2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
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<!DOCTYPE Article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V4.1//EN">
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2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
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<!-- This is the third revision of the original upgrade.how document.
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-->
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<article>
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2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
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<articleinfo>
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<title>Upgrading Your linux Distribution mini-HOWTO</title>
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<authorgroup>
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<author>
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<firstname>Greg</firstname>
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<surname>Louis</surname>
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<affiliation>
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<address>
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<email>glouis@dynamicro.on.ca</email>
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</address
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</affiliation>
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</author>
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</authorgroup>
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<pubdate>v1.2, 9 March 2002</pubdate>
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<copyright>
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<year>1996, 2002</year>
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<holder>Dynamicro Consulting Limited</holder>
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</copyright>
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<abstract>
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<para>
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Hints and tips on upgrading from one linux distribution to
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another. This is version 1.2, 2002-03-09.
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</para>
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</abstract>
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</articleinfo>
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2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
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<sect1>
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<title>IMPORTANT!!! Disclaimer and Copyright</title>
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<para>
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The procedure to which this document attempts to be a guide is
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inherently dangerous to the programs and data stored in your computer.
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You carry out any such procedure entirely at your own risk. The steps
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described in this document worked for the author; there is no
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guarantee that they will work for you, nor that you can attempt to
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follow them without serious damage to your computer's programs and/or
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data. You are entirely on your own in any use you may make of the
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information presented herein, and the author shall not be liable in
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any way whatsoever for any damage or inconvenience of any kind that
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you may suffer in so doing.
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</para>
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<para>
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This document is copyright <20> 1996, 2000 Dynamicro Consulting Limited,
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and is released under the terms of the GNU General Public
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License. This
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basically means that you may copy and modify it at will, but may not
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prevent others from doing likewise.
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</para>
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<para>
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Comments and questions may be directed to the author. Especially
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welcome, for use in future revisions, are accounts of successful
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upgrades of complex systems.
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</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Changes since version 1.1</title>
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<para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Converted to docbook
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Corrected some obsolete information
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</para
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Added this history section
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Added Zolt<6C>n Hidv<64>gi's suggestion re mtime and ctime.
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Thanks, Zolt<6C>n!
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Added an Acknowledgements section
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Introduction</title>
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<sect2>
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<title>How to slay and reincarnate your linux box!</title>
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<para>
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The purpose of this document is to offer tips to help you through the
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destruction and reinstallation of a linux system. It's not a
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foolproof cookbook by any means, but I hope it will serve as some
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indication of what you need to think about, and of the order in which
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to do things. It would have been a help to me, if someone else had
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written something like this before I did my first upgrade; so I hope
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it will be a help to you, if you have a linux machine to rebuild.
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</para>
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<para>
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Don't take it as gospel, though: your mileage will almost certainly
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vary. Even the directory names in this document may be different from
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the ones you need to use; some people have /usr/home instead of /home,
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for example; others call it /u, and some (delicate shudder :) even put
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all their users directly under /usr itself! I can't be specific about
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your system, so I've just used the names the way they are in mine.
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</para>
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<para>
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You'll also notice that I use Slackware distributions, and that I
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assume you've enough RAM and hard disk space to install linux kernel
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source and build your own kernel. If your system is different, some
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of my recommendations won't apply; but I hope you'll still find the
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general outline to be of assistance in your rebuild project.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>Why would anyone want to do that?</title>
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<para>
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Good question! If it can possibly be avoided, don't do it! (That's
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the single most important recommendation in this whole guide!!!) When
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this guide was first written, not many people had hard disks big enough
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to accomodate two whole Linux installations; these days, that's by no
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means uncommon. If you possibly can, build your new system in a
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separate partition (or group of partitions), keeping the old one intact
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till you're satisfied that the new one is just the way you want it. If
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you can avoid destroying the old system to make room for the new, by
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all means avoid it! But there are times when you may have no choice.
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</para>
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<para>
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(These examples are a bit dated, but they serve to illustrate my
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point:)
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</para>
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<para>
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For example, I installed a 4Gb hard disk and then found out that
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Slackware 2.0 vintage linux didn't know a hard disk could have more
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than 2Gb, and it got horribly confused. So I had to upgrade to the
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then-current Slackware 2.3. That upgrade was a gruelling experience,
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and it's part of the reason I'm writing these notes. I did just about
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everything wrong, and only good luck and the fact that I had another
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running linux box beside me saved me from disaster.
