Ubuntu – How to update Ubuntu if the update servers are blocked

update-managerupdates

I connect to the Internet through my college wifi and for some weird reason they have blocked all Ubuntu updates, so I cannot update Ubuntu through the common "Update Manager" way.

So I was wondering if there was some other method to update Ubuntu, maybe manually download each package and then install them or download a DVD image which already has all the packages.

I have Ubuntu 11.10 installed currently.

Best Answer

Ubuntu uses HTTP to update, which is the same protocol used to access most websites (including Ask Ubuntu). Therefore, it seems likely that the particular server you're trying to upgrade from is blocked or (perhaps more likely) otherwise inaccessible due to network problems.

If this is the case, then updating normally with the Update Manager could succeed, if you change your mirror.

You can do this in the Ubuntu Software tab of the Software Sources window. Change the selection in the Download from drop-down menu.

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One way to open the Software Sources window is by clicking Settings... in the Update Manager.

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Ubuntu – How to update Ubuntu when not connected to internet

Download the CD/DVD of choice and then:

sudo apt-cdrom add
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

This will treat the CD as a repository and let you grab packages from it. However if you have non-standard packages that aren't on the CD, you might run into issues. There is (I believe this is still true) a DVD that has lots more packages on it that might help... But for general purpose upgrades, apt-cdrom should do fine.

If you're dealing with a network of computers (or something that could be hammered into a network) you could perhaps look at apt-proxy or another similar setup where you can host the repository locally for other computers to access. This may well be faster than taking a CD from computer to computer.

Similarly, you could share an ISO over the network and use apt-cdrom

Best Answer

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Ubuntu – How to update Ubuntu when not connected to internet

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