how to transfer APT packages between different devices?
summary: My old laptop is up-to-date on LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition), with many add-on APT packages. I'm now qualifying a new laptop, from a different vendor, on which I have installed LMDE from live USB. How best/easiest to transfer the packages from the first laptop to the second, without causing (e.g.) driver problems? (And please lemme know soonest, since I have much acceptance testing to do but can't return for refund after 2 Dec 2011.) details: I have a 2-year-old laptop (call it laptop_0) from one vendor. It has served me well, but the battery is shot, the HD makes ominous intermittent clicking noises, it's no longer SOTA, and in any case I could use a backup laptop. This week my university put some quite high-powered laptops on clearance for a good price, so I'm evaluating one (call it laptop_1). I can return it by Friday (2 Dec) for full refund. I regularly backup my packages on laptop_0 using a script that * copies /etc/apt/sources.list to a designated backup directory * copies /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ to the backup directory * redirects `dpkg --get-selections` to a file in the backup directory I have in the past restored my packages from laptop_0 to laptop_0 (e.g., after ubuntu upgrades) with a script that reverses the above process: * restores /etc/apt/sources.list from the backup directory * restores /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ from the backup directory * redirects the backed-up package list to `dpkg --set-selections` * apt-get install -y dselect * dselect update * apt-get dselect-upgrade * aptitude update I installed 64bit LMDE 201109 Gnome http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php from live USB (using unetbootin) on laptop_1 without difficulty. laptop_1 has some problems with LMDE, e.g., - it hangs if I try to suspend with a USB drive attached (but it sleeps/restores normally otherwise - hibernation fails, i.e., instead of restoring it just reboots (but so does laptop_0) Other than that :-) it seems worth the price, but I've done relatively little testing (e.g., power management, DVD and stream playing). To do more a more substantial comparison I need to get roughly the same packages installed on both boxes. (Particularly I want to benchmark building and running a scientific model I help develop.) Unfortunately there are important differences between the two (though both are 64bit Intel with NVIDIA). I noticed this the hard way when I attempted to restore (using the second procedure above) the packages from laptop_0 onto laptop_1: laptop_1 booted, but then put up a crippled GINA (the graphical login screen) into which I could not type (the keyboard was not working, though the mouse was). Fortunately I just rebooted and reinstalled LMDE (which took all of 10 minutes--one suspects Windows will never install that quickly :-) and laptop_1 is again functional. So obviously my current package-restore procedure only works to restore onto on the same device from which the packages were backed up. I'm wondering, how best to do package-transfer? E.g., can I script a procedure that is smart enough to not transfer inappropriate packages (e.g., those causing driver conflicts)? Alternatively, I need to know (more-or-less) or determine what not to transfer, so I can edit my package list by hand (before running the package-restore script), or otherwise human-run the process (hopefully with some tool automation). Or is it time for Something Completely Different? What do you believe is the best way to transfer packages between non-identical devices? Please lemme know soonest--I can't return laptop_1 for full refund after 2 Dec 2011. TIA, Tom Roche tom_ro...@pobox.com -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/87ehwpbulu@pobox.com
AW: how to transfer APT packages between different devices?
