Desktop

Installing Desktop Updates

Standard Desktop Update

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Before You Begin:

  • Ensure the admin component is up-to-date.
  • Verify you have enough free space: df -h /var/btrfs

For Devices with < 32GB Storage

If your device has less than 32GB of storage and you are performing a major version update (e.g., from 23.x to 24.x), you must free up space first. Use the tl-comp-manage tool to delete old desktop versions and system snapshots before proceeding.

1. Check Available Version

tl-comp-latest desktop # Verify target version

2. Unpack the Update Image

tl-img-unpack /var/btrfs x.x.x  # Replace x.x.x with the version number

3. Apply the Update

tl-img-restore /var/btrfs x.x.x  # Same version as above

4. Finalize

sudo reboot # Complete the installation

Mini Devices (<20GB Storage)

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This special procedure is for devices with very limited storage (less than 20GB).

Requirements

  • A bootable TechLit USB drive with at least 15GB of free space.
  • Admin component version 0.12.0 or newer must be installed on the system.

A. Prepare the USB Drive

1. Verify Update Exists Locally

First, ensure the desktop-mini component is on your machine.

tl-comp-latest desktop-mini

If it’s not there, pull it from the bastion first (e.g., tl-comp-pull desktop-mini http://bastion).

2. Transfer Files to USB

Mount your USB drive and copy the necessary update files to it. The desktop-mini files must be placed in the desktop directory on the USB.

# Mount the 4th partition of your USB drive
sudo mount /dev/sdx4 /mnt 

# Create the destination directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p /mnt/desktop /mnt/admin

# Transfer the mini desktop and the admin component
rsync -avP /srv/desktop-mini/vx.x.x* /mnt/desktop/
rsync -avP /srv/admin/vx.x.x* /mnt/admin/

# Unmount the drive safely (wait until you get the prompt to unplug)
sudo umount /mnt 

B. Boot and Install from USB

1. Boot from the USB Drive

Restart the computer and boot from the prepared USB drive. This process can vary by device. For Chromebooks, you may need to press ESC during startup.

2. Execute the Update

Once booted into the USB environment, run the hardware update command, targeting the computer’s internal drive.

# Update an existing TechLit system
tl-hw-update-desktop /dev/mmcblk0 # Replace with the correct internal drive

# Use this for a fresh install or if the update fails
tl-hw-prepare /dev/sdX tl-xxxx 

3. Complete the Update

reboot

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