Problems to update Knoppix

[fossiili]

Typing apt-get update in terminal:

........
W: The repository 'http://debian-knoppix.alioth.debian.org ./ Release' is not signed.
N: Data from such a repository can't be authenticated and is therefore potentially dangerous to use.
N: See apt-secure(8) manpage for repository creation and user configuration details.
knoppix@Microknoppix:~$

and with apt-get upgrade:

Preparing to unpack .../init-system-helpers_1.29_all.deb ...
Unpacking init-system-helpers (1.29) over (1.24) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/init-system-helpers_1.29_all.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite '/usr/share/man/man8/update-rc.d.8.gz', which is also in package sysv-rc 2:2.88dsf-53.2knoppix0
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.22-5) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.5-1) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/init-system-helpers_1.29_all.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
knoppix@Microknoppix:~$

[utu]

........
W: The repository 'http://debian-knoppix.alioth.debian.org ./ Release' is not signed.
N: Data from such a repository can't be authenticated and is therefore potentially dangerous to use.
...

This worries me as well.

[Werner P. Schulz]

Which Knoppix version are you using? Still V7.2.0? If so, this version is from summer 2013 and outdated. The current release is V7.6.1 (Jan 2016).

And by the way - never try "apt-get upgrade" within a Knoppix installation.

[utu]

Which Knoppix version are you using?

My LiveUSB is made from a Knopppix 7.6.1 iso with a release date of 2016-01-16.
I get the W line when I call up Synaptic and merely do a 'reload'.

I concur on never doing the upgrade, but the warning about signing seemed unusual
enough to question. Might this be an oversight on KK's part?

FWIW, I did a libc6 update per KK's suggestion.

[fossiili]

My usb-knoppix is Knopppix 7.6.1 with a release date of 2016-01-16

- never try "apt-get upgrade" within a Knoppix installation.

What's wrong with apt-get and Knoppix? I am new with the recent Knoppix, please let me know

[Werner P. Schulz]

http://knoppix.net/wiki/HD_Install_Warning_not_to_do_it
→ Why not upgrade Knoppix?

[Werner P. Schulz]

.. but the warning about signing seemed unusual enough to question.

http://debian-knoppix.alioth.debian.org/ isn't part of the Debian releases and maintainer of most of the packages within the archive there is "Klaus Knopper <[email protected]".

You can provide archive signatures in an archive under your maintenance, but it isn't stipulated. Prof. Knopper signs the whole ISOs with his key, not his archive. If in doubt you can download a package of his archive, build his checksum and compare this with the checksum listed in
http://debian-knoppix.alioth.debian.org/Sources.gz

[utu]

.
I'm looking for an expert opinion as to whether I should or should not concern myself
with the Synaptic warning about specifically referenced Alioth material 'not being signed'.

I suspect that one answer might be that this particular warning may just be disregarded,
for technical an/or substantial reasons beyond my knowledge & experience,
but I don't know that this is necessarily so.

[Capricorny]

What's wrong with apt-get and Knoppix? I am new with the recent Knoppix, please let me know

IMHO, nothing is wrong with Knoppix and apt-get. As to doing apt-get upgrade, that should IMHO be considered potentially dangerous in most Debian configurations. It may go well, but quite often, it doesn't. There are many reasons why. One of the most important is that in practice, a running system will often have some packages not native to the release mixed in - like Knoppix.

I have found one safe way to proceed, "everywhere Debian", to be

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -s upgrade

Then I get a report of the upgradable packages. In some cases, I will consider the risk of trouble so small that I proceed with the ordinary upgrade, but most often, I will start with some selected, important packages. I'm not sure how much is won with a huge upgrade within a Knoppix release, even if it should be possible. Like now with Debian 8.3 -> 8.4. I rather do the absolutely necessary updates and wait for the next Knoppix release, and that has worked fairly well over the years.

[Capricorny]

FYI, the output, right now, of sudo apt-get -s upgrade is 2487 lines long, 1092 packages to upgrade on a pristine Knoppix 7.6.1. Much of that is because unstable is among the sources.
The corresponding list on plain Debian 8.3 has 70 packages to upgrade. Still too much for me to trust all will go well.