-Ursprüngliche Nachricht- Von: Tom Roche [mailto:tom_ro...@pobox.com] Gesendet: Mi 11/30/2011 14:36 An: debian-user@lists.debian.org Betreff: how to transfer APT packages between different devices? summary: My old laptop is up-to-date on LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition), with many add-on APT packages. I'm now qualifying a new laptop, from a different vendor, on which I have installed LMDE from live USB. How best/easiest to transfer the packages from the first laptop to the second, without causing (e.g.) driver problems? (And please lemme know soonest, since I have much acceptance testing to do but can't return for refund after 2 Dec 2011.) details: I have a 2-year-old laptop (call it laptop_0) from one vendor. It has served me well, but the battery is shot, the HD makes ominous intermittent clicking noises, it's no longer SOTA, and in any case I could use a backup laptop. This week my university put some quite high-powered laptops on clearance for a good price, so I'm evaluating one (call it laptop_1). I can return it by Friday (2 Dec) for full refund. I regularly backup my packages on laptop_0 using a script that * copies /etc/apt/sources.list to a designated backup directory * copies /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ to the backup directory * redirects `dpkg --get-selections` to a file in the backup directory I have in the past restored my packages from laptop_0 to laptop_0 (e.g., after ubuntu upgrades) with a script that reverses the above process: * restores /etc/apt/sources.list from the backup directory * restores /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ from the backup directory * redirects the backed-up package list to `dpkg --set-selections` * apt-get install -y dselect * dselect update * apt-get dselect-upgrade * aptitude update I installed 64bit LMDE 201109 Gnome http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php from live USB (using unetbootin) on laptop_1 without difficulty. laptop_1 has some problems with LMDE, e.g., - it hangs if I try to suspend with a USB drive attached (but it sleeps/restores normally otherwise - hibernation fails, i.e., instead of restoring it just reboots (but so does laptop_0) Other than that :-) it seems worth the price, but I've done relatively little testing (e.g., power management, DVD and stream playing). To do more a more substantial comparison I need to get roughly the same packages installed on both boxes. (Particularly I want to benchmark building and running a scientific model I help develop.) Unfortunately there are important differences between the two (though both are 64bit Intel with NVIDIA). I noticed this the hard way when I attempted to restore (using the second procedure above) the packages from laptop_0 onto laptop_1: laptop_1 booted, but then put up a crippled GINA (the graphical login screen) into which I could not type (the keyboard was not working, though the mouse was). Fortunately I just rebooted and reinstalled LMDE (which took all of 10 minutes--one suspects Windows will never install that quickly :-) and laptop_1 is again functional. So obviously my current package-restore procedure only works to restore onto on the same device from which the packages were backed up. I'm wondering, how best to do package-transfer? E.g., can I script a procedure that is smart enough to not transfer inappropriate packages (e.g., those causing driver conflicts)? Alternatively, I need to know (more-or-less) or determine what not to transfer, so I can edit my package list by hand (before running the package-restore script), or otherwise human-run the process (hopefully with some tool automation). Or is it time for Something Completely Different? What do you believe is the best way to transfer packages between non-identical devices? Please lemme know soonest--I can't return laptop_1 for full refund after 2 Dec 2011. TIA, Tom Roche tom_ro...@pobox.com --- Why don't you just backup your running Linux by tar from a live cd e.g. to an USB stick, partition the new drive and extract it on the new laptop? Make it bootable, start in recovery mode and change modules that need to be changed, e.g. the graphics driver. 2 cents, Ralf
Re: how to transfer APT packages between different devices?
Tom Roche Wed, Nov 30, 2011 at 8:36 AM My old laptop is up-to-date on LMDE with many add-on APT packages. I'm now qualifying a new laptop, from a different vendor, on which I have installed LMDE from live USB. How best/easiest to transfer the packages from the first laptop to the second, without causing (e.g.) driver problems? Ralf Mardorf Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:13:28 +0100 Why don't you just backup your running Linux by tar from a live cd e.g. to an USB stick, partition the new drive and extract it on the new laptop? The old laptop's partitioning is very different from the new laptop's. The old laptop is pure linux. The new laptop has a first rescue partition from the vendor and a second W7 partition (which I would like to keep for occasional use, notably ArcGIS), followed by the linux partitions. But the rest of your suggestion resembles what I believe I need: start in recovery mode I shoulda thoughta that :-) and I know how. What I don't know is, how to identify and change [packages] that need to be changed, e.g. the graphics driver. How do I determine the names of the packages that need to be changed? E.g., if I observe a graphics problem, how to tell which packages are involved? your assistance is appreciated, Tom Roche tom_ro...@pobox.com -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/878vmxy1rw@pobox.com