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Ok, I have a website that I manage on an Ubuntu box, but I haven't updated apache2 in a while. I would like to get up to date with the security patches etc.

The problem is that I don't have a Test or QA server or anything to "experiment" with and I don't want to knock out my website.

What are the risks of doing an apt-get update/upgrade to apache2 on a fairly active website?

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You should definitely consider getting a sandbox server! – Kusalananda Sep 19 '11 at 15:08
Ubuntu is based on testing/unstable repos, isn't it? There will always be a risk, IMO. – Rob Sep 19 '11 at 15:09
@Rob: the testing/unstable part is irrelevant. – akira Sep 19 '11 at 15:53
If you're worried about things going amiss, you wouldn't be updating/upgrading unstable, would you? – Rob Sep 19 '11 at 15:54
Updating the Apache web server might not be the risky part. It is more complicated if php is involved. – Strubbl Sep 19 '11 at 19:51
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Doing apt-get update / upgrade is considered to be very safe, because you'll only get bug fixes & security fixes.

Upgrading to a new release of ubuntu (like from 10.10 to 11.04) however might be risky. But you should be fine.

And just so you know: in case there is a problem, you can always install the previous versions of all packages.

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Thanks it is helpful to have someone come out and say this. – Kirk Oct 19 '11 at 18:49
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I've never had an apt-get (or aptitude, the preferred tool) upgrade break Apache. If you're worried, create a sandbox server as a VM on your PC, for instance using the free VirtualBox. You can make an image of your real server and run it within VB quite straightforwardly, although it will take a bit of time.

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