If I upgrade from MEPIS 3.4 to 6.x or from a lower to a higher version of anything, will my network settings survive, or will I have to set it up again?

I guess it depends on which particular settings you're looking to preserve.

I don't see it as being much of a problem though, as most networking utilities keep all of their settings in a client-specific .conf file under the /etc directory. On several occasions, I've backed up old smb.conf (Samba) and /etc/exports (NFS) configurations, and just copied over to newer systems without any fuss.

Just remember, DO NOT completely obliterate the default settings file! Just simply "cp -v /etc/.../settings.conf /etc/.../settings.conf.old". And also remember to make sure your conf files are for the same client - for instance, make sure the new distro version didn't swap DHCP clients from dhcpcd to pump, or something like that.

What upgrade method are you considering?

If it's an APT etc. "upgrade" or "dist-upgrade", I wouldn't risk that big a jump. Given the repos involved, MEPIS 3.x.x to MEPIS 7 would probably be safer than 3 to 6, because both 3 & 7 are based on Etch -- MEPIS 3 when Etch was Testing & MEPIS 7 now that Etch is Stable. Even so, I won't do that when I go from MEPIS 3.3.2 to 7. I'll do a clean install, possibly w/ a "preserve home" option. I will also probably back up /etc & try to use that to set 7 up.

If I'm feeling adventurous, & can spare the time, I may try a "dist-upgrade" on a cloned copy; but I won't risk it on a running system, even if it is old.

Some of my friends think I'm too conservative about this.

I didn't know there was a MEPIS 7 yet. Well, I would have just run my MEPIS 6 (6.5, to be more specific) liveCD and told it to install to the HD. I wasn't sure if it would completely overwrite the old installation, because on one hand, it would ask to format the partition, but on the other hand, I see a checkbox to "preserve data in /home (if upgrading), which is pointless unless I can install without formatting.

I wouldn't run the orig. 6.5 - now called 6.5.00 - at all. I do have a test install of the fixed 6.5.02, but I think it's safer to stick w/ 6.0 -- I don't trust the upgrade in place feature yet.

The announcement of 7.0 is here: http://www.mepis.org/node/14187, there are also 2 threads in the LQ MEPIS forum about the announcement. One of them has a link to torrents.

I suspect that the upgrade in place system will work in 7 & I would go ahead w/ a 7.0 install. I would still try to snapshot my system in case of problems.

Why were the versions between 3 and 7 not Etch-based? Did the developers decide they didn't like their Ubuntu-based product? (That MEPIS.org article didn't say.)

3 was Etch based -- when Etch was Testing, not Stable.
There were no 4 & 5.
6 used Ubuntu 6.06 LTS "Dapper Drake" repos.
7 comes full circle to Etch, now that is Etch Stable.


Some random news links:
http://www.mepis.org/taxonomy/term/157/9?page=7
http://www.mepis.org/node/9029/
http://www.linux.com/articles/52020
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS2584380705.html
http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS7900729752.html
http://www.mepis.org/node/9454

The numbering scheme is another story. . . .