Around 15 years back when we decided to start a server administration division, we were wondering which Linux based OS to use.
We finally decided on Debian after evaluating many different Linux distributions.
Some advantages of Debian
– Debian is free and open source software and will always be 100% free.
– Debian is stable and secure with reasonable default configuration for every package as well as regular security updates during the packages’ lifetimes.
– Debian has extensive hardware support.
– Debian provides smooth Upgrades to keep the operating system up-to-date.
– Debian is the base for many other distributions like Ubuntu, Knoppix, PureOS etc
Debian life cycles and security support and LTS (long term support)
Debian has excellent security support. The Debian security team tries to support a stable distribution for about one year after the next stable distribution has been released. New distributions are released roughly every 2 years, so this ensures any distribution gets at least 3 years of official security updates.
Over and above this, the Debian Long Term Support (LTS) project extends the lifetime of all Debian stable releases to (at least) 5 years. Debian LTS is not handled by the Debian Security team, but by a separate group of volunteers and companies interested in making it a success.
Why was this upgrade required?
Our servers were running Debian 9 (which was released in June 2017) which had support till June 2022 (so 5 years support), after which we would not get security updates anymore. This would make our servers vulnerable, hence we had to replace the servers with new servers with the upgraded OS. This is similar to how you would replace Windows OS with a new version of Windows.
If this is an OS upgrade why do we need to update the website / service / project / code / database?
When you download some programs you need to choose at times if it’s meant to run on Windows 7 or 10 or XP. Similarly our database and code has been setup and developed keeping a specific version in mind, and we don’t know in future, which command or which block of code may no longer work with the new updated OS and its updated software.
What are the advantages of Debian 11?
Debian 11 is the latest stable version of Debian GNU/Linux, which is known as a reliable, stable and secure operating system for server environments. By upgrading to the latest release, we benefit by getting the latest software, including new security patches, and all the upgraded technology that comes with the new release.
This release contains over 11,294 new packages, along with 42,821 updated packages for a total count of 59,551 packages.
Debian 11 will be supported and receive updates till July, 2024 by the official Debian team, and after that, till June, 2026 by the Debian Long Term Support (LTS) team.
What has been keeping us busy the last few months?
This is exactly what our development, hosting, and security team were involved with from mid 2021 till now. Estimating work involved, working with clients and suppliers, changing the code, testing, ordering servers, migrating to new OS and new hardware, and ensuring all does well. It’s been many months of work, and our team has been doing an outstanding job. We have almost completed the huge mammoth task of all the work that had been approved.
These projects can now enjoy a home in Debian 11 for the next 4 years till June 2026.
We however do have some Debian 10 servers too for which we will start preparing mid 2023, well in time to shift before the June 2024 deadline.
Good bye Debian 9! We had an amazing 5 years!