CKB:Upgrading the distribution from openSUSE Leap 15.6 to 16.0

When upgrading to openSUSE-16.0 there are some issues customers might face. The common issues and solutions are given below.

Applies To

OpenSUSE upgrade performing from version Leap 15.6 to Leap 16.0

Problem-1: Minimum Hardware Requirements for openSUSE Leap 16.0 Upgrade

Systems that do not meet the minimum hardware requirements for openSUSE Leap 16.0 may fail to upgrade or experience instability after the upgrade.

Cause

openSUSE Leap 16.0 introduces updated base system components and kernel versions that require a higher baseline of hardware capability compared to previous releases.

Solution/Workaround

Before proceeding with the upgrade, verify that the system meets the minimum hardware requirements for the target architecture.

Refer: Minimum hardware requirements in the official documentation.

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Problem-2: SSH Root Access Restriction After openSUSE Leap 16.0 Upgrade

After upgrading to openSUSE Leap 16.0, SSH root login with a password no longer works. Customers who previously accessed their systems remotely as root via password authentication will be locked out after the upgrade.

Cause

openSUSE Leap 16.0 disables password-based SSH root login by default, in line with modern Linux security standards. This change reduces the risk of brute-force attacks targeting the root account.

Solution/Workaround

One of the following must be configured before performing the upgrade:

Option 1 — SSH Key Authentication for Root (Recommended) Replace password login with key-based authentication for the root user.

1. On the client machine, generate an SSH key pair (if not already available):
   1. ssh-keygen -t ed25519
2. Copy the public key to the target server:
   1. ssh-copy-id root@<server-ip>
3. Verify key-based login works before upgrading:
   1. ssh root@<server-ip>

Option 2 — Create a Non-Root User with sudo Privileges Use a non-root account for remote access post-upgrade.

1. Create a new user:
   1. useradd -m -s /bin/bash -c "Test User" testuser
   2. sudo passwd testuser
2. Grant sudo privileges:
   1. usermod -a -G wheel testuser
3. Verify the user can log in via SSH and run sudo commands before upgrading.

   Reference: openSUSE Leap 16.0 Release Notes – JSC-PED-4965

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