Linux Mint 21 first steps

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Now that I have LM 21 Cinnamon installed it’s time to start using it. My first steps include doing first update, getting FF upto date and get an AV/AM app working.

First step is running the updates in package manager. It says there are 138 updates available. Should I just let all of these update at the same time? Also, it asks if I want to connect to a local mirror. I think this is a good idea.

Next is to get FF updated to the latest version. If I try to update through FF it says “Updates disabled by system administrator”. Will FF update through the Package Manager?

Third I need an AV/AM To protect my system. ClamAV and Clamtk seem to be the standard apps. Do I just install through package manager?

I am sure I will have more questions as I start using my LM machine. Thanks for your patience.

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bassmanzam wrote:

Next is to get FF updated to the latest version. If I try to update through FF it says “Updates disabled by system administrator”. Will FF update through the Package Manager?

If you check out this Linux Mint developer blog you’ll see the collaboration between Linux Mint and Mozilla which has led to changes.

Search in the blog for Firefox says it’s being managed by my organization and it’ll take you straight to the info you’re looking for (although I note that they’re fast running out of time this year to make planned changes to be able to update within FF again).

Hope this helps…

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bassmanzam

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I would let all 138 updates install at the same time. Let the Update Manager handle it. Most updates go quickly but with 138 it could take 30-40 minutes. Using a mirror site is optional. I’ve never used a mirror site and I haven’t had any problems. Mirror sites are supposedly faster but I’ve never had a complaint about speed.

FF will update through the Update Manager.

IIRC you will automatically get Clam AV when you install Clamtk, the latter being the graphical interface for ClamAV. It installs through Software Manager. Clam is OK and has gotten a lot better but it’s still fairly slow and you may not be patient enough to do daily or weekly scans. IMHO it’s main use is scanning downloaded files or files from usb flash drives.

I’m running Mint 20.3 Cinnamon and it occurs to me the names of some programs (apps) might be slightly different in your 21. From the way you’ve worded things I think what you call ‘package manager’ is what I call ‘Update Manager’ – the app with the 138 updates in it. ClamAV and Clamtk doesn’t install through the updater, but through what I call the ‘Software Manager’. For me, ‘Update Manager’ has an icon (looks like a shield) in the lower right taskbar (called the panel in Mint 20.3). I get to ‘Software Manager’ from the ‘LM icon in the lower left panel: click on that and there’s an icon for ‘Software Manager’ right above, or look for it in the alphabetical listing of programs.

Also, set up the firewall with Firewall Configuration. You can set up rules if you want, but to start use Home for profile, make sure Status is On, set Incoming and Outgoing to Deny and Allow, respectively. That will keep you safe.

To me Mint is much more intuitive than the macOS you’re used to and than Windows 10. It’s a lot more like Windows 7 or XP. You should get the hang of it quickly.

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bassmanzam, Fred

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Get the first initial updates (your 138). If you have to reboot do so and then see see if there are anymore system updates. If not then download Timeshift and set a restore point. Then you can start downloading what programs you need.

Try to find a good mirror closest to you. These will vary over time but when a problem pops up just try a new mirror.

Firefox will update through the package manager.

One thing I miss on POP!_OS is the differentiation between security updates, program features, and updates to third party programs. On LM I would prioritize security updates first. I would also install programs in smaller groups for better troubleshooting if there is a problem. If you install many programs and have a problem it is harder to determine a cause than with one new program.

I used the Flatpak Clamtk  and it could be slow but it worked okay. It updated through the UI. One thing I learned was to scan something small like the .var or etc folders first to get the program working and then scan my download or another folder. Clamtk goes through a “setting up” routine where it appears dead for a while.

For Clamtk on Mint you may want to go with the Flatpak. It seems lighter and newer. I installed the ,deb version on my new comp and it seems a lot slower.

I never scanned the whole computer as Clamtk is so slow. I would scan downloads or any attachments friends sent me and my .wine folder due to Windows games and third party add-ons.

For the firewall GUFW is fine. Just turn it on and use the default settings. i used “home” as my computer type.

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bassmanzam

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I had some time this weekend to work on my next steps in installing LM 21.

First, I updated all 138 updates using Update Manager. You were right DrBonzo, I don’t know where I came up with Package Manager. It took around 20 minutes to download and install those 138 updates. When I started FF it was running the latest version 108.0.1.

Next, I installed ClamTK using Software Manager. Again DrBonzo was right. But when I started it the gui was way different then what was shown in Software Manager.

I also enabled the firewall without issue.

Then I wanted to copy my FF bookmarks from a USB flash drive to my LM. But it seems that the USB drive was not recognized. I tried a different USB flash drive and it wasn’t recognized either. I am using a USB mouse could that be interfering somehow?

