On Thursday 29 May 2008 19:23:16 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > was wondering if anyone has any thoughts. > > I've got a feisty desktop that has grown like topsy. It's running > several services eg: webserver, mail , postgres, mysql, apt-caching, > Nvidia proprietary drivers, accounting software, etc etc.. lots of > "stuff". Probably things I've completely forgotten about. > > At one time, I changed the UUID's in fstab to the old fashioned /dev > id's (because of compatibility issues at the time with Mondo). Some > things have been installed from source, some from .deb that I have > downloaded, and most from simple apt-get. > > To complicate things, the box already has 4 hard drives installed, so > installing another one for copying is probably not an option. > > In other words, it's a complete mish-mash. > > Some things are critical, some important, some trivial. > > I also made the mistake of using Automatix, and I've read that it has > the potential to completely break upgrades. > > The system works fine, but it's getting old and I want to upgrade to > Hardy. I think maybe a complete new Hardy, but what's the way to make > sure I don't lose stuff... or is it too late :) > > I'm sure there is no simple answer, but does anyone have any thoughts or > experience?
My server is quite busy: mail server, 10 www's some with multi site gallery, openvpn, DNS, NTP server, DHCP + LTSP so ... I did a test upgrade from gutsy to hardy on my desktop. My 32 libs for firefox32 and for skype (on my 64) stuffed everything. So a clean install ... I then upgraded the server. Ouch! another clean install followed. I then successfully upgraded my wife's machine! So 1 out of 3. This pretty much matches what I've encountered over the years. So ... I'd backup /etc and save it. Check /usr/local - it accumulates over the years. I use root and not sudo, so /root is worth keeping (ssh keys etc) and a mysqldump then try an update, being prepared to re-install. IMHO trying to partition, shrink, migrate stuff is a HUGE TASK and wastes hours and hours. Shrinking a 2 or 300 G partition takes as long as a complete install + a few hours of getting everything going again. James -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/ Subscription info and FAQs: http://slug.org.au/faq/mailinglists.html
