Your device running KerOS supports two update methods:
Using APT (Advanced Package Tool), you can update or install individual software packages. This method only updates the required components and keeps your data intact.
More details about a full software update using APT below
This method replaces the entire system image with a new firmware version. It is similar to reinstalling an operating system on a computer.
Using this method erases all user data and customizations.
Unless you specifically need to reinstall the full firmware, Kerlink strongly recommends using APT for regular updates and maintenance. See firmware reinstallation if you want to proceed.
APT is the package manager used on KerOS to install, upgrade, and remove software packages. It works with:
For full details, see the official APT documentation.
The official repository is already configured on your device.
Update the APT package list:
sudo apt update
Install a package:
sudo apt install <package_name>
Example with tcpdump:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install tcpdump
You can also search for package containing a string:
sudo apt search something
If you obtained a Debian package file (e.g. mypackage.deb), install it with:
sudo apt install ./mypackage.deb
To install a new package from a third-party repository, please refer to the online APT documentation.
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade <package_name>
To synchronize all packages with the latest available versions:
sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade
When upgrading, if a package needs to update a configuration file you have modified, APT will ask what to do. You can predefine the behavior using dpkg options:
--force-confold : keep your current configuration, install the new one as .dpkg-dist.--force-confnew : always replace your file, keep the old one as .dpkg-old.--force-confdef : let dpkg decide automatically when possible (default).--force-confmiss : reinstall a configuration file if it is missing.Example command for an automatic conflict resolution:
sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confdef" \
-o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold" \
--assume-yes dist-upgrade
Certain package updates —particularly those involving the Linux kernel or low-level system libraries— require a system reboot to fully apply the changes. Our system includes a custom APT hook that automatically detects when a reboot is necessary.
The reboot mechanism ensures that critical updates —especially security patches— are properly activated, maintaining the system’s stability and compliance. The reboot will take place automatically.
By default on the firmware, automatic updates are deactivated and configuration files are not present.
To keep your system up-to-date without manual intervention, you can configure automatic updates with unattended-upgrades.
sudo apt install unattended-upgrades
/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/52unattended-upgrades-localTo avoid configuration files conflict, do not modify Keros default configuration, prefer overriding using local customization
Example configuration:
Unattended-Upgrade::Origins-Pattern {
"origin=*";
}
Unattended-Upgrade::Remove-Unused-Dependencies "true";
Unattended-Upgrade::SyslogEnable "true";
To enable automatic upgrades, /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades must also include:
APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "always";
APT::Periodic::Unattended-Upgrade "always";
APT automatically runs updates through systemd timers:
Check timers with:
sudo systemctl list-timers --all
sudo systemctl edit apt-daily.timer
sudo systemctl edit apt-daily-upgrade.timer
Kerlink provides two types of repositories:
Stable (default, recommended):
Contains the supported and validated software versions for production use.
Testing:
Contains newer packages being validated for the next release. This repository allows you to test new packages.
Suitable only for lab testing environments, NOT recommended for production.
Configured repositories can be found in:
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/keros-deb.list
Example (default stable):
deb https://deb.keros.wanesy.com/<machine> stable main
To switch to testing, edit this file and replace with:
deb https://deb.keros.wanesy.com/<machine> testing main
sudo apt update before installing or upgrading packages.