How to convert from Leap 15.3 to TW and keep installed apps?

I am considering moving to tumbleweed from leap 15.3. I have hundreds of additional packages installed in addition to the basic install. I have many additional desktops installed and configured. I am looking for a means to convert to tumbleweed and not have to reinstall all the additional apps over again. This is not a trivial effort.

In using tumbleweed dvd offline method, I assume that “installation” option will just install the basic tumbleweed system and all the additional apps would be deleted. In using dvd “upgrade”, I am not sure what will be installed because I am not upgrading a previously installed tumbleweed but installing a tumbleweed over a leap 15.3.

Using online repo change method, might be the best chance of retaining additional apps, if system looks at what was previously installed instead of just installing basic system package list.

Anyone have any insights as to how to convert to tumbleweed and retain all the “addons” previously made to leap?

thanks, tom kosvic

I bet it will fail. When I left Tumbleweed to 15.1 this is what I did:

My method is to

zypper se -se | awk '{print $3}' > myapps
vi myapps  #delete the top 6 lines and ctrl-j all the lines into one big file
copy to usb drive
install 15.3 fresh
copy myapps from usb drive
zypper in `cat myapps` # will install everything zypper had in Tumbleweed.

You still will have to install the printer drivers again.

What I would do (approximately):

  1. disable optional repos
  2. add locks for important elements of optional repos’ packages
  3. change main repos from Leap to TW
  4. zypper clean
  5. zypper ref
  6. zypper dup
  7. reboot
  8. update and enable optional repos
  9. remove locks on optional packages
  10. zypper ref
    *]zypper dup
    It’s been a very long time since I upgraded from Leap to TW, and have no real memory of it. It may have happened before Leap was born (to “Factory”, pre-TW). Outright failure I think I would have remembered.

The Leap 15.3 SLE (SUSE) and SLE Backports repositories are changing fairly frequently and, also, the associated meta-data –

  • Therefore “zypper refresh –force
    ” is advisable.