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| meta:infobox:upgrade_packages_warning [2020/01/19 20:12] – link added tmomas | meta:infobox:upgrade_packages_warning [2020/05/11 16:21] – adding clarification about the LuCI upgrade button psherman |
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| <WRAP center round important 100%> | <WRAP center round important 100%> |
| | ====== Upgrading packages may cause serious problems, including soft-bricking your device!====== |
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| Blindly upgrading packages (manually or via script) can lead you into all sorts of trouble.\\ | Blindly upgrading packages (manually or via script) can lead you into all sorts of trouble.\\ |
| Inform yourself **before** doing any upgrades, if it is safe to upgrade. [[https://forum.openwrt.org/t/upgrade-the-packages-on-snapshot/53158/2?u=tmomas|Avoid upgrading core packages]], build a new image instead. | |
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| **If you do chose to upgrade packages, especially with a script:** You have been warned. Don't complain on the forum and be ready to deal with the consequences yourself, such as manual dependency resolution and additional free space consumption, potentially leading to ABI-conflicts and soft-bricking. | Just because there is an updated version of a given package does not mean it should be installed or that it will function properly. Inform yourself **before** doing any upgrades to determine if it is safe to upgrade. [[https://forum.openwrt.org/t/upgrade-the-packages-on-snapshot/53158/2?u=tmomas|Avoid upgrading core packages]], |
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| | ---- |
| | There are two ways to manage/install packages in OpenWrt: With the LuCI web interface Software menu (System > Software), and via the command line interface (CLI). Both methods invoke the same CLI [[https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/additional-software/opkg|opkg]] executable, and as of OpenWrt 19.07.0, the LuCI interface now has an 'Updates' tab with a listing of packages that have available upgrades. The LuCI ''Upgrade...'' button performs the same ''opkg upgrade'' command that is discussed in this article. |
| | **The same warnings apply to upgrading packages using LuCI and the CLI.** |
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| | Generally speaking, **the use of ''opkg upgrade'' is very highly discouraged**, It should be avoided in almost all circumstances. In particular, bulk upgrading is very likely to result in major problems, but even upgrading individual packages may cause issues. It is also important to stress that this is distinctly different from the ''sysupgrade'' path for upgrading OpenWrt releases (major versions as well as maintenance upgrades). ''opkg upgrade'' will not update the OpenWrt version, only ''sysupgrade'' can do that -- the two are not equivalent. |
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| | Unlike the 'big distros' of Linux, OpenWrt is optimized to run on systems with limited resources. This includes the opkg package manager, which does not have built-in ABI (Application Binary Interface) compatibility and kernel version dependencies verification. Although sometimes there may be no issues, there is no guarantee and the ugprade can result in various types of incompatibilities that can range from minor to severe, and it may be very difficult to troubleshoot. In addition, the ''opkg upgrade'' process will consume flash storage space. Since it does not (and cannot) overwrite the original (stored in ROM), it must store the upgraded packages in the r/w overlay. |
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| | In the vast majority of cases, any security patches of significant importance/risk will be rapidly released in an official stable maintenance release to be upgraded using the ''sysupgrade'' system. This is the recommended method for keeping up-to-date. |
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| | Those looking to be on the bleeding edge can consider using the snapshot releases, but should be mindful of the differences between stable and snapshot. Or, alternatively, build a custom image with the desired updated packages included in that image. The remaining users who still want to use ''opkg upgrade'' should only do so with //selected individual packages// (do not bulk update, do not blindly update) and they should be aware that **problems may occur that could necessitate a complete reset-to-defaults to resolve**. |
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| | If you're already having issues, or wish to 'undo' the upgraded packages: create a backup (optional; can be restored after the reset is complete) and then perform a reset to defaults (''firstboot''). |
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| | **If you do chose to upgrade packages, especially with a script:** You have been warned. Don't complain on the forum and be ready to deal with the consequences, troubleshooting, and resolution yourself. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |