Recipe 3.8. Upgrading a Debian System
3.8.1 Problem
You want to upgrade all the packages on your system to the latest
versions.
3.8.2 Solution
Make sure your /etc/apt/sources.list is pointing
to your desired sources, then run apt-get
upgrade.
Always update your package lists first:
# apt-get update
This command upgrades all installed packages, but does not remove any
packages to resolve dependencies:
# apt-get -u upgrade
This upgrades all installed packages, and removes or installs
packages as needed to satisfy all dependencies:
# apt-get -u dist-upgrade
The -u flag
gives you a chance to review all changes first. The upgrade can take
several hours, depending on the speed of your Internet connection,
and how many packages need to be downloaded.
3.8.3 Discussion
To make -u the default action, edit (or create)
/etc/apt/apt.conf:
// Always list packages to be upgraded
// and prompt user
APT::Get::Show-Upgraded "true";
Every time you want to run apt-get dist-upgrade,
run apt-get upgrade first to reduce the chances
of dist-upgrade encountering errors.
3.8.4 See Also
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