As a PHP developer I ran into backporting sometime ago - back while
CentOS was still around.
I host with a friend that owns a hosting company. He has been extremely
reluctant to install anything not in the repository. I think he was
looking for stability.
I only use what is in the repository.
To use a package that is not in the repository is an opportunity to get
things out of sync.
I am running Ubuntu 24.04lts. It comes with PHP 8.3. I think PHP is
not actually 8.3 at this point because the maintainers are constantly
updating the PHP package with newly released bug fixes, security fixes,
etc. The version number will always be 8.3 forever. This ensures all
works as designed.
I asked AI about RHEL and BackPorting :
Yes, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) does backporting of packages as
part of its standard update and maintenance process.
What is Backporting?
Backporting refers to the practice of taking a newer version of
software, typically a security fix or a feature enhancement, and
adapting it for use on older versions of the software or operating
system. This allows users to benefit from important updates without
needing to upgrade to a newer version of the software or system.
How Does Backporting Work in RHEL?
In the context of RHEL, backporting typically involves the following:
Security Fixes: If a critical security vulnerability is discovered
in a newer version of a package, the fix is often backported to the
version of the package in the RHEL version being used. This ensures that
older, stable versions of RHEL remain secure without having to upgrade
the entire package or system.
Bug Fixes: Sometimes, issues in older versions of software may be
addressed by backporting bug fixes from newer versions.
Stability Considerations: RHEL prioritizes stability for its
enterprise customers. While upstream software projects may introduce new
features in their latest versions, RHEL's focus is on ensuring that
software on a given RHEL release remains stable. Backporting ensures
that security and stability are maintained without disrupting the
enterprise environment with major changes.
Example of Backporting:
Let's say RHEL 8 uses version 3.6 of a package (for example, Apache HTTP
Server), but a security vulnerability is discovered in version 3.6. The
newer version of the package (say, version 3.8) includes a fix for this
issue. Rather than requiring RHEL 8 users to upgrade to version 3.8 of
Apache, Red Hat may take the relevant security fix from version 3.8 and
apply it to version 3.6. This process of applying only the fix (without
upgrading the entire package version) is called backporting.
Benefits of Backporting:
Security and Stability: Backporting allows Red Hat to maintain the
security of older software without forcing users to upgrade to a newer
version, which could potentially introduce compatibility issues or
disrupt other services.
Long-Term Support: RHEL releases typically have a long lifecycle (10
years or more), so backporting helps ensure that users continue to
receive important updates for many years without having to upgrade to
new major versions of RHEL.
Avoiding Disruption: Backporting focuses on applying fixes without
introducing breaking changes, helping maintain the integrity and
compatibility of the system.
In summary, backporting in RHEL is a critical feature that helps
maintain security and stability in older versions of software while
minimizing the impact on users' systems.
Keith
On 2024-12-09 12:08, Snyder, Alexander J via PLUG-discuss wrote:
> Thank you! Following that guide I was able to get the packages I
> needed for Python3.12 installed.
>
> Really appreciate the help!
>
> --
> Thanks,
> Alex.
>
> On Mon, Dec 9, 2024 at 9:24 AM Stephen Partington via PLUG-discuss
> <plug-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>
>> So installing a PPA under Debian has a few more jumps to it.
>>
>>
> https://linuxconfig.org/install-packages-from-an-ubuntu-ppa-on-debian-linux
>> And they appear to have the keys you need listed in that Blog post.
>>
>> On Sun, Dec 8, 2024 at 4:05 PM Snyder, Alexander J via
>> PLUG-discuss <plug-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Have I mentioned how much I vastly dislike Debian?!
>>>
>>> I think so .... but anyhoo ...
>>>
>>> I can't seem to install this PPA repository.
>>>
>>> I'm using a Raspberry Pi 4 with "Raspberry Pi OS" (formerly
>>> Raspian) -- which is secretly Debian Bookwork (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
>>> under the covers.
>>>
>>> I'm trying to install Python3.12 and (apparently) it's not
>>> included in the main OS repositories by default, so after a bunch
>>> of Googling, I found I need a 3rd party repo called "Dead Snakes"
>>> (_because that sounds trustworthy_) ... and while the command
>>> "apt-add-repository" failed on a python error, I was able to add
>>> the line manually in "/etc/apt/sources.list.d/deadsnakes.list" ---
>>> but then I get an error about the key missing ...
>>>
>>> =====================
>>> --> apt update
>>> Hit:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm InRelease
>>> Hit:2 http://deb.debian.org/debian-security bookworm-security
>>> InRelease
>>> Hit:3 http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm-updates InRelease
>>> Hit:4 http://archive.raspberrypi.com/debian bookworm InRelease
>>> Get:5 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu jammy
>>> InRelease [18.1 kB]
>>> Err:5 https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu jammy
>>> InRelease
>>> The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public
>>> key is not available: NO_PUBKEY BA6932366A755776
>>> Reading package lists... Done
>>> W: GPG error:
>>> https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu jammy
>>> InRelease: The following signatures couldn't be verified because
>>> the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY BA6932366A755776
>>> E: The repository
>>> 'https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu jammy
>>> InRelease' is not signed.
>>> N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is
>>> therefore disabled by default.
>>> N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user
>>> configuration details.
>>> ===========================
>>>
>>> This is the repo URL:
>>>
>> https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu/dists/jammy/
>>>
>>> and on that page, I see a GPG file, which I tried (_probably
>>> incorrectly_) to install:
>>>
>>> curl -fsSL
>>>
>>
> https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/deadsnakes/ppa/ubuntu/dists/jammy/Release.gpg
>>> | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/deadsnakes.gpg
>>>
>>> but then when I do "apt update" I get the error shown above.
>>>
>>> This is infinitely easier on RedHat ... just sayin'
>>>
>>> Anyhoo -- I appreciate the help on this. I would prefer to not
>>> compile Python from source on a Raspberry Pi, as that takes over
>>> an hour to do.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thanks,
>>> Alex.
>>>
>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>> PLUG-discuss mailing list: PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org
>>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
>>> https://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>>
>> --
>> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you
>> from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze
>> button.
>>
>> Stephen
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> PLUG-discuss mailing list: PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
>> https://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list: PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
> https://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
---------------------------------------------------
PLUG-discuss mailing list:
PLUG-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
https://lists.phxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
(text/plain)