Moving from 11.3 to 12.1...upgrade or clean install?

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hey all-

I’ve been a SuSE user since the early 7.x days.
I have always done an upgrade by doing a clean install, never using the “upgrade” feature.

I’ve got a machine that is configured as a RAID and does an incremental backup of a network shared drive. I would really prefer to not have to reconfigure this machine from scratch.

How much luck have users had with using the “upgrade” method of installing rather than a clean install?
I’m running 11.3 and will be moving to the current 12.1.

Thanks in advance for all relevant advice and wisdom.

#2

I always clean install

Upgrade is supported, but IIRC you move one step at a time, so 11.3 > 11.4
Then 11.4 > 12.1

Whatever you do. Backup first.

Some info here: SDB:System upgrade - openSUSE

#3

Too late!
I followed these instructions,

openSUSE starter: openSUSE 12.1: The zypper dup upgrade.

to the letter and seem to have done GREAT doing an 11.3 → 12.1 upgrade.

#4

On 01/10/2012 05:56 PM, portsample wrote:
> seem to have done GREAT

keep your fingers crossed!

the community supported upgrade paths are here:
http://tinyurl.com/35p966c
http://tinyurl.com/6kvoflv

so, if yours goes sour i don’t know . . .

–
DD
openSUSE®, the “German Engineered Automobiles” of operating systems!

#5

So far so good.
The biggest problem have been w/the Gnome desktop and not being able to use shortcuts on it, or the Java applets that I’ve grown used to…but then that’s not a bug, it’s a “design feature”.
So far XFCE has been an easy switch as a result of this.