Introduction:

XAMPP is a cross-platform web server that is designed for testing your web applications based on Apache, MySQL, Perl, and PHP. This webserver was developed by Apache Friends and it has been in use since 2002. Today, we will learn the method of installing XAMPP on Linux Mint 20. However, the same series of steps can be performed on Debian 10 for installing XAMPP on it.

Method of Installing XAMPP on Linux:

For having XAMPP installed on your Linux system, you should perform all the steps listed below:

Step # 1: Verifying the Installation of “net-tools”:

XAMPP requires the “net-tools” package to be installed on your system. This package can be installed by running the following command in the terminal:

Since the net-tools package was already installed on our system that is why we got the message shown in the image below on our terminal:

Step # 2: Downloading XAMPP via the Internet:

Now you need to visit the following website for downloading XAMPP:

https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html

Once you will visit this website, you need to download the latest version of XAMPP for Linux as highlighted in the image shown below:

When you will click on the “Download” button, a dialogue box will appear on your screen from which you are supposed to select the “Save” option and then click on the “OK” button.

After doing this, XAMPP will start downloading and when it has been downloaded successfully, you will see the following message on your browser:

Step # 3: Making the Downloaded File Executable:

Once the XAMPP file has been downloaded on your system, you need to make it executable so that it can be installed successfully. For making this file executable, you need to navigate to your Downloads directory and then execute the command stated below:

Running this command will set the execute permissions for your downloaded XAMPP file.

Step # 4: Installing XAMPP on Linux:

When we have made this file executable, we can easily install it by running the following command in our terminal:

After doing that, the installation wizard will appear on your screen. You are required to go with all the options that are selected by default and just press the Next button at every screen that appears. However, we have still shown all the screens below for your convenience. The welcome screen of XAMPP is shown in the image below:

After clicking the Next button on the welcome screen, you will be asked to select the components for XAMPP. Just go with the default selected components and click on the Next button as highlighted in the following image:

Now select an installation directory and click on the Next button.

On the Bitnami for the XAMPP screen, you are again supposed to click on the Next button.

Then the installation wizard will tell you that the setup is ready to install as shown in the image below:

The installation progress bar is shown in the following image:

Finally, when the installation will complete, you will be supposed to click on the Finish button as highlighted in the image shown below:

Step # 5: Verifying the Installation of XAMPP on Linux:

If XAMPP has been successfully installed on your Linux system, then after clicking on the Finish button, the following screen will appear on your system which will confirm the installation:

Method of Uninstalling XAMPP in Linux:

However, at any point, if you feel like you do not need XAMPP on your Linux system anymore, then you can always uninstall it. First, you will need to move to the directory where XAMPP has been installed by running the command stated below:

After navigating to this directory, uninstall XAMPP by running the following command:

sudo ./uninstall

Your terminal will prompt you with a confirmation dialogue box from which you are supposed to click on the “Yes” button as highlighted in the image shown below:

When the uninstallation process will complete, you need to click on the “OK” button.

Finally, you can also remove the directory in which XAMPP was installed by running the following command:

Doing this will remove all the traces of XAMPP from your Linux system.

Conclusion:

In this article, we explained to you the method of installing XAMPP on Linux Mint 20. The steps described above were demonstrated on Linux Mint 20 but they can also be performed as it is on Debian 10. Moreover, we also shared with you the method of uninstalling this web server whenever you feel like it.

In my next post, I will continue hosting a small application on this webserver. ]]> https://linuxhint.com/install-steam-on-linux-mint-20/ Fri, 05 Mar 2021 15:34:38 +0000 https://linuxhint.com/?p=93001

It can be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the Software Manager utility, from the terminal using the apt command, and from the steam official website.

Installing Steam on Linux Mint 20 from the Software Manager

Open the Application Menu and search ‘Software Manager’.

Open the Software Manager utility, you will find the Steam application on the dashboard because it is very popular. In case, steam is not available on the Dashboard screen, then write Steam in the search bar.

Select the Steam application and click ‘Install’.

Authentication is required to install Steam on Linux Mint 20, enter the password and click ‘Authenticate’.

The installation will start immediately. Once Steam is successfully installed, you can launch it by clicking ‘Launch’.

Installing Steam on Linux Mint 20 from the Command Line

Steam is included in Linux Mint 20 standard repositories. Open the terminal and update the apt listing:

Next, install Steam using the command:

The Steam will be installed successfully.

Installing Steam on Linux Mint 20 from the Steam official webpage

The standard repositories do not contain the latest version of applications. If you want to install Steam’s latest stable version, then it is the recommended method for you.

Complete the below-given steps to install Steam on Linux Mint 20 from the Steam official webpage:

Step 1: Download Steam’s Debian package
Open the browser and visit the Steam official webpage (https://store.steampowered.com/). Click on ‘Install Steam’.

Next, the Steam Debian package will appear. Click on ‘INSTALL STEAM’.

Choose ‘Save File’ and click ‘OK’.

Steam’s Debian package will be downloaded in the ‘Downloads’ directory. Fire up the terminal and navigate to the ‘Downloads’ directory with the command:

Next, type the below-given command to install Steam:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing Steam from the Debian package.

The Steam will be installed successfully on Linux Mint 20.

Getting started with Steam on Linux Mint 20

Once you have installed Steam on Linux Mint 20 using any of the methods, open the Application Menu and search for Steam.

Click on the ‘Steam’ application and some required packages will be downloaded. It will take some time and it depends on the internet speed.

When the additional packages are downloaded and installed successfully, Steam’s dashboard screen will appear. Create a new account or use an existing account to log in.

Once you have logged in to Steam, search for your favorite games and enjoy using them.

Remove Steam from Linux Mint 20

If you no longer require Steam and wish to remove it, type the below-given command to do so:

Press ‘y’ to continue removing Steam.

The Steam will be removed completely.

Conclusion

Steam is a popular game engine developed by Valve Corporation. Steam can be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the Software Manager, using the apt command, and Debian package. Using Steam, you can enjoy your favorite games on Linux and interact with new people as well.

Installing PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20

PHP 8 is not included in the Linux Mint 20 standard repositories. However, it can be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the Ondřej Surý PPA repository.

Complete the below-given steps to install PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20:

Step 1: Update apt cache
Fire up the terminal and update the apt repository cache with the command:

Step 2: Install dependencies
Next, install the required dependencies for PHP 8:

The required dependencies are installed successfully.

Step 3: Add Ondřej PPA repository
Now, add the Ondřej Surý PPA repository with the command:

Once the Ondřej Surý PPA repository is successfully added, update the apt repository cache again with the command:

Step 4: Install PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20
Install PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20 with the command:

The PHP 8 will be installed on Linux Mint 20.

