So why is it that the other person could run the command pihole -up today and it accepted it, yet, when I do it: I am told the OS is out of date/EOL?
Maybe the EOL check was added in a later version and the person in question had a Pi-hole installation that did not check for it. Also, you're up to date according to your screenshots. This is just a warning but does not hold you back from updating.
It seems .... wrong
The term EOL is a completely normal term in the lifecycle of a software project.
But the only visible difference between the other person's machine and mine is the FTL version.
It may be nice if I could update FTL.
Oh, sorry...
Yes, I get EOL, I am just not impressed with the ..... lack of consistency with definitions.
The link I was pointed to has a vague definition of which OS are supported.
Again: Not directed at you.
It just isn't helping me get the few brain cells I have to understand.
If you do a dig -t txt versions.pi-hole.net it will list the officially supported OSs. This is basically how the install script and update script work.
versions.pi-hole.net. 5 IN TXT "Raspbian=11,12 Ubuntu=20,22,23,24 Debian=11,12 Fedora=39,40 CentOS=9"
You can try to update using PIHOLE_SKIP_OS_CHECK=true sudo -E pihole -up
There is a risk in doing so though. The differences between os versions can grow especially as security updates are added to newer versions but not those that are EOL.
There was a recent change to the documentation that removed the explicit version numbers supported and added in the line:
Pi-hole only supports actively maintained versions of these systems.
Perhaps this part needs adding in an info/warning box.
Do you have a link to the topic/thread where this screenshot came from? It would be helpful for those with a trained eye to be able to explain the differences between that user's situation and your own.
However the "solution" to your issue is in your own screenshot
That said, as @stonerl pointed out - Debian 10 is EOL, and as such is not officially supported by the maintainers of Debian / Raspberry Pi OS, so it may be a good idea to look at upgrading to a newer version of the operating system so that you are up to date with the latest security patches and improvements there.
The supported OS page was updated in the last few days to list the officially supported OSs and say "Pi-hole only supports actively maintained versions of these systems." This fixed the problem of trying to maintain an active matrix of every supported variant of every OS.
There is no formal definition of "actively supported" – as you say, you were still getting updates for Buster so that is, in one way, still supported. However Buster is now two versions behind the current main version. Officially it's now an unsupported legacy OS.
Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy) will remain supported while the various components continue to receive updates. For Debian Buster, support will be available until June 2024.
What this means in practice is that you can run older versions but that you should make a plan to move your system to a current version as soon as you reasonably can. This could either be an in-place upgrade, if your versions are close enough and the OS supports it, or you could do a fresh install of the current OS and use Pi-hole's Teleporter feature to save a backup for later import into the new install.
In your case this latter approach is probably the best solution to get back up and running with everything current and supported.
The screenshot came DIRECTLY from that person to me.
They are my go to person for initial help on a lot of things.
(Shame on me for putting that much responsibility on them.)
I asked if theirs was Up to date and they said yes.
I then mentioned it is weird that I can't update mine.
We checked with each other and they have the same OS installed on theirs as I do on mine.
The only difference was the FTL version.
They updated theirs recently. Within the last week or so I seem to remember.
I did mine that day and was told it is not supported.
They tried to update theirs (as per screen shot) and it worked.
Though it was up to date and so nothing needed updating.
You, and many others, say Debian OS is at EOL.
And - not to you - I ask: Then why is it still getting updates?
EOL is EOL. As in it has been retired and NO LONGER UPDATED.
If it is getting updates, it can't be at EOL.
But that is above both yours and my pay grade - I believe is the saying.
I'll stop here as this is NOT directed at you and I see that also chrislph has replied saying pretty much the same.
That's not correct, the support is tiered and also packages within Debian may be updated by their maintainers independently. You may still see updates trickle in but you really need to move to a later, or the latest, version of Debian.
I put the relevant dates for end of life, end of support life, end of extended support life, and so on, for various different bits of kit, in a calendar so I can see them approaching and plan ahead if and when things need to be updated or replaced or retired.
Seems I may have to fork out some $$$ some day and get a RasPi 3 - as this one is a 2. And I'm sure it is getting to it's limits too.
So taking a step back:
As is, PiHole will work but I can't update it.
Alas just now I may have to live with that as I don't have money to burn (no job, no income)
As that machine does a few other tasks, it is going to be fun - not - getting it to the latest versions OS.
If you can get a spare SD card you could try the latest Pi OS, add Pi-hole and test your other apps too, and then put the main card back in when you're done testing and nothing is lost. Pi OS is compatible with all models and Pi-hole's environment is very light.
Ok, installing the OS is not too difficult.
Then I have to customise it to what I like.
Then install PiHole and get it working, and test it.
Then install the other stuff too.
Yeah, my problem.
I'll have to allocate some serious time to it and get it done.
Just I've heard some bad stories about the latest release and some nasty hidden surprises for some of the other software I use.
(This is not outlying stuff. It is main stream software.)
So that worries me.
As has been pointed out by myself (and someone else)...
sudo PIHOLE_SKIP_OS_CHECK=true pihole -r
and if that does not update (it should) run:
PIHOLE_SKIP_OS_CHECK=true sudo -E pihole -up
Looking again at your friends screenshot - they're already up to date, so the updater script would not have hit that part of the code. It is likely that they already got the OS warning when they first went to update, and then they followed the instructions in the message...
There are many versions of the Debian OS. 11 and 12 are currently supported by Pi-hole. 10 is not, but will likely still run (you need to use the bypass option). 9 won't run with Pi-hole, nor will older versions.
I am a bit flustered by this. (Not the end of the world.)
I was told by my mate while asking about the update/upgrade and they searched online.
I think it was GITHUB....
Someone had the same a similar problem.
I think they were OS 12 though.
Did the update with the bypass, stuffed up the whole thing and had to reflash the SD card.
So I am not exactly going to jump at that option if PiHole is working now.
I feel the pain if there's a lot going on with your setup. That's one reason someone can put off updating to a newer version. Since Buster is now officially EOLTS, as of end of June, it's a good idea to test a newer supported version. A second SD card should help make that testing quite painless - you can always just pop the original back in to get back to what you have now.
if you can get another spare card you can make an exact image of your current card and then test updates, bypassing and whatever you want, so you can get it just right to apply to your main card once you're reassured by what you've tested.
Definitely sounds like some testing is needed. Good luck with it, and as others have said you can use the bypass check in Pi-hole to move past the warnings for now while you plan.
