Make sure to read the status before proceeding: Debian bullseye port ^[archive]

Notices[edit]

Table: Release Upgrade Whonix ™ Notices

Notice	Description
Difficulty	Downloading a new Whonix-Gateway ™ / Whonix-Workstation ™ (Factory Reset) is easier than applying the Release Upgrade instructions on this page. https://www.debian.org/releases/bullseye/amd64/release-notes/ch-information ^[archive] https://www.debian.org/releases/bullseye/amd64/release-notes/ch-upgrading.en.html ^[archive]
Release Upgrade vs Re-Installation	To use Whonix ™ 16, users can either: A) Release upgrade existing Whonix ™ 15 images using the instructions on this page; or B) Factory Reset using the Whonix ™ re-install method by downloading the new release, which is much simpler than upgrading Non-Qubes-Whonix ™ 16: download the new release. Qubes-Whonix ™ 16: download the new release.
Standard Upgrades	For standard ("everyday") upgrade instructions see Operating System Software and Updates. The instructions on this page describe how to perform a Release Upgrade from Whonix ™ 15 to Whonix ™ 16.
Automated Release Upgrade vs Manual Release Upgrade	Automated Release Upgrade is the newer method, does not ask questions, therefore easier to use but overwrites configuration files in folder `/etc` with Debian or Whonix ™ package version, should the user have modified that file. Manual Release Upgrade did effectively the same, offered more control over system customization but it was deprecated. ^[1]

High Level Overview[edit]

Backup all data - ideally have a copy of the VM(s) so it is possible to try again (if necessary).
Perform the usual standard ("everyday") upgrade instructions.
Consider running the optional sanity tests.
Release Upgrade Whonix-Workstation ™ (whonix-ws-15).
Power off Whonix-Workstation ™ (whonix-ws-15).
Release Upgrade Whonix-Gateway ™ (whonix-gw-15).
Restart Whonix-Gateway ™ (whonix-gw-15).
Restart Whonix-Workstation ™ (whonix-ws-15).

Sanity Tests[edit]

These are optional, but recommended. To complete sanity tests, please press on expand on the right.

sudo dpkg --audit ; echo $?

sudo dpkg --audit ; echo $?

Expected output.

0

sudo dpkg --configure -a ; echo $?

sudo dpkg --configure -a ; echo $?

Expected output.

0

Get package upgrades.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

For testing purposes, install package nano.

sudo apt-get install nano ; echo $?

sudo apt-get install nano ; echo $?

## ... successful installation of nano ...
0

## ... successful installation of nano ...
0

Apt install fix missing.

sudo apt install -f

sudo apt install -f

Expected upgrade.

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Release Upgrade[edit]

Backup all data - ideally have a copy of the VM(s) so it is possible to try again (if necessary).
Perform the usual standard ("everyday") upgrade instructions.
Consider running the optional sanity tests.
Run systemcheck.
Consider keeping the full release upgrade log output. It will be required for Support in case there are issues.
Perform the automated release upgrade using the release-upgrade ^[archive] script.
```
sudo release-upgrade
```
sudo release-upgrade
Done. If everything went well, at the end it will show:
INFO: OK. (release-upgrade version: 1.3) Release upgrade success.
Reboot.
Optional, recommended: Re-install Meta Packages and Safely Run Autoremove

Footnotes[edit]

↑ It is still possible. All the automated release-upgrade ^[archive] script does is things which a user could perform manually as well. If a manual release upgrade is desired, the user could emulate what the release-upgrade script is doing. Due to the size of the instructions, duplication, manual release upgrading remains undocumented.

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