Type the below-given command if you want to get PHP 8 as Apache Module:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20.

Both above-mentioned commands will install PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20

Once the PHP 8 is successfully installed, check the installed version and verify the installation with the command:

The PHP 8.0.2 is installed on Linux Mint 20.

If you have installed PHP as an apache module, restart the apache server when the PHP is installed:

Installing the PHP extensions on Linux Mint 20

The PHP extension enhances the functionality of PHP. Extensions are the PHP libraries and can be installed on Linux Mint 20 using the apt command as follows:

Have a look at the available PHP extensions with the command:

Let’s install the PHP MySQL extension with the command:

The MySQL extension will be installed successfully.

Remove PHP 8 from Linux Mint 20

At any point, if you wish to remove PHP 8 from Linux Mint, run the below-given command to do so:

Press ‘y’ to continue removing PHP 8.

Conclusion

A lot of programmers use PHP for creating websites. Installing PHP 8 on Linux Mint 20 is easy and straightforward. PHP 8 is available from the Ondřej Surý repository. This article explains PHP 8 installation on Linux Mint 20.

Python 3.9 is the latest major release of Python. It is leveraged with many updates.

Python 3.9 is available from the deadsnakes PPA repository. Moreover, we can also build Python on Linux Mint 20 from the source code.

Installing Python 3.9 on Linux Mint 20 from the PPA repository

Installing Python 3.9 on Linux Mint 20 from the deadsnakes PPA repository is very easy and straightforward.

Perform the below-given steps to install Python 3.9 on Linux Mint 20 from the deadsnakes repository:

Step 1: Update apt cache
Fire up the terminal and update the apt cache with the command:

Step 2: Install the dependencies
Next, type the command to install the required dependencies that are a prerequisite of Python 3.9:

Step 3: Add PPA repository
Next, add the PPA repository:

Step 4: Install Python 3.9
Install Python 3.9 as follows:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing Python 3.9.

Step 5: Verify the Python 3.9 installation
After installing Python 3.9, verify the installation with the command:

Python 3.9 is successfully installed on Linux Mint 20.

Note: In case if you face any dependency issue after installing Python 3.9, then run the below-given command to fix the issue:

Installing Python 3.9 on Linux Mint 20 from the source code

This is another way of installing Python 3.9 Linux Mint 20. It is not recommended to install Python 3.9 from the source code. However, you may need it in various situations.

Perform the below-given steps to install Python 3.9:

Step 1: Install required dependencies for Python 3.9
First, update the apt repository and install dependencies:

Step 2: Get the Python 3.9 source code
Next, get the latest Python 3.9 source code with the wget command:

Step 3: Extract Python 3.9 source code tar file
When the Python 3.9 source code tar file is downloaded, extract the archive with the command:

Step 4: Run configure script
Next, navigate to the Python 3.9.1 directory and run the configure script:

The –enable-optimizations run the various tests and improves the configuration process.

Step 5: Build Python 3.9
Once Python 3.9 is configured, the next step is to build it with the command:

To make the build process faster, you can also specify the number of cores with the –j option as follows:

Step 6: Install Python libraries
Next, install Python 3.9 with the command:

The altinstall will overwrite the existing Python3 binary.

Python 3.9 is installed successfully.

Conclusion

Python 3.9 is the newest release of Python. It is available from the deadsnakes repository and source code. This post explains the Python 3.9 installation on Linux Mint 20.

The human eyes can filter the ultraviolet and many other harmful radiations of the sun. However, the eyes cannot filter the blue light. The excessiveness of blue light puts the strain on the eyes. Moreover, blue light passes the signal to the mind that it is daytime even if you are using blue light in the nighttime. Overall, blue light is harmful to humans because it interrupts the regular sleep-wake system, which ultimately damages our immune system.

Filtering the blue light is a very important activity to perform on your system. Redshift is free and open-source software that automatically adjusts the color of the screen based on temperature, your current location, and daytime.

In this article, we will learn to install Redshift on Linux Mint for enabling the blue light filter.

We are using Linux Mint 20 for executing the commands and preparing this guide. Redshift can be installed on Linux Mint from the Software Manager and Linux Mint 20 standard repositories.

Installing Redshift on Linux Mint from the Software Manager:

Redshift comes pre-installed on Linux Mint 20. However, if you uninstalled it, and want to reinstall it, then you can easily do so from the Software Manager.

To install Redshift from the Software Manager, Click on Application Menu and search for Software Manager.

Click on the “Software Manager” application icon to open it. Then, type ‘Redshift’ in the search bar. You will see Redshift and Redshift-gtk applications. Install any of the packages, we are installing the Redshift package on our Linux Mint 20 system.

Select the application and click on ‘Install’ to install it in your system.

You need to authenticate before installing any new package. Enter the password and click on “Authenticate”.

The installation will start automatically after providing the authentication.

Once the Redshift is successfully installed, you can click on ‘Launch’ to open it.

Installing Redshift on Linux Mint via terminal:

Redshift is included in Linux Mint 20 standard repositories and can be installed using apt command via terminal.

Open the terminal and update the apt listing:

Now, install Redshift with the given command:

Enabling Blue Light Filter on Linux Mint:

Once the Redshift is installed successfully, enable the Redshift by typing on the terminal:

Redshift will get the information of your location, as well as the time period. It will set the blue light according to this information.

The Redshift icon appears on the system icon tray, select the Redshift from the system icon tray, and click on “Info” to get the information of light.

The output shows the status, location, color temperature, and period information.

Conclusion:

The excessive blue light puts a strain on the eyes that can damage the eye-sight. The computer screen emits the blue light, and controlling or filtering the blue light on any operating system is a very important activity. Redshift allows us to enable the blue light filter on Linux Mint. We can install it from the Software Manager application and terminal. This post explicates the installation of Redshift and enabling blue light filer on Linux Mint.

Yarn is a JavaScript package and dependency management tool that helps users to automate the tasks of installing, updating, removing, and configuring NPM packages. Yarn is an open-source package manager that saves a lot of time for JavaScript programmers because it creates a cache of downloaded packages. Using Yarn, a programmer can easily access and re-use a package without re-downloading it every time.

This article shows you how to install Yarn on Linux Mint 20.

Installing Yarn on Linux Mint 20

The Yarn tool is not included in Linux Mint 20 standard repositories. However, Yarn can be installed by adding the official repository of Yarn. To install Yarn from the official repository, fire up the terminal, and follow the steps provided below:

Step 1: Update APT Cache

As always, first, update the apt cache with the following command:

Step 2: Install Curl

The Curl command is required to fetch Yarn’s GPG key. Curl comes pre-installed on Linux Mint 20. However, if Curl is not installed on your system, then install it with the following command:

Step 3: Import GPG Key of Yarn Repository

After the successful installation of Curl, import the Yarn repository’s GPG key using the command given below:

The ‘OK’ confirms that the GPG key has been imported successfully.

