Is it possible to install F13 while running F11?

toddbailey · #1 9th August 2010, 05:45 AM

Just wondering, I have a new sata drive connected via a usb docking station.
I'd like to install F13 x64 on this new drive and was wondering if there is a procedure to do this while f11 -i386 is running in desktop mode.

any thoughts ?

fedix · #2 9th August 2010, 06:20 AM

yes, I would think so by using dual boot.

Boot with a live CD of FC13 and choose to install on the new SATA drive.

toddbailey · #3 9th August 2010, 07:02 AM

I guess I didn't make myself clear, I want to install F13 while F11 is running.
The install destination is independant from the F11 system
I am trying to avoid as much server downtime as possible, so F11 needs to be up and running while a install process is running.

diamond_ramsey · #4 9th August 2010, 08:41 AM

toddbailey, thank you for your posts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddbailey

I guess I didn't make myself clear, I want to install F13 while F11 is running.
The install destination is independant from the F11 system
I am trying to avoid as much server downtime as possible, so F11 needs to be up and running while a install process is running.

Sounds intriguing!

If I understand your requirement, then I believe you want to have your Fedora 11 running and "concurrently" execute a Fedora 13 install onto a different destination drive, correct?

If so, then off-hand, I believe the answer may be no.

Sounds like you are interested in updating your production server from Fedora 11 to Fedora 13, correct?

I think the best one could achieve would be a virtual machine instance "concurrent install" of Fedora 13 while Fedora 11 is running.

I could be wrong but if there is a way, then other forum members may have other ideas for your to pursue.

davidvandoren · #5 9th August 2010, 04:50 PM

http://www.pendrivelinux.com/install...using-windows/

It is possible to install the Fedora live to a flash while running windows.
So why shouldn't be possible?

I guess it's going to be complicated.
Maybe you hook your usb drive to a similar or better identical pc and install it there then later just tinker a little bit to get it running on yours.

jpollard · #6 9th August 2010, 05:47 PM

I haven't tried this, but you could install it in a VM - giving that VM the new disk...

After installation the new disk should be bootable (add it as though a foreign system
to boot grub on that disk).

fedix · #7 9th August 2010, 11:57 PM

I also agree with diamond_ramsey. Off the hand, I think it wouldn't be possible to run a production machine and concurrently install a second o/s.

After reading the link to install to a flash drive with liveusb-creator, I think it is possible. Technically speaking, there is no difference between a USB flash drive of 1GB and a USB drive of 320GB, right?

Intriguing, I'm going to try it now myself.

Bender_Unit#21 · #8 10th August 2010, 12:08 AM

Why wouldn't it be possible? You can always chroot to the new system. I'm not sure but downloading the new anaconda from F13 and running it on F11 would help?

In the old days you would install the system from a running one (like a LiveCD) and you would need to install using chroot instead of shiny graphical installers

kurtdriver · #9 21st August 2010, 04:03 PM

You just want to install F13 onto a USB key while booted from F11? Yes, with liveusb-creator or dd. I believe that if you use dd you'll have to set the mbr as active with fdisk. Easier would be to burn a Cd from the F13 iso, boot from that and click on "Install to drive" and make sure you pick the right drive, (your USB key should be on the list). I've done that several times. Select encryption from within Anaconda if you'll have secrets on it.

smr54 · #10 21st August 2010, 04:50 PM

One possible alternative (it's what I do at work, when putting a new distro on).

Do a minimal install of F13, which takes about 5 minutes.

Then, boot back into your F11 (note that you *did* have to bring down F11 for the 5 minutes or so of the minimal install.) Now, open a terminal, mount the F13 install, and do a chroot into it. You can, while the main system is running, now finish installing F13, that is, adding X and so on.

Don't know if this solution is useful for you, but for my needs, it works quite well.

toddbailey · #11 21st August 2010, 06:01 PM

Actually after trying several times to install & configure F13 on different machines, w new drives I eventually gave up.
I'm not sure what's going on at Fedora central, but the product no longer works for me. between not being to compile and install video drivers, several other apps not working and unable to login to the root account on boot up to runlevel 3 something is quite broke.
But the change happened back in F12, it didn't work right either so I stuck with F11. My F11 install is getting unstable so a reinstall in needed. Still I want to upgrade to a 64 bit version so I'm looking for a new distro, open suse looks promising.

What I was hoping to do is have f11 running and connect a usb drive and install f13 on the new drive with out having to interrupt f11 operation, but like I stated F13 doesn't work any more, for me.

jpollard · #12 22nd August 2010, 12:36 AM

Fedora 11 shouldn't be unstable. I've been running it for 3 years (thereabouts anyway)
with no issues at all.

If you have an unstable system, I suggest checking your hardware.

sidebrnz · #13 22nd August 2010, 03:08 AM

You might be able to do what you want with preupgrade. I know you're not going to be able to use the machine as a workstation during the upgrade, but that's not what you want anyway. You should be able to have the various services active although service might be a tad slower than normal if that's OK.

toddbailey · #14 22nd August 2010, 03:11 AM

F11 is stable as far as I know, but some of the applications are not. MythTV for example, dbmail for another. Both use mysql
The hardware is sound but the system is problematic at times. Usually a reboot fixes it.
But I had to code in error recovery to manually fsck all the pratitions and also run a check of the database tables each time a crach/reboot is needed.
Currently I have to reboot once or twice a week on a good week other times is every day or every other day.
Is this good or bad? I don't know but what I do know is F12 and F13 do not function properly to permit me to upgrade or install.
I've been using Fedora since FC 2 and it has improved over the years, but ever since F 12 was released thing turned for the worse, for me at least. I tried to install F12 and F13 but somewhere the design changed and it's unusable for my needs.
I don't have the patience I once had and I just want things to work with out all the drama.
Once I have suse built, installed and configured and UAT completed and approved, Fedora will become a memory...
But UAT is the big issue and stopping point, if it don't work out of the box or near enough, I'm off to find a new distro that works as it should.

jpollard · #15 22nd August 2010, 08:58 AM

Unstable applications do not require a reboot - a service restart maybe, but then you
can identify what service you are having problems with.

F13 has known problems with HP printing... so I have to drop back to F11 for scanning
and printing. But I have never had a problem with MySQL.