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Re: Update Debian 9 to Debian 11



On 11/16/21 9:39 AM, Thanos Katsiolis wrote:
Hello,

Hello.  :-)


I am a new user of Debian,


Welcome!


and I have access to a PC


What make and model of PC? What processor? What memory? What disk drives?


Are you free to wipe the disk drives and throw away the operating systems, configuration settings, data, etc.?


that currently runs Debian 9.13.
I want to update to a more recent version, since that is what is generally
suggested,


The computer I use every day has Debian 9. The oldest supported version of Debian usually has the fewest bugs.


and for compatibility reasons too.


Compatible with what?


Before I do the update, I have some questions.

    1. Which version should I prefere, Debian 10 or 11 (I am asking because
    Debian 11 are very recent)?
    2. Does dual boot affect the update somehow?
    3. What should I consider (if anything) during the update?


The computer hobby is like the collector car hobby -- it is best to have more than one. That way, you can drive one while you work on the other.


There is a saying, "data does not exist unless it exists in three places". Do you have backups of your data? Your OS configuration settings? The partition table and partitions of your OS disk(s) (e.g. images)? Do you have copies of your backups? Off-site?


Dual-boot is non-trivial. I suffered through that many years ago. Mobile racks, and several disks with one OS each, are far easier and far more reliable.


OS major version upgrades are non-trivial. They leave behind cruft. And, if something is broken before the upgrade, upgrading is unlikely to fix it. A fresh install onto a blank disk is the best way to get a good result. I keep my OS configuration files in a version control system (CVS). When I want a new OS, I make sure all the configuring files are checked in, power down, pull the system disk, insert a blank disk, power up, do a fresh install, check out the old configuration files to a side directory, and edit the new configuration files. If everything works okay, I have fresh system without any old cruft or old problems. If something goes wrong, I can revert to the old disk and/or try again.


When I want to wipe a disk, I pull all disks, insert the target disk, and boot a USB live stick.


David


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