Step 4: Add Yarn Repository

Once the GPG key has been imported, add the Yarn repository. The following command will add and enable the Yarn repository:

Step 5: Install Yarn

First, update the apt cache before installing Yarn:

Next, install Yarn using the following command:

Yarn requires 36.0 MB of additional disk space. If you agree to this, press ‘y’ to continue installing Yarn.

The above command will also install NodeJS. If you have already installed NodeJS, then skip the above command, and install Yarn with the command given below:

Step 6: Check Installed Version of Yarn

Once Yarn has been installed successfully, verify the installation and check the installed version with the following command:

The output above shows that Yarn version 1.22.5 has been installed successfully on the Linux Mint 20 system.

How to Remove Yarn from Linux Mint 20

If you no longer require Yarn and want to remove it from your Linux Mint 20 system, then it is very easy and straightforward to remove.

Issue the following command in the terminal to remove Yarn completely from your system:

Press ‘y’ to continue removing Yarn.

Conclusion

This article showed you how to install Yarn on Linux Mint 20. The article also showed you how to remove Yarn completely from your system. You can manage NPM packages very easily and efficiently using Yarn. Yarn’s repository is regularly maintained by the developers and contains the latest stable version.

This post explains the MySQL installation on Linux Mint 20 and Ubuntu 20.04.

Installing MySQL on Linux Mint 20 and Ubuntu 20.04

Fire up the terminal and update the apt repository cache before installing MySQL:

Next, install the MySQL server with the command:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing the MySQL server.

Once the MySQL server is successfully installed, check the installed version and verify the installation using the command:

Upon successful installation, the MySQL service will start automatically. To check the status of the MySQL server, run the command:

The output shows that the MySQL service is active and running.

Configuring the MySQL on Linux Mint 20 and Ubuntu 20.04

The mysql_secure_installation script, which comes by default with the MySQL installation, allows us to secure the MySQL security.

Run the mysql_secure_installation script with the command:

During the execution of the mysql_secure_installation script, you will be displayed various prompts. First, you will see three levels of a password validation policy. You are supposed to press ‘y’ to set up a password. Further, select the password level by entering the respective numeric digit.

Moreover, enter the password and re-enter the password for confirmation. The command line will display the estimated strength of the password.

Additionally, you will be prompted to remove the anonymous users, test databases, and reload the privileges table. Press’ y or n’ according to your choice, and the configuration will be performed successfully.

Creating new user

To start with MySQL server from the command line, use the command:

The MySQL interactive shell will start. Once the MySQL server is set up, the MySQL creates a root user that can manage the databases and perform various administrative actions.

Moreover, you can also create a new user in the MySQL server. While creating a new user, enter a username and password. Follow the below-given syntax to create a new user:

After successfully creating the new user, you can grant the privileges to the user as follows:

The *.* will grant all types of privileges to the newly created user.

It is advisable to flush the privileges. It will free up the extra memory that the server cached while creating a new user.

Logging into MySQL server and create a database

Now let’s login to the MySQL server and create a new database. To perform a login, use the command:

Enter the password that you have set before for this user, and MySQL interactive shell will start.

For creating a new database, execute the command:

To see the list of all available databases, type the command:

Conclusion

MySQL is a very popular and open-source relational database. The MySQL server is included in Linux Mint 20 and Ubuntu 20.04 standard repositories. This article explains the MySQL installation on two popular Linux distros, i.e., Linux Mint 20 and Ubuntu 20.04.

In this post, we will learn how to install the Papirus icon theme on Linux Mint 20.

Installing Papirus theme on Linux Mint 20 from PPA repository

Fire up the terminal and type the below-given command to add the papirus PPA repository:

Press ‘Enter’ to continue adding the papirus PPA repository.

The PPA repository will be added successfully.

Next, update the apt repository cache with the command:

Lastly, install the Papirus icon theme using the command:

Papirus icon theme will be installed successfully in Linux Mint 20.

Installing Papirus icon theme on Linux Mint 20 from installer script

We can download the latest updated Papirus icon theme script from GitHub and install it.

First, update the apt repository cache with the command:

Now, download the Papirus icon theme installer script with the command:

The latest Papirus icon theme is successfully downloaded and installed.

Installing Papirus icon theme on Linux Mint 20 using Debian package

The Papirus icon theme is also available from the Debian package. Open your browser and visit the link

(https://launchpad.net/~papirus/+archive/ubuntu/papirus/+packages?field.name_filter=papirus-icon-theme) to download the Debian package.

Select the Debian package.

Choose ‘Save File’ and click ‘OK.’

The Papirus Debian package will be downloaded in the ‘Downloads’ directory. Open the terminal and navigate to the ‘Downloads’ directory with the command:

Next, type the below-given command to install the Papirus icon theme from the Debian package:

Getting started with Papirus icon theme on Linux Mint 20

Open the Application Menu and search for the ‘Themes’ utility.

Open the ‘Themes’ utility and click on ‘Icons.’

Select any Papirus icon theme variant as per your choice.

The icon theme will be updated successfully.

Conclusion

Papirus is a very popular icon theme available for Linux. Linux Mint 20 is customizable, and you have got the freedom to change and update the themes. The Papirus theme can be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the PPA repository, installer script, and Debian package. This article explains the Papirus icon theme installation on Linux Mint 20 using all possible methods.

Atom can be installed on Linux Mint 20 using the official Debian package and Atom’s repository. Moreover, Atom is also available from the snap application manager.

Installing Atom on Linux Mint 20 using the Debian package

Atom is not included in the Linux Mint 20 standard repositories. However, it can be installed using Atom’s official Debian package. Open your browser and visit Atom’s official webpage (https://atom.io/).

Click on ‘Downloads .deb’ to download Atom’s Debian package.

Choose ‘Save File’ and click ‘OK’.

The Debian package will be downloaded and saved in the ‘Downloads’ directory.

Once the Debian package is downloaded successfully, open the terminal window and navigate to the ‘Downloads’ directory with the command:

Now, update the apt repository with the command:

Next, execute the below-given command to install the Atom text editor using the Debian package:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing Atom.

Once the Atom text editor is successfully installed, verify the installation with the command:

At the time of preparing this guide, the latest version of Atom is 1.54.0. Atom 1.54.0 is successfully installed on my Linux Mint 20 system.

Installing Atom on Linux Mint 20 from Atom repository

In this method, we will add the Atom official repository to the source list. The Atom will be updated automatically whenever we will update the apt repository.

