On Friday 24 March 2017 09:56:23 didier gaumet wrote: > Le 24/03/2017 à 09:41, Lisi Reisz a écrit : > [...] > > > Let's start with the file you mention: > > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades It isn't there. > > the Debian wiki indicates that it has to be created, either by typing a > content in an editor or you can symply type as root: > # dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades
This is what I had missed! I have now run it. > > lisi@Eros:~$ su > > Password: > > root@Eros:/home/lisi# unattended-upgrades > > root@Eros:/home/lisi# > > > > What has that done? I can verify nothing because I can't see what it has > > or has not done. It took a long while doing it, but appears to have dome > > nothing. > > unattended-upgrades is not intended to be interactive (all benefit would > be lost), so it does not display anything. > if you want to observe how unattended-upgrades has run, you may examine > the content of: > /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades.log > /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades-dpkg.log This I had seen, but not "got" anywhere with them before. Having run # dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades unattended-upgrades.log exists and is not empty. /var/log/unattended-upgrades/unattended-upgrades-dpkg.log still does not exist, but it has clearly not yet been called for. Hopefully it will tell me when unattended-upgrades has run. > > If I have to run it myself, then it isn't working. The whole point, from > > my point of view, is for it to work unattended. > > you do not have to run unattended-upgrades yourself: I was suggesting to > run unattended-upgrades yourself just un order to verify it runs when > called. > > to work unattended, unattended-upgaded has: > - to be installed > - to be told what and how to upgrade (that is the role of > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades) > - to be told when to upgrade (that is the role of > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades), else it never runs. > > > I have clearly completely misunderstood what unattended-upgrades is > > intended to do. If it won't work automatically but requires me to run > > it, in what sense is it unattended? It said that it runs by default. I > > have obviously misunderstood what "run" means in this context. > > > > As I said above, /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades doesn't exist. > > > > That is what I have been trying unsuccessfully to achieve. If the > > defaults work fine, then what are they doing? If I need to run it, in > > what way is it any different from or preferable to any other method of > > running upgrades? > > > > So, to summarise, it is my expectations that are at fault. > > Unattended-upgrades does not by default run unattended. One has to set > > up a cron job or something. > > > > Having been reading the file /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades, > > which does exist, I have come to the conclusion that sadly this is all > > well above my pay-grade anyway. > > I would summarize it differently: installing unattended-upgrades is not > sufficient, it has to be set-up and its default setup is valid for a > reasonable goal. Yes. Thank you. I had not succeeded in setting it up. let us hope that I have now. > For basic needs (automatic upgrades of security fixes for the stable > channel of Debian): > # apt-get install unattended-upgrades > # dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades > is sufficient. Fingers crossed, all is now well. Thank you. > If you have different or mode elaborate needs, you have to fiddle with > the set-up. > > There are other ways of getting automatic upgrades, the only one I have > tested is cron-apt and I reckon unattended-upgrades is probably simpler. Thank you for your help. Let us hope that all is now well! I shall have to leave my desktop un-upgraded for a bit in order to see - I normally check for upgrades frequently. > > NOTE: It appears that upgrade-system is a package that could interest > you: having looked quickly at it (but having never tested it), it seems > to require no set-up, just to be installed, to automatically upgrade all > packages to their newest version available (do not forget to do an > apt-get purge unattended-upgrades, it would be cleaner that way). No, this is the "Ubuntu way" that I specifically wanted to avoid. When all updating is set up up to run automatically in this way. I dislike any and all automatic upgrades. I have no doubt that I could use them to get myself, or anyone else, in an infernal mess. I have however got a particular problem at the moment, and after the discussion on the list about the fact that unattended-upgrades are now installed by default I felt that I should consider going that way. I am putting it on my machine with trepidation and worry, but I must test it on myself first. I want it because I have two clients 11 miles away and am partially sighted: i.e. 11 miles is a long way. My husband has been seriously ill and I have been unable to go out far or for long. Teamviewer has taken a dive. Getting at least security upgrades done has become urgent. The clients cannot be persuaded to regard it as so! (They could bring their computers to me.) I would like, next time I get access, to set up both their computers to at least install important security upgrades automatically, for next time I can't get out, anyhow until I manage to set up remote access. They have dynamic IP and a somewhat tricky ISP supplied router. Again, I need access, and for more than a few minutes. Lisi
