Using Synaptic to Update BEL Remasters
From BEL
How do I update my BEL install without having problems?
UPDATE: There are no more BEL Project repos and there is no way to update or upgrade the former BEL Project releases as they have been discontinued..
Please view this page: BEL Repo to add these repos to your synaptic.
A word of Caution
BEL Servers are just that, Servers. They are not "regular" user desktops and therefore, the approach to updating and changing apps is different, especially in regard to "production" servers aka, servers in current and active use.
A general rule of thumb in regard to Servers is that "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." The need to update to the "latest, greatest" isn't as important as it is on user desktops.
Servers work on a "fill the need" basis. They are only updated or upgraded for a couple of reasons.
1) Advancing technology requires the update in order to continue being functional.
2) There is a need currently not being met or not met adequately and the update can be justifed by the increased performance and and how well the unmet need will be filled.
There is also an unwritten rule of "Don't interfere with uptime." Many Admins value a high uptime and updating "just because" often requires a restart/reboot and a loss of "uptime"
There are servers running in some of the top companies in America that have been running un-updated for literally years because the need is adequately filled and the technology hasn't advanced to the point of making the current apps/server non functional.
What NOT to update and why
As we have stated here and elsewhere, it is our recommendation to NOT do "full" updates also called distro updates.
While we strive to keep BEL servers as compatible with PCLinuxOS as possible, due to the nature of how some apps have been packaged and how BEL uses them, we have had to opt for source or external rpm installs rather than relying on the PCLinuxOS pkgs. In the case of these apps, doing a full upgrade may very likely damage your operating install. Apps and Packages to be wary of from the repo:
Webmin- we have used the rpm from the Webmin site and had to configure the paths to config files manually.