Complete the below-given steps to install Atom on Linux Mint 20:

Step 1: Import GPG key

Fire up the terminal and import the GPG key with the command:

OK indicates that the key is imported successfully.

Step 2: Add Atom repository

Next, add the Atom repository in the sources list with the command:

Step 3: Update apt repository

Once the Atom repository is added to the sources list successfully, update the apt repository:

The apt repository is updated successfully, and we are ready to install Atom.

Step 4: Install an Atom text editor

Type the below-given command to install Atom text editor:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing Atom from the repository.

Once the Atom text editor is installed, check the installed version with the command:

Installing Atom via snap

Snap is a universal package manager and comes disabled on Linux Mint 20. To install Atom via snap, first, enable snap on Linux Mint 20

First, remove the nosnap.pref file with the command:

Now update the apt repository and install the snapd on Linux Mint 20 with the commands:

Once the snap is enabled and installed, install the Atom text editor:

Getting started with Atom

Open the Application Menu and search for Atom.

The Atom text editor is ready for use.

Remove Atom from Linux Mint 20

If you have installed the Atom using the Debian package or official repository, then you can remove the Atom with apt command as follows:

Press ‘y’ to continue removing Atom.

If you have installed Atom via snap, then type the below-given command to remove it:

The Atom code editor will be removed successfully.

Conclusion

Atom is an open-source and multi-platform text editor. It can be installed on Linux Mint 20 using the Debian package, official repository, and snap. Atom offers a lot of useful features, including autocompletion and syntax highlighting.

Creating WiFi Hotspot in Linux Mint 20

Before creating the WiFi Hotspot in Linux Mint 20, make sure that your system is connected to the internet.

Perform the below-given steps to create a WiFi Hotspot on Linux Mint 20:

1. Open the Application Menu and search for ‘Advanced Network Configuration’.

2. Open the ‘Advanced Network Configuration’ application. Click on the ‘+’ button to create a WiFi Hotspot.

3. Choose WiFi from the given list of Connection Types and click ‘Create’.

4. Next, we need to configure the WiFi Hotspot. Enter the Connection Name in the ‘Connection Name’ and ‘SSID’ fields you wish to set. Moreover, in the mode section, select ‘WiFi’. You will see the option that displays your network card’s physical address in the’ Device’ menu. Choose the wireless network card, and the initial configuration is performed.

5. Next, click the ‘WiFi-Security’ tab, and from the given list of security options, choose ‘WPA & WPA2 Personal’. Enter the password key for your Hotspot.

6. Further, click on ‘IPV4 Settings’ and ensure that the method is set to ‘Shared to other computers.’

Click on ‘Save,’ and the WiFi Hotspot configuration will be saved.

The WiFi Hotspot is created successfully.

Conclusion

Creating the WiFi Hotspot is a very easy and straightforward process on Linux Mint 20. By creating the WiFi Hotspot, we can easily share the files with the other system connected to the same network. This guide explains the WiFi Hotspot creation on Linux Mint 20.

Mono can be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the synaptic package manager, command line, and mono official repositories.

Installing Mono on Linux Mint 20 from synaptic package manager

Synaptic is a GUI-based tool for apt package management. It is mostly used in Debian, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint. It allows us to install, remove and update the packages easily. Anything that we can do with the apt command can be done with synaptic. It comes pre-installed in Linux Mint 20.

Click on the Application Menu, search for Synaptic. It requires authentication; enter your password and click ‘Authenticate’.

The Synaptic’s dashboard screen will appear.

Click on the search icon and search for ‘mono-complete’.

The mono-complete package will appear, select this package and right-click on it. Choose an option ‘Mark for installation’ from the given options.

Mono requires some additional packages to install. The Synaptic Package Manager will show the detail of all the additional packages. Once you go through the details of all additional packages, click on ‘Mark’, and all the packages will be marked for the installation.

Moreover, the Synaptic Package Manager will list all the marked changes and present all the packages’ summaries. After reading the summary, click on ‘Apply’.

All the packages will be downloaded one by one.

If you are interested in viewing the individual files during the downloading process, click on ‘Show individual files’.

Once the downloading is complete, the installation of all the packages will be started automatically.

Lastly, the Synaptic package manager will display a message that all the packages are installed, and changes are applied successfully. Click ‘Close’ to close the message window.

Once Mono is successfully installed, fire up the terminal and run the below-given command to verify the installation and check the installed version:

The output shows that Mono 6.8.0.105 is successfully installed on my Linux Mint 20 system.

Installing Mono on Linux Mint 20 from the command line using apt

Mono is an open-source tool, and it is included in Linux Mint 20 official repositories. If you do not wish to install Mono from the Synaptic Package Manager, it can also be installed from the command line.

Fire up the terminal and update the apt cache with the command:

Now, type the below-given command to install Mono from the standard repository:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing Mono on Linux Mint 20.

Installing Mono on Linux Mint 20 from the Mono official repositories

More often, the standard repositories do not maintain the latest version of software applications. If you want to install the latest version of Mono on your Linux Mint 20, then it is a recommended method for you.

Complete the below-given steps to install Mono on Linux Mint 20 from Mono official repositories:

Step 1: Update apt listing and install the required dependencies

First, update the apt listing with the command:

Now, install the required dependencies with the command:

The required dependencies are installed successfully.

Step 2: Import the GPG Key

Next, import the GPG key of Mono repository with the command:

Step 3: Add the Mono repository

Next, import the GPG key of the Mono repository with the command:

The Mono repository is added successfully.

Step 4: Install Mono on Linux Mint 20

Now, we are ready to install Mono on Linux Mint 20 from the Mono official repositories. First, update the apt cache with the command:

Next, install Mono using the command:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing Mono.

The mono-complete package will install the development tools, libraries, and runtime environment.

Step 5: Verify the installation

Once the Mono is installed, run the below-given command to verify the installation and check the installed version:

As the official repositories maintain the latest version of the application, therefore the Mono latest version 6.12.0.107 is installed on my Linux Mint 20.

Conclusion

Mono is a tool for developing multi-platform applications. It is based on .NET and installed on Linux Mint 20 from the apt, synaptic package manager, and Mono official repositories. This post explains the installation of Mono on Linux Mint 20 from three different methods.

The PulseAudio is an open-source volume control and audio effects tool. It allows us to control and tune the audio settings. The PulseAudio Equalizer has a multi-band interface. Therefore, you can easily adjust the slider when the audio is playing.

As PulseAudio is a popular open-source tool, it is included in Linux Mint 20 standard repositories installed from there. Moreover, it can also be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the external PPA repository.

This post explains the installation of PulseAudio-Equalizer on Linux Mint.

Installing PulseAudio on Linux Mint 20 from the standard repositories

Open the terminal window, and first, update the apt listing with the command:

Type the below-given command to install PulseAudio on Linux Mint 20 from the standard repositories:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing PulseAudio.

