Upgrading PixInsight to latest version on my Linux Mint tower computer.

[rotatux]

21 hours ago, Gina said:

used it to backup the /dev/sda2 partition image

You should really save /dev/sda1 too, since it will have your distro's Grub2 boot files installed in it, and that will be touched by an upgrade or alternative distro install.

In theory for a real dist upgrade on Debians it should be possible to directly edit repository sources to change the distro's codename, then run apt-get dist-upgrade, but regarding Mint and possibly some system software (such as sysvinit / systemd) I'm unsure if it would work. Maybe try a two-step upgrade, first 18 to 19, then 19 to 20.

[Gina]

I did backup /dev/sda1 but it now seems that going back to LM 18.3 is not an option due to end of life.

[Gina]

Sorted out the checksum problem with LM 20.2, I had the wrong date.  Produced a Live Linux USB stick which I booted into and reduced the /dev/sda2 partition by 66GB leaving a few GB for the old system.

When I tried to install LM 20.2 I wasn't certain the old system was safe so quit.  It looked as if it might overwrite sda2 rather than install beside the old.  I'll look at it again tomorrow.  Maybe I need to create a partition in the gap and then install there.  Just thought of that.

Edited October 19, 2021 by Gina

[rotatux]

18 hours ago, Gina said:

Maybe I need to create a partition in the gap and then install there.

Yes, given its volume, may be better to keep /dev/sda1 as your future /home. If you mount it without formatting, you can get your accounts back by declaring the same users names with the same numeric UIDs (and possibly GIDs), and then relinking the folders to the expected place ("ln -s /home/home/* /home/") or move them definitively once your new install tested.

BTW don't allocate the whole 66GB to a single partition, use a tighter fit  such as 10-20GB, so that you could add more of them afterwards -- and better, use LVM if you're comfortable with it (fewer distros support it nowadays). The command "du" can be a helper to find your size requirements, such as in "du -shx / /var /home" (list your mount points).

[Gina]

I don't know what LVM is.  May Google it.

I'm wondering it it would be better to backup what's left in one of the 500GB HDDs and replace with a new SDD to use for the new system.

Edited October 20, 2021 by Gina

[Gina]

This one looks fine :-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Internal-Solid-State-MZ-77Q1T0/dp/B089QXQ1TV/ref=sr_1_4?crid=X0RNSOGX4X7G&dchild=1&keywords=sata+ssd&qid=1634732179&s=computers&sr=1-4

[JamesF]

1 hour ago, Gina said:

I don't know what LVM is.

Logical Volume Manager.  Basically a system that allows you to modify filesystems (particularly as regards size, though it can do more than that) on the fly.  I guess you could look at it as a means of creating "virtual partitions" (volumes) that you can modify rather than having to change the actual configuration of the disk.  It's a bit of work to get your head around at first, but does the job.  Worth a look if you can foresee the possibility of needing to do that sort of thing though I tend not to use it for home stuff as it feels a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

James

[Gina]

10 hours ago, rotatux said:

Yes, given its volume, may be better to keep /dev/sda1 as your future /home. If you mount it without formatting, you can get your accounts back by declaring the same users names with the same numeric UIDs (and possibly GIDs), and then relinking the folders to the expected place ("ln -s /home/home/* /home/") or move them definitively once your new install tested.

Does this mean it would be possible to leave my VB/W7/AI setup intact and link to it from the new installation of Mint?

[rotatux]

Yes absolutely : Unless it's under ReiserFS like mines (which becomes unsupported in some so-called-modern distros), "calamares"-based installers allow you at install time to reuse an existing partition and "mount" it at a restricted choice of directories ("/home" would be your appropriate choice).

The point is, your previous partition was mounted as root (/), so your personal files were stored at home/gina as relative path in the partition. If you mount it without change in a fresh install as /home, the full path to them would be /home/home/gina so not the expected place. Fortunately Unix has symbolic links (created by the "ln -s" command cited above) which allow to relocate files and folders in appearance without moving them physically.

An alternative reuse scheme is to mount your old partition at a completely different path such as /mnt/oldmint, then link its home folders into the new install with "ln -s /mnt/oldmint/home/* /home/". This way you don't even touch the system part of your old install.

Possibly same story for your software in /opt or /usr/local (I understand you may have some).

In every case you will have to take care that owner and group names and numeric ids of your files coincide between old and new install, or you would not be able to log in as "gina" afterwards.

 

Edited October 21, 2021 by rotatux

[Gina]

Format is Ext4 except for the boot partition/

[Gina]

While on the subject of upgrading Linux Mint I have a question :-

LM 18.3 as installed on this tower system, allows multiple instances of Terminal meaning that I can SSH into several remote systems at a time (which I do for astro imaging).  I have a laptop running Mint 19.2 and that only seems to support one instance of Terminal.  Booting into a 20.2 Live Linux Mint USB (on the laptop) also only supported one instance.  Does this mean Mint no longer supports multiple instances of Terminal?

