Package Installation and Upgrade Management

[cuscotravelservices]

Hi Ron, Blaze et al,

Whilst looking for a solution to the translation problems with Update Manager, I discovered the following page.

Advice needed: update-manager in wheezy considered dangerous

So, I installed gnome-packagekit (3.4.2-2) which installs 3 applications (Software Update, Add/Remove Software and Software Settings).

Software Update appears to have to download the list of available updates every time it is opened. It only has 2 categories which are Security Updates and Other Updates. The list of Security Updates matches what I see in Update Manager.

There is no Third Party Updates category and those problem packages associated with the use of Broadband USB Modems are included under the category of Other Updates.

Software Update shows the same packages as Update Manager.

Translations appear to be working for all 3 applications for the gnome-packagekit package.

I noticed the following being suggested as an upgrade.
   Linux for older PCs (meta-package) 3.16+62~bpo70+1

Currently, the following 2 packages are installed.

Code: [Select]

    linux-image-3.13-0.bpo.1-486 (for use on PCs with a Single Processor not supporting PAE)
        Installed and Ultimate version are the same - 3.13.10-1~bpo70+1
    linux-image-486 (for use on PCs with a Single Processor not supporting PAE)
        Installed version is 3.13+56~bpo70+1 and Ultimate version is 3.16+62~bpo70+1
Should any of these be installed on a PC with a Pentium P4 that supports PAE and has the following characteristics?

Code: [Select]

coreinfo v3.21 - Dump information on system CPU and memory topology
Copyright (C) 2008-2013 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com

              Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.66GHz
x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 1, GenuineIntel
HTT             *       Hyperthreading enabled
HYPERVISOR      -       Hypervisor is present
VMX             -       Supports Intel hardware-assisted virtualization
SVM             -       Supports AMD hardware-assisted virtualization
EM64T           *       Supports 64-bit mode

SMX             -       Supports Intel trusted execution
SKINIT          -       Supports AMD SKINIT

NX              -       Supports no-execute page protection
SMEP            -       Supports Supervisor Mode Execution Prevention
SMAP            -       Supports Supervisor Mode Access Prevention
PAGE1GB         -       Supports 1 GB large pages
PAE             *       Supports > 32-bit physical addresses
PAT             *       Supports Page Attribute Table
PSE             *       Supports 4 MB pages
PSE36           *       Supports > 32-bit address 4 MB pages
PGE             *       Supports global bit in page tables
SS              *       Supports bus snooping for cache operations
VME             *       Supports Virtual-8086 mode
RDWRFSGSBASE    -       Supports direct GS/FS base access

FPU             *       Implements i387 floating point instructions
MMX             *       Supports MMX instruction set
MMXEXT          -       Implements AMD MMX extensions
3DNOW           -       Supports 3DNow! instructions
3DNOWEXT        -       Supports 3DNow! extension instructions
SSE             *       Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions
SSE2            *       Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
SSE3            *       Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
SSSE3           -       Supports Supplemental SIMD Extensions 3
SSE4a           -       Supports Sreaming SIMDR Extensions 4a
SSE4.1          -       Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.1
SSE4.2          -       Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2

AES             -       Supports AES extensions
AVX             -       Supports AVX intruction extensions
FMA             -       Supports FMA extensions using YMM state
MSR             *       Implements RDMSR/WRMSR instructions
MTRR            *       Supports Memory Type Range Registers
XSAVE           -       Supports XSAVE/XRSTOR instructions
OSXSAVE         -       Supports XSETBV/XGETBV instructions
RDRAND          -       Supports RDRAND instruction
RDSEED          -       Supports RDSEED instruction

