Tag Archives: linux

Upgrade Debian based system

We want to upgrade Linux Mint 18.2 to version 20, and we don’t want to go through 3 upgrades to get it done. Instead we will make a proper inventory of the current system, back up all the stuff we want to keep and install Mint 20 from scratch. This approach should work fine for all Debian based systems.

If you want the possibility to get back to your previous system, make sure to make a full backup and keep it safe somewhere, but in most cases it’s best to move to current affairs and deal with possible trouble by fixing the issues in the new system.

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Installing Debian sid (unstable)

There are no installation images for sid, but we can choose either stable or a daily built (testing). If you are absolutely certain that you will have connection to the internet while installing, i.e. in VirtualBox, with a cable or with the correct firmware available for wifi, you should use the netinstall image, otherwise a cd image that will give you the base system that will allow you to work and get online.

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Using symlinks to keep your data separate in linux

I’ve always preferred not to have my data files on the same partition as my system files and often I have used a separate /home partition for this. This has a huge downside though. As your home folder is also used by the system to hold non global setting files, you risk making a mess of settings when you have different system installations sharing the same /home partition.

The solution I found best is to have symbolic links in the /home folder (that resides in the system root; no separate /home partition).

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