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Software - checking/changing installed version of kanotix ???

fatbloke - 21.10.2006, 12:15 Uhr
Titel: checking/changing installed version of kanotix ???

hello all,

I've been thinking about changing my install. I think that I've got 2005-04 installed, but I can't work out how to check this (well it was 2005-04 that I originally installed but I regularly run the h2 script to dist-upgrade and I don't know if that actually changes the version).

Could someone please advise me how I a) check what version I have installed, and b) what it is that I need to change (if anything) so that the d-u upgrades everything to the latest version i.e. 2006-01-rc4 ?

Or is it really considered safer to stay at the 2005-04 version until Kano is ready to release the finished 2006-01 ??

regards

fatbloke

p.s. yes I have searched around, but can't see anything that explains how this might be done, in a way that I (with my limited knowledge) understand.

devil - 21.10.2006, 12:33 Uhr
Titel: checking/changing installed version of kanotix ???

cat /etc/kanotix-version will show
d-u does not change version.
after a dist-upgrade, your system is as current as can be, regarding 2005-04 as base.
2006-01 RC4 has many improvements that are easiest obtained with an update-install from the RC4 Live-CD.
and yes, it is stable to work with.

greetz
devil

titan - 21.10.2006, 12:47 Uhr
Titel: Re: checking/changing installed version of kanotix ???

fatbloke hat folgendes geschrieben::

hello all,

. I think that I've got 2005-04 installed, but I can't work out how to check this

The simplest way to check anything about your system is Kmenu - system - Kinfocentre

fatbloke - 21.10.2006, 15:38 Uhr
Titel: Re: checking/changing installed version of kanotix ???

devil hat folgendes geschrieben::

Ok, so with the cat /etc/kanotix-version command I'm definitely still using 2005-04

As far as having do download the live RC4 cd etc etc, does that mean that I have to burn it too cd and then install the stuff from there ? or is there a way of just changing all the sources in my /etc/apt/sources.list so it reflects RC4 and then running a dist upgrade (or update) directly from the repositories ???

titan hat folgendes geschrieben::

The simplest way to check anything about your system is Kmenu - system - Kinfocentre

Hum? I've got the Kinforcentre installed, but I couldn't see where it might list the version. Lots of stuff about specific devices etc but "version" wasn't one of them. I wonder if I'm missing something ?

regards

fatbloke

drb - 21.10.2006, 15:41 Uhr
Titel:

Kanotix - Information about Kanotix should be one of the listed items.

drb

Zitat:

Host/Kernel/OS "KanotixBox" running Linux 2.6.18.1-kanotix-1 i686 [ KANOTIX 2005-04 ]
CPU Info AMD Athlon XP 1900+ 256 KB cache flags( - ) clocked at [ 1595.952 MHz ]
Videocard Matrox Graphics, MGA G550 AGP X.Org 7.1.1 [ 1024x768 @75hz ]
Network cards Realtek RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+, at port: c800
Processes 99 | Uptime 2:02 | Memory 591.109/1010.12MB | HDD WDC WD1200JB-00CRA0,WDC WD2000JB-32EVA0 Size 321GB (76%used) | Client Shell wrapper | Infobash v2.50

fatbloke - 21.10.2006, 22:00 Uhr
Titel:

drb hat folgendes geschrieben::

Kanotix - Information about Kanotix should be one of the listed items.

if it's there, it's certainly very well hidden.

Just been through the entire menu listings, and apart from the kanotix-update-gui, which I installed previously before I learned about the h2 script, theres nothing that seems to let me know what the "information" might be.

Hum? does that mean that I definitely am missing something ?

regards

fatbloke

h2 - 21.10.2006, 22:05 Uhr
Titel:

no, I don't see it either, don't feel bad

titan - 21.10.2006, 22:43 Uhr
Titel:

fatbloke hat folgendes geschrieben::

drb hat folgendes geschrieben::

Kanotix - Information about Kanotix should be one of the listed items.

if it's there, it's certainly very well hidden.

fatbloke

It is the 7th item down on the list

http://i14.tinypic.com/2hi00gx.png

h2 - 21.10.2006, 22:59 Uhr
Titel:

That item is not present in 2005-4

Swynndla - 21.10.2006, 23:08 Uhr
Titel:

fatbloke, if you've been dist-upgrading regularly, then you are up-to-date. So why upgrade-install to a later version on kanotix?

You may want the experience, ie to learn. That's fair enough. But don't think you're missing out as your not up-to-date, because you are up-to-date.

The only things you are missing out on are a few tweeks. Most of these tweeks can be apt-got. Then you would have, for example, the Kanotix section in Kinforcentre like some of the others.

