Upgrading to Debian 7.0 (wheezy) on ARM

<p>

Debian 7.0 (wheezy) has <a href =
"http://www.debian.org/News/2013/20130504">been released</a>.  Here are
some notes if you're running Debian on an ARM-based NAS device or plug
computer and are planning to upgrade.

</p>

<p>

First of all, if you're running Debian on a plug computer, such as the
SheevaPlug, make sure that you have u-boot version 2011.12-3 (or higher).
If you're using an older version, the Linux kernel in wheezy will <a href =
"http://bugs.debian.org/658904">not boot</a>!  You can read my <a href =
"http://cyrius.com/debian/kirkwood/sheevaplug/uboot-upgrade/">u-boot
upgrade instructions</a> on how to check the version of u-boot and upgrade
it.

</p>

<p>

Second, check your <tt>/etc/kernel-img.conf</tt> file.  If it still
contains the following line, please remove this line.

</p>

<div class="code">
<pre>
postinst_hook = flash-kernel
</pre>
</div>

<p>

This <tt>postinst_hook</tt> directive was needed in the past but
flash-kernel is called automatically nowadays whenever you install a new
kernel.

</p>

<p>

Now you're almost ready to start with your upgrade.  Before you start, make
sure to read the <a href =
"http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/armel/release-notes/index.en.html">release
notes</a> for Debian 7.0 on ARM.  This document contains a lot of
information on performing a successful upgrade.

</p>

<p>

During the kernel upgrade, you'll get the following message about the boot
loader configuration:

</p>

<div class="code">
<pre>
The boot loader configuration for this system was not recognized. These
settings in the configuration may need to be updated:

 * The root device ID passed as a kernel parameter;
 * The boot device ID used to install and update the boot loader.
</pre>
</div>

<p>

On ARM-based NAS devices and plug computers, you can simply ignore this
warning.  We put the root device into the ramdisk so it will be updated
automatically.

</p>

<p>

There are no other issues I'm aware of, so good luck with your upgrade and
have fun with Debian wheezy!

</p>

<!-- time: 2013-05-06 16:43:45 -0400 -->