the upgrade, then the second thing you
should do is read the <filename>CHANGES_AND_HINTS.TXT</filename> file
on your upgrade discs or a mirror. This file is updated during the
development period before every release, and it lists a lot of helpful
hints and tips to aid you in dealing with the changes.
</para>
<para>
Finally, read the <filename>UPGRADE.TXT</filename> file before
proceeding. After doing these things, you may decide that it's less
trouble and potential for problems to backup your configuration files
and data and do a fresh installation of the new Slackware release
rather than attempt a possibly tricky upgrade. However, if you still
wish to continue, make backups of your data and configuration files
first. At a minimum, it's good practice to backup the
<filename>/etc</filename> and <filename>/home</filename> directories.
This will give you a chance to perform a reinstall if something goes
wrong with the upgrade.
</para>
<para>
Since every new version of Slackware has a few differences, giving complete
instructions here is not only futile but potentially misleading. You should
always consult the documentation included on your Slackware disks or your
favorite mirror.
</para>
</section>
</chapter>
|
