HOWTO update/migrate Ubuntu 10.04 to Mint 13

[jes-13]

First, I'd like to give credit to members getut and zerozero for the information source. My goal is to present a simple, cook-book method...

Here's what I have:
Workstation running

• Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
  
• Gnome desktop 2.30.2
  
• gdm 2.20, gdm was rolled back because of imposed restrictions that deleted features...

Ubuntu 12.04 continues to restrict greeter customization and use of XDMCP. They have also imposed restrictions to desktop configuration. What I want is to move to Mint 13 w/MATE and to retain my current system configuration, users, server config, etc...

I tested first using virtual machines... I created a Ubuntu 12.04 LTS VM and a Mint 13 Maya MATE VM. I applied all pending updates to bring both current. I copied my login settings from 10.04 to 12.04.
If you're daring, skip to the bottom and DO IT!...

On the Mint 13 VM

1. Code: Select all

   dpkg --get-selections > ~/packages

2. copy ~/packages and /etc/apt/sources.list to a network location.
   
   On the Ubuntu 12.04 VM, login as root
3. copy ~/packages and /etc/apt/sources.list from the network location.
4. using only the Mint 13 repositories you just copied, /etc/apt/sources.list
   

   Code: Select all

   apt-get update
apt-get install gnome-shell
dpkg --set-selections < ~/packages
apt-get dselect-upgrade
reboot


After reboot, the Ubuntu 12.04 VM looked, felt, IDs and smelled like Mint 13 Maya w/MATE. It has a panel at the top and bottom of the desktop (like I had), ruffly my Main Menu and some of my Launchers. Not all settings carried over, but it's close... I believe that is a result of incompatibilties between the old and new desktops...

System info:
About MATE: MATE Desktop Environment 1.4.0
root@ubuntu-vm:~# uname -a
Linux ubuntu-vm 3.2.0-30-generic #48-Ubuntu SMP Fri Aug 24 16:54:40 UTC 2012 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
root@ubuntu-vm:~# cat /etc/issue
Linux Mint 13 Maya \n \l


The acid test, DO IT!
On the physical Ubuntu 10.04 LTS machine:

1. backup the system.
2. In Update Manager, Upgrade to Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS and reboot
3. apply any updates, reboot if neccessary
4. copy ~/packages and /etc/apt/sources.list from the network location.
5. using only the Mint 13 repositories you just copied, /etc/apt/sources.list See reference below
   
   login as root (or prefix commands with sudo)
   

   Code: Select all

   apt-get update
apt-get install mate-archive-keyring
apt-get update
dpkg --set-selections < ~/packages
apt-get dselect-upgrade
apt-get remove lightdm
apt-get autoremove
reboot


After about 3 hours or so of cranking, the system felt, IDed and smelled like Mint 13 Maya.

System info:
About MATE: MATE Desktop Environment 1.4.0
drehkolbenmotor|/root>uname -a
Linux drehkolbenmotor 3.2.0-30-generic #48-Ubuntu SMP Fri Aug 24 16:54:40 UTC 2012 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
drehkolbenmotor|/root>cat /etc/issue
Linux Mint 13 Maya \n \l

More important, all important things are intact & working, users, apache, samba, SMTP, etc...

Additional changes I made:

• removed all packages starting with unity, as well as firefox-globalmenu and thunderbird-globalmenu
• removed legacy gdm-2.20 (my 10.04 mod)
• installed mdm
• lockout nautilus

  Code: Select all

  cd /usr/bin  # as root
mkdir nautilus.ubuntu
mv nautilus* nautilus.ubuntu
ln -s caja nautilus
ln -s caja-autorun-software nautilus-autorun-software
ln -s caja-connect-server nautilus-connect-server

  
  

Colateral damage, so far, is:

• VMPlayer 3.x broke.
• because MATE not= gnome, previous user config is missing. You could recover the settings manually by reading the config files which are still on the system...
• some duplicate Menu entries.
  Of those some are gnome vs mate. Using the gnome ones, usually picks up my previous settings for that program
• personal desktop settings lost, but easliy reset.
• login window looks different, but no problem setting it to look exactly the same, which Ubuntu hasn't allowed since before 10.04...
• performance degradation? Might just be the upgrade to Linux 3.2.x ...

I'm sure there will be some minor hiccups in the future, but IMHO it was less work than installing Mint clean and then trying to move settings and config files to the new system...

Long Live Mint

Mint 13 repositories, /etc/apt/sources.list

Code: Select all

deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ maya main upstream import
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ precise partner
deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ precise free non-free
deb http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main
deb-src http://packages.mate-desktop.org/repo/ubuntu precise main


DISCLAIMER: This is not supported or approved by Canonical Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Do not contact me if your computer is left unusable or catches fire...

[remoulder]

IMHO it is a complete waste of time and resources attempting to upgrade like this. Whilst you may have a running system, it is not mint13 as it would be from a new install, and is likely to contain many problems which may lead to a variety of errors and strange behaviour. The amount of time and effort already spent and in the future trying to resolve issues, plus the size of download packages required to achieve this compared to that required for a new install would have been better spent just doing a fresh install. Clem's reasons for not doing in-line upgrades are spelt out here.

[jes-13]

Thanks for the opinion... and it was my time and resources to waste. Seems like what I did is like Clem's

C2. "Package" upgrades
...
Pros:
Automated: APT does everything for you (well, until something goes wrong of course)
Real upgrade: A "fresh" upgrade is kind of like the new Linux Mint with your data on it... this in comparison feels more like "your system" running the newer version underneath.

While I certainly could have had a clean Mint 13 system up and running in considerably less than 3 hours, I didn't want that. I'm guessing you overlooked my comment:

More important, all important things are intact & working, users, apache, samba, SMTP, etc...

This is a multi user workstation that, among other things, is used as a file server, SMTP gateway and has multiple virtual domains configured as website mirrors for offline changes. You can't just drop in your home directory and run with it like you can on a "single user" laptop or desktop...

[remoulder]

it was my time and resources to waste

Yes, quite. however by posting it as a tutorial, you are in effect suggesting to other users this may work/be suitable for them, which may be misleading imo. It is undeniable that there appears to be a great many more support problems arising from users who have or attempted to upgrade in-place.

[jes-13]

... you are in effect suggesting to other users this may work/be suitable for them, which may be misleading imo.

Yes, for some, what I have suggested may be the their desirable choice, for others it is not suitable... that's their decision to make and one of the basic points of a forum, sharing information, experiences and viewpoints. We don't all have to agree...

It is undeniable that there appears to be a great many more support problems arising from users who have or attempted to upgrade in-place.

upgrade in-place, as you call it, is the default mode for Ubuntu...

[remoulder]

default mode for Ubuntu

Yes and looking at their forums, it causes no end of issues.

We don't all have to agree

Of course, but the purpose of my reply was to point out to anyone reading your tutorial and thinking of doing the same, that they would not be following a recommended course of upgrading and do so at their own risk.