[JamesF]

I use multiple instances of the terminal window all the time.  I'd have to change distribution if it weren't supported.  There may be some preference that you need to change though, so it opens terminal instances in a new window rather than as tabs, or something like that.

James

[Gina]

Glad I'm not the only one.  I have a triple imaging rig with 3 RPi boards so SSH individually into each with 3 Terminal instances.  Then I run 3 instances of KStars/Ekos, one for each.

[Gina]

Installed Mint 20.2 on my Asus Laptop wiping W7 in the process as I couldn't think of anything I might want W7 Home for.  I now have it running but as yet I haven't got multiple instances of Terminal available.  With Terminal open, clicking on the Terminal icon simply closes it rather than opening another instance.

Since I don't seem to be getting any answers here I think I should start a new topic.

[JamesF]

8 minutes ago, Gina said:

Installed Mint 20.2 on my Asus Laptop wiping W7 in the process as I couldn't think of anything I might want W7 Home for.  I now have it running but as yet I haven't got multiple instances of Terminal available.  With Terminal open, clicking on the Terminal icon simply closes it rather than opening another instance.

Ahhhh!  Which version of 20.2 are you using?  Perhaps there's some different default behaviour between the versions.  I'm using MATE.

James

[Gina]

Link to new thread

[Gina]

Someone elsewhere running Linux has pointed me to the answer!!

Quote

screen is generally installed by default on popular Linux distributions

  screen is what does it (or did it).  Evidently screen is not installed by default in LM20.2 Cinnamon!!

Amazing!!  As soon as I start a new topic for this I seem to have the answer.  Oh well ces't la vie

[Gina]

39 minutes ago, JamesF said:

Ahhhh!  Which version of 20.2 are you using?  Perhaps there's some different default behaviour between the versions.  I'm using MATE.

James

Aha!!   So you're running 20.2 MATE?  Maybe MATE is a better option for a laptop with limited resources.  I've used Ubuntu MATE on RPi boards before now.  I gather Cinnamon is a higher power GUI.  Think I'll download the MATE version and install that on the laptop.

[Gina]

Quote

MATE runs faster, uses fewer resources and is more stable than Cinnamon.

The Xfce version is even lighter but I think I'll give MATE a try on the laptop.  If I like the GUI I may go for that on the tower.  I haven't yet found what Cinnamon does that MATE doesn't.

[JamesF]

1 hour ago, Gina said:

Someone elsewhere running Linux has pointed me to the answer!!

  screen is what does it (or did it).  Evidently screen is not installed by default in LM20.2 Cinnamon!!

Amazing!!  As soon as I start a new topic for this I seem to have the answer.  Oh well ces't la vie

Well, screen can do something similar, yes.  It's a very useful tool.  Effectively it allows you to create multiple "virtual" terminals and switch between them in a single terminal window and that may be sufficient for what you need.  I'm not aware that it would, for example, allow you to place multiple terminal instances on the display concurrently however, which is how I usually prefer to work (like an IDE, only a DDE -- a disintegrated development environment

One quite convenient feature of screen is that it allows you to log in on a remote machine from a terminal window, start something running and then completely disconnect from it (even powering off the local machine) leaving everything running on the remote system.  It's then possible to reconnect to the remote system later and rejoin the same terminal session carrying on from where you left off, even from a completely different local system.

James

[Gina]

Success!!  Installed LM20.2 MATE on the laptop and I have multiple Terminals working!!  Hooray.

[JamesF]

2 hours ago, Gina said:

Success!!  Installed LM20.2 MATE on the laptop and I have multiple Terminals working!!  Hooray.

Excellent

It looks as though MATE uses its own terminal package ("mate-terminal") so perhaps the defaults are different.  Possibly Cinnamon uses gnome-terminal instead.  I believe the Xfce version does things the same way as MATE, too.  At least, I have the last 32-bit release of Mint running on a very old laptop with Xfce and it hasn't irritated me to the point of installing something else, so I assume it must work the same.

I was amused by the descriptions of the different releases on the Mint website:

Quote

Cinnamon is primarily developed for and by Linux Mint. It is slick, beautiful, and full of new features.

Quote

Although it misses a few features and its development is slower than Cinnamon’s, MATE runs faster, uses fewer resources and is more stable than Cinnamon.

Style over substance, then?

James

[Gina]

Can't say I like the MATE GUI compared with Cinnamon.  Can't find the Screenshot and had to use Alt-PrtScn key which is far from ideal.  The menu is sparse to say the least!!!  I might put up with it for running KStars/Ekos.  But that's if I can get KStars installed and can't as yet. 

I've posted in the INDI Forum.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Gina

[JamesF]

The screenshot utility is under the "Accessories" section of the main menu.  I think by default the main menu shows favourites with an option to show all applications.  I always change it to the latter.  But for something like the screenshot application that I might use a fair bit, I right click on the bottom toolbar near the existing icons and select the "Add to Panel" option, then add it to the toolbar using the "Copy a launcher from the applications menu" option.

James

[Gina]

Ah didn't see the "All applications" option.  That's better.