SolydXK uses update packs to update the SolydX and SolydK systems at your home, organisation or company. These update packs are necessary to keep your system up-to-date and secure without jeopardizing the stability of your system.
Debian, by default, is a “rolling” distribution: its repositories are continuously changing which means you get system updates regularly. However, each update introduces a potential risk to your system.
This is why SolydXK has introduced the Update Pack (UP) method to manage the way updates are brought to the users of SolydX and SolydK.
The UP Process explained
SolydXK increases stability and security by testing the incoming packages before they are released. To guarantee up-to-date security, the SolydXK Security repository is updated on a daily basis, and therefore the SolydXK security repository is not included in the UP process. Note that not all security updates are offered through the security repository. The testing team will decide if an update is necessary.
The Update Pack is a quarterly process. The testing period is initiated on the first of the month, and will take two weeks of testing before making the Update Pack available for the public. The following dates are planned testing periods:
- Q1: January 1 – January 15
- Q2: April 1 – April 15
- Q3: July 1 – July 15
- Q4: October 1 – October 15
To further increase security both Firefox and Thunderbird are being built from source if there are new versions available. These packages do not necessarily follow the UP frequency, but will be released whenever they are available, tested, and found okay for release by the testing team.
If testing breaks, the testing process is stopped until the next quarterly. This is then communicated to the SolydX and SolydK users stating the reason and a description of the rest of the process.
The following channels are used to communicate to the SolydX and SolydK users:
- Blog: http://solydxk.nl/news
- RSS: http://solydxk.nl/feed
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/solyd.xk
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/solydxk
- Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/112450904523917402004
- Forum (this includes a breakages thread): http://forums.solydxk.nl
If testing is successful, this is also communicated by the above mentioned channels.
Current UP information
The information shown by the "Update Pack Info" button in the Update Manager:
[up-info=production][/up-info]