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</para>
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<para>
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As another example, I found that I just couldn't succeed in building a
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working a.out linux kernel in the 1.3 series, using an out-of-the-box
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Slackware 2.3 installation (another machine, not the one I botched
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before). I took the plunge, bought Slackware 3.0 on CDROM and
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converted to ELF. This time the reinstallation went better, thanks in
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part to the previous bitter experience, and it served as the source of
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most of the ideas I'm offering you here.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>Do you have to ``destroy and reinstall?''</title>
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<para>
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See above. If you can build your new system in otherwise empty disk
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space, do it! For the rest of this document, however, I'll assume that
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this is one of those times when that option isn't available; you either
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have to reinstall "in place," over top of the existing system, or you
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have to bite the bullet and rebuild from scratch.
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</para>
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<para>
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The latter is safer, oddly enough. If you install over top of an
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existing linux system, chances are you'll have a mixture of old and new
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binaries, old and new configuration files, and generally a mess to try
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to administer. Wiping the system clean, and then putting back only
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what you know you need, is a drastic but effective way to get a clean
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result. (Of course we're talking about installing a whole new linux
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distribution here, not about upgrading one or two packages! The best
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way to avoid having to do a full reinstallation is, precisely, to keep
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the individual bits -- especially gcc and its libraries, and binutils
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-- current. If the stuff you use is reasonably up-to-date, and you
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can keep it so by bringing in, and if need be compiling, new code from
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time to time, then there's no need for a mass upgrade.)
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>How long will it take?</title>
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<para>
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Depends, of course, on how complex your system is. But I figure that,
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for the successful upgrade (the other one? -- don't ask! :) I spent
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about ten hours making backups, six hours rebuilding the system to the
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point where I could enable logins, and another half day or thereabouts
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restoring the less-crucial stuff. As time passes I keep discovering
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little things that still aren't exactly as I want them -- I fix these
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as they're encountered -- but in the main, twenty hours' work should
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suffice for a reasonably complex rebuilding job. Maybe less if you're
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reinstalling from hard disk (I used CDROM) or more if you need to
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install from floppies. Maybe less if you've got a fast Pentium, more
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if it's a 386. You get the idea.
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</para>
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<para>
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Those were the bad old days. Now, with faster disks and faster
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machines and CD writers, things go better. My notebook was stolen in
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December, 2002, and when the new one came, I was up and pretty near
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complete -- despite having lost the old system without the chance to
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save the latest changes -- after about seven hours of effort.
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</para>
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<para>
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So much for the introduction. Here's how to set about it, once you've
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decided it must be done. Arm yourself with fortitude and Jolt or
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whatever, and:
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</para>
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</sect2>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Write down everything you do.</title>
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<para>
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It's extremely valuable to have a record of what you've done in the
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process of preparing for, and carrying out, the changeover.
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Especially important is a list of the backups you'll be making in
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preparation for the destruction of your existing system.
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</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Make a full backup of the existing system.</title>
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<para>
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Generally speaking, big backups tend to be written on media that are
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sequentially accessed. That being so, you won't want to use this
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complete backup for restoring significant numbers of files; it's got
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too many files on it that you don't want. It's better to create small
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backups of individual segments that you know you're going to restore
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in their entirety. I'll list a bunch of examples later.
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</para>
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<para>
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Why then should you start with a full backup? Two basic reasons:
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first, in the event of a catastrophic failure installing the new
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system, you'll have a way to get back to the starting point with
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minimum pain. Second, no matter how carefully you prepare for the new
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installation, there is a very large chance that one or two important
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files will be overlooked. In that case the clumsiness of restoring
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those one or two files from the full backup set will be preferable to
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the inconvenience of doing without them.
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</para>
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<para>
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To save time and space, if you've still got the distribution medium
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for your old linux version, you might want to back up only those files
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the mtime or ctime of which is more recent than the date of the
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original installation.
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</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Back up /etc and its subdirectories on one or more floppies.
