''Ubuntu Upgrade'' - //Choose Your Own Adventure//
This is a simple work in progress test of Twine for creating a story to help users diagnose and fix problems with Ubuntu.
//This story is unfinished and unsupported and assumes the visitor is using Unity on Ubuntu.//
The goal of this story is to debug ''upgrade'' issues.
Choose a debugging path:-
* [[Upgrade started which is hanging or crashed]]
* [[Upgrade completed, but the system is now malfunctioning]]
* [[System failed during upgrade or power lost]]
* [[Upgrade finished successfully]]
Alternative options:-
* [[Wipe everything and re-install]]
* [[Wipe system data but keep personal data]]
* [[Restore from backup]]
Background information:-
* [[What is an Ubuntu Upgrade]]
* [[Thinking about upgrading]]
* [[Not started upgrading yet]]
There are also [[Useful Tools]] and [[Common Fixes]] linked in the header, available throughout the story.These pages are for problems before the upgrade has begun. If the upgrade has already started or the upgrade is complete, go back to the [[Start]].
At this point we assume the system is functioning correctly before beginning any kind of upgrade. It's also worth pointing out that a good [[Backup]] is worth taking before upgrading begins.
Firstly, identify [[What version of Ubuntu am I running?]] then return here.
//Section for EOL releases//
//Section to branch for each supported version//
//Section for users of wubi//
Double-click this passage to edit it.This branch is for identifying issues post-upgrade. If you've not yet upgraded then go back to the [[Start]].
Once you rebooted after the upgrade has finished, choose whichever best describes the issue:-
* [[Black screen on boot]]
* [[Unpopulated desktop after login]]The following tools may be useful during this story:-
* [[Open Terminal on Desktop]]
* [[Boot into Recovery Mode]]
* [[Switch to Console]]
* [[Switch back to GUI]]
* [[What version of Ubuntu am I running?]]
* [[What version of Linux Kernel am I running?]]
* [[Sharing logs via a pastebin]] There's some commands which can be run on an Ubuntu system which frequently resolve issues with upgrades. There's no guarantee these will fix any particular issue, but experience has shown they resolve many problems.
* [[Reinstall Ubuntu Desktop]]
* [[Configure Unconfigured Packages]]
If the upgrade process itself crashes, it usually leaves a log behind which can help identify why.
The console is a text based interface to the computer. There's no GUI on the console, but it's very powerful. Use it to login and issue terminal commands. Once finished you may want to [[Switch back to GUI]]
To switch to console press:-
{{{CTRL+ALT+F1}}}
Note that you can also use the other function keys F2 through F6If you've used the step at [[Switch to Console]] to switch to the text based console, and you want to get back to the graphical environment then you'll need this.
To switch back to the graphical environment press:-
{{{CTRL+ALT+F7}}}The packaging system keeps track of dependencies between packages. There's one master 'meta package' which, if removed, can cause other packages to be missing. Typically re-installing this meta-package can fix issues by installing the missing packages.
However there's confusingly a 'task' of the same name, which also can be re-installed and has a similar (if more potent) result.
Reinstall the metapackage:-
* [[Switch to Console]] if your graphical display is broken, or [[Open Terminal on Desktop]] if you have access to the graphical display
* Run the following command:-
{{{sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop}}}
//At this point enter the user password//
Typical output:-
{{{alan@deep-thought ~> sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop}}}
{{{[sudo] password for alan:}}}
{{{Reading package lists... Done}}}
{{{Building dependency tree}}}
{{{Reading state information... Done}}}
{{{ubuntu-desktop is already the newest version.}}}
{{{Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.}}}
{{{0 to upgrade, 0 to newly install, 0 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.}}}
* Run the following command:-
//Note the circumflex "^" at the end of the line. This is important and indicates installation of a task//
{{{sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop^}}}
Typical output:-
{{{alan@deep-thought ~> sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop^}}}
{{{Reading package lists... Done}}}
{{{Building dependency tree}}}
{{{Reading state information... Done}}}
//Followed by many lines like this//
{{{Note, selecting 'dvd+rw-tools' for task 'ubuntu-desktop'}}}
{{{Note, selecting 'unity-control-center-signon' for task 'ubuntu-desktop'}}}
{{{Note, selecting 'growisofs' for task 'ubuntu-desktop'}}}
//Followed by many lines like this//
{{{zeitgeist-datahub is already the newest version.}}}
{{{zenity is already the newest version.}}}
{{{zenity-common is already the newest version.}}}
//Possibly some lines like this//
{{{The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:}}}
{{{ autopilot-desktop click-dev click-doc libbotan-1.10-0 libcontent-hub-doc}}}
{{{ libportaudiocpp0 libqt5sensors5-dev libqt5x11extras5}}}
{{{ Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.}}}
''This section is worth noting. It indicates something was missing and is now going to be installed. Many packages listed here indicates that the task was missing for a while, or perhaps an upgrade fell over part way through. Packages to be removed may also be indicative of a broken upgrade, or may simply be old packages that haven't been cleared up for a while.''
