How can I Update debian without reformatting card?

[abishur]

The topic title says it all!  I want to go ahead and update my debian image, but I don't want to loose all my work *every time* a new image is released.  Are these updates limited to the fat partition, or do they cover other areas as well?

Maybe if someone could take a zip (or tar whatever) of the updated files and write a quick script that moves them to the right location to update whenever a new image is released?  If someone could tell me what files specifically were affected, I'd be willing to work on this.

[itsonlyme]

I am still working on getting my pi as I want, and doing an enormous amount of learning in the process.

This problem is only being a little annoyance at the present time, but it has been worrying me. The time will come when setting everything up again (and again….) will become for me a real time consumer. Anything to minimise this process, by not changing settings and distribution files unless they are actually revised in the new version would be a very welcome blessing to most users.

[rmm200]

My needs are simple... I just want an update manager like the major distributions have, let me pick from available updates, and install them on the fly...

Really the goal is to create an SD card - once - and then be able to update it in place.

[paulie]

The Debian package manager is called Apt.
There are front-ends available (Aptitude).
To obtain a package from the command line:
With root privileges

apt-get install {packagename}

Apt keeps a list of packages, and a list of sources in file /etc/apt/sources.list

As new packages are added, and new versions arrive, you may wish to keep Apt up-to-date with the following command:

apt-get update

To upgrade:

apt-get dist-upgrade

Debian has good help pages (or use man)

[rmm200]

I know how it works on a normal Debian distribution - for some reason I did not think it would work on the highly tailored ARM version we are given to install.

[andyl]

Someone has already described how to use apt to keep your system up to date.

I don't know if the GPU blob is in the debian apt repository (in the non-free section) yet*.  Hopefully at some stage it will be, and then if ever changes (and that is very likely) the blob will be upgraded with a dist-upgrade.

I'm not sure the Pi supports reloading the blob so a restart might be needed.

The same for the non-free libraries in the graphics stack.

[abishur]

paulie said:


The Debian package manager is called Apt.
There are front-ends available (Aptitude).
To obtain a package from the command line:
With root privileges

apt-get install {packagename}

Apt keeps a list of packages, and a list of sources in file /etc/apt/sources.list

As new packages are added, and new versions arrive, you may wish to keep Apt up-to-date with the following command:

apt-get update

To upgrade:

apt-get dist-upgrade

Debian has good help pages (or use man)



er... yeah, that's not going to update the alsa drivers or the firmware.  I don't think that would actually update anything in the latest debian release for the R-pi.

[Hexxeh]

I'm trying to fix this problem to a degree, check my thread about rpi-updater out in this forum.

[paulie]

Surely, if apt can find an updated package (by checking sources.list) it will work, unless you need it as a module (insmod/modprobe/ or however you load them.... I can"t remember how modules are listed or how you make them available (loaded at the same time you get your kernel?)

Reaching the edge of my understanding (and looking down into the abyss)

[abishur]

paulie said:


Surely, if apt can find an updated package (by checking sources.list) it will work, unless you need it as a module (insmod/modprobe/ or however you load them.... I can"t remember how modules are listed or how you make them available (loaded at the same time you get your kernel?)

Reaching the edge of my understanding (and looking down into the abyss)



That is the rub, if apt could find an update package it would work, but as it stands now these things are outside the standard debian distro.  They unique to the r-pi.  Now a zip folder that ran a little script moving the update items should work, but we'd need to know what files are affected.  I think hexxeh might be on that path

[ForthPi]

Abishur said:

[...] if apt could find an update package it would work, but as it stands now these things are outside the standard debian distro.  They unique to the r-pi.

I think the main goal is to have everything needed included in Debian.

I am sure Debian people will be very interested and cooperative re pi support.

[ForthPi]

Abishur said:

[...] if apt could find an update package it would work, but as it stands now these things are outside the standard debian distro.  They unique to the r-pi.

I think the main goal is to have everything needed included in Debian.

I am sure Debian people will be very interested and cooperative re pi support.

[yell]

Moving your /home (and maybe /tmp) partition(s) to an USB stick / drive  should solve your issues.

Try reading some about Linux Directory Structure

http://www.lesbell.com.au/Home.....enDocument