[SMS]

[miguipda]

Dear gerasimos_h,

as now I could have some time to finally starting to check my installed SMS I realized that two new versions have been made. You never stop to work ...

As I think you will made a really great server.

I just have some questions in regard of upgrading my system.

1) I realized I asked some functionality like (home automation 1-wire server named) OWFS, the (home motion survey with the great program named) zoneminder and so on. And I remembered I saw you talked about the fact you included them in the last SMS. But when I read the 1.6.5.txt there http://sms.it-ccs.com/packages/ I did not seen them in the list. Does it means you removed them ?

2) As I previously saw OpenBravo I now realized someone asked to have WebERP. And I also saw OpenBravo is not in the package 1.6.5.txt file. Does it means you also removed it ?

3) Then I goes there to see what still on the last SMS version (1.6.5) to see if it is still ineteresting for me to upgrade it. There I did not saw the OWFS and Zoneminder. Then as explained here before I am not really sure it could be interesting to upgrade it. Could please confirm you just forgot to update the features list or missed some programs in the last 1.6.5.txt package file. Or may be I am wrong and could be sure to find the needed programs I talked about.

4) And last but not least. Could you please tell me if I upgrade my system I could be sure it will make a backup of some modified system files (like rc or others) ?

Sincerely thanks and have a nice day,

Miguipda

[gerasimos_h]

I understand your confusion as http://sms.it-ccs.com/packages/ has only SMS.Native.CD-Install packages, doesn't include extra or testing.

1,3. Packages are available under testing/LinuxDVR here or SMS.Native.CD-Extra.
Why is under testing? Well I haven't use them, so I can't be sure, If you use it and confirm they are working as they should, I'll move them to extra

2. Openbravo is at /extra/Openbravo and up to date.
WebERP also update to version 4.x you can upgrade it with slapt-get.

Upgrading is not so dangerous as it may sound, and don't delete any of your files or configurations, but you can make a backup of /etc/ and /var just in case, and any other folder you may want and proceed to upgrading as described in SMS Wiki.
http://sms.it-ccs.com/wiki/#LinkTarget_2293

gerasimos_h

[miguipda]

Dear gerasimos_h,

thanks for your answer but ..

not to disturbing you but in the upgrading explanation there are some funny aspects if we consider my case and I know there are some other administrators that could have a similar situation. Have a look.

I have a really small server, low consumption :
http://www.compactpc.com.tw/ebox-4854.htm

As you can see there is no CR-ROM reader (as other well known server). Then upgrading the glibc, pkgtools, xz, tar packages could be difficult as explained.

And as a server it is not continually connected to a screen with a mouse and keyboard. That is the rule of a server. Then I can not press Tab to be able to boot in single mode. Even if it is the faster way to do this first needed action to upgrade it.

Then I am afraid the only best way for me to upgrade it must be to reinstall the last new version.

Except if you could create a way that allow us to always have an updated server.

By example if we set an option enabled in an ini file you decided.
Then a script could do an automatic upgrade and inform the administrator to just review his all *.new files created in the /etc.

For sure the ini file must also have an option telling if we must force the upgrade not regarding if there are some connected clients. And if the force option is not set then a cron script must be done to do this :
- check if an upgrade is available (the next 1.6.6 by example)
- if available then while there are some connected clients to the server then just download on the server the needed upgrade
(http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/hardy/man1/arp-scan.1.html)
- when there are no connected clients then switch off the ethernet connection. Rebbot the server in single user mode then run the upgrading script locally with all the downloaded upgrade programs and or kernel. Then switch on the ethernet port and reboot the server in multi user mode. And that's it.

A third option could be set in the described ini file.
A delay. By example the delay must be in days. And if set to 3 then if after three days there was no moment when there was no connected clients then it will force the upgrading.

What do you think about this really useful idea.

Do you think it could be done (by example it could then generate the 1.6.6 version ).

And it could be the solution for all administrator that does not have a server with a cr-rom, mouse, keyboard and display connected to it.

Sincerely thanks to take this in consideration.

Have a nice day,

Miguipda

[miguipda]

I just find back the command line I use on my router to check if there are still some connected users. Here it is that can help you : arp -va|wc -l

Sincerely thanks and have a nice day,

Miguipda

[gerasimos_h]

I already have something in mind for a recovery boot mode, but for now you can try upgrading without rebooting to single user mode...

1. Copy SMS-1.6.5 in USB stick.
2. upgrade sequence as described.
3. create initrd for generic kernel, if you use one
4. run lilo
5. check .new files
6. reboot

If anything goes wrong, you can boot SMS.LiveCD from USB stick and fix any issues.

if you want to download upgrades, you can use slapt-get to download them only in /var/slapt-get/, with

[miguipda]

Hi,

I was wrong with the command line : arp -va|wc -l
It is just used to know if there are still some physical ethernet connections to the router. And not if there are still some clients connected to some services on the server.

Do you know how can we know if there are still clients (sessions) connected to some server services (http, ftp, ...) ?

Sincerely thanks and have a nice day,

Miguipda

[miguipda]

Hi,

I found here some answers to my previous question (find connected sessions to the server).

Then I am now busy to create a bash file to automatically upgrade SMS.

I am not so sure but I write the main idea and I will test it as soon as possible.

Have a nice day,

Miguipda

[miguipda]

Dear gerasimos_h,

as you know since this morning I am currently busy to make a bash script to automatically upgrade my system each time it will have a new available version.

One of the main thing I need now is to have those two answer to follow my quest :
1) which command line could I use on SMS to know my current version number
2) how can I get with one command line the last available version number on your deposite SMS.

I will need it to compare my current version to see if the current available version from your server deposite is the same or higher. Then if higher I could start the upgrade following the conditions I am testing.

Sincerely thanks and have a nice day,
Miguipda

[gerasimos_h]

Although I strongly recommend upgrading your server manually, even in multi user mode as I described before, you can use slapt-get for that purpose.

So your script must do

1. download packages to /var/slapt-get/ by passing -d
2. switch to single user mode with "telinit 1"
3. upgrade packages in /var/slapt-get.
4. create initrd.gz and run lilo.
5. switch to multi user mode with "telinit 3" or simple reboot
6. purge installed packages from /var/slapt-get/ with "slapt-get -clean"

As for finding current sms version do "cat /etc/sms-version", also sms-scripts package version number.

gerasimos_h