Once the PulseAudio is installed, verify the installation with the command:

The Pulseaudio 13.99.1 is successfully installed on my Linux Mint 20.

The PulseAudio offers many extra modules included in Linux Mint 20 standard repositories and can be installed easily with apt command.

Installing PulseAudio-Equalizer on Linux Mint 20 from the PPA repository

The PPA repositories are created and maintained by the developers. Fire up the terminal and perform the following steps to install PulseAudio from the PPA repository:

Step 1: Add PulseAudio PPA repository

First, add the PulseAudio PPA repository using the command:

The PulseAudio PPA repository will be added successfully.

Step 2: Update apt-cache

Once the PPA repository is added successfully, update the apt cache with the command:

Step 3: Install PulseAudio

Next, install the PulseAudio with the command:

Press ‘y’ to continue installing PulseAudio.

Getting started and configuring the PulseAudio-Equalizer

Once you have installed PulseAudio using any recommended method, open the PulseAudio tool with the command:

While opening the PulseAudio tool, you may encounter the error stating that some modules are missing. In this case, open the PulseAudio’s configuration file with the command:

Add the below-given lines at the bottom of the/etc/pulse/default.pa file.

Save the file and exit the nano editor by pressing ctrl+x.

Next, kill the PulseAudio service and restart it:

Now, open the PulseAudio with the command:

The PulseAudio-Equalizer is ready for use.

How to remove PulseAudio-Equalizer

At any point, if you wish to remove PulseAudio from Linux Mint 20, then type the below-given command to do so:

Press ‘y’ to continue removing PulseAudio Equalizer.

The PulseAudio Equalizer will be removed successfully.

Conclusion

PulseAudio Equalizer is a free and open-source tool for volume control. It is part of Linux Mint 20 standard repositories and can be installed with apt command. Moreover, it is also available from an external PPA repository. This article shows the PulseAudio Equalizer installation on Linux Mint 20 system from the standard and PPA repositories.

On Linux Mint 20, the snap support is disabled by default. There could be a situation that you are interested in installing any particular application, and the application version is only available from the snap application manager. In this situation, you will require to enable and install the snap-on Linux Mint 20.

Enabling snap application support in Linux Mint 20

Initially, if you try to install the snap-in Linux Mint 20, you will get the error.

To enable snap on Linux Mint 20, we need to delete the /etc/apt/preferences.d/nosnap.pref file.

Fire up the terminal and remove the nosnap.pref file with the command:

Once the nosnap.pref file is removed, update the apt cache using the command:

Next, we are ready to install the snapd with the command:

Once the snap is successfully installed, verify the installation and check the installed version with the command:

The output shows that snap 2.48 is installed.

Installing the snap packages in Linux Mint 20

Now, we have enabled and installed the snap-in Linux Mint; therefore, we can install any application on Linux Mint 20 which is available from the snap application manager as follows:

Let’s install the popular VLC media player snap application on Linux Mint:

Remove the snapd from Linux Mint 20

At any point, if you wish to remove the snapd application manager from your Linux Mint 20 system, type the below-given command to do so:

Press ‘y’ to continue removing the snap application manager.

Conclusion

Snap comes disabled on Linux Mint 20 by default. Therefore, we need to enable and install the snap manually on Linux Mint 20. This post explains the recommended method for enabling and installing snap on Linux Mint 20.

The task of removing an installed package from any operating system can surely be a hassle if handled carelessly. It is because whenever you attempt to remove a package, you expect it not to leave any of its traces behind. In other words, you want a clean removal of the desired package. However, such a complete removal cannot be achieved without taking certain measures.

That is why today’s article will be focused on the method of completely removing a package in Linux.

Note: The method that we have attempted and shared with you in this article has been performed on a Linux Mint 20 system. However, the very same steps can also be performed on Ubuntu 20.04 and Debian 10. 

Method of Completely Removing a Package in Linux Mint 20:

For removing a package completely in Linux Mint 20, the following series of steps should be performed in the specified order:

Step #1: List Down All the Installed Packages in Linux Mint 20:

First, you should know which package you want to remove. For that, you can try listing down all the installed packages on your Linux Mint 20 system. Then from this list, you can easily figure out which package you want to remove completely. For listing down all the installed packages in Linux Mint 20, you have to execute the command shown below in the terminal:

The list of all the installed packages on our Linux Mint 20 system is shown in the following image:

From this list, you can conveniently pick any package that you want to remove completely from your Linux Mint 20 system. We will be removing the “tcpreplay” package from our Linux Mint 20 system in the steps shown below.

Step #2: Remove a Package from Linux Mint 20

The first command that we will execute in this regard will simply remove a particular package without its configuration files. For this purpose, the following command is used:

Here, you can replace PackageName with the name of the respective package that you want to remove. In our case, the package that we wanted to remove was “tcpreplay”.

Once you execute this command, you will be prompted to confirm your action by typing “Y” and then hitting the Enter key, as shown in the image below. However, if you want the removal process to go smoothly, without asking for any confirmation, then you can use the “-y” flag after the “remove” command.

When the specified package is removed successfully, you will see the messages resembling the ones shown in the following image on your terminal:

Step #3: Remove the Configuration Files of the Said Package from Linux Mint 20

When the specified package has been removed successfully from your Linux Mint 20 system, the next step is to delete its configuration files with the command shown below:

Here, you can replace PackageName with the name of the respective package which configuration files you want to remove. In our case, the package configuration files we wanted to remove was “tcpreplay”.

Once the configuration files of the specified package have been removed from your Linux Mint 20 system, you will see the messages resembling the ones shown in the following image on your terminal.

Step #4: Remove all the Irrelevant Packages and Dependencies from Linux Mint 20

Finally, the last step is to clean up all the irrelevant and unused packages and dependencies from your Linux Mint 20 system that got installed along with the specified package. After the removal of the package, you will not need those packages and dependencies anymore. To get rid of them, you can execute the command shown below:

When this command successfully attempts to remove all the unused packages and dependencies from your Linux Mint 20 system, you will be able to say that your specified package has been completely removed.

Conclusion

Today’s guide walked you through the procedure of completely removing a package in Linux Mint 20. The same method can also be used on a Debian 10 or Ubuntu 20.04 system.

Traceroute is a very useful utility that is used to track the path that a packet takes to reach a destination within a network. It can also act as a tool to report network congestion.

In today’s article, we will discuss different examples that will demonstrate the usage of Traceroute on Linux Mint 20.

Examples of Doing a Traceroute on Linux Mint 20

For doing a Traceroute in Linux Mint 20, you first need to install the Traceroute utility with the following command:

Once this utility is installed on your Linux Mint 20 system, these messages will be displayed on the terminal:

Now when the Traceroute utility is successfully installed, you can perform the following examples by making use of this utility in Linux Mint 20.