{{{Suggested packages:}}}
{{{ jackd2}}}
{{{The following packages will be REMOVED}}}
{{{ libjack-dev libjack0 oxideqt-codecs-extra portaudio19-dev ubuntu-sdk}}}
{{{ ubuntu-sdk-libs ubuntu-sdk-libs-dev unity-scope-click}}}
{{{The following NEW packages will be installed}}}
{{{ libjack-jackd2-0 libqmi-glib1 libqmi-proxy modemmanager oxideqt-codecs}}}
{{{ ttf-ancient-fonts-symbola}}}
{{{0 to upgrade, 6 to newly install, 8 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.}}}
{{{Need to get 2,400 kB of archives.}}}
{{{After this operation, 226 kB of additional disk space will be used.}}}
{{{Do you want to continue? [Y/n]}}}
* Press Y then [Enter] to accept these changes.Double-click this passage to edit it.The terminal is a powerful text based interface to the computer. Use it to issue commands, edit files and read logs.
To open the terminal press:-
{{{CTRL+ALT+T}}}
It's often important to know exactly what version of Ubuntu is running.
To find out what version of Ubuntu is running, either on the console or in a terminal, type the following:-
{{{lsb_release -a}}}
The output will be similar to the following:-
{{{No LSB modules are available.}}}
{{{Distributor ID: Ubuntu}}}
{{{Description: Ubuntu 14.10}}}
{{{Release: 14.10}}}
{{{Codename: utopic}}}
The {{{Release}}} line is typically most useful, although some people use the {{{Codename}}} when referring to releases. The release number is simply the Month and Year of release in MM.YY format.
The [[Releases|https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases]] page on the Ubuntu Wiki lists which releases are currently supported, and which are EOL (End Of Life) or in active development.It's often important to know exactly what version and architecture of the Linux Kernel you're running.
To find out what version of Linux Kernel you're running, either on the console or in a terminal, type the following:-
<p>uname -a</p>
You will see output similar to the following:-
<p>Linux deep-thought <b>3.16.0-23-generic</b> #30-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 16 13:17:16 UTC 2014 <b>x86_64</b> x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux</p>
The Linux Kernel version number is highlighted above. In this example it's 3.16.0-23-generic.
The architecture is also highlighted which is x86_64. The following table details some of the common terms used for the architecture.
* x86_64 - 64-bit, AMD64
* i686 - 32-bit, i386 (incorrectly)
Sometimes the upgrade takes a long time and can appear that it's frozen. It can also actually freeze. This page is to identify why the upgrade has frozen.
//Section on identifying a hanging process//
//Section on resolving hanging situations////Section on identifying why screen is black//
//Section on resolving the issue////Section on identifying why desktop is unpopulated//
//Section on resolving the issues////Section about recommended ways to backup//External factors (such as power loss) during an upgrade can leave the system in an inconsistent state.
//Determine state//
//Provide solutions to inconsistencies//Fantastic news!
Now go and tell everyone how awesome Ubuntu Upgrades are.
Thanks for playing.Often it's helpful to share log files, or other text output with experts online. Pastebins are websites which freely host those files temporarily for easy sharing with others.
Essentially to share a file you can upload it via one of the following means, and give the expert the url which gets displayed.
For each of these examples replace [filename] with the actual filename the expert is requesting. This may include the full path such as '/var/log/Xorg.0.log', or it could be a file in your current directory such as '.xsession-errors'
* Pastebin an entire file
cat [filename] | nc termbin.com 9999
* Pastebin only the last 10 lines of a file
tail -n 10 [filename] | nc termbin.com 9999
Most Ubuntu users stick to LTS (Long Term Support releases) which generally come out every 2 years in April. Interim (non-LTS) releases are supported with bug fixes and security updates for a shorter time. Some users need to upgrade to a new release to continue to receive support.
Firstly, find out [[What version of Ubuntu am I running?]] then come back here.
Find out more about what releases are currently supported at <p><a href="http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases" target="_blank">http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases</a></p>
Recommended upgrade paths
* 14.04
Not recommended
Back to the [[Start]]A new version of Ubuntu is released every 6 months. Each has a code name and a version number based on the year and month of release.
A release is either an LTS (Long Term Support) or not. LTS releases are released every 2 years in April and are supported with bug fixes and security updates for 5 years. Non-LTS releases are supported with bug fixes and security updates for 9 months.
Find out more about what releases are currently supported at <p><a href="http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases" target="_blank">http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases</a></p>
An Ubuntu Upgrade is when the system is updated from one release to another. Each software package on the system is updated from the version in the current release to (typically) a newer version in the next release. Not all software changes significantly between one 6-monthly release and the next, and some don't change at all. However there's usually a significant change in software versions from one LTS release to another - as there was a 2-year gap between their releases.Recovery mode is a special way of booting up Ubuntu providing expert tools, but not the standard desktop. This can be used to diagnose, debug and fix issues.
Steps to enter recovery mode:-
* Reboot computer
* Hold down SHIFT to interrupt booting immediately after the Power On Self Test or any manufacturer splash screen / logos
//Note: Sometimes the computer continues booting normally. In this case, reboot and try again, and hold down SHIFT earlier in the boot process.//
* At the menu, use the down arrow key to highlight 'Advanced Options', press ENTER
* Use the down arrow to select uppermost line with '(recovery)' appended, press ENTER
More details about recovery mode can be found online at <p><a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RecoveryMode" target="_blank">https://wiki.ubuntu.com/RecoveryMode</a></p>.//Detailing the pros and cons of reinstalling, and links to guides to re-installation//Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it.