How To Upgrade or Update CentOS

Introduction

CentOS is a popular fork, or derivative, of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution.

CentOS 7.6 is a minor update and was published in December 2018. It includes updates and changes, including support for newer software and server technology. This guide will walk you through upgrading and updating the current version to the latest CentOS release.

Prerequisites

  • Access to a command line / terminal window (Menu > Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
  • The yum package manager, included by default

Upgrade CentOS to Latest Version: 6 Easy Steps

Step 1: Check current CentOS version

Check the version of your current release with the command:

cat /etc/redhat-release

The system should display the CentOS Linux release version. Make sure the first number is at least 7.x.x.

Step 2: Verify data and backups

Backing up important server data should be done before running a operating system upgrade. Take a moment to verify your system backups.

Step 3: Check for available updates

Check available CentOS updates with the command:

sudo yum check-update

The system will display a list of available updates, including the core operating system updates. Scan through these to make sure everything is in order.
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