question about updates via Zypper

[steffen13]

Hi folks,

I have a small question about updating via Zypper. Recently I decided to do all the system updates via Zypper, because I trust Zypper more than the other update mechanisms.
Anyway... here is the question:

since 2 days I always get the following message in the terminal, when I do

zypper up

The following package updates will NOT be installed:
  gstreamer-0_10-plugins-base kcm_gtk kdebase4-openSUSE 
  kdebase4-runtime-branding-openSUSE kdebase4-workspace-branding-openSUSE 
  kdelibs4-branding-openSUSE kdm-branding-openSUSE kio_sysinfo 
  kio_sysinfo-branding-openSUSE konqueror-plugins konqueror-plugins-lang ksmolt 
  kvkbd lensfun libgpod4 libgpod-tools libimobiledevice1 libiodbc3 liblastfm0 
  liblensfun0 liblqr-1-0 libmsn0_3 libsamplerate libstrigi0 libtag-extras1 
  libvpx0 mozilla-nspr mozilla-nspr-32bit perl-WWW-Curl plasmoid-quickaccess 
  polkit-kde-1 python-numpy strigi yast2-control-center yast2-control-center-qt

the packages mentioned in there are always the same, but I am more concerned about this message in general. In Ubuntu (which I used before) and in Debian, such a message meant, that you have to install some additional packages to resolve dependencies. And you could do that by typing

apt-get dist-upgrade

with this command the system installed the required additional packages and afterwards the packages which were listed as "will not be installed"

so does this message in Zypper mean the same? Can I also do something like a "dist-upgrade" in OpenSuse, without bringing the whole system to (for example) 11.4, but to get all the updates including some new dependencies?

or does this message mean something different? If it means something different, what does it mean?

thank you very much in advance!

cheers & greetings
Steffen

[caf4926]

In openSUSE it's

zypper dup

But you shouldn't use that unless you understand what you are doing.

How zypper performs can be influenced by repo priority settings.

I generally recommend using the Package Switcher in Yast Software Management
Eg: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10573557/Swi...itch%20kde.png

All about zypper here:
SDBypper usage 11.3 - openSUSE

This is interesting
Repo priority level

[caf4926]

Once I have all my packages switched to the correct repos, I generally do this
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10573557/Swi...ate-system.png

[steffen13]

Hi,

thank you very much for your answers. You are always so helpful - you are awesome! And I am very grateful.

Right now I have done it, as you showed me in the first picture. After hitting "accept", Yast now updates the system.
I hope that I did no system-mess-up, because I also switched packages in the other repos...

I think, the steps on the 2nd pic, I know already. Because I always opened Yast and choosed "package" --> update if newer version available.

is there a way to automate such updates, so that YaSt automatically searches all repos for newer versions of packages and automatically installs them? I ask this question because that is what I know from Ubuntu/Debian.

[caf4926]

is there a way to automate such updates, so that YaSt automatically searches all repos for newer versions of packages and automatically installs them? I ask this question because that is what I know from Ubuntu/Debian.

zypper up

should do it, I think

[Prexy]

Once you do zypper up, you often get the message to run zypper ps to see which processes should be restarted. How do you normally do this? I read posts from people that haven't rebooted linux since Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. But, for me, the time is takes to reboot is trivial and being down for that time means nothing to me. Still, if there is a better way to resolve the issues highlighted in zypper ps, I would like to use it.

Also, what is the answer about those packages that are listed but will not be updated?

[glistwan]

Rebooting is the easiest solution and my favourite solution You can restart processes individual processes which "zypper ps" lits by PID I think. It depends on the proces for example if you upgrade KDE you can use alt+ctrl+backspace key combination to restart the whole X server and with it all KDE processes. I think it is also possible to restart specific processes by sending them specific signals using the kill command but I don't know exactly how to do that. Generally IMHO it's worth the effort if You run some mission critical application server other than that I wouldn't bother.

Best regards,
Greg

[Prexy]

Thanks. Its not so easy to figure out. I have a nepomukservicestub that is really marble. I did not get that from zypper ps. Couldn't restart either process, so I left it alone.

[robin_listas]

On 2010-12-07 18:06, Prexy wrote:
>
> Once you do zypper up, you often get the message to run zypper ps to see
> which processes should be restarted. How do you normally do this? I
> read posts from people that haven't rebooted linux since Christopher
> Columbus arrived in the New World.

:-)

Yes, after an update of something you have to restart that "something". If
you update a library you have to restart all processes that use that
library; meaning that if for example you update libc, you have to restart
everything.

You can simply and blindly restart the computer, or analyse the zypper
output and only restart what is strictly necessary (it needs a bit of
practise and a xtal ball). Or, you can do nothing and live in blissful
ignorance :-)

Inmo, those machines with uptimes of years have not been updated for a long
time - in a local, secured network, that is not so daft. An update can risk
failure. If it is working, don't touch it ;-)

--
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 "Emerald" at Telcontar)