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Migrating a Debian 12 FileWave Appliance to Debian 13

Please note that this is here for testing purposes. FileWave QA has NOT tested FileWave with Debian 13 for production use. We are working on transitioning to Debian 13 with FileWave 16.3.0 at the end of 2025. This notice will be removed when we do so. This guide is published to get feedback from others and develop this process to be as safe as possible.

What

This guide explains how to upgrade a FileWave appliance running Debian 12 (“bookworm”) to Debian 13 (“trixie”). It focuses on the operating system upgrade process only — additional steps may be required for applications, services, or integrations you have installed. This is meant for the FileWave Appliances, but the idea should be able to apply to your Debian instance running FileWave or any other solutions.

For production appliances, we recommend:

  1. Take a full VM snapshot or backup before starting.

  2. Perform the upgrade in a staging environment first if you have one.

  3. Schedule downtime in case of post-upgrade adjustments.

When/Why

You should use this guide when:

  • Your FileWave appliance is currently on Debian 12, and you want to move to Debian 13 to take advantage of updated security patches, improved package support, and upstream enhancements.

Upgrading ensures long-term security compliance and keeps your system in a supported state for both Debian and FileWave.

How

Important: Before proceeding, you may want to read the Debian 13 Release Notes in full.

1. Check Free Disk Space

Run:

df -h

A minimum of 5 GiB free is recommended.

If needed, free space with:

sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoremove

2. Identify 3rd-Party Repositories

Just in case you have any added that might need to be adjusted for Trixie.

ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d

3. Update Current Distribution

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade --autoremove -y

If a new kernel is installed, reboot:

sudo reboot

4. Update Debian Repository to “trixie”

sudo sed -i 's/bookworm/trixie/g' /etc/apt/sources.list

5. Update All 3rd-Party Repositories

Assumes the repository supports Debian 13 (“trixie”). 

sudo find /etc/apt/sources.list.d -type f -exec sed -i 's/bookworm/trixie/g' {} \;

Afterward, run:

sudo apt-get update

Resolve any missing repository errors before continuing.

6. (Optional) Use screen to Avoid SSH Disconnects

This will let things finish even if your SSH session drops. Ideally, you would connect to your Debian instance via something like HyperV or VMWare console rather than an SSH session to be safe.

sudo apt-get install -y screen && screen

7. Upgrade to Debian 13

Say Yes to restarting services when prompted, and keep existing configuration files unless you know you need the defaults.

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade --autoremove -y
sudo reboot

8. Modernize Debian Sources (Optional but Recommended)

sudo apt modernize-sources

This will create /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian.sources and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/debian-backports.sources.

If trixie-backports fails due to a missing Signed-By, edit the file and add:

Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg

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Digging Deeper

The upgrade path from Debian 12 to Debian 13 is generally smooth for systems that are close to “vanilla” Debian. The biggest potential issues come from:

  • Third-party repositories: These must have a trixie branch. If not, you may need to comment them out temporarily.

  • Custom applications: Each application’s compatibility with Debian 13 should be verified before upgrading.

  • Kernel changes: Debian 13 may introduce new kernel defaults — test in a lab environment if you have kernel-level drivers or modules.

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