Very old linux to upgrade

[linn.nay77]

Dear All,
I am trying to upgrade very old linux version. Where should I get professional check list to do so?
My question was not complete. I should check version of linux in deatil with some commend. But, I would like to get professioal check list for my upgrade.

 

[atanere]

Hello @linn.nay77, and welcome! Upgrading a "very old" Linux version is asking for trouble, and I would advise against it. For just one example, many old distros were 32-bit systems, and many modern distros do not even produce 32-bit versions anymore. But there are many other difficulties that you can find besides that.

So instead, I would suggest that you save anything important from the old computer, then find and install a new suitable distro that is compatible with the older computers hardware specs. Then restore the saved data as needed. If the old computer has less than 1GB or 2GB of RAM, I would try to upgrade the RAM, if possible. Some distros can run with less RAM, but you will have far more options available if you can increase it. As mentioned above, you will also need to determine if the CPU is 32-bit or 64-bit since 32-bit versions are also getting harder to find (but some are still available).

Cheers

 

[TechnoJunky]

I concur with Atanere. "upgrading" isn't a good idea unless the versions are relatively close to each other. What I would suggest though is, if you're keeping the same computer, read this about creating a home partition so you don't lose your data during the new install. https://www.maketecheasier.com/switch-between-linux-distros-without-losing-data/ - Thanks @poorguy for the link

 

[linn.nay77]

Hello @linn.nay77, and welcome! Upgrading a "very old" Linux version is asking for trouble, and I would advise against it. For just one example, many old distros were 32-bit systems, and many modern distros do not even produce 32-bit versions anymore. But there are many other difficulties that you can find besides that.

So instead, I would suggest that you save anything important from the old computer, then find and install a new suitable distro that is compatible with the older computers hardware specs. Then restore the saved data as needed. If the old computer has less than 1GB or 2GB of RAM, I would try to upgrade the RAM, if possible. Some distros can run with less RAM, but you will have far more options available if you can increase it. As mentioned above, you will also need to determine if the CPU is 32-bit or 64-bit since 32-bit versions are also getting harder to find (but some are still available).

Cheers

Thank atanere, For me data is first priority. We are going to deploy with new hardware. My concern was compibility of the data format as well.

 

[linn.nay77]

I concur with Atanere. "upgrading" isn't a good idea unless the versions are relatively close to each other. What I would suggest though is, if you're keeping the same computer, read this about creating a home partition so you don't lose your data during the new install. https://www.maketecheasier.com/switch-between-linux-distros-without-losing-data/ - Thanks @poorguy for the link

Hi TechnoJunky, Thank for your kind advise and sharing with me. Cheers!

 

[VP9KS]

Welcome mate. Just curious, what is the distribution, and version that you currently have?

 

[wizardfromoz]

Welcome mate. Just curious, what is the distribution, and. Version that you currently have?

My thoughts exactly, Paul.

Ubuntu 14.04 'Trusty Tahr' might be considered an old Distro, but because it was LTS (long term support), its end of life only happened in April just past.

Michael if you find your way to a Terminal, the following commands will reveal name version and DE (Desktop Environment)

cat /etc/*release

#and

echo $DESKTOP_SESSION

Cheers

Wizard

 

[atanere]

Thank atanere, For me data is first priority. We are going to deploy with new hardware. My concern was compibility of the data format as well.

With new hardware, just about all OS choices are available to you. The "data format" you may need to preserve (from backed up files) is more about the applications used, rather than the OS, as I see it. If your old computer had critical database files, you will certainly need new database software that can open the old files. Same for documents, etc. But since you are migrating from Linux-to-Linux instead of Windows-to-Linux, this will probably not be that difficult. Without more details, we can't really give you very good directions.

Cheers