Jorgen Lundman wrote: > > Hello list, > > Senior unix admin, but relatively fresh Linux admin. I run a fc8 box only for > cross-compiling, as so many toolchains come pre-compiled for it. > > However, today I found the need to finally upgrade. This is an account of what I > went through, and not just meant as a bitch session. > > I do not care about the OS, but it would be easier if all my toolchain installs > and home directory contents remained. > > I have a tiny /boot and the rest on a lv / system, setup by a colleague. This > all runs on xen, but that is not really part of this email. > > First I tried to use preupgrade, and I went through all the yum tasks to ensure > I have the latest version of it and so on. > > Then I ran preupgrade, I went straight for fc14. I was told that my /boot was > too small. Of course it is! Still, it did say something about downloading it > after reboot. Plus one for fc there. > > Rebooting and it gives some obscure error about not finding previous system. Eh? > Googling and crap, I finally find out how to get at the anaconda logs (it could > have been mentioned by anaconda i think, instead of just 'error, click here to > reboot') > > In the end it said something about fc8 can not be upgraded. I still do not > really know why, but google suggests I can not skip versions, I need to go to 9 > first. preupgraded only lists 10 to 14. I try 10 anyway. > > No difference at all. Bugger. > > Right, so I download the fc14 ISO and try to do a install over the old OS, > hoping to keep data. The installer does have an option to keep things, the > second to last option, before custom. > > It just notifies me that there are no places to install to, sorry. > > I use custom, which at least gives me some clues. Apparently I can not install > to a ext3 filesystem. This seems a really bad decision by someone. Essentially, > it is just untaring files on an existing fs. To force a certain version seems > really backwards. > > I google for how to convert ext3 to ext4, and go through that. 2 hours later I > am ready to try again. > > I return back to the installer, the 4th option still does not work, so i go > through custom. I manage to convince it to use my / and /boot. It installs, I > reboot. No warnings about losing data, so I feel confident here. > > Upon reboot it has no settings for network, ssh etc. So I go through the GUI to > set network (I guess I am supposed to use GUI, even though I prefer to reach for > ifconfig). > > I look for a way to start SSH, and there do not appear to be any. Google said to > use Administration/Services. But that does not exists. Huh, I actually have to > start a shell to run /sbin/services sshd start. Minus one there. > > Only to find that port 22 does not answer. I go through the usual checks to make > sure it is running, and connects locally. I start the firewall GUI to confirm > that port 22 is open, I even try without firewall. Still, no connection. > > How strange. there is a cryptic message about iptables? I don't have services so > I can not check using the GUI, so again I am forced to use shell to disable it. > Finally I can login. minus one again. > > Only to find everything has been wiped. Boo. > > It was a major hassle for me, I feel sorry for fresh people trying fc14 for the > first time. I feel there is room to make some improvements. > > Anyway, I will zfs rollback to my fc8 and install something else. > If you have a toolchain which run in FC8 it's possible that it won't run on a newer system. If you hardware supports HVM so you can run KVM virtualization, I would almost think that the easiest way out is to add a drive with FC14, and run the old system in a VM just to support the toolchain. Full disclosure: I have a RH8 (no, not FC8) in a VM, because I have an app which won't compile on recent gcc, and no time or money budget to rewrite and debug a large program which has been working for years as a static binary. -- Bill Davidsen <davidsen@xxxxxxx> "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from the machinations of the wicked." - from Slashdot -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines
