I am not sure if I understood how to properly install updates to stay on the latest version with Tumbleweed.
I was already told it is not recommended to use Apper to install updates but I found it handy to display notifications when updates are available and I was using YaST Online Updates to install them. But that became confusing since Apper kept showing available updates even after running Online Updates.
Even after using Apper to install the updates it was displaying, it kept saying I need to install the same updates over and over again after rebooting so I figured, after looking around, I had to run zypper dup to really roll on the next version.
That said, here is what I understood:
YaST Online Updates will properly install available updates but won’t roll to the next openSUSE version automatically;
Apper should be avoided;
zypper dup must be used to roll on the new versions.
That sounds more like how Apper behaved on oS 12.1, where I only used it as a notifier and never for updating. It works well on my standard oS 12.2 and so far I used it for all updates from all my enabled repos, including patches from update repos. BTW, using Apper is equivalent to a “zypper update” command.
That said, here is what I understood:
YaST Online Updates will properly install available updates but won’t roll to the next openSUSE version automatically;
Apper should be avoided;
zypper dup must be used to roll on the new versions.
Can you please confirm if this is correct?
YOU (equivalent to zypper patch) will only install from the required official update repos you have enabled. It won’t do other repos including packman and Tumbleweed. It won’t do a distribution upgrade (“zypper dup” command does that). For TW you should be updating using “zypper dup” – see the Wiki page on “Tumbleweed”.
Apper works on 12.2 and should therefore on a current TW based on 12.2, but it isn’t the supported update method for TW, and it won’t do a distribution upgrade.
However, it’s NOT the supported method for updating/upgrading Tumbleweed, and so should not be recommended. If that’s not clear, please see the wiki page for Tumbleweed.
The only supported method of repo use for Tumbleweed is to have only the main repos (Oss, Non-oss, and Update) and the Tumbleweed repo active. For that situation a simple
sudo zypper dup
will update your packages, and if any packages are ever reverted from Tumbleweed zypper dup will also handle that.
I did read this part on the Tumbleweed wiki but I thought that was only for the first migration. May be the it should be made more obvious at the end of the page that the Online Updates won’t handle rolling to new distribution versions.
If by “Online Updates” you mean YaST Online Update, Apper, or zypper update, then where in the TW wiki page does it tell you to use any of those? I haven’t found it.
You are not going to be able to do any updating or migrating to any new version of openSUSE (i.e. distribution upgrade) without using repos, so “The only supported method of repo use for Tumbleweed is… …sudo zypper dup…” does appear to cover all situations.
Some experience and knowledge of using the software management tools available should be a prerequisite to using Tumbleweed (IMHO). Unfortunately the wiki page only implies that.
Forgive me if any of this was already covered but I will share a few tips I have for day to day use.
zypper dup is a very aggressive way to upgrade. It will work fine if you do not have any conflicting repositories. Though if you run zypper dup on a standard (non-rolling) system,with say packman and a few extra repos installed, it can cause conflicts. For example; In such a situation the correct way to use zypper up is: zypper dup --from "Packman Repository"
This will change vendor to the packman repository and upgrade packages to it. If you just want to run updates you should do just zypper up - I find the best way on a normal non rolling system to upgrade is to open yast qt software management (I use the qt one even on gnome/xfce). You can go to Package → All Packages → Update If Newer Version Available
. This is similar to running zypper up, except you can review and make changes first. - Do not zypper dup or change vendor to each new repository you use. It should only be done when you are sure you want every version of a package to be from that repo. Examples when it can work are for say… Packman, Xorg update repo, KDE 4.9 repo. Just be careful changing vendors and using zypper dup. Always review all changes.