Example #1: Simple Usage of the Traceroute Command

The Traceroute command can be used to list down the number of hops between your source to a specified destination. All you have to do is to run this command in the manner shown below:

Here, you have to replace the DestinationURL with the exact URL of the web server that you want to reach. For this case, we wanted to reach google.com, as shown in the following image:

When you run this command, it will tell you the number of hops that will be accessed while reaching this destination. In our case, that number is 30, as shown in the image below:

When the specified hop count is completed, the Traceroute will also finish, as shown in the following image:

Example #2: A Slight Variation of the Above Example

The example shown above can be modified slightly in the manner shown below:

Here, you have to replace the DestinationIP with the exact IP address of the webserver that you want to reach. We wanted to reach 8.8.8.8, which is the IP address of google.com, as shown in the following image:

Again, this command will tell you the number of hops that will be accessed while reaching this destination. In our case, that number is 30, as shown in the image below:

When the specified hop count is completed, the Traceroute will also finish, as shown in the following image:

Example #3: Limiting the Number of Hops to Reach a Destination

The default number of hops to reach any destination is 30. However, you can reduce this number so that the Traceroute can finish as soon as the specified number of hops is reached. You can do this with the command shown below:

Here, you have to replace the DestinationURL with the exact URL of the web server that you want to reach and HopCount with the number of hops that you want to traverse. We wanted to reach google.com, and the number of hops is 10, as shown in the following image:

Now, you will notice that this command will show the maximum hop count as 10, as shown in the image below:

When the 10 hops are traversed, the Traceroute will finish, as shown in the following image:

Example #4: Stop Resolving the IP Addresses to Domain Names during the Traceroute

You can even stop resolving the IP addresses to domain names during the Traceroute with the command shown below:

Here, you have to replace the DestinationURL with the exact URL of the web server that you want to reach. We wanted to reach google.com, as shown in the following image:

When you run this command, it will tell you the number of hops that will be accessed while reaching this destination. In our case, that number is 30, as shown in the image below:

When the specified hop count is completed, the Traceroute will finish, as shown in the following image:

Example #5: Setting the Timeout Limit for Traceroute

The default timeout value for which Traceroute waits to receive responses from hops is 5 seconds. You can increase or decrease this limit in the manner shown below:

Here, you have to replace the DestinationURL with the exact URL of the web server that you want to reach and TimeoutLimit with a floating-point value of your choice. We wanted to reach google.com, and the TimeoutLimit is 3.0, as shown in the following image:

When you run this command, it will tell you the number of hops that will be accessed while reaching this destination. In our case, that number is 30, as shown in the image below:

When the specified hop count is completed, the Traceroute will finish, as shown in the following image:

Conclusion

For using Traceroute in Linux Mint 20, you can go through the examples shared with you in this article. They will help you a lot in understanding the correct usage of this utility in Linux.

This post explains the two methods of installing Slack on Linux Mint 20. Slack is available as a snap application and can also be installed from the Debian package.

Installing Slack on Linux Mint 20 from the Debian package

First, visit the Slack official webpage (https://slack.com/intl/en-pk/downloads/linux) and download the Slack .deb package.

Next, choose the ‘Save File’ and click ‘OK’. The .deb file will then be downloaded and stored in the ‘Downloads’ directory.

Then, fire up the terminal and navigate to the ‘Downloads’ directory with the command:

Before installing Slack, update the apt cache as it is always advisable to update apt cache before installing any new application:

Now, we are ready to install Slack with the command:

Once the Slack is successfully installed, verify the installation and check the installed version with the command:

The output shows that Slack 4.12.2 is installed on my Linux Mint 20.

Installing Slack on Linux Mint 20 from the Snap application manager

Snap is a package manager for Linux distributions and comes disabled by default on Linux Mint 20. To install Slack from the Snap application manager, we need to enable and install the Snap manually on Linux Mint 20.

Fire up the terminal and type the below-given command to remove the nosnap.pref file:

Install the snapd using the command:

Next, install the Slack from the Snap store by executing on the terminal:

Once the Slack is installed from the Snap store, verify the installation with the command:

The output confirms that Slack is successfully installed from the Snap store.

Getting Started with Slack

Once you have successfully installed Slack on Linux Mint 20 using any above-mentioned method, click on ‘Application Menu’ and search for Slack.

Click on the ‘Slack’ application icon to open it. Sign In to Slack if you have an existing account, otherwise, create a new account by clicking on ‘Create a new workspace’.

If you intend to create a new account, the Slack Sign Up form will be opened in your default web browser. Enter the email in the given field and click Continue.

Slack will send you a confirmation code on the provided email address. Once you enter the confirmation code and the authentication is done, the Slack dashboard screen will appear.

Next, enter the company details and start using Slack for effective communication and collaboration.

Moreover, you can also create as many channels as you want and you can send direct messages to the people of your team.

Conclusion

Slack is a very efficient tool for effective communication and collaboration. It is specially designed for the working environment. The Slack can be installed on Linux Mint 20 from the .deb package and Snap store. This post describes the installation of Slack on Linux Mint 20.

The first question that arose in my mind is which Linux Distro will fulfill my needs in terms of professional and personal use. Some of the Linux distros are fine for professional use, but not meant for personal use like Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Therefore, I was keen on finding the best distro that can be used for professional, as well as personal use, and great community support.

Community support is an important aspect to consider when you are selecting any distro. The reason is that if you face any problem while installing any software applications or doing some configuration, then you can post your problem on the community website, and anyone can give the solution. From various Linux Distros, I selected the following Distros that can fulfill my professional and personal needs and have great community support:

• Linux Mint (https://linuxmint.com/)
• Ubuntu (https://ubuntu.com/)
• Zorin OS (https://zorinos.com/)
• Manjaro (https://manjaro.org/)

After selecting the Distorts, the next step is to make a list of all the programs and software that you require for your personal and professional use. As I am a professional writer and writes for linuxhint.com, I need a word processor, web browser, Python interpreter (Spyder 3), screen recorder, and video editing tool for my professional use. For my personal use, as I like to watch movies and read books in my free time, I need a media player and PDF reader.

Reason for choosing Linux Mint

The Linux Mint is an efficient Linux distro, and the graphical user interface of Linux Mint is very similar to Microsoft Windows. The Linux Mint’s application menu resembles with Windows 7 application menu.

