Linux OS Update - Shell-Bash

As a programmer working with Linux operating system, keeping the system up-to-date is a crucial task. An outdated system not only leaves the system open to security vulnerabilities but may also cause software compatibility issues. In this tutorial, we will discuss how to update the Linux OS via shell-bash commands.

Updating Package Information

Before updating the system, we should update the package information of the OS. This is done via the following command:

sudo apt-get update

If the system is using yum package manager, then the command would be:

sudo yum update

This command updates the package repos and downloads the latest software package details available on the repos.

Updating the System

Once the package information is updated, we can safely update the system. The following command does that.

sudo apt-get upgrade

For yum,

sudo yum upgrade

This command updates the installed software packages to the latest version available in the package repositories. Sometimes, a major system update may require a reboot.

Checking for Distribution Upgrade

In some cases, the OS may require a distribution upgrade. We can check whether there is a new distribution version available via the following command:

sudo do-release-upgrade

For yum, we can use:

sudo yum update-to

By running this command, the system will check for a new version of the OS, and if that is the case, then the system will prompt for confirmation to upgrade the distribution.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we've learned how to update a Linux operating system via shell-bash commands. The updating process involves updating package information, updating the system, and checking for distribution upgrade. By keeping the system up-to-date, we can ensure system security and compatibility with new software.