How to verify OS is good before rebooting?

Dan Hastings

3/29/24, 3:03 PM

A few months ago, I attempted to upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 to 22.04 and it failed. The system did not reboot after this, something to do with partitions that went wrong. Using various guides, I was able to get the server back online and it was restored back to Ubuntu 18 in the process.

I have installed updates and the system is telling me I need to reboot. How can I make sure the OS is in a good state so that If i do shut it down, It will boot back up without any issues? Are there any commands that will perform some kind of integrity check to ensure everything is as it should be?

I am running Ubuntu 18.04 on an OVH server without any UI. Command shell is my only way to interface with the server.

Edit: I am fine sticking with Ubuntu 18.04 as the LTS is good for some time. I simply did some package updates and one requires a server update. So I am not upgrading the OS, just updating Ubuntu 18.04. Given the trouble I had before, I am afraid to restart as I do run a busy website on this server and I am worried i may not be able to fix it if it wont start back up.

I do have backups so worst case scenario I'll spin up a new server and get the site up and running but its a lot of trouble.

0 + 6

server

boot

David

3/29/24, 3:08 PM

A couple of things. 1. 18 and 22 would make the version of Ubuntu being used Ubuntu Core. If this is not correct please edit the version info or add that it is Core. 2. There is nothing that will tell you if a upgrade or after installing updates that a system is going to boot with no issues. There is no check tools or any other test.

user535733

3/29/24, 3:13 PM

Hmmm. There is no supported direct upgrade path from Ubuntu 18.04 to Ubuntu 22.04, so it is unclear what you did or why it did not seem to work. Advice: Always backup your data before a release-upgrade. Further advice: Keep notes on how to rebuild your server from bare-metal and restore from those backups; you may find that such notes also help you maintain your server in top operating condition.

Rinzwind

3/29/24, 4:08 PM

The one and only method that is fail safe is to use a 2nd system and alternate between the two where you sync your personal files between the two or have those two use a network share for personal files.

Archisman Panigrahi

3/29/24, 6:12 PM

`I have installed updates and the system is telling me I need to reboot.` -- Are these just normal updates (which are usually very safe) or a system upgrade to a different version of Ubuntu (which may sometimes go wrong)?

guiverc

3/29/24, 10:15 PM

Please be precise with details; there is no upgrade path from 18 to 22; however as they are both *snap* only products (differing to 18.04 & 22.04) no application packages change (on 18.04 & *year.month* products all packages need to upgrade except for snap; 18 & 22 are *snap* only which is why they differ). Ubuntu 18.04 LTS reaches EOSS next month if that's what you're using.

Dan Hastings

3/30/24, 4:16 PM

@ArchismanPanigrahi this is just an "apt-get upgrade". So updates for my current install of ubuntu and the packages that are installed. So the risk is low and I wouldn't normally be worried but the fact i had trouble in the past when i did try to upgrade to ubuntu 22, i am worried there may be some aspects of the OS that are not in good shape and the reboot may prevent the machine coming back up

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: How to verify OS is good before rebooting?

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.