Author Topic: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS  (Read 3181 times)

steveu

OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« on: April 16, 2020, 06:43:58 pm »
I wondered how the Raspbian OS gets up dated, I ran apt-get update at the command prompt and it seemed like a lot of packages were out of date and needed an update. I was too cowardly to run apt-get upgrade as I was afraid it would break something.

I hadn't looked into the depths of apt to see if there was any pinning or anything else that would prevent the updates that could break the ground station software.

What is the policy on underlying OS updates?

Can we run them with impunity, do we need to have some sort of pinning in place or should we leave well alone?

I'd have thought we should keep the underlying OS up to date?


Admin

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2020, 08:41:59 pm »
Hi Steve,

I would ask that this is not done TBH, all of the configuration is done at the server end.
If you update some packages, you may make it incompatible with the applications

If we need to do a full re-install including an OS update, we can do this by running the utility
/home/pi/rtlsdr-ogn/PilotAware-OGN.reinstall.sh

This will install a complete new image, as configured at the server.

A lot of careful work is done to ensure the applications run correctly in the OS, and I have had instances where upgrading the OS inadvertently breaks something (as you point out)

If and when we find any bugs that require an OS update, for sure this will be done.

Thx
Lee
« Last Edit: April 16, 2020, 08:46:59 pm by Admin »

steveu

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2020, 10:53:38 am »
Thanks Lee, will therefore apply standard engineering test of "If it's not broken, don't fix it, just leave well alone".

Out of interest, if I ran the re-install script would it keep the settings for that install?


Admin

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2020, 01:04:15 pm »
Quote
Out of interest, if I ran the re-install script would it keep the settings for that install?
yes it would, we spent a lot of time getting that recovery mode right  :)


Quote
Thanks Lee, will therefore apply standard engineering test of "If it's not broken, don't fix it, just leave well alone".
Many Many years ago when I was working for a telecoms firm developing the first digital telephone exchanges, we had a joke about how the management of how those new exchanges would reduce a team of maintenance engineers, to a single maintenance engineer and his dog.

"Why does the engineer need his dog ?", the question would be asked,

"The dog has been specifically trained to stop the engineer touching the equipment"  :P

AlanG

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #4 on: April 19, 2020, 10:37:35 am »
Lee, Don't tell your wife that one, especially if you already have a dog!!  ;D

exfirepro

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #5 on: April 19, 2020, 01:13:34 pm »
He Does..... ;)

Peter

Keithvinning

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2020, 09:16:28 pm »
And the man was there to feed the dog.
Actually the only strike I remember amongst exchange engineers was in the seventies?
They were out for a week an the fault rates went down. Good old strowger days


Admin

Re: OGN-R/Atom GRID - updating the underlying Raspbian OS
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2020, 10:42:07 pm »
Good old strowger days
Yes, if you had ear defenders!