How to Update Your VPS Server

Prerequisites

Before updating your server, make sure you have:

• SSH access to your VPS (username: hxroot)
• Your server IP address
• Root or sudo user password

Why Regular Updates Are Important

Keeping your server updated is critical for:

• Security - Patches for known vulnerabilities
• Performance - Bug fixes and optimizations
• Stability - Improved system reliability
• Compatibility - Support for new software versions

Method 1: Update Ubuntu/Debian Servers (APT)

Connect to your VPS:

ssh hxroot@YOUR_SERVER_IP -p 22

Update package lists (checks for available updates):

apt update

Upgrade all packages to latest versions:

apt upgrade -y

For a full system upgrade (including kernel):

apt full-upgrade -y

Remove unnecessary packages:

apt autoremove -y

Reboot if kernel was updated:

reboot

Method 2: Update CentOS/Rocky/AlmaLinux (YUM/DNF)

For CentOS 7 and older:

yum update -y

For Rocky/AlmaLinux 8+ and CentOS 8+:

dnf update -y

Clean up old packages:

dnf autoremove -y

Method 3: Set Up Automatic Security Updates

For Ubuntu/Debian, install unattended-upgrades:

apt install unattended-upgrades -y

dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades

Select "Yes" when prompted to enable automatic updates.

For CentOS/Rocky, enable automatic updates:

yum install dnf-automatic -y

systemctl enable --now dnf-automatic.timer

Check Your Current OS Version

lsb_release -a

Or for older systems:

cat /etc/os-release

Check Available Updates Without Installing

Ubuntu/Debian:

apt list --upgradable

CentOS/Rocky:

yum check-update

View Update History

Ubuntu/Debian:

grep " install " /var/log/dpkg.log

CentOS/Rocky:

yum history

Best Practices

• Run updates at least once a week
• Test updates on a staging server first (if possible)
• Schedule updates during low-traffic hours
• Keep a backup before kernel updates
• Monitor your server after updates