Toolbox Aid

August 9th, 2024 12:45 PM Mr. Q Categories: Command

Command: apt-get dist-upgrade

Used to perform a more thorough upgrade of the system than apt-get upgrade. This command handles changing dependencies with new versions of packages, and can install or remove packages as needed to complete the upgrade process.

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Sample Command and Output:

$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
  vim vim-common vim-runtime
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  vim-gtk
The following packages will be removed:
  vim-tiny
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 3,256 kB of archives.
After this operation, 12.0 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Description:

• sudo apt-get dist-upgrade: Upgrades all installed packages to the newest version, handling changes in package dependencies, and may install new packages or remove existing ones as needed. This command is useful for upgrading the system to a new distribution version or for complex package updates.

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Additional Commands and Sample Outputs:

• apt-get dist-upgrade -y: Perform the upgrade and automatically confirm the changes without user input. Sample Command and Output:

  $ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -y
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  The following packages will be upgraded:
    vim vim-common vim-runtime
  The following NEW packages will be installed:
    vim-gtk
  The following packages will be removed:
    vim-tiny
  3 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 1 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
  Need to get 3,256 kB of archives.
  After this operation, 12.0 MB of additional disk space will be used.

Description:

• apt-get dist-upgrade -y: Automatically agrees to all changes and upgrades without prompting for user confirmation, which is useful for scripting and automated processes.
• apt-get dist-upgrade --simulate: Simulate the upgrade process without making any changes. Sample Command and Output:

  $ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade --simulate
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  The following packages would be upgraded:
    vim vim-common vim-runtime
  The following NEW packages would be installed:
    vim-gtk
  The following packages would be removed:
    vim-tiny

Description:

• apt-get dist-upgrade --simulate: Displays what changes would occur if the command were run, including package installations and removals, without actually performing the upgrade.

Note: apt-get dist-upgrade is particularly useful when upgrading between major releases of a distribution or when handling complex dependencies that cannot be managed with a simple upgrade.