[SOLVED] How to get a newer version of linux-image included when running aptitude update
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How to get a newer version of linux-image included when running aptitude update
I am running Debian testing/unstable with a 3.18-8.dmz.1-liquorix-amd64 kernel. I have been using liquorix kernels for a few years now and this very minor annoyance has only started very recently.
I do daily updates using the command
Code:
sudo aptitude update
following that I use
Code:
sudo aptitude safe-upgrade
whenever a newer version of the linux-headers package is available, it is listed amongst the packages to be installed in the upgrade (I am prompted for a yes/no if more than one package is ready for upgrading). The same used to be true for the linux-image package. Now I have to do it manually even though the new linux-headers package shows up on the list of packages that will be upgraded. I have a feeling that I need to edit one of the files in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
jdk
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Rep:
Could you not just use "upgrade" rather than "safe-upgrade"? I run Sid and use "apt-get dist-upgrade" so don't have any experience with aptitude though, sorry.
Distribution: Debian Testing, Stable, Sid and Manjaro, Mageia 3, LMDE
Posts: 2,628
Rep:
There is really no real difference between aptitude safe-upgrade and apt-get upgrade. They upgrade packages that stand alone, needed no other packages to be removed or added.
aptitude safe-upgrade will occasionally remove a package due to it no longer being used at all for any purpose but this is rare.
apt-get dist-upgrade upgrades packages that need additional packages installed or packages removed.
aptitude full-upgrade does the same thiing.
Failure to run either of those commands over a long period of time will do nothing to improve your system and may well damage it eventurally.
Get your package list updated with aptitude update as normal and see what aptitude full-upgrade will offer. Should get you the new header package.
There is nothing wrong with using aptitude. I am a newer user and used to apt-get and use it. Aptitude is an older application that is much better at dealing with dependancy issues but this function is, for the most part no longer needed. It also has a huge stable of extremely useful commands for dealing with all sorts of package management issues.
apt-get is limited in these areas but the functionality is available through, particularly, apt-mark and apt-cache. This makes it easier for a new user to learn the apt-get commands than the aptitude commands but also leaves them, many times, with no clue that there are so many useful tools because you will not see them listed with apt-get as you will if you look at a list of aptitude functions such as the man pages for apt-get and aptitude.
While most users, I think, have moved on to using apt-get, aptitude is still offered because;
A>it has a large user base
B>does the same jobs just as well
But, regardless of which you choose to use it is important to keep all packages in your install upgraded. This can only be done by using dist-upgrade or full-upgrade at least occasionally.
Thanks to all for your efforts. Let me repeat that what I described in my first post of this thread always automatically updated to a newly appearing linux-image package and still automatically updates the linux-headers package. I have not varied my update method and have always used safe-upgrade. I do not want and do not need to use dist-upgrade. AFAIK this problem has nothing to do with the aptitude vs. apt-get divide nor the safe-upgrade vs. dist-upgrade divide. At this time I can always install a newly appearing kernel with the command
Code:
sudo aptitude install linux-image-<name of new kernel>-liquorix-amd64
I am alerted to the existence of a new kernel when the linux-headers package is updated during the safe-upgrade. As I said earlier, I believe the solution lies in editing one of the files in the /etc/apt/apt.conf.d folder.
jdk
You need to install linux-image-<your_architecture>. That's simply an empty package that always depends on the latest version of linux-image-<kernel_version>-<architecture>, which contains the actual kernel. This way you won't need to manually install every new kernel, but it will be automatically upgraded each time a new version arrives.
Edit: I'm not sure about the name of the package you need if you're using liquorix as I don't use it, but I'm sure there is an equivalent package for the liquorix kernel.
Last edited by Hungry ghost; 03-15-2015 at 05:04 AM.
Sorry odiseo77. I guess I am not being clear. I know how to install linux-image. If you read my previous post you will see my architecture is amd64.
Quote:
This way you won't need to manually install every new kernel, but it will be automatically upgraded each time a new version arrives.
This is exactly how it worked in the past and now I have to do it manually each time there is a newer version. You have described my problem but sadly not the solution. I believe that I need to edit one of the files in the /etc/apt/apt.conf.d folder.
jdk
Sorry odiseo77. I guess I am not being clear. I know how to install linux-image. If you read my previous post you will see my architecture is amd64.
This is exactly how it worked in the past and now I have to do it manually each time there is a newer version. You have described my problem but sadly not the solution. I believe that I need to edit one of the files in the /etc/apt/apt.conf.d folder.
jdk
Maybe I didn't explain myself clearly (or maybe your problem lies somewhere else). There are two liquorix kernel packages for your architecture:
linux-image-3.18-9.dmz.1-liquorix-amd64 --> Contains the 'real' kernel and is not automatically upgraded unless you have the generic linux-image-liquorix-amd64 package.
linux-image-liquorix-amd64 --> Generic kernel package. Doesn't contain any kernel; it's just a dummy package that always depends on the latest version of the previous package in this list. Its only function is to pull in the latest version of the previous package.
If you don't have the generic 'dummy' kernel package installed, your kernel won't be automatically upgraded. So you need to make sure you have the dummy linux-image-liquorix-amd64 package installed.
If it is installed and your kernel still isn't automatically upgraded, then the problem might be related with pinning.
Last edited by Hungry ghost; 03-15-2015 at 02:52 PM.
Found it and am installing linux-image-liquorix-amd64.
This looks the solution but I'll wait till the next kernel upgrade and confirm it.
Thanks for the help.
jdk
Thanks to Odiseo77 and "Head on a stick". A new kernel appeared automatically on my upgrade packages (3.19-2.dmz.1-liquorix-amd64). (Re-)Installing the
linux-image-liquorix-amd64 package solved the problem.
Marking this thread as solved.
jdk
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