Debian 5.0: Way to Go, Lenny!
The deal is closed: Debian 5.0, code-named Lenny, is officially available.
The long-anticipated Debian 5.0 is based on Kernel 2.6.26, while support for 2.4 was discontinued. Also put into retirement were Apache 1 and XMMS 1, which will be replaced by their successors. The newly supported architectures include Armel, whereas 32-bit SPARC V8 will also go away.
The new Debian-Installer clearly supports more hardware, such as some SATA RAID controllers, thanks to the current Kernel. Installation media can be changed during installation; Blueray is also available next to CD and DVD.
Upgrading from the most recent Debian 4.0r7 "Etch" uses distupgrade, where admins should proof the list of removed packages. The upgrade procedure in the Lenny release notes explicitly cautions in a "Prepare a safe environment" section to perform the distro upgrade "either locally from a textmode virtual console (or a directly connected serial terminal), or remotely via an ssh link." It recommends against upgrading using telnet or from an X session to avoid a newstart of the network services or X Server leading to a possibly half-upgraded, inaccessible system.
Caution also applies if using lilo as the bootloader in that Lenny generates initramfs images that are too large for lilo, in which case the standard grub bootloader is a better choice.
Lenny increased the number of software offerings from Debian 4.0 of almost 10,000 to 25,000. New ones include Nagios 3, MySQL 5.0.15 and PostgreSQL 8.3. The GCC version is 4.3 and the GLibc C library version is 2.7.
Equally interesting for server admins is that support ends for the EVMS LVM manager and was replaced by KVM kernel virtualization. Also, ryslog replaces the old kernel log daemon klogd/sysklogd.
Debian 5.0 is dedicated to the memory of developer Thiemo Seufer who died December 26 in a tragic car accident.
Lenny is available for download in a number of variants. Experienced admins with an excellent Internet connection should be happy with the CD/DVD images from mirror sites. However, the website recommends downloading via BitTorrent to take the load off the mirrors.
Issue 262/2022
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
OpenMandriva Lx ROME Technical Preview Released
OpenMandriva’s rolling release distribution technical preview has been released for testing purposes and adds some of the latest/greatest software into the mix.
-
Linux Mint 21 is Now Available
The latest iteration of Linux Mint, codenamed Vanessa, has been released with a new upgrade tool and other fantastic features.
-
Firefox Adds Long-Anticipated Feature
Firefox 103 has arrived and it now includes a feature users have long awaited…sort of.
-
System76 Refreshes Their Popular Oryx Pro Laptop with a New CPU
The System76 Oryx Pro laptop has been relaunched with a 12th Gen CPU and more powerful graphics options.
-
Elive Has Released a New Beta
The Elive team is proud to announce the latest beta version (3.8.30) of its Enlightenment-centric Linux distribution.
-
Rocky Linux 9 Has Arrived
The latest iteration of Rocky Linux is now available and includes a host of new features and support for new architecture.
-
Slimbook Executive Linux Ultrabook Upgrading Their CPUs
The Spanish-based company, Slimbook, has made available their next generation Slimbook Executive Linux ultrabooks with a 12th Gen Intel Alder Lake CPU.
-
Fedora Linux is Coming to the Raspberry Pi 4
Thanks to significant work in the upstream, the upcoming release of Fedora 37 will introduce support for the Raspberry Pi 4.
-
New Linux Ultrabook from TUXEDO Computers
TUXEDO Computers has released a new 15" Ultrabook running Linux.
-
GNOME 43 To Bring Some Exciting New Features
GNOME 43 is getting close to the first alpha development release and it promises to add one particular feature that should be exciting to several users.