Updating Rpi with Packman

I originally installed RISC OS (RC6) on my RPi using Win32DiskImager, soon after it became available, and spent some time loading software onto my SD card and getting things working to my taste. When RC7 became available I used Packman to upgrade the firmware. I must have done something wrong because it all went pear-shaped and I had to start laboriously all over again – still with RC6 because I knew that had worked the first time.

Am I right in thinking that by using Packman one can in principle update the RPi firmware and ROM without having to go through the labour of reloading one’s software and settings? Using Win32DiskImager the SD card gets wiped, I presume. I would quite like to advance to using RC8, but the information given by Packman for RaspberryPi-ROM only shows that version 5.19.20121101.2344-1 is available, which I suspect is not the latest. Also, it reports that I have version 5.18-2 installed, whereas the About the Operating System proginfo box, when I click Menu on the raspberry, gives version 5.19 (31-Oct-12). How do I get Packman to think again about which version of the OS is present?
Is it likely to cause mayhem if it has got this wrong?

All advice welcome.

Yes, PackMan can do it. There’s some packages in the testing repository that will update any version to RC8. The testing repository isn’t enabled by default – add the raspberrypi-testing URL from this listing to your PackMan sources window. Then update and upgrade and you should be in RC8.

The reason this isn’t ‘official’ yet (without having to add the ‘testing’ repo) is I’ve had zero time to work on RISC OS stuff since Wakefield, and it needs more testing before going live to all users. So if you’re able to give feedback that would be most handy.

There is a simpler way. Get a spare SD card and use Win32Diskimager to put RC8 onto that card. Put that card into your Pi and boot from it. Rename the SD card filecore drive to something other than ‘RISCOSPi’ (to avoid ambiguous drive name errors later). Switch off. Switch on. Copy the contents of SDFS::0.$.!Boot.Loader to your RAM disc (this will include files like ‘CONFIG/TXT’ and ‘RISCOS/IMG’). Remove the SD card and put your [much worked on and precious] RC6 SD card back in. Copy the files from the RAM disc back into the DOS image file SDFS::0.$.!Boot.Loader, replacing those RC6 files with the new RC8 files. Now switch off (do not shutdown as this will corrupt the CMOS settings).

Now switch on. The default CMOS settings will need to be updated (if you had previously changed them) but things like network settings are stored on the SD card and should be OK. The were no changes to any other files between RC6 and RC8.

Thanks to all for the help. I now have RO version 5.19 (19-Mar-13) on the Raspberry Pi. I cannot see RC8 being mentioned anywhere, but maybe that is superfluous.

There is a simpler way.

Your version of ‘simple’ and mine obviously differ. The PackMan way is:

1. Run PackMan. Iconbar menu → Advanced → Sources
2. Add http://packages.riscosopen.org/packages/pkg/raspberrypi-testing
3. Make sure ‘update lists’ is ticked and ‘OK’. It’ll now download a list of packages available.
4. Iconbar menu → Upgrade all. Wait a minute or so while it downloads and installs everything.
5. Reboot (the machine will handle the CMOS update process itself)
6. Job done, you’re now in RC8

Steps 1-2 are only necessary while it’s still in ‘testing’ mode.

RC8 is a combination of a ROM from March (that you have) and new firmware to support Hynix RAM chips – it’s simply the filename of the disc image, the number ‘RC8’ it doesn’t appear in the disc image itself, TTBOMK.

Your version of ‘simple’ and mine obviously differ.

Simpler only in the sense that precisely what is changed is clear to the user. Just the six files in the FAT partition. Perhaps I should have used the word ‘primitive’ or ‘from first principles’?