Any previous Microsoft Windows user can easily adapt to Linux Mint and get familiar with the Linux Mint operating system. So, that was one of the key reasons for the switch from Windows 10 to Linux Mint. Additionally, compared to several other Linux distributions, Linux Mint needs less hardware to run. Linux Mint comes in the following three desktop environments:

1. Cinnamon Desktop
2. Mate Desktop
3. Xfce Desktop

The Cinnamon Desktop is the default desktop for Linux Mint 20. Linux Mint 20 is based on Ubuntu 20.04 Long-term support (LTS) release. Moreover, it is totally free and open source like other Linux distros.

Installing application and packages on Linux Mint

The package management in Linux Mint is done through the apt package manager. So, the applications and packages can be installed using the apt command. Additionally, we can install the applications and packages through the Snap store and synaptic package manager. The terminal is the essential component of the Linux Mint system because by using the terminal, you can install the packages, monitor the system, and manage the disks. Most people say that terminal is the scary part of Linux distros as you need to write a lot of text on the terminal to get things done. But once you become familiar with the Linux terminal, you will find it very easy to perform your professional and personal tasks.

List of pre-installed software in Linux Mint

Much useful software comes pre-installed on Linux Mint 20, like a web browser, medial player, office suite, etc. They are essential applications and help us to perform our daily tasks. Following the list of pre-installed software tools arranged in a category:

Audio and video media player

• Celluloid (For playing video files)
• Rhythmbox (For playing audio files)

Web Browser

• Mozilla Firefox

Text Editors

• Nano

Word processor

• LibreOffice suite

Email client

• Thunderbird mail

Graphics

• Document Scanner
• Drawing
• Pix

System Management Tools

• Synaptic Package Manager
• Update Manager
• TimeShift utility for taking and restoring system backups
• System Monitor
• System Reports
• Disk Usage Analyzer
• Driver Manager
• Power Statistics

Additionally, Python 3.8 comes pre-installed on Linux Mint 20, therefore, you do not need to install it manually if you are a Python developer. All the above-mentioned software applications help us to perform our professional and personal tasks. Moreover, the other external applications can also be installed for use on Linux Mint easily.

For instance, I need to install Open broadcaster software (OBS) studio for screen recording, then I will simply open the terminal window and run the command:

That’s it! Now you can observe how easy it is to install external software applications in Linux Mint.

Give Linux Mint a try!

If you are a Windows user and want to shift to Linux based operating system, then give Linux Mint a try, and you will enjoy it.

First, download the latest Linux Mint 20 ISO file from the Linux Mint official website (https://linuxmint.com/download.php) and check out the ‘How to Install Linux Mint 20 from USB’ article from LinuxHint website (https://linuxhint.com/installing_linux_mint_20_from_usb/) to install Linux Mint 20.

Conclusion

Linux Mint is Debian based Linux distro with a very beautiful and attractive user interface. There are several reasons discussed in this article to switch from windows 10 to Linux Mint 20.

The vmstat command in Linux is used for this exact purpose. Vstat is an acronym that stands for Virtual Memory Statistics Reporter and performs this very operation on your system. This article provides a beginner’s guide on the vmstat command in Linux Mint 20.

Accessing the Help Manual of vmstat

To use the vmstat command in Linux Mint 20, we will first access the vmstat help manual by running the following command

The vmstat command help manual is shown in the following image:

Checking System Statistics with vmstat

You can use the vmstat command to see system statistics regarding CPU, memory, processes, and more. To obtain statistics about your system, use the vmstat command in the following manner:

The standard output of the vmstat command is shown in the image below:

This is the basic usage of the vmstat command. This command can also be used to serve more specific purposes, as explained in the following sections.

Checking Active and Inactive Memory with vmstat

You can check the active and inactive memory of your system by running the regular vmstat command paired with the “-a” flag, as follows:

The active and inactive memory of our Linux Mint 20 system is shown in the image below:

Checking Total Number of Forks Since Boot with vmstat

Forking is a term used in operating systems to refer to the procedure in which a parent process creates a child process or processes, depending upon the current number of tasks that are to be performed. You can easily check the total number of forks, i.e., the total number of spawned processes since your system last booted, by running the vmstat command paired with the “-f” flag, as follows:

The total number of forks since our system last booted is shown in the image below:

Checking Event Counter Statistics with vmstat

The event counter is a measure that indicates the frequency of occurrence of a specific event. The event counter statistics of activities taking place in your system can be visualized using the vmstat command paired with the “-s” flag, as follows:

The event counter statistics of our system are shown in the image below:

Checking Disk Statistics with vmstat

The disk of a computer system contains various aspects that can be studied in depth with the vmstat command, such as the number of input and output operations, the number of read and write operations, information about the disk sectors, and more. Specific information about the system disk can be retrieved by running the vmstat command paired with the “-d” flag, as follows:

The disk statistics of our Linux Mint 20 system are shown in the image below:

Showing Timestamps with vmstat

You can also display timestamps with the vmstat command to determine the time of day that a particular system statistics report was generated. To show timestamps with the output of the vmstat command in Linux Mint 20, run this command paired with the “-t” flag, as follows:

As you can see in the output of the vmstat command shown in the image below, the timestamp is now appearing with this output.

Refreshing vmstat Output after Specified Interval

Computer systems never stay static; rather, they are in a dynamic state. In other words, computer systems are always performing certain tasks, either in the background or in the foreground, unless the computer system is turned off. Due to this continuous activity, system statistics tend to change at any given moment. This change range from drastic to negligible, depending upon the operation that is taking place.

So, instead of seeing the static vmstat command output, you might want to see its output every few seconds, or perhaps another specified time interval. To refresh the vmstat output after a specified time interval, use the vmstat command with the “-t” flag, as follows:

Here, replace “n” with any positive integer, which represents the number of seconds after which the vmstat output will refresh. For example, to see the latest vmstat output every two seconds, we will replace “n” with “2.” We have used the “-t” flag just to be sure that the vmstat output is refreshing after the specified time interval.

As you can see from the timestamps in the output of the vmstat command shown below, the command is refreshing every two seconds.

When you want the vmstat command to stop reporting these statistics, simply press the Ctrl+ C key combination to regain control of your terminal.

Conclusion

This tutorial on the usage of the vmstat command can prove to be extremely helpful for users who have just started working in the Linux environment in general and the Linux Mint 20 environment in particular. After going through the examples explained in this article, you should have a good idea about the function and usage of the vmstat command in Linux Mint 20.

We know that it must be sent to the central processing unit (CPU) whenever we want to execute a program on any computer system. However, as soon as a program is brought from hard disk to RAM for getting scheduled on to the CPU, the status of this program is changed to a process. That is why, whenever we talk about anything that is running on the CPU, it is always known as a process. Whether you are using the terminal application, or browsing the Internet, or even editing a document, all of these tasks and many others like these are known as processes.

