[lug] Introduction, and a Dumb Distribution Version Question

[D. Stimits]

Corey Snipes wrote:
> 
> Hello, all.  I'm pretty new to this, and I've been lurking for about 3
> days.  I've been using linux at home for ~9 months, and I do some
> webserver administration at work on a number of unix flavors (BSD,
> Solaris, Linux too).  My background is with Windows, though, and MS
> server administration is still my primary job at work.  (I know, I
> know.)
> 
> Currently, I'm running Mandrake 7.2 (with Ximian Gnome) on my primary
> home machine, and 6.2 (without Xf86) on two other boxes.  It's been
> suggested to me that I upgrade to 8.2 (since it's available now).
> Here's the dumb question part.  I just went through the upgrade from
> 6.2 to 7.2 a few months ago, and I'm reluctant to go thru all that
> again.
> 
>  - Can I update the kernel and installed RPMs and achieve (more
>      or less) the same result as installing 8.2?
> 
>  - Is upgrading fairly straightforward (with Mandrake, in particular)
>      or am I likely to wreck the installations in the process?
> 
>  - (Or, should I just save my data, wipe the machine, and install
>      clean?)

I always vote for this latter "save/wipe" when it involves a major
version update. I wouldn't bother going from 6.1 to 6.2, or 7.1 to 7.2,
but so much changes between 6.x, 7.x, 8.x, so on, that you wouldn't want
to attempt it without knowing things better than you do, or having a
test box to practice on first.

D. Stimits, stimits at idcomm.com

> 
> Thanks!
> 
> (:  Corey Snipes
>     Boulder, CO, USA
> 
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