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</title>
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<para>
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This is the other extreme: you won't be restoring these files (for the
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most part, anyway); you'll be comparing them with the new ones that
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get created during installation. Why? Because the new ones may have
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data that the old ones didn't, or may express the old data in new
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ways. Changes in protocols, addition of new tools, or implementation
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of new features in existing tools may all dictate changes in the
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formats of the configuration files and startup scripts that the /etc
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tree contains, and you'll very likely have to edit your old data into
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these files so as to preserve the new formats and take advantage of
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the improvements.
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</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1>
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<title>Make separate backups of each group of files you want to preserve.
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</title>
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<para>
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This is the most variable part of the job, and all I can really do to
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help is to describe what I did in my system, in the hope that it will
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serve as a rough guide. Basically, you want to look at every
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directory that contains any
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</para>
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<para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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files that aren't part of your standard linux installation, or
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
files that are actually newer than the ones you'll install when you do
|
|
|
|
|
your new linux installation.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
and separate out only those files that you want to carry over.
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
(Another possible strategy is to back up all files with mtime or
|
|
|
|
|
ctime more recent than the day of the previous linux installation,
|
|
|
|
|
as mentioned above, and then restore from that. If you do that,
|
|
|
|
|
you have to take into account that the new linux distribution may
|
|
|
|
|
contain versions of some files that are newer still than the ones
|
|
|
|
|
you saved.)
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
In my case, I ended up making a .tgz file on the backup medium for
|
|
|
|
|
each of
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/lib/rn</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/lib/smail</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/lib/trn (the rest of /usr/lib would be
|
|
|
|
|
reinstalled)</para></listitem
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/src</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/bin</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/lib</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/lpfont</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/man</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/sbin</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/local/thot (there were other /usr/local files
|
|
|
|
|
I didn't need)</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/openwin</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/src/lilo-17 (because my new Slackware still
|
|
|
|
|
had version 16)</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/src/linux-1.2.13 (because I'd done some
|
|
|
|
|
customizing)</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/app-defaults</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/initrc (the rest of Xfree86 was
|
|
|
|
|
to be reinstalled)</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/var/named</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/var/openwin</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>/var/texfonts</para></listitem>
|
|
|
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
My machine was relatively easy in that there were no spool files to
|
|
|
|
|
worry about. I don't run a news spool on this box, and since there
|
|
|
|
|
are only two users, it was easiest just to get all the mail read
|
|
|
|
|
before shutting down. Otherwise, /var/spool directories would have
|
|
|
|
|
had to be backed up at the last minute. (And, of course, the news
|
|
|
|
|
library and site directories!)
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Prepare root and boot floppies for the new
|
|
|
|
|
installation.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
If you're lucky, your new package will include a bootable CD and this
|
|
|
|
|
step won't be needed. If you haven't got a CDROM drive, or can't boot
|
|
|
|
|
from it, details of how to make the floppies will be found in the
|
|
|
|
|
installation guide for your new distribution.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Format floppies for the temporary kernel and the final
|
|
|
|
|
build.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
You'll need two, one floppy for each.
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
After all that's done, you're ready for the Big Moment. The next
|
|
|
|
|
step removes the system from production.
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Inhibit logins and back up the /root and /home trees.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
This is the last thing to be done on the old system before you destroy
|
|
|
|
|
it, so as to carry forward the most current user and root information.
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
To inhibit logins, just echo "getting ready for upgrade" >/etc/nologin
|
|
|
|
|
(as root, of course).
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Boot from the new installation's boot and root
|
|
|
|
|
floppies.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
Or, if you have that capability, boot the installation CD itself.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Delete the linux partitions with fdisk and recreate
|
|
|
|
|
them.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
The installation guide will explain how to set about doing this, which
|
|
|
|
|
will destroy the old system. From now on you're dependent on the
|
|
|
|
|
quality of the backups you made in the earlier steps! You have been
|
|
|
|
|
warned!
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Run the new linux installation.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
There are already several good documents describing how to do this, so
|
|
|
|
|
I'm not going into any detail. Continue from here when the new system
|
|
|
|
|
can boot from its hard disk.
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
Along the way, be sure to make a floppy that you can boot as well,
|
|
|
|
|
since the kernel that the linux setup installs has to be replaced and
|
|
|
|
|
accidents can happen during that process. Be sure to install the
|
|
|
|
|
development packages and the kernel source.
