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I am using Fedora 24 on a Chromebook. Since Fedora 25 is out for quite a while, my applications won't get the required updates until I update to Fedora 25.

I cannot update to Fedora 25 because I am limited to a 32GB Flash Memory that does not offer enough space, even if I empty all cache-directories etc.

I thought of using my 128GB USB-Flashdrive to extend the system space for the update. To not mess around with my setup, I'd like to ask what's the preferred approach for my situation. Should I make symlinks for (which?) specific directories on the external USB-Drive that will be used to store the downloaded system-update files? This was my first thought but the longer I think about, the more it sounds like a dirty workaround to me.

What would you do?

Bonus: What directories could one store on the external USB permanently without requiring the USB to be plugged for the system to boot/work? 

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;TLDR

My Harddrive is full but I need a system update. Can I use an external USB drive to update the system anyway?

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    Do you have old kernels installed which you could remove (if you don't have a separate /boot partition)? What filesystem are you using and what kind of partitioning layout do you have?
    – sebasth
    Commented Aug 23, 2017 at 19:44
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    Why don't you create a boot USB and install from it? If you don't have enough space for the installation files, prepare the USB on another computer.
    – harrymc
    Commented Aug 24, 2017 at 6:49
  • I don't have older kernel versions to delete. I am using 2 partitions: boot (ext4), fedora (lvm2). Is it possible to update the system from the live-installer without any loss of data? The fedora partition is LUKS-encrypted in case that matters.
    – Jonathan
    Commented Aug 25, 2017 at 14:41
  • There are never any guarantees, but you can take a backup image of the whole disk before starting and stay safe enough.
    – harrymc
    Commented Aug 25, 2017 at 16:59

1 Answer 1

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The simplest method to upgrade the computer is to create a boot USB and install from it.

Since you don't have enough space for the installation files, you will need to prepare the USB on another computer.

As this is an old production machine that must not stop working, take a backup image of the whole disk before starting. There are never any guarantees during upgrade, so this will let you at least roll-back the disk to its current state.

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