Online upgrade or offline upgrade (DVD)?

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I had asked before about online upgrade:

Now I’m interested in the “traditional” offline DVD method
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Offline_upgrade
because it looked a bit similar to Fedora’s offline method:

But instead it looks a bit more complicated, specially because of how to handle Packman repository there, and what to do with huge backup made by the upgrade process.

With upcoming 15.7, which is the most recommended method to upgrade, offline or still online?

Thanks.

2

@F_style there is no Leap 15.7, it’s Leap 16.0.

3

–cough-- … Leap 16

We are currently running the Alpha in a VM

4

Very sorry for the mistake.

Either from 15.6 to 16.0 or all in general, could we go back to the OP question?

5

Depends on a user’s comfort level with each procedure. I’m sure pros and cons are provided in the article.

For us, we use KDE, so this will be a major DE “upgrade”. (5.x to 6.x). And, this is not a minor dot release upgrade for Leap overall.

6

Online will the easiest, assuming your Leap repos defined in /etc/zypp/repos.d/ are using the $releasever variable already, it will be just:

zypper --releasever=16.0 dup

Best to do the update in runlevel 3.

7

Check your system backup and then upgrade to Leap 15.6.
Follow the instructions in chapter “12.1.4 Distribution upgrade with Zypper”:
https://doc.opensuse.org/documentation/leap/startup/html/book-startup/cha-update-osuse.html#sec-update-zypper

It is not recommendable to upgrade your openSUSE Leap 15.x with a running Wayland- or X11-session! Stop your graphical login manager KDM/GDM/what else, before you start the os upgrade.

You can enjoy Leap 15.6 until end of year. End of life Leap 15.6: 2025-12-31
https://forums.opensuse.org/t/install-15-6-or-wait-for-16-0/182359/10

If you want that your (open-)SUSE Linux still receive security updates in 2026 you must change to Leap 16.0 (or to an other linux distribution) or you pay money for a SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop standard subscription (SLED 15 SP7).
https://forums.opensuse.org/t/so-slooowwwroolll-questions/180878/15

8

.

Possibly misunderstood … the OP is asking about upgrading from 15.6 to Leap 16.

9

@F_style:

Your initial approach with the openSUSE SDB information is, at least from my point of view, the better approach.

But, please, please, be aware that, especially for KDE Plasma systems, the upcoming Leap 15.6 to Leap 16.0 upgrade will be a major KDE Plasma version change – Qt5 → Qt 6 and, KDE Plasma 5 → KDE Plasma 6.

  • Therefore, please, please, please, pretty please – follow the SDB instructions exactly –
  1. Backup, backup, backup.
  2. Upgrade the base system – use only the openSUSE Leap 16.0 base system repositories.
  3. Afterwards, add the needed Packman repositories but, only to work around licensing issues.
  4. Migrate your user’s directories to KDE Plasma 6 – the KDE applications will be at the newest supportable version anyway … «Major action point – KDE PIM … »
  5. Add any KDE:Extra repositories as needed for the KDE Plasma applications which aren’t included in the Leap 16.0 base system repositories.
  6. Ensure that, you don’t have any KDE Plasma 5 / Qt 5 applications left on the system after the upgrade has completed – execute the following verification commands:
 # zypper verify
 # zypper packages --system
 # zypper packages --unneeded
 # zypper packages --orphaned

It’s a good idea to also perform the above mentioned “verify” and “package” checks before you begin the upgrade.

For each package listed in “–system”, “–unneeded” and “–orphaned” execute a “zypper search” for the basic package name – the name without any version numbers …

  • For each package listed in “–system”, “–unneeded” and “–orphaned” execute –

# zypper remove --clean-deps «package name with Plasma 5 version»

** provided that you aren’t breaking any KDE Plasma 6 / Qt 6 dependencies. **

If the upgrade “housekeeping” breaks the KDE Plasma 6 / Qt 6 dependencies then, additional work will be needed to ensure that, the correct package list has been installed.

10

What if I already use only Packman repository, but no KDE desktop?
I use either GNOME or XFCE.

11

Then, it may be somewhat easier – AFAIK, neither GNOME nor XFCE will undergo a major version upgrade with Leap 16 – but,

  • the basic rule remains – first upgrade using only the openSUSE Leap 16.0 base system repositories, and then –
  • Add the needed Packman Leap 16.0 repositories and, begin including the Packman packages you need.

And, because you depend heavily on the Packman versions, you’ll still need to use the “zypper packages --???” commands, to clean out all the remaining Leap 15.6 Packman packages, after you’ve installed the corresponding Leap 16.0 Packman packages.