OMV 4 how to update smartmontools/smartctl manually to latest version?

1. offizieller Beitrag

    Hi everyone, I have a running installation of OMV 4.1.32-1 on my small Intel i3 mini PC (Beelink L55) and I would like to update the smartmontools manually if possible, as there are no apparent updates shown.


    Today's vanilla version is 6.6 from 2016 [smartctl 6.6 2016-05-31 r4324 [x86_64-linux-4.19.0-0.bpo.6-amd64] and I see on their website that version 7.1.x is available for Debian (although not sure if it's a newer Debian such as the one used in OMV 5 or can equally run on OMV 4):


    https://www.smartmontools.org/wiki/Download
    and
    https://packages.debian.org/buster-backports/allpackages pointing to https://packages.debian.org/buster-backports/smartmontools


    If I understood well from another previous exercise with collectd that needed updating for DiskStats plugin to work with newer OMV 4.1.x releases, the "buster" branch or tree is apparently a stable release channel, as I can see it being the case in the above URL too.


    I am a power user but limited with deeper Linux/Debian knowledge on package installations etc. so a quick help or guide is appreciated, as I am comfortable with CLI.


    What is the best way you suggest, so that I can update smartctl to 7.1 without messing up my installation?


    Your feedback and instructions are very welcome! Thanks in advance.

    OpenMediaVault 6.9.13-1 • Intel NUC NUC6CAYH • Intel Celeron J3455 • 2x4GB RAM • Samsung 870 QVO 4TB • USB Boot (System)

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    Why do you think you need to update the smartmontools?


    What new features, in the newer versions, do you feel are most important to you?


    OMV is based on Debian. Debian is well known for stability. That stability comes in part from not upgrading to the newest version of the packages used. Indeed, Debian is sometimes accused of being overly cautious and careful. This is a good thing when Debian is used as the base for appliances like OMV.


    I think that you should try OMV 5 and see if the version of smartmontools provided there has the updated features you require.


    Or simply try it. Be prepared to learn a lot. And perhaps also fail. The stuff you learn can later be applied to other aspects of OMV, Debian and Linux. So it might be worth it, especially if you are young.


    Locate and activate the latest unstable and testing repositories for Debian. (Google it, there are many guides available online.) And then update only the smartmontools. After that disable the unstable repositories to avoid having something updated that might break OMV. And then see if OMV is still working OK. And if Debian still is stable enough to be usable. This can be a significant effort, but if you have compelling reasons for needing a updated version of the smartmontools, it might be justified.


    Or, for a possibly even newer version, locate the source code and dependencies for the latest version of smartmontools and compile and then install and test it. This is likely to be an even more significant effort. And an even better learning experience... Again, the internet is full of guides on how to compile and install from source code.


    If/when you succeed, write a simple guide to help others do what you did. And make sure Google index it so it can be easily found.


    It might be easiest to try first using just Debian. Then try to install OMV on top.

    Hi @Adoby and thanks for your reply.


    For once, I have two possible reasons for wishing to upgrade smartmontools on OMV 4. Temperature readings and SSD reports of SMART information.


    I am using two internal drives, a Crucial MX500 M2 1TB as boot/data system (hybrid) and an extra internal Seagate 2.5" Barracuda 2TB HDD for media.


    On OMV 4.1.32-1 the temperatures reported in the UI (Storage > SMART > Devices) keep changing every time I refresh that tab, especially true for the Crucial M2 SSD. I am talking a 10°C difference here; I go into the tab, SSD reports 45°C and upon a refresh, goes down to 31°C... Then upon next refresh, it is shown closer to a possible real value.


    Moreover, the SMART > Attributes information window does not work well for my Crucial M2 SSD, referring to the "Status" column that has all in gray; for the Seagate HDD, the "Status" column seems to work better, I only get a bunch of green round indicators and all others are gray. Not sure if this is a UI problem or not?


    Anyway, if someone can help me understanding how to update from a Debian package, I would appreciate. Again, I am basing on the guide for collectd in another thread, as mentioned before.


    So to more experienced admins out there, would you suggest that we...


    • Add the "backports" package list by creating a new file in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ and name it buster-backports.list for example?
    • Inside this buster-backports.list file, add the Debian buster-backports URL?
    • Refresh the apt packages with apt-get update command?
    • Then run something like apt-get -t buster-backports install smartmontools for example?