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Restore configuration data to the /etc directory and
|
|
|
|
|
subdirectories.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
As described above, you can't just copy all of the old files back into
|
|
|
|
|
/etc and expect things to work properly afterward. Some files you can
|
|
|
|
|
do that with; for example, /etc/XF86Config (as long as you're using
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
the same version of XFree86 -- and the same video hardware -- in the
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
new installation as you did in the old). For the most part, though,
|
|
|
|
|
it's best to use diff to compare the old and new files before doing
|
|
|
|
|
any copying. Watch out especially for significant changes in the
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
files in /etc/rc.d and friends, which may require you to reestablish
|
|
|
|
|
your old configuration by hand editing, instead of by copying the old
|
|
|
|
|
rc scripts from your backup. Once it's all done, reboot.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Configure and rebuild the linux kernel.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
Even if you don't absolutely have to do this in order to get a kernel
|
|
|
|
|
that supports your hardware, it's worth doing it in order to get a
|
|
|
|
|
kernel that doesn't contain masses of drivers for stuff your machine
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
doesn't have -- and even more so, in order to get a good understanding
|
|
|
|
|
of how your kernel configuration options affect the behaviour of your
|
|
|
|
|
system! As linux grows, the ability of the distribution vendors to
|
|
|
|
|
configure a one-size-fits-all kernel has become very limited. For
|
|
|
|
|
details on how it's done, see the Kernel HOWTO; it looks complicated at
|
|
|
|
|
first, but it's not rocket science; just take it a step at a time.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
Install the rebuilt kernel on a floppy at first; once that boots ok,
|
|
|
|
|
install on the hard disk, run lilo if you're using it, and reboot.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Restore the stuff from the backups you made earlier.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
Some of the binaries may need to be reinstalled from the source
|
|
|
|
|
directories; I had to do that with lilo, for example, since my version
|
|
|
|
|
was newer than the one on the Slackware installation and I hadn't
|
|
|
|
|
bothered to save the binary from /sbin. You'll want to check through
|
|
|
|
|
your restored programs and confirm the existence and correctness of
|
|
|
|
|
configuration files, libraries and so on. In some cases, you may have
|
|
|
|
|
to restore things in a specific order; you did make notes during
|
|
|
|
|
backup, didn't you? ;-)
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Review security.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
(Sigh...) When I wrote this, this step was important but not crucial;
|
|
|
|
|
the Internet was a friendlier place even in 1996 than it is today.
|
|
|
|
|
Now, if your machine has Internet access, this step is utterly vital,
|
|
|
|
|
and there are whole books devoted to getting it right; I can do nothing
|
|
|
|
|
more here than offer a few very basic pointers:
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
Check file permissions and directory permissions to be sure that
|
|
|
|
|
access is neither too restricted nor too easy. I find that Slackware
|
|
|
|
|
tends to lean toward a more open environment than I like, so I go
|
|
|
|
|
around changing 755's to 711's for binaries in the .../bin directories
|
|
|
|
|
and stuff like that. Or even 700's in the .../sbin ones. Especial
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
care is needed if you've carried over ftp, telnet or web servers; but
|
|
|
|
|
then, if you were running those, you probably thought of that already. :)
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
|
Look at /etc/inetd.conf or /etc/xinetd.conf and make sure you're not
|
|
|
|
|
running any Internet services you don't need to. Also go through the
|
|
|
|
|
boot scripts in /etc/rc.d and friends for the same purpose. Check your
|
|
|
|
|
firewall rules if your box is an Internet gateway or has Internet
|
|
|
|
|
access.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Enable logins.</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
You're up and running. Over the next little while, there'll probably
|
|
|
|
|
be details to clean up; but the bulk of the work is done. Enjoy!
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Sorry, but once again:
|
|
|
|
|
<emphasis>USE THIS INFORMATION AT YOUR OWN RISK!</emphasis>
|
|
|
|
|
</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
(See the disclaimer at the start of this document.)
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<sect1>
|
|
|
|
|
<title>Acknowledgements</title>
|
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
Thanks for contributing to the content of this mini-HOWTO are
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
gratefully tendered to Zolt<6C>n Hidv<64>gi; and for motivating me to bring
|
|
|
|
|
it a bit closer to modern practice, to Steve Sanfratello, author of the
|
|
|
|
|
rpmupgrade-HOWTO.
|
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
2001-08-03 14:56:24 +00:00
|
|
|
|
</article>
|
2002-03-10 16:41:03 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|