Arch Linux 2016.03.01 has been released – Here is how to upgrade it

Arch Linux 2016.03.01 has been released few days ago. It ships with Linux Kernel 4.4 LTS branch, and many updated packages, bug fixes.

This tutorial describes how to upgrade to Arch Linux 2016.03.01 from older version.

Upgrade to Arch Linux 2016.03.01 from older version

As you probably know, Arch Linux is a rolling release distribution like Gentoo. That means, there are no major release versions like in other Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, SUSE. Say for example, the latest release of Ubuntu distribution is Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. But in Arch Linux, there is no such kind of release version. Arch Linux packages are constantly being updated. All you have to do is to update and upgrade Arch Linux from time to time in-order to use most recent Arch Linux version.

Unlike other Linux distributions, Arch Linux upgrade method is very simple.

Warning: Before upgrading your Arch Linux, first you must read the latest Arch News to find out if there are any major software or configuration changes with the latest packages. Before upgrading fundamental software (such as the kernel, xorg, systemd, or glibc) to a new version, look over the appropriate forum to see if there have been any reported problems.

First, backup all important files.

Then, run the following command to update Arch Linux repositories, and upgrade to Arch Linux 2016.03.01 from any older version.

# pacman -Syu

Sample output:

:: Synchronizing package databases...
 core 122.6 KiB 105K/s 00:01 [######################] 100%
 extra 1753.7 KiB 70.2K/s 00:25 [######################] 100%
 community 3.4 MiB 246K/s 00:14 [######################] 100%
 multilib 162.2 KiB 266K/s 00:01 [######################] 100%
error: failed retrieving file 'archlinuxfr.db' from repo.archlinux.fr : Could not resolve host: repo.archlinux.fr
error: failed to update archlinuxfr (download library error)
:: Starting full system upgrade...
resolving dependencies...
looking for conflicting packages...

Packages (11) device-mapper-2.02.145-1 hwids-20160306-1 libldap-2.4.44-1
 linux-4.4.5-1 lvm2-2.02.145-1 openssh-7.2p2-1 os-prober-1.71-1
 pacman-mirrorlist-20160314-1 pcre-8.38-3 perl-5.22.1-2
 thin-provisioning-tools-0.6.1-2

Total Download Size: 74.06 MiB
Total Installed Size: 139.97 MiB
Net Upgrade Size: 0.11 MiB

:: Proceed with installation? [Y/n] y
[...]

That's it. Once the upgrade process is completed, reboot your Arch Linux system.

To check which kernel version you are using, run:

# uname -r

Sample output:

4.4.5-1-ARCH

Or you can find the Kernel details using command:

# pacman -Qi linux

Sample output:

Name : linux
Version : 4.4.5-1
Description : The Linux kernel and modules
Architecture : x86_64
URL : http://www.kernel.org/
Licenses : GPL2
Groups : base
Provides : None
Depends On : coreutils linux-firmware kmod mkinitcpio>=0.7
Optional Deps : crda: to set the correct wireless channels of your country
Required By : None
Optional For : None
Conflicts With : None
Replaces : None
Installed Size : 74.42 MiB
Packager : Tobias Powalowski <tpowa@archlinux.org>
Build Date : Thu 10 Mar 2016 12:09:37 PM IST
Install Date : Tue 15 Mar 2016 11:59:19 AM IST
Install Reason : Explicitly installed
Install Script : Yes
Validated By : Signature

Start using the new Arch Linux system.

To view all installed software in your Arch Linux system, run:

# pacman -Q

Arch Linux fresh installation

If you prefer fresh installation, download the latest Arch Linux ISO from the Link below.

• Download Arch Linux 2016.03.01

Burn the ISO to any CD or USB device. To make a bootable USB drive using 'dd' command, refer the line given below.

• How to create bootable USB drive using dd command

Then, boot up your system with the USB drive or CD, and start installing Arch Linux. Refer the following guide that shows how to install fresh Arch Linux in your Computer.

• How to install Arch Linux

Note: The Arch Linux 2016.03.01 ISO ships with Kernel 4.4.1. However, the Kernel will upgraded to 4.4.5 version automatically after updating your system.

Once you install Arch Linux, update it using command:

# pacman -Syu

That's all for now. If you find this tutorial useful, please share it on your social networks and support OSTechNix.

Cheers!!