Most Linux distributions can be upgraded using either GUI
tools or traditional command-line tools.
GUI method:
Ubuntu:
Use Ubuntu Update Manager. When configured, you will see an icon in the
taskbar when there are updates available to install. When updates are available, simply click on
the icon and follow the instructions to install the updates. You can start the tool by clicking System
> Administration > Update Manager.
Fedora:
Use PackageKit if you have
graphical access to your desktop. Go to the System > Administration > Add/Remove
Software. Fedora will automatically let
you know when updates are available for your software. If this doesn't happen, you need to install PackageKit: Open a
Terminal window, become root (su -) and install PackageKit using the command: Yum
install PackageKit
SUSE:
Use YaST. You must first
find an installation repository mirror using the OpenSuSE
website. Next, open YaST and complete the following steps:
1. Open
YaST -> Installation Source
2. Disable
all of the sources you have listed here.
3. Add
the SuSE Installation Repository(this
can take as 5 or 10 minutes.) Example:
Method = FTP
Server = suse.mirrors.tds.net
Directory = pub/opensuse/distribution/SL-10.1/inst-source/
4. Click
Finish
5. Open
the YaST -> System Update module (this will take
several minutes to refresh the source.)
6. You
will most likely need to Resolve some Dependency
Conflicts. Click on the word ‘Packages‘ and
use your best judgment to Resolve them. Do not ignore dependency conflicts.
7. Once
you have Resolved the Conflicts, click ‘Accept‘ and then click ‘Next‘
to begin the upgrade.
Command-line method:
Ubuntu:
Use “apt-get” for handling
update packages. You can use following command options:
apt-get
update
Update is used to
resynchronize the package index files from their sources via Internet.
apt-get
upgrade
Upgrade is used to install
the newest versions of all packages currently installed on the system
apt-get
install <package-name>
If the package is already
installed, it will try to update to the latest version of the package.
To use this installation method, open terminal (Application
> Accessories > Terminal) and type following two commands:
Get update software list,
enter: $ sudo apt-get update
Apply software
updates: $ sudo apt-get upgrade
To upgrade individual software called foobar
type command:
$ sudo apt-get install <foobar>
Note: The location of
update pages is specified in /etc/apt/sources.list
(repositories). You need NOT to make any changes to this file until and unless
you need extra repositories for your setup.
Fedora:
Use "yum" for handling update packages.
First become root, then
you can use the following commands:
yum list available
See a list
of available software
yum install
<package-name>
To install
software
yum update <package-name>
To update a package. (If
you leave out "packagename" yum will update
all installed software packages.)
yum check-update
To see
what updates are available
yum search <word>
To search
for a package