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Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot

From David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com>
Newsgroups linux.debian.user
Subject Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot
Date 2017-11-13 20:20 +0100
Message-ID <uLsr0-1Cm-9@gated-at.bofh.it> (permalink)
References <uLdUZ-HB-1@gated-at.bofh.it> <uLgga-2nJ-3@gated-at.bofh.it> <uLoQq-7No-7@gated-at.bofh.it>
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On 11/13/17 07:26, Dan Norton wrote:
> 
> On 11/13/2017 01:10 AM, David Christensen wrote:
>>
>> 1.  Image, backup, and/or archive everything.  You will especially 
>> want to get a copy of the /etc tree onto a USB flash drive so you can 
>> see LVM, fstab, etc., configuration settings for mounting the Debian 8 
>> disk under Debian 9.
> 
> Please say more about the configuration settings. I back up /home and 
> /var. The git stuff is in /opt and pushed to GitHub. Should the /etc 
> tree be backed up also? How would the settings be used from 9?

Every operating system and every software application installed on that 
operating system has configuration settings.  One of the advantages of 
the traditional Unix model is that most OS settings are in plain text 
files that you can change with a text editor.  Similarly so for server 
applications.  (Desktops and their applications are another story, see 
below.)  Good software has manual pages that explain where its 
configuration files reside and the format and meaning of the contents. 
Debian and Debian-ized applications seem to put most of their 
configuration files under /etc.


Whenever I decide to change such files, I make a copy with '-orig' 
appended, put the original file into a version control system (CVS), 
edit-test-repeat, and check-in to CVS when done.  On a typical 
workstation, I might have a dozen files under /etc checked in.  On a 
server, more.


I once tried putting the entire /etc directory into CVS.  Adding and 
removing software made a lot of changes, as expected.  But, so did 
normal operations.  Locating meaningful changes in became an exercise in 
"find the needle in the hay stack".  And, adding/removing lots of files 
and directories in CVS working directories is labor intensive.  I don't 
do that any more.


For migrations, unless you are an expert already or psychic, you will 
want the old drive in it's entirety.  (I keep my system drives under 16 
GB, to encourage me to take images at opportune moments like this.) 
It's useful to also copy /etc onto a flash drive when your old drive is 
more complex than a partition table and normal file systems (so that you 
will have clues about how to mount it, for starters).


As for how the settings are used, each OS instance and it applications 
determine that.  Migrating settings involves editing configuration files 
and/or overwriting configuration files.  You have to go through each 
subsystem one at a time and see what configuration files it wants, 
format, and content, and then do what it takes to make it happy.


As others have replied, desktop and desktop application configuration 
settings and data in home directories are not agreeable to migration.  I 
don't even try.  I backup Thunderbird mail and export address books on 
the old system, and restore/ import on the new system.  I use the sync 
service built into Firefox to keep it current on all my machines where 
it is installed.  I check in my CVS working directories on the old 
system and check them out on the new system.  My bulk data is on the 
file server.  I manually configure whatever is left -- desktop, Open 
Office preferences, etc..


>> 2.  Put your bulk data onto a separate drive or a file server/ NAS.
>>
>> 3.  If your computer has a spare drive bay, buy a new drive, unplug 
>> your old drive, install the new drive, install Debian 9 onto the new 
>> drive, reconnect the old drive and mount read-only under Debian 9, and 
>> migrate your settings and remaining data from the old drive to the new 
>> drive. Your BIOS/UEFI should allow you to boot from either drive 
>> during this process.  So long as you don't damage the Debian 8 disk, 
>> you can always fall back to Debian 8 if the migration goes badly.
>>
>> 4.  If you computer does not have a spare drive bay, buy a new drive 
>> and a USB external drive enclosure, put your old drive in the 
>> enclosure, install the new drive, install Debian 9 onto the new drive, 
>> plug in the old drive and mount read-only under Debian 9, and migrate 
>> your settings and remaining data from the old drive to the new drive. 
>> Again, your BIOS/UEFI should allow you to boot from either drive and 
>> you can fall back to Debian 8 if necessary.
>>
> Sobering advice - good! Makes me re-think some things. A bit inefficient 
> WRT disk space.

Disk space is far cheaper than data loss.  Don't make the mistake of 
trying to save money through partition, LVM, file system, etc., 
gymnastics rather than simply buying another drive and doing it the KISS 
way.


> You did say "migrate" and not "upgrade" as I first read. Thanks David.

YW.  :-)


David

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Thread

Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-13 04:50 +0100
  Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> - 2017-11-13 07:20 +0100
    Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-13 16:30 +0100
      Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-13 20:10 +0100
        Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-13 21:10 +0100
        Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-14 00:10 +0100
          Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-14 01:50 +0100
            Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-14 03:40 +0100
              Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-14 04:00 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-14 04:50 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-16 19:40 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-16 20:10 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-16 23:40 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-16 20:30 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-16 21:20 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-29 19:10 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-29 19:20 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-29 19:50 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-29 19:40 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-29 21:40 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-29 22:00 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-29 22:40 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-30 03:20 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-29 22:10 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-29 23:10 +0100
                Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-17 00:00 +0100
              Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Jonathan Dowland <jmtd@debian.org> - 2017-11-29 10:10 +0100
      Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> - 2017-11-13 20:20 +0100
        Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-14 00:30 +0100
          Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> - 2017-11-14 00:40 +0100
  Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Jochen Spieker <ml@well-adjusted.de> - 2017-11-13 10:00 +0100
    Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-13 17:00 +0100
      Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Jochen Spieker <ml@well-adjusted.de> - 2017-11-13 21:30 +0100
  Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Roberto C. Sánchez <roberto@debian.org> - 2017-11-13 13:00 +0100
    Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Roberto C. Sánchez <roberto@debian.org> - 2017-11-13 17:10 +0100
      Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-13 18:10 +0100
    Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-13 17:10 +0100
      Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-13 20:00 +0100
        Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-29 04:20 +0100
          Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Michael Fothergill <michael.fothergill@gmail.com> - 2017-11-29 08:10 +0100
          Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2017-11-29 10:10 +0100
            Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Dan Norton <dnorton@mindspring.com> - 2017-11-29 19:00 +0100
          Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-29 20:00 +0100
            Re: Debian 8 and Debian 9 Dual Boot Felix Miata <mrmazda@earthlink.net> - 2017-11-29 20:40 +0100

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