The downside of update-installing to a newer version of kanotix is that you have to re-install any app that you've installed since your original install, as these will be wiped out. Also, there is some amount of risk with an update-install, eg losing valuable data or something not working in the new system. (Making backups is wise.)

markb - 21.10.2006, 23:21 Uhr
Titel: Re: checking/changing installed version of kanotix ???

titan hat folgendes geschrieben::

The simplest way to check anything about your system is Kmenu - system - Kinfocentre

Thanks for the tip. That is certainly a convenient central place for plenty of useful information. I'd never really noticed that utility before.

eco2geek - 22.10.2006, 06:21 Uhr
Titel:

h2 hat folgendes geschrieben::

That item is not present in 2005-4

It's probably part of the "knxcc-kde" (Kanotix Control Center for KDE) package.

drb - 22.10.2006, 08:15 Uhr
Titel:

I still have 2005-04 but added knxcc at some point.

drb

fatbloke - 22.10.2006, 10:57 Uhr
Titel:

h2 hat folgendes geschrieben::

That item is not present in 2005-4

Ha ha! I checked titans suggestion and still couldn't find it. Then I noticed what h2 had said - that'd explain why I can't find it.

As for the others saying about it not being worth updating the install, well OK, I'll stick with the 2005-04 then. It just that it's been my habit for a couple of years to keep things as absolutely up to date as is possible.

I don't really enjoy having to battle against breakages etc - I don't know anywhere near enough. It may be that I'm just really trying to "keep up with the Joneses", or that I'm worried that I might be missing something. I can't say (self analysis isn't one of my strong points).

So with that in mind, I'll do a bit of learning i.e. in the hope that when the actual finished 2006-01 is ready, that I might be in a position to upgrade then. Is it possible, when the latest stable version changes to 2006-01, to just change all the repo's/mirrors to reflect and get the differences in packages/versions that way ?

Or would I still have to download the new version and then upgrade-install ? (in fact, is that actually an option on a menu somewhere ??? or is it one of those things that will need lots of learning and preparation ?).

regards

fatbloke.

titan - 22.10.2006, 12:01 Uhr
Titel:

fatbloke hat folgendes geschrieben::

As for the others saying about it not being worth updating the install, well OK, I'll stick with the 2005-04 then.

fatbloke.

Have you considered a fresh install of say 2006 01 rc4 on another partition. You will be able to experiment with either one and have a backup if/when you have problems. All the files will be available to either installation. It takes a little while to customise Kanotix to how you want it with specific applications, screen size font type size dpi icons desktop etc. Having a separate /home wll keep most of your personal preferences if update install is used but will remove any application not on the new update disc.. Dist-upgrade will keep you up to date but only what is installed, for example it looks like knxcc was not in 2005-04 I am running fully DU Easter and I have it, but I may have installed it, I don,t remember but it is in 2006 rc1. I was suprised h2 didn't have it but he has said in other posts he prefers to DU. So for some users it maybe worth a clean install now and again to make the most of what Kano slh and the other developers put on the latest release. Everybody has a different idea of what they want and Linux allows everyone to install, set up and run their installation as they want.

Swynndla - 22.10.2006, 12:29 Uhr
Titel:

Changing repo's (in /etc/apt/sources.list) will only affect your debian sources (ie different releases of debian, eg testing or unstable), and has nothing to do with different releases of kanotix. Don't change your sources.list.

If you want the 2006-01 version or any version of kanotix then you'd need to update-install (or full install). The basic procedure is you download and burn the ISO to cd (using doa burning option), and double check the md5 hash, then boot up the live cd, check that your sound and internet conection is working etc, and then under the kanotix menu option you choose update install, and you tell it to keep your home directory and other directories that you want to keep, and it'll replace everything else with the new stuff. You then boot up to your updated hard drive install and re-install any apps that you had manually installed since the last ISO install.

But when I say new stuff, you can pretty much apt-get all the new stuff anyway (without going to the "latest" kanotix cd) by staying up-to-date with upgrade or dist-upgrade (using h2's script). Other tweeks you can apt-get too as mentioned above ... ie:
apt-get install knxcc-kde
... in fact you can install that now if you like.

Now if you want to see what all the fuss is about, then update-install ... it's a pretty good program. But yea, you don't have to do this to stay up-to-date. And I'd personally recommend that you wait.

I truely believe that the most important thing to learn and setup in linux is a good backup system ... one that can save your install when you stuff things up (and you will if you're anything like most people, especially if you're like me!). Did you know that I can do this? (times approximate) ...
9:00: take a backup
9:05: update-install a later version of kanotix
9:20: printer isn't recognized and so I install ubuntu
9:45: find out pretty quickly that ubuntu is crap and decide to restore what I had from backup
10:00: back to exactly the what I had an hour ago!

For me, this takes the fear out of "trying things" in linux. It's also means that my data is recoverable if I delete stuff by accident. You'd really need a spare hard drive to do this properly. See h2's rdiff-backup script.

Edit: just saw your backup post under hardware. Also, titan's suggestion if a very good one.