FC2 to RH9

[Scot L. Harris]

On Thu, 2004-06-24 at 10:00, Ted Gervais wrote:
> Has anyone thought of going back to RH9?  That release had virtually no 
> problems and while it was the last supported release it still is/was better 
> than the fedora distributions.  I am thinking of the problems with the 
> sound, scanners, and other hardware devices and applications.  I would have 
> thought that after FC1 that FC2 would have had all the current concerns 
> fixed and it would have been as good as RH9.  Turns out, it is many steps 
> behind the last RedHat release and makes one wonder about continuing.
> 
> Anyway - just wondering if others have had the same thought about going 
> back to what was better than the current FC2 release??
> 

FC1 was pretty much just RH9 with only a few changes.

FC2 was a major upgrade for the kernel and window manager as well as a
few other items.  I expect FC3 to be much more what everyone is looking
for in regards to the various issues that arose with FC2 release.

I personally do not plan on rolling any system back.  I have worked
through most of the issues and found workarounds or fixes.  I have
avoided most of the really bad issues by following a few simple rules.

1. Don't load new stuff on  critical boxes with out first testing on a
test box.

2. Don't upgrade a box just to be upgrading, particularly if it is a
critical production box.  If the old OS and applications work just fine
and there is no compelling reason to upgrade then don't upgrade.

3. Plan a back out strategy if things go horribly wrong.  

4. Make backups of all critical data.

5. Test your backups and make sure you can restore the data from
tape/CD/disk/paper tape/etc.

6. Document your system.  Print out harddrive and file system/partition
layout, motherboard chip sets, video card information, LAN card specs,
network configuration info (IP address, DNS, default gateway).

7. Allocate additional time to allow for some trouble shooting.  DO NOT
ASSUME everything will go smoothly, particularly the first time.  Even
if you executed step 1 several times, actual in the field upgrades can
and will be somewhat different from the lab.

8. Read the release notes and review the various forums and mailing
lists.  These are good indications of what people are having issues
with.

9. Wait several weeks before loading that brand new OS.  Many issues
will be found by the early adopters.  Benefit from their experience.  :)

10. Always always always put a hardware firewall between you and the
Internet in addition to using the firewall on the system.

I realize that many people don't have a spare box laying around to test
with.  As such follow rules 3, 4, 5, and 6 even more closely.  Make sure
you have the tools available to restore your system from a complete
harddrive failure.  That way if an upgrade or new install proves to
troublesome you simply fall back to what you have loaded previously.  

And if you have a problem with particular hardware or software then ask
the question providing as much information as possible.  There are many
generous people out here that are willing to work through a problem and
provide information if you ask.  


-- 
Scot L. Harris
webid at cfl.rr.com

Backed up the system lately?