3.7 Keeping the System Up-to-date
openSUSE
offers a continuous stream of software security patches for your product.
The openSUSE Updater applet informs you about the availability of patches and lets
you easily install them with just a few clicks. The
openSUSE community also provides updates to newer versions of software
packages. openSUSE Updater keeps a list of all programs installed on your system
and informs you whenever newer versions are available.
NOTE: Patches vs. New Versions
The patches offered by openSUSE either fix security holes or serious
errors in the software. A patch normally does not upgrade to a newer
version and does not offer additional functionality. A new program version
offered by the community may offer fixes, too, but primarily adds new
functionality.
The openSUSE Updater applet resides in the system tray (KDE) of your panel or in
the notification area (GNOME) as an icon depicting the head of the openSUSE
mascot (Geeko), which changes depending on the availability and relevance of
patches and the status of openSUSE Updater. Whenever the icon changes, a tool tip
displaying the current status is shown, too.
- Green Geeko Head
-
No patches or new versions available.
- Blinking Green Geeko Head (KDE) / Gray Geeko (GNOME)
-
openSUSE Updater is busy (for example checking for updates, installing software).
- Red Triangle with Exclamation Mark
-
Security patches available.
- Orange Star with Arrow
-
Recommended/Optional patches and/or new versions are available.
- Yellow Triangle with Exclamation Mark
-
An error occurred.
3.7.1 Installing Patches
The current patches for openSUSE are available from an update software
repository. If you have registered your product during the installation, an
update catalog is already configured. If you have not registered openSUSE,
you can do so by running
in YaST.
openSUSE
provides patches sorted by relevance level. Security
patches fix severe security hazards and should definitely be installed.
Recommended patches fix issues that could compromise
your computer, whereas Optional patches fix non-security
relevant issues or provide enhancements.
Whenever the openSUSE Updater icon shows the availability of patches, left-click
to open the software installation window. It lists the number of
Security and Recommended patches
available. While the security patches are installed by default, you can
choose whether to install the recommended ones as well. Some patches,
such as new kernel versions, require to restart your computer. Check
to skip
these updates for now. Start updating your system by clicking
.
A click on opens the Available
Updates window which shows a detailed list of all patches
and allows you to alter the selection of packages that will be installed.
Apart from the patch name the (Security,
Recommended or Optional), a short and the patch
version number is shown. Patches are sorted alphabetically by
default—change this by clicking on a column headline
(, ,
or ). Click
to proceed.
You will be prompted for the root
password after having proceeded with . openSUSE Updater
performs the installation of the patches. See the system tray (KDE) or the
notification area (GNOME) for status messages and a progress meter.
The YaST Online Update offers advanced features to customize the patch
installation. Please refer to Section 3.1, YaST Online Update,
(↑ Reference ) for more information.
3.7.2 Installing New Software Versions
New software versions are available from software repositories provided by
the openSUSE community. By default no such repositories are
preconfigured. To add a repository, right-click on the openSUSE Updater icon and
choose . Before the YaST
module starts, you will be
prompted for the root password.
Please refer to Section 3.5, Adding Software Repositories for more
information. A list of popular community repositories is available at
https://en.opensuse.org/Additional_YaST_Package_Repositories.
WARNING: Trusting External Software Sources
Before adding external software repositories to your list of repositories
make sure this repository can be trusted. openSUSE is not responsible for
any potential problems arising from software installed from third party
software repositories.
openSUSE Updater does not monitor repositories for new software versions by
default. To enable this feature, open the configuration window as described
in Section 3.7.3, Configuring openSUSE Updater and tick the check box of
. When
the openSUSE Updater icon indicates the availability of updates, click on the icon
to launch the software installation window. Click on
and then on the tab
to open the list with new software versions. Either select single packages
by checking the box in front of an entry, or click . Click to start the
installation of the selected software packages. You will be prompted for
the root password. See the system
tray (KDE) or the notification area (GNOME) for status messages and a
progress meter.
3.7.3 Configuring openSUSE Updater
By default openSUSE Updater is started on login, checks for updates every 24
hours, shows no notifications and only monitors the availability of
patches. To change this behavior, right-click the applet icon and choose
.
The configuration dialog also offers to change the back-end. Currently, only
is available. Support for other back-ends is
planned for future versions.