CMOV            *       Supports CMOVcc instruction
CLFSH           *       Supports CLFLUSH instruction
CX8             *       Supports compare and exchange 8-byte instructions
CX16            *       Supports CMPXCHG16B instruction
BMI1            -       Supports bit manipulation extensions 1
BMI2            -       Supports bit manipulation extensions 2
ADX             -       Supports ADCX/ADOX instructions
DCA             -       Supports prefetch from memory-mapped device
F16C            -       Supports half-precision instruction
FXSR            *       Supports FXSAVE/FXSTOR instructions
FFXSR           -       Supports optimized FXSAVE/FSRSTOR instruction
MONITOR         *       Supports MONITOR and MWAIT instructions
MOVBE           -       Supports MOVBE instruction
ERMSB           -       Supports Enhanced REP MOVSB/STOSB
PCLULDQ         -       Supports PCLMULDQ instruction
POPCNT          -       Supports POPCNT instruction
LZCNT           -       Supports LZCNT instruction
SEP             *       Supports fast system call instructions
LAHF-SAHF       -       Supports LAHF/SAHF instructions in 64-bit mode
HLE             -       Supports Hardware Lock Elision instructions
RTM             -       Supports Restricted Transactional Memory instructions

DE              *       Supports I/O breakpoints including CR4.DE
DTES64          *       Can write history of 64-bit branch addresses
DS              *       Implements memory-resident debug buffer
DS-CPL          *       Supports Debug Store feature with CPL
PCID            -       Supports PCIDs and settable CR4.PCIDE
INVPCID         -       Supports INVPCID instruction
PDCM            -       Supports Performance Capabilities MSR
RDTSCP          -       Supports RDTSCP instruction
TSC             *       Supports RDTSC instruction
TSC-DEADLINE    -       Local APIC supports one-shot deadline timer
TSC-INVARIANT   -       TSC runs at constant rate
xTPR            *       Supports disabling task priority messages

EIST            -       Supports Enhanced Intel Speedstep
ACPI            *       Implements MSR for power management
TM              *       Implements thermal monitor circuitry
TM2             *       Implements Thermal Monitor 2 control
APIC            *       Implements software-accessible local APIC
x2APIC          -       Supports x2APIC

CNXT-ID         *       L1 data cache mode adaptive or BIOS

MCE             *       Supports Machine Check, INT18 and CR4.MCE
MCA             *       Implements Machine Check Architecture
PBE             *       Supports use of FERR#/PBE# pin

PSN             -       Implements 96-bit processor serial number

PREFETCHW       -       Supports PREFETCHW instruction

Maximum implemented CPUID leaves: 00000005 (Basic), 80000008 (Extended).

Logical to Physical Processor Map:
*  Physical Processor 0

Logical Processor to Socket Map:
*  Socket 0

Logical Processor to NUMA Node Map:
*  NUMA Node 0

Logical Processor to Cache Map:
*  Data Cache          0, Level 1,   16 KB, Assoc   8, LineSize  64
*  Unified Cache       0, Level 2,    1 MB, Assoc   8, LineSize 128
This all leaves me wondering as to how to advise new Linux Users, who do not have advanced computer experience, as to the best way to manage Package Installations and Updates instead of blindly accepting what is presented by the various Package/Update Managers.

Given that Update Manager has a category for Third Party Updates, is that the preferred application, at present, for managing updates for non-technical users? If so, then, I still need a solution to the translation problems with it.

For myself, when testing changes to the Operating System (OS), I have been using partclone from the Terminal command line of the Live Persistent version I have on a USB Flash Drive. I am thinking that the easiest way, for non-technical people, to manage things in case an installation or upgrade needs to be reversed is to use a graphical backup utility. Which would you recommend? Can these be used to backup and restore the partition of an active OS?

Otherwise, the other option, given that I will be remastering the installation once I have it all configured and configuring a USB Flash Drive with persistence with the remastered ISO as a backup system, is to document instructions to do what I have been doing with partclone but non-technical users may find that to be rather tedious and inconvenient.

With Synaptic (version 0.75.13), I discovered that Filters can't be deleted. Would it be safe to install version 0.81.2 from Jessie which fixes this problem?
http://metadata.ftp-master.debian.org/changelogs/main/s/synaptic/unstable_changelog

After installing gnome-packagekit, Synaptic now has a Rapid Filter feature in the Toolbar as I had seen when using Mint 16 KDE. So, that's 1 benefit to installing gnome-packagekit.

