Linux Mint 20.3 is the latest available version of Linux Mint in the market. It is a stable and long-term release which is why it is highly advisable for all the users of Linux Mint to upgrade to this version. 

Here at Ibmi Media, we shall look into steps to upgrade from a Linux Mint 20.2 system to a Linux Mint 20.3 system.

Steps to upgrade from Linux Mint 20.2 to Linux Mint 20.3

It is very easy to upgrade to the Linux Mint 20.3 operating system if you have already upgraded to Linux Mint 20.2 from an older version of Linux Mint. 

However, if you are still running a version of Linux Mint older than 20.2, then you instantly need to upgrade to 20.2 before you can further upgrade to 20.3. 

The following link will help you out in upgrading to Linux Mint 20.2 if you are currently running a Linux Mint 20 system: https://linuxapt.com/blog/1276-install-nginx-on-ubuntu-20-04-lts-using-source-code . Now, let us go through the process of upgrading from a Linux Mint 20.2 to a Linux Mint 20.3 system:

1. Create a System Snapshot

Before upgrading, it is recommended to create a snapshot of the existing working Linux Mint 20.2 system. A snapshot is just a copy of the state of a system at a particular point of time. Therefore, if upgrade process fails due to certain interrupts such as internet or power failure, the snapshot will help you to return to the stable state of your Mint system.

For creating a snapshot, launch Timeshift utility from the application menu. It is a built-in system backup and restore utility in Linux Mint.

• Click on "Create" button to start the snapshot creation. After successful creation of snapshot, you are good to close the Timeshift application.
• Make sure the OS screensaver is disabled. This measure prevents the OS screen from locking during its idle timeout as it might interrupt the OS upgrade process:
• Launch "Screensaver" utility from the Application Menu.
• Set "Delay before starting the screensaver" to "Never".
• Close the application.

If you have Cinnamon spices already installed, you might want to use the Systems Settings to run their upgrades. These Cinnamon spices include themes, desklets, extensions, and applets.

2. Start the Upgradation of your Linux Mint 20.2 Virtual Machine to Linux Mint 20.3

To start the upgradation of your Linux Mint 20.2 virtual machine to 20.3, you will have to navigate to the Update Manager of your system and click on the "Edit" tab.

After that, you just have to select the option of "Upgrade to "Linux Mint 20.3 Una"" from the pop-up menu.

3. Continue with the Upgradation of your System

• Once you will select the specified option, you will be presented with a prompt on your screen "A new version of Linux Mint is available!"
• You just need to keep pressing the "Next" button until you are asked to tick the "understand the risk. I want to upgrade to "Linux Mint 20.3 Una"" confirmation.
• After providing this confirmation, you will be prompted to provide your authentication password.
• Next, your upgradation packages will start downloading on your system.
• Once all the required packages will be downloaded, the software for the new version of the operating system will be installed.
• Finally, after some time, your upgrading will finish.

4. Restart your System after its Upgradation

You should restart your system by clicking on the "Restart" button after the upgradation so that you can see the new changes taking place on it.

5. Confirm the Version of your Operating System after its Upgradation

Finally, you can additionally confirm the version of your operating system to ensure if it has been upgraded or not with the help of the below command:

$ hostnamectl

You can confirm from the output that we have successfully upgraded our virtual machine to Linux Mint 20.3.

[Need help in upgrading your Linux system ? We can help you. ]