How can I update my software manually via ssh or terminal

[Karlchen]

Hello, deadflowr.

Did you read the entry for the man page?

You may have noticed, I, too posted it. So, yes I have consulted the apt-get manpages more than once.

Usually, I check and install available upgrades using Synaptic. The recent kernel upgrade from K3.13.0-43(72) to K3.13.0-44(73) has been done on most of my systems already, so I cannot check there any longer.
But tonight I will upgrade another system at home.
This time I will not do so using any GUI, but instead I will use

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

and post the screen output here. This should help find out who is right, those assuming "sudo apt-get upgrade" will skip kernel updates or me.
(Though I said so before, let me repeat, I was not talking about switching the kernel series (e.g. from K3.13.0 to K3.16.0), just about installing the kernel updates which Synaptic will offer, too.)

Cheers,
Karl

[kpatz]

I just tried it on one of my 14.04 boxes.

sudo apt-get upgrade doesn't install the new kernel (it's held back). sudo aptitude safe-upgrade does install the new kernel.

EDIT: sudo apt-get dist-upgrade also installs kernel updates.

[Karlchen]

Hi, kpatz.

Using the upgrade from K3.13.0-43 to K3.13.44 executed today through Synaptic as an example:

So "apt-get upgrade" would be willing to execute this part, upgrading the already existing packages:

The following packages have been updated:

linux-generic-lts-trusty (3.13.0.43.37) to 3.13.0.44.38
linux-headers-generic-lts-trusty (3.13.0.43.37) to 3.13.0.44.38
linux-image-generic-lts-trusty (3.13.0.43.37) to 3.13.0.44.38
linux-tools-generic-lts-trusty (3.13.0.43.37) to 3.13.0.44.38
linux-tools-lts-trusty (3.13.0.43.37) to 3.13.0.44.38

But as we all know for a kernel update we need to add a few new packages, too.
So it is the second part of the kernel update below which makes "apt-get upgrade" refuse to execute the kernel update as a whole:

The following packages have been installed:

linux-headers-3.13.0-44 (3.13.0-44.73~precise1)
linux-headers-3.13.0-44-generic (3.13.0-44.73~precise1)
linux-image-3.13.0-44-generic (3.13.0-44.73~precise1)
linux-lts-trusty-tools-3.13.0-44 (3.13.0-44.73~precise1)
linux-tools-3.13.0-44-generic (3.13.0-44.73~precise1)

Hm, might be. Doubtlessly, I will learn what will happen tonight.

Cheers,
Karl

[Karlchen]

Hello, deadflowr. Hello, kpatz. Hello, nertron.

Summary:
You three were right and I was wrong.
"sudo apt-get upgrade" refused to upgrade the kernel packages from K3.2.0-74(109) to K3.2.0-75(110).
The reason quite obviously was that upgrading did not only require upgrading existing software packages, but that it also required installing additional software packages (the new kernel packages).
But "sudo apt-get upgrade" will not add any software packages. I should have taken the section about "upgrade" in the manpages literally.

Workaround/Solution:
I decided to let Synaptic do the kernel upgrade, not "sudo apt-get dist-upgrade".
Reason:
There are 2 locked NVidia driver packages in Synaptic which Synaptic will never upgrade unless I unlock them again.
"sudo apt-get dist-upgrade" obviously planned to upgrade them as well. So I would have had to set them on "hold" for apt-get as well. But I was too lazy to do so.

Details:
In the unlikely case that anybody cares to go through the details, they can be found here: sudo_apt-get_upgrade

Cheers,
Karl