    OK so I did most of the above and added this line:


    Code: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/buster-backports.list
    deb http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-backports main


    Then refreshed with apt-get update command. Then I searched on-line how to show a package if existing, its version etc. So I ran apt-cache search smart and got the following:


    root@NAS:/etc/apt/sources.list.d# apt-cache search smart
    smart-notifier - graphical hard disk health status notifier
    smartmontools - control and monitor storage systems using S.M.A.R.T.


    Then I ran apt-cache show smartmontools found on-line too, and got 2 releases shown, the 7.1-1~bpo10+1 and 6.5+svn4324-1 one:



    So I wanted to ask you all: is it safe in terms of system installation procedure and linking of needed (system) files etc. and doing things in a nice clean way, to run apt-get -t buster-backports install smartmontools in order to install the (hopefully) newer smartmontools package and have it run or replace the existing older one?


    Can anyone advise on a correct procedure/method if the above is not? Any risks from your experience? How one reverts to previous version of a package if needed?


    Thank you again.


    P.S. To revert the packages list and remove "buster", I remove/delete /etc/apt/sources.list.d/buster-backports.list and run again apt-get update command..

    OpenMediaVault 6.9.13-1 • Intel NUC NUC6CAYH • Intel Celeron J3455 • 2x4GB RAM • Samsung 870 QVO 4TB • USB Boot (System)

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Konsti ()

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    What makes you think that newer versions of the smartmontools will work better? Have you checked it and tested it using some other distro? I would assume that would be what you verify first?


    Nothing concerning computers is safe. What you are doing might break OMV. Or not. Make sure you have good backups and a way to get back to a working system. Reinstall from scratch if needed.



    If it works, it works. You have to provide your own guarantees.


    When I experiment I backup the root filesystem and make sure that I can easily restore it. Typically I just clone partitions. That is often the fastest and easiest.

    Hi @Adoby although you have valid arguments regarding caution and backing up an installation (would be interested to know what tool or method you'd suggest) any instructions on doing things correctly (per my second post) would be appreciated, too.


    I do believe a newer version may bring improvements, but I cannot know if version 7.1.1 would solve my problems, of course. Perhaps I could run a USB-LIve version of Debian 9 or 10 (if it exists) and see.


    Nevertheless, if someone can confirm the procedure described above in installing smartmontools from "buster" would work, it would be great. Would just like to understand what (if any) impact of installing such a package from an external source such as "buster" instead of just using the vanilla one that came with OMV 4. It's also a learning curve for me personally, hopefully aided by a more experienced Debian/Linux user than myself.


    In any case, if someone else did update smartmontools you're welcome to write your steps.

    OpenMediaVault 6.9.13-1 • Intel NUC NUC6CAYH • Intel Celeron J3455 • 2x4GB RAM • Samsung 870 QVO 4TB • USB Boot (System)

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von Konsti ()

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    You can install some recent Linux distribution on a thumbdrive and see if that version is better. Perhaps Ubuntu? You can also update on the thumb drive. Or read the version logs and see if 4here is something that indicates that the changes/improvements you require has been made.


    There is absolutely no point in trying to update Debian/OMV, unless smartmontools actually has been updated/changed to provide the functionality you require. I recommend that you first try to establish if there is any point in trying to upgrade.


    I use partclone to clone my SD cards with the root filesystem. I wrote my own small scripts. Quick and easy to restore. Also nice for thumbdrives, with changes. There are many threads here about how to backup or clone the root filesystem. If you don't set up a system for backing up and restoring your root filesystem you will have to reinstall from scratch every time you mess up and are unable to recover. After a couple of time wasting reinstalls from scratch you will realize that you really, really need some method to backup and restore the rootfs.


    New to OMV and Linux

    Thank you for your points @Adoby I might as well first try this on a thumbdrive indeed. I will post my findings if I would see a behavioural difference in smartctl 7.x that would be there, hopefully.


    I will also check out partclone as it sounds interesting and did have a backup solution in my to-do list. Thanks.

    OpenMediaVault 6.9.13-1 • Intel NUC NUC6CAYH • Intel Celeron J3455 • 2x4GB RAM • Samsung 870 QVO 4TB • USB Boot (System)

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