Does anyone have a clue as to what Dependency, installed for the gnome-packagekit, would have caused that change in Synaptic? The version number of Synaptic was not changed.

Thanks, Michael.

[cuscotravelservices]

I just noticed, yesterday, that the Linux for older PCs (meta-package) 3.16+62~bpo70+1 package, that I mentioned in the previous post, is not shown in Upgrade Manager. It is shown in both Synaptic and Software Update. What would cause this apparent anomaly?

Thanks, Michael.

[cuscotravelservices]

The Software Settings applet for the gnome-packagekit shows "deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main" as being disabled.

So, I looked in /etc/apt/sources.list which confirmed it as being disabled.

What does "stable/main (ftp.us.debian.org)", that I see in the List for Origin in Synaptic,refer to then?

Neither the gnome-packagekit nor the Update Manager have been maintained since 2012 according to their Change Logs.

Thanks, Michael.

[cuscotravelservices]

People, this is getting very tedious.

Both Update Manager and Software Update still display packages that have been Locked within Synaptic.

Doesn't seem correct to me.

Hasta luego, Michael.

[blaze]

This is wattOS lxde R8 you are on, right? Why do you have disabled "wheezy main"? Would you mind posting your source list?

[cuscotravelservices]

This is wattOS lxde R8 you are on, right? Why do you have disabled "wheezy main"? Would you mind posting your source list?

Hi Blaze,

Yes, Lxde R8.

I didn't disable "wheezy main". It's just what I observed.

I'm on a bus at the moment. I'll post my sources.list this afternoon.

Thanks, Michael.

[blaze]

This all leaves me wondering as to how to advise new Linux Users, who do not have advanced computer experience, as to the best way to manage Package Installations and Updates instead of blindly accepting what is presented by the various Package/Update Managers.

Best advise is to learn the hard way 

https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch02.en.html

[cuscotravelservices]

Best advise is to learn the hard way 

https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch02.en.html

Hi Blaze,

In this case, that's not suitable advice because the computer is not mine.

It will mostly be used by a 9 year old and occasionally her parents. Their primary languages are Spanish and Quechua and as I said they do not have advanced computer experience.

The sources.list file is as follows. This is also how it appears within the ISO.

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# deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main

deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main non-free contrib
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy main non-free contrib

deb http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ wheezy/updates main contrib non-free

# wheezy-updates, previously known as 'volatile'
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-updates main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-updates main contrib non-free

# backports
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ wheezy-backports main non-free contrib
The first line is also disabled in the MATÉ version.

Also, I have been doing this round of tests in the Live environment, with Persistence, but hopefully that shouldn't make any difference.

Thanks, Michael.

[blaze]

Did you know this about software updater/update manager?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Updater

[blaze]

Source list ok, just wanted to be sure. Since update manger is no longer maintained and has been replaced by software updater no  point in using it. Is it at all possible to use synaptic instead? Or does the language problem become an issue then? Sorry if I do not remember from one of your earlier posts.   

[cuscotravelservices]

Did you know this about software updater/update manager?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Updater

This appears to be the same as the Update Manager that is already installed in the ISO.

[blaze]

I do feel your frustration, but do not know what to do about it. The users of this machine have little computer experience. It is a low spec machine if I remember correctly. There is a language problem, and the main user is a nine year old. You have a lot of questions related to this install, so belive me, I do understand your frustration. I am afarid I am not much of help for you here.  The machine will probably be used mostly for lighter stuff, install and let them have a go at it. Learn them to use Synaptic, wattOS here is mostly based on Debian stable, so there is not much "stuff" going on, except for the backported kernel. If you insist on solving every small problem before you hand it over, I fear that you are in for much trouble shooting. Maybe the future users of this machine would have benefitted wih a more self maintaining OS like Mint or something. Do you have time to wait til next release of Debian and R9? Was thinking that maybe some of your problems would be fixed in the future release. But except for the language problem, what is really not working with this machine/install?