From: lew.pitcher@digitalfreehold.ca   
      
   On Fri, 17 Mar 2023 17:14:03 -0300, Jim Diamond wrote:   
      
   > On 2023-03-15 at 01:19 ADT, Mike Spencer  wrote:   
   >>   
   >> Jim Diamond  writes:   
   >>   
   >>> A while back there was some discussion about whether /etc/mtab is (or   
   >>> should be) a file or a link to /proc/mounts (or /proc/self/mounts).   
   >>   
   >>> So... please chime in...  What is /etc/mtab on your systems, upgraded and   
   >>> fresh installs?   
   >>   
   >> I think I was the OP on that.  Slackware 15 installed from bootable   
   >> DVD created from d/l iso.  Came up with mtab as link to /proc/mounts.   
   >>   
   >> I often mount laptop or 2nd desktop on main box's fs, for backup or   
   >> other purposes.  Annoyance that root has to umount them.   
   >>   
   >> Another poster remarked on having scripts to pre-identify how an   
   >> upgrade would/might break his setup.  I've tried to avoid those   
   >> worries with always a new install, then reconstructing (with much   
   >> bother as my pleas for help here reflect) the numerous idiosyncrasies   
   >> of my setup.   
   >   
   > I was really hoping the guy who talked about his many systems (some clean   
   > installs, some upgrades) would chime in.  But so far, no luck.   
      
   That might be me?   
      
   As I said before, bare metal installs I usually perform directly from   
   bootable media (DVD or usb hard drive). Upgrades, I perform from from   
   DVD or hard drive, with the assistance of a number of home-grown scripts.   
      
   As I do not perform a Slackware "full install" on any of my systems. I   
   install only what I use, save for libraries, of which I install all that   
   are supplied. That means that a "full upgrade" is out of the question.   
      
   So, I used my IT background (retired programmer/systems programm   
   r/analyst/architect)   
   to craft some scripts that would assist in the upgrade. One script figures   
   out the differences between the current installation and the "installation   
   after upgrade", pointing out installed packages that have been dropped,   
   installed packages that have not changed, installed packages that have   
   an upgrade, and new packages that don't have an installed equivalent,   
      
   From there, I can identify what I want to do with each of the packages,   
   and a second script builds a set of "installation scripts" that will   
   perform the installation in an orderly manner.   
      
   This set of scripts also manages a list of patches and local packages   
   that the upgrade process might need to affect.   
      
   For the most part, the scripts are a success, in that I can do an   
   ordered upgrade with no problems. For instance, I upgraded from 13.0   
   to 14.0 (skipping 13.1 and 13.37) successfully, using these scripts.   
      
   --   
   Lew Pitcher   
   "In Skills We Trust"   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)