Upgrading Porteus

[rych]

Upgrading/updating Porteus from 5.0 to 5.01, with a roll-back option:

1. Get a Porteus-OPENBOX-v5.01-x86_64.iso, for example, and mount it.

2. I use grub which is a signed boot loader allowing to load unsigned kernels for compatibility with Secure Boot enabled UEFI systems. From the Porteus-OPENBOX-v5.01-x86_64.iso/boot/syslinux we then only need 2 files: vmlinuz and initrd.xz
2a. In case you customized your previous initrd, typically linuxrc or finit, you need to get those checked in into the new initrd. I use Meld for merging the differences. Then, I assemble my version of initrd using

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/opt/porteus-scripts/makeinitrd -z

The resulting initrd.xz->initrd501.zst along with the simply renamed vmlinuz->vmlinuz501 are added to your /mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux on your first FAT32 partition used for UEFI booting.
2b. Add a menu entry into /mnt/sda1/boot/grub/grub.cfg pointing to the new initrd501 and vmlinuz501

3. Now, an awkward step of replacing the /mnt/sda2/porteus/base and backing-up the /mnt/sda2/porteus/changes. We shouldn't try to do it while it's live of course.
3a. For that I boot into my PorteuX which I actually have on the same USB, and access those folders on the porteus's partition which is not live anymore. Rename base->base50, and copy changes->changes50 as backup.
3b. Copy /Porteus-OPENBOX-v5.01-x86_64.iso/porteus/base --> /mnt/sda2/porteus/

4. Now it's time to try and boot into the new Porteus 5.01 thus prepared, that is using:
1) Amended: boot loader,
2) New: initrd501, vmlinuz501; base,
3) Old: modules, optional; changes

We keep the original base50 and changes50 to roll back to.

I now boot into the new Porteus 5.01. It works without a problem and feels like an incremental update that did not break anything. I'll post here any problems when/if they appear

[Rava]

Would it not also work moving /mnt/sda2/porteus/ onto, e.g. /mnt/sda2/Porteus5.0/porteus/ and adjust the bootloader?
Meaning, you have brand new 5.01 files in /mnt/sda2/porteus/ and also a working and bootable 5.0 in /mnt/sda2/Porteus5.0/porteus/

Since I use porteus.cfg my setup e.g. looks like so - I use dedicated folders for all of my Porteus boots (so no longer a simple /mnt/sda1/porteus/ ):

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LABEL xfceRava5.01
MENU LABEL 5.01 newest 00[12]- RavaStyle
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz from=UUID:CoReCt-UuId/Porteus_5.01 ramsize=10% zram=8% timezone=Europe/Berlin volume=75% kmap=de lang=de fsck 3
TEXT HELP
    Run Porteus the Rava way:
    always fresh - telinit 3 (or 
    "without starting X")
ENDTEXT

LABEL xfceRava5.0
MENU LABEL 5.0 newest updated 00[12]- RavaStyle
KERNEL vmlinuz
APPEND initrd=initrd.xz from=UUID:CoReCt-UuId/Porteus_5.0 ramsize=10% zram=8% timezone=Europe/Berlin volume=75% kmap=de lang=de fsck 3
TEXT HELP
    Run Porteus the Rava way:
    always fresh - telinit 3 (or 
    "without starting X")
ENDTEXT

And of course the folder hierarchy is not - presuming the UUID corresponds with /mnt/sda1 - like this:

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/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/base/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/modules/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/optional/

but like this:

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/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/base/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/modules/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/optional/

including a /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/porteus-v5.0-x86_64.cfg

[Ed_P]

So what are you booting that displays your porteus.cfg file? Do you make the same porteus.cfg changes to each of the Porteus installs? In other words you can boot Porteus 5.0 from booting the Porteus 5.01 system?

but like this:

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/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/base/
/mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/optional/

I like your folder hierarchy and it's naming convention. But shouldn't it include a /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/modules, /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/boot and /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/EFI folders?

[Rava]

I like your folder hierarchy and it's naming convention. But shouldn't it include a /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/porteus/modules, /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/boot and /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/EFI folders?

I don't use a porteus/modules folder, but create one when you use one.

I don't use /mnt/sda1/Porteus5.01/boot because many of my different folders use the same kernel and the same initrd.
Therefore these are all in /mnt/sda1/boot and named e.g. like so:

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/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz_Porteus_5.4.30_x86_64
/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz_Porteux_6.5.7_x86_64
/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz2020-04-11

and are addressed via
e.g.

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KERNEL vmlinuz_Porteus_5.4.30_x86_64

or

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APPEND initrd=initrd.xz2020-04-11

I left that out in my above example to make it more easy.

[Ed_P]

I don't use a porteus/modules folder, but create one when you use one.

But the people reading your posting example might want to know. And where do you load your browser from? Optional?!

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/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz_Porteus_5.4.30_x86_64
/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz_Porteux_6.5.7_x86_64
/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz2020-04-11

The problem I keep stumbling on is a USB drive won't boot with this config but this thread isn't about USB drives it's about versions of the Porteus system installed to the hard drive and booted from a working Porteus install.

[Rava]

But the people reading your posting example might want to know. And where do you load your browser from? Optional?!

You are correct, I will edit my above post and add porteus/modules folder

I load all my standard loaded modules via base/ even when that is not the normal way doing things.

Added in 3 minutes 4 seconds:

The problem I keep stumbling on is a USB drive won't boot with this config but this thread isn't about USB drives it's about versions of the Porteus system installed to the hard drive and booted from a working Porteus install.

yeah, it is confusing that at times it needs to be like this

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/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/vmlinuz_Porteus_5.4.30_x86_64
/mnt/sda1/boot/syslinux/initrd.xz2020-04-11

and at other times like this:

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/mnt/sda1/boot/vmlinuz_Porteus_5.4.30_x86_64
/mnt/sda1/boot/initrd.xz2020-04-11

I do not really understand why it is like this.