Thanks to all for the advice!

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DrBonzo

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If your touchpad works try unplugging your usb mouse and plugging one of the flash drives into that usb socket.

Did you try plugging one of the flash drives into another usb socket?

You might have a bad usb socket or a bad flash drive.

If you don’t get anywhere with the above, shut down the computer, start it back up, insert a flash drive, and let it sit for a few minutes.

Might be some kind of formatting thing. I’ve used windows formatted flash drives in Mint before but never used a flash drive formatted with a Mac. Speculating here.

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bassmanzam

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DrBonzo, I just booted up my LM laptop and plugged in my USB flash drive. And it was recognized! I didn’t do anything special other than starting from “fresh”.

The gui for my Clamtk is still different from Software Manager preview. See below…

Firemind…When you say run Timeshift and set a restore point do you mean create a “snapshot”? Do you save these to an external drive or flash drive?

Still trying to get used to everything here in LM.  I noticed that LM 21.1 was released.  Do I need to upgrade to it or just stick with what I have?  What would the procedure be to update to a newer version of LM?

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DrBonzo

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That’s a good trick to remember for flash drives.

My Clam interface looks like your second screen shot (startup). I wouldn’t worry about the different appearance. Sometimes documentation is not totally up to date.

Stick with what you have for now. 21.1 is new and could have some bugs. Let them get ironed out.

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bassmanzam

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Couple other comments:

If the Mint release pattern holds, there will be 20.0, 21.1, 21.2, and 21.3. All will be supported to April (I think) of 2027. They will likely all be very similar. Once you get used to 21.1 you can visit the Mint website from time to time and see how the next version is coming along and what’s new in it. @Microfix here at AskWoody frequently posts links to new versions, etc. If the new version sounds like it’s got useful new features you can try them out by making a bootable flash drive with that version and testing it out without installing it.

I believe @firemind means ‘snapshot’. You probably should save the snapshots to an external drive in case your HDD/SSD dies. FWIW I don’t do that. I keep a flash drive with my current Mint version on it that I can boot from and install. I backup my files to a different flash drive. If my computer heads south I can boot from the flash drive, install my Mint version, update it, and copy my files back to my HDD/SSD and be back up and running in an hour. That’s my system and it works for me. As they say, YMMV, and I’m sure there are others for whom it would not work. Whatever you’re comfortable with and that works for your needs is what you should go with.

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bassmanzam

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How to upgrade to Linux Mint 21.1

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I am just noticing that I don’t have a swap file (partition). Would it be beneficial to create a swap file or am I okay without one?

I am really happy with LM 21 since I’ve installed it. I still haven’t created a snapshot yet. Is it okay to use the same USB flash drive for snapshots and regular file backups?

 

 

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I’ve never set up a swap file and I can’t say I’ve ever been affected by not doing that.

Should be OK to use the same flash drive for snapshots and file backups.

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bassmanzam

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Sorry for the delay in responding.  It seems I do have a swapfile that is 2GB in size.  If you type “free” without the quotes it will report a swapfile of 2GB.

I still haven’t had a chance to create a snapshot. Is a snapshot similar to making an image in Windows?  Will try to get at it in the next couple of days.

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That’s the default swap file. You can also see it in System Monitor, Resources tab where there’s a circle graph of how much of the swap file is being used.

I think a Snapshot is more like a restore point in Windows.

I’ve not done this but you can apparently make an image of your HDD/SSD by going to Disks and choosing Create Disk Image… under the 3 vertical dots (not sure what you call it but it’s analogous to a hamburger menu) in the upper right of the window.

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bassmanzam

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I tried to create a snapshot today but it got created on my hdd instead of my USB flash drive. When I selected the USB drive for the “destination  ” drive it said it didn’t have a Linux partition. I assumed it would format the drive for me. When I looked at the instructions to create a Snapshot it says that the  “destination” drive will NOT be formatted! My mistake. I’ll try to format the USB flash drive and try again.

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If you want to create an external snapshot using timeshift, ensure that the destination drive (usb flash/ External HDD) is formatted to EXT4 for max compatibility.

Keep IT Lean, Clean and Mean!

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DrBonzo

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Yep, I formatted my USB flash drive as EXT4 and ran a Snapshot. Unfortunately it was as slow as molasses. It took like 15 minutes to do 15,000 files! So I remembered I had an external SSD that was gathering dust.  I formatted it as EXT4 and reran the Snapshot and it finished over 300,000 files in about 15 minutes! The SSD is 250GB in size so should have lots of room for Snapshots and user backups.

Happy New Years everyone!

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DrBonzo

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