Debian Update from 10 (buster)

Technical Support
1

Hi Support

I notice that my RS4D and Boom are both running Debian 10, buster.

lsb_release -d
Description: Raspbian GNU/Linux 10 (buster)

Will it be possible to update to 11 or 12 as I’d like to run Cockpit to manage all my Pis and the shakenets are the only ones I cannot install the Cockpit files onto as buster is not supported?

Regards

Jeff

2

Hello Jeffi,

That’s correct; our latest Shake OS (v0.20) runs a modified Debian 10 (Buster) release.

It is possible that, for a future Shake OS version, we could be implementing the latest (at the time) Debian release (12+), but there is no current ETA for this to happen. You can do two things for now:

  1. if what you want to achieve is not urgent, wait for a new, updated Shake OS release; or
  2. try to upgrade the OS yourself and see if anything breaks.

You can easily perform all the tests you want, as going back to the current Shake OS is just a microSD card re-burn away: microSD card topics

If you find that the new Debian releases do break something, a possible (temporary) solution could be installing ZeroTier (How to connect to Raspberry Shake remotely) to help manage the Shake. However, I think that this could be doing less than what Cockpit is able to do, so I don’t know if it can be an effective alternative for you.

If you have other questions, let me know.

3

Hi There - any news on the updated Shake OS release given that buster is getting long on the tooth?

Thanks.

4

Hello Jeffi!

I’ve requested an update from our software team, and they informed me that a new Shake OS release is expected to be deployed (barring any unexpected issues) within the next two to three months.

Additionally, the upgrade of the OS itself to a more modern version is being considered, depending on the overall integration and modification requirements.

Thank you for your continued interest in our Raspberry Shakes! We’ll make sure to keep everyone posted when the OS is released.

5

Would it be possible to distribute the software as a docker/compose app using docker hub?

6

I’m curious about your docker use case - would you have multiple different apps running on the Pi docker alongside ShakeNet? Would this need a newer Pi model to support docker containers? I wonder if the extra applications cause any issues with the instrument’s sensitivity ie extra processing generates more RF noise?

7

It isn’t so much that I want to run other applications, I want to be able to run this on an underlying operating system that is not two iterations (or more) old. The current system already runs on docker containers, but launched and managed from “special” scripts instead of the standard docker compose procedure.

8

Valid point - that would solve one of my concerns. Thanks.

9

Hi - please add me to the list of “concerned users” about continued use of Buster, now 3 MAJOR releases old. Among other this, this is a VERY LARGE security risk. With some help from Claude, I did a quick scan for unfixed CVE against the packages installed on my PiShake and discovered this:

  • 226 open CVEs on Buster affecting packages installed, cross-referenced against Debian’s own tracker data
  • Debian’s own security team has not touched Buster triage since June 2024 — over two years
  • At least one confirmed CVSS 10.0 (Critical) in the mix (Zerologon, in Samba) — with the domain-controller caveat noted honestly
  • Debian’s official tooling (debsecan, the web tracker) no longer supports Buster at all

I do hope SOMEONE in your organization will take this seriously and that an update will be forthcoming, sooner rather than later.

Please, take this as an OBSERVATION, NOT a threat - I suspect this represents a rather large liability to your organization should someone get hacked.

1 Like
10

Have to agree with @clayj at this point in time. While the risk is generally low with how a Raspberry Shake is configured (read: behind a NAT of some type), it doesn’t exclude the fact that the Operating System backing the Raspberry Shake hardware is now woefully out of date no less the fact, end of life. A path to upgrade the operating system is needed.

I never really dug into how the raspberry pi interfaces via the GPIO for the Raspberry Shake board, but i assume there’s some underlaying issues supporting it on newer generations of software (read: compiler-version shared object locks).

11

hello clayj,

thanks for your post. this subject has previously come up in a few other posts in the recent past, to which i replied in full. you can find a full explanation of the system and how we handle security here.

a couple of important points to keep in mind when understanding the system in its full context:

  • the Raspberry Shake is provided as an appliance, and is specifically not intended to be used as a general-use computer
  • when our security guidelines are followed, (most notably that the unit not be exposed directly to the internet at large), the unit is, in fact, more secure than all those computers regularly and directly accessing the internet at large, e.g., your phone, computers, TV, etc.

that said, it is in the near-term planning to upgrade the OS version to the latest available, to make this release available for download. a formal announcement will happen when this takes place.

thanks again, your concern is appreciated.

warm regards,
richard