How to upgrade a Linux "server" with minimal modules?

[sdetweil]

@ember1205 I recommend

make a backup, store to github
make a new SD card, latest OS
install MM, verify it starts (full service, UI etc)
run restore from github to restore your configuration and modules…
restart and verify

old system is untouched

[ember1205]

@sdetweil Thanks for the response.

I’m familiar with the different options that come with a new install and would be ok with having to DO a new install if that’s the only way to get upgrades completed. I guess I’m wondering if there’s a simpler way to upgrade the one or two modules that I have and get the core MM upgraded as well without having to start from scratch with the configuration and such. This instance is server only (there’s nothing attached to any sort of output here, and I don’t even run MM as the client any more - it’s a linux shell with its own GUI, auto-starts firefox in kiosk mode, and the page is set to always launch the mirror address).

I’m not even concerned with how to back everything up because my installation is actually fairly simple. And I’m not actually looking to change environments - I’ve already done that from a short while back. This is all entirely for the server side which is a linux guest running on a XCP-NG virtualization host.

[sdetweil]

@ember1205 the difficulty is that the core has been kept up to date, and it requires new system parts that require new system parts…

you MUST upgrade nodejs if not on node 22
upgrading on older systems fails, the next node upgrade, 24 or above, drops support for 32bit systems completely… we are holding off as long as we can… but the clock is ticking…

my install and upgrade scripts enforce the systems path… if they fail now, there is no manual way to get there from where you are… (without rebuild)

and if you use my installer script, its a copy/paste… not a lot of work

make the backup regardless

[sdetweil]

@ember1205 you can attempt to upgrade modules…

each is separate

cd module_folder
git pull
if successful, npm install

restart mm… to load the new modules…

only a few have latest as dependencies… which would force all the above work

[sdetweil]

@ember1205 upgrade of the core code is

cd  MagicMirror_folder
git pull
npm install

if it will run… needs at least node 22.22.1

let me know how I can help

you can fall back to a prior version by switching to one of the earlier releases, thru the git tag we created.
if you try the upgrade (manual) and it fails and want to try this, let me know i’ll provide the commands needed

[ember1205]

@sdetweil I am running (currently) on opensuse Leap 15.6. I will be updating in the not-too-distant future to Leap 16.0.

In looking at the installed packages, Node.js lists “22.22.0” as the package but “22.15.1” as the installed version. So…

zypper ref ; zypper up

Let it install all of the pertinent updates… Reboot (new kernel was part of the updates)… Everything is back online. Checking the installed software list now shows Node.js as “22.22.0”.

Leap 16.0 will allow me to go to Node.js 24, but that would be an undertaking for later today or later this week (depending on what time I might have elsewhere).

Updating the modules went fine (overall). This is what a git pull in the main MM directory shows me:

From https://github.com/MichMich/MagicMirror
   3dbe8bfbb..fb41d24ef  master     -> origin/master
   ec80b2508..e747db16d  develop    -> origin/develop
 * [new tag]             v2.1.3     -> v2.1.3
 * [new tag]             v2.14.0    -> v2.14.0
 * [new tag]             v2.15.0    -> v2.15.0
 * [new tag]             v2.16.0    -> v2.16.0
 * [new tag]             v2.17.0    -> v2.17.0
 * [new tag]             v2.17.1    -> v2.17.1
 * [new tag]             v2.18.0    -> v2.18.0
 * [new tag]             v2.19.0    -> v2.19.0
 * [new tag]             v2.2.1     -> v2.2.1
 * [new tag]             v2.20.0    -> v2.20.0
 * [new tag]             v2.21.0    -> v2.21.0
 * [new tag]             v2.22.0    -> v2.22.0
 * [new tag]             v2.23.0    -> v2.23.0
 * [new tag]             v2.24.0    -> v2.24.0
 * [new tag]             v2.25.0    -> v2.25.0
 * [new tag]             v2.26.0    -> v2.26.0
 * [new tag]             v2.27.0    -> v2.27.0
 * [new tag]             v2.28.0    -> v2.28.0
 * [new tag]             v2.29.0    -> v2.29.0
 * [new tag]             v2.30.0    -> v2.30.0
 * [new tag]             v2.31.0    -> v2.31.0
 * [new tag]             v2.32.0    -> v2.32.0
 * [new tag]             v2.33.0    -> v2.33.0
 * [new tag]             v2.34.0    -> v2.34.0
 * [new tag]             v2.35.0    -> v2.35.0
 * [new tag]             v2.36.0    -> v2.36.0
Updating 3dbe8bfbb..fb41d24ef
error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by merge:
        package-lock.json
        package.json
Please commit your changes or stash them before you merge.
Aborting

[ember1205]

Update…

Updating the modules crashes the server. So, I’m going to have to get the main server updated… I had to revert to a prior snapshot to get the MM server running again.

[sdetweil]

@ember1205 said:

package-lock.json
package.json

erase those and git pull again

[ember1205]

@sdetweil I’ll have to try again a little later today maybe… I had to revert the snapshot (removing the module updates) to get it running again.

[sdetweil]

@ember1205 understand… please advise your results when you can