Ok, after a bit of Reddit fun, I'd like to see a bit of clarification in the documentation regarding updates versus upgrades. The documentation is contradictory in a few places.
In the current host system administration documentation at https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/chapter-sysadmin.html#system_software_updates we read that for updating the host system from the CLI the following commands are used:
For version upgrades, a different set of commands are used, one of which uses an undocumented command option (from https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_8_to_9 ):
The
What you will find in the apt source (cmdline/apt.cc specifically) is the following code:
So it's handled by the apt code for 'muscle memory compatibility' reasons. There's a slightly-dated discussion about this at https://askubuntu.com/questions/770135/apt-full-upgrade-versus-apt-get-dist-upgrade
So my question is, since it appears that for the apt command dist-upgrade == full-upgrade, why the use of an undocumented option to apt and not the documented option to apt-get? I have seen several posts over the years here in the forums from Proxmox staff recommending a mix of
So, Proxmox staff, why the undocumented
For what it's worth, I have always used the Debian process after running pveXtoY --full, which is a two-step of a Minimal System Upgrade followed by a Full System Upgrade which looks like this:
and then follow with the Proxmox-documented
I've not run into any problems in the past with that process, but I always reserve the right to be wrong.
In the current host system administration documentation at https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/chapter-sysadmin.html#system_software_updates we read that for updating the host system from the CLI the following commands are used:
Code:
apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgradeFor version upgrades, a different set of commands are used, one of which uses an undocumented command option (from https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Upgrade_from_8_to_9 ):
Code:
apt update
apt dist-upgradeThe
apt dist-upgrade command is undocumented; you will not find it in the apt man page, and the helpful command apt --help tells you this:
Code:
root@pve:~# pveversion
pve-manager/9.1.1/42db4a6cf33dac83 (running kernel: 6.17.2-1-pve)
root@pve:~# apt --help
apt 3.0.3 (amd64)
Usage: apt [options] command
apt is a commandline package manager and provides commands for
searching and managing as well as querying information about packages.
It provides the same functionality as the specialized APT tools,
like apt-get and apt-cache, but enables options more suitable for
interactive use by default.
Most used commands:
list - list packages based on package names
search - search in package descriptions
show - show package details
install - install packages
reinstall - reinstall packages
remove - remove packages
autoremove - automatically remove all unused packages
update - update list of available packages
upgrade - upgrade the system by installing/upgrading packages
full-upgrade - upgrade the system by removing/installing/upgrading packages
edit-sources - edit the source information file
modernize-sources - modernize .list files to .sources files
satisfy - satisfy dependency strings
See apt(8) for more information about the available commands.
Configuration options and syntax is detailed in apt.conf(5).
Information about how to configure sources can be found in sources.list(5).
Package and version choices can be expressed via apt_preferences(5).
Security details are available in apt-secure(8).
This APT has Super Cow Powers.
root@pve:~# man apt | grep dist-upgrade
root@pve:~#What you will find in the apt source (cmdline/apt.cc specifically) is the following code:
C:
static std::vector<aptDispatchWithHelp> GetCommands() /*{{{*/
{
// advanced commands are left undocumented on purpose
return {
// query
{"list", &DoList, _("list packages based on package names")},
{"search", &DoSearch, _("search in package descriptions")},
{"show", &ShowPackage, _("show package details")},
// package stuff
{"install", &DoInstall, _("install packages")},
{"reinstall", &DoInstall, _("reinstall packages")},
{"remove", &DoInstall, _("remove packages")},
{"autoremove", &DoInstall, _("automatically remove all unused packages")},
{"auto-remove", &DoInstall, nullptr},
{"autopurge", &DoInstall, nullptr},
{"purge", &DoInstall, nullptr},
// system wide stuff
{"update", &DoUpdate, _("update list of available packages")},
{"upgrade", &DoUpgrade, _("upgrade the system by installing/upgrading packages")},
{"full-upgrade", &DoDistUpgrade, _("upgrade the system by removing/installing/upgrading packages")},
// history stuff
{"history-list", &DoHistoryList, _("show list of history")},
{"history-info", &DoHistoryInfo, _("show info on specific transactions")},
{"history-redo", &DoHistoryRedo, _("redo transactions")},
{"history-undo", &DoHistoryUndo, _("undo transactions")},
{"history-rollback", &DoHistoryRollback, _("rollback transactions")},
// misc
{"edit-sources", &EditSources, _("edit the source information file")},
{"modernize-sources", &ModernizeSources, _("modernize .list files to .sources files")},
{"moo", &DoMoo, nullptr},
{"satisfy", &DoBuildDep, _("satisfy dependency strings")},
{"why", &DoWhy, _("produce a reason trace for the current state of the package")},
{"why-not", &DoWhy, _("produce a reason trace for the current state of the package")},
// for compat with muscle memory
{"dist-upgrade", &DoDistUpgrade, nullptr},
{"showsrc", &ShowSrcPackage, nullptr},
{"depends", &Depends, nullptr},
{"rdepends", &RDepends, nullptr},
{"policy", &Policy, nullptr},
{"build-dep", &DoBuildDep, nullptr},
{"clean", &DoClean, nullptr},
{"distclean", &DoDistClean, nullptr},
{"dist-clean", &DoDistClean, nullptr},
{"autoclean", &DoAutoClean, nullptr},
{"auto-clean", &DoAutoClean, nullptr},
{"source", &DoSource, nullptr},
{"download", &DoDownload, nullptr},
{"changelog", &DoChangelog, nullptr},
{"info", &ShowPackage, nullptr},
{nullptr, nullptr, nullptr}};
}So my question is, since it appears that for the apt command dist-upgrade == full-upgrade, why the use of an undocumented option to apt and not the documented option to apt-get? I have seen several posts over the years here in the forums from Proxmox staff recommending a mix of
apt full-upgrade, apt dist-upgrade, and apt-get dist-upgrade and I've seen online pages that claim a difference between apt dist-upgrade and apt-full-upgrade when the actual apt source code says they execute the same code. Now, I do know that apt dist-upgrade and apt-get dist-upgrade can do different things due to different default options in the more interactive-use oriented apt, but I'm wondering about the rationale for the different and undocumented usage in the Proxmox documentation.So, Proxmox staff, why the undocumented
apt dist-upgrade and not apt full-upgrade or apt-get dist-upgrade for version upgrades? I understand the documented recommendation for in-version updates; no confusion or contradiction there, since conflicting packages are handled differently by apt-get dist-upgrade and apt full-upgrade.For what it's worth, I have always used the Debian process after running pveXtoY --full, which is a two-step of a Minimal System Upgrade followed by a Full System Upgrade which looks like this:
Bash:
apt upgrade --without-new-pkgs
apt full-upgradeapt autoremove.I've not run into any problems in the past with that process, but I always reserve the right to be wrong.
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