In the Windows operating system, we have the task manager utility that can be used to see all the currently running processes. However, if you are a Linux user, you might also want to know which processes currently consume your CPU cycles. Fortunately, there are multiple ways in Linux as well through which you can conveniently get the information about all the processes that are currently running on your system. Now, we are going to look at some of these methods.

Methods of Checking the Running Processes in Linux Mint 20

If you ever wish to check all the running processes on your Linux Mint 20 system, you can follow any of these methods that we are just going to discuss.

Method # 1: Using the “ps” Command in Linux Mint 20

The “ps” command in Linux Mint 20 can be used to display all the running processes on the terminal along with their PIDs and some other information as follows:

Here, the “-aux” flag is used to list both the foreground as well as the background running processes.

All the running processes of our system are shown below:

Method # 2: Using the “pstree” Command in Linux Mint 20

Suppose you do not want to be overwhelmed by seeing a large number of running processes as it is on the terminal; rather, you want them to appear in a more visually appealing manner. In that case, you can choose to display all the running processes in Linux Mint 20 in the form of a tree as follows:

All the running processes of our system are shown in the form of a tree below:

Method # 3: Using the “top” Utility in Linux Mint 20

“top” is a built-in utility in the Linux based operating systems that can be used to list down all the running processes on the terminal. Along with the process IDs, this utility also displays some additional information about the running processes such as the username of the user running that process, the CPU and memory consumption of the running process, and free and occupied memory statistics, etc. This command is executed as follows:

All the running processes of our Linux Mint 20 system along with their additional information are shown in the form of a table in the image below:

Whenever you want to exit from the “top” utility interface, you can simply use the “Ctrl+ C” key combination to terminate the processing of this utility.

Method # 4: Using the “htop” Utility in Linux Mint 20

“htop” is another very useful Linux utility that is used to retrieve information about the running processes. “htop” is in fact, an advanced version of the “top” utility which has a better user interface and comparatively better performance. Since the “htop” utility is not installed on a Linux based system by default, therefore, to use it, you will have to install it first with the following command:

This is not a heavyweight utility; therefore, it will only take a few seconds for installation on your Linux Mint 20 system after which your terminal will render the messages shown in the image below:

After this utility is installed on your Linux Mint 20 system, you can easily use it to view all the running processes as follows:

You can see from the output of the “htop” command shown in the image below that it is visually more appealing. The statistics that it reveals about the running processes are more or less the same as that of the “top” utility; however, they are displayed with more catchy colors. Hence, the output looks more fascinating. Also, the speed at which it retrieves these statistics and updates them is better than the “top” utility.

However, just like the “top” utility, whenever you want to exit from the interface of the “htop” utility, you can simply use the “Ctrl+ C” key combination to terminate the processing of this utility.

Conclusion

Today’s discussion revolved around the different methods through which you can check the running processes in Linux Mint 20. These methods can be used depending upon the kind of output you want to retrieve. The first method simply lists all of the running processes at once, whereas the second method presents them in a nice tree-like structure that can be read and processed more easily. The third method follows a table-like structure to display the running processes along with some additional information about them, whereas the fourth one more or less displays the very same information but with a relatively nicer interface. After following this guide, I hope you are now in a position to conveniently check all the running processes in the Linux Mint 20 operating system.

Note: We will be using Linux Mint 20 for analyzing the Linux server performance with “atop”.

Analyzing Linux Server Performance with the “atop” Utility

For analyzing your Linux server’s performance with “atop”, you should ideally perform all the steps listed over here:

Step 1: Update your Linux Mint 20 System

Before installing the “atop” utility on your Linux Mint 20 system, you have to update it by executing the below-affixed command:

When the Linux Mint 20 system updates, it will cause the messages shown in the image below to appear on your terminal:

Step 2: Install the “atop” utility on your Linux Mint 20 System

For installing the “atop” utility on your Linux Mint 20 system, you have to run the following command:

The “atop” utility will take some time to install, after which you will be capable of using it immediately.

Step 3: Check the Manual for the “atop” Utility

There is a dedicated manual for the “atop” utility, which you can check out before using this utility. This manual will help you a lot in understanding the proper working and usage of this utility. The manual of “atop” can be accessed by running the following command:

The main pages of the “atop” utility are shown in the image below:

Step 4: Check the Help Pages for the “atop” Utility

For knowing about the different variations and options that can be used with the “atop” utility in Linux Mint 20, you can access its help pages with the following command:

The help pages of the “atop” utility are shown in the image below:

Step 5: Run the “atop” utility on your Linux Mint 20 System to Analyze its Performance

Once we have clearly understood the usage of the “atop” utility, we can easily run it on Linux Mint 20 to analyze its performance in the following manner:

The standard performance output of the Linux Mint 20 system by running the “atop” utility on it is shown in the image below:

Some Specific Uses of the “atop” Utility

Above, we have seen a very comprehensive Linux server performance report generated by the “atop” utility in Linux Mint 20. However, if you only wish to view some specific performance statistics, then you can use the methods shown below:

Check the Active Processes with the “atop” Utility

For checking the information related to the active processes only using the “atop” utility, you can use it in the following manner:

The performance information regarding the active processes in Linux Mint 20 is shown in the image below:

Check the Disk Info with the “atop” Utility

For checking all the disk-related information only using the “atop” utility, you can use it in the following manner:

In our case, since no disk related activity was taking place at the moment, we run this command; that is why no specific disk-related information was available, as shown in the image below. However, if you will run the “atop” utility in this manner on your machine while your disk is being engaged, then you will surely be able to see all the relevant information.

Check the Memory Info with the “atop” Utility

For checking all the memory-related info only using the “atop” utility, you can use it in the following manner:

The memory information regarding our Linux Mint 20 system is shown in the image below:

Check the Network Info with the “atop” Utility

For checking all the network-related info only using the “atop” utility, you can use it in the following manner:

In our case, since the network kernel module was not active at the moment, we run this command; that is why no specific network-related information was available, as shown in the image below. However, if you will run the “atop” utility in this manner on your machine while your network kernel module is active, then you will surely be able to see all the relevant information.

Check the Scheduling Info with the “atop” Utility

For checking all the scheduling info only using the “atop” utility, you can use it in the following manner:

The scheduling info regarding our Linux Mint 20 system is shown in the image below:

Check the Individual Threads with the “atop” Utility

You can even view all the information regarding specific threads with the “atop” utility in the following manner:

The information regarding the individual threads on our Linux Mint 20 system is shown in the image below:

Conclusion

This article explained some of the most useful ways in which you can utilize the “atop” utility for analyzing your Linux mint 20 server’s performance. You can take a glance at all the performance metrics of your Linux server at once. Also, you can even view the individual performance-related statistics using this utility. All you have to do is to install it on your Linux Mint 20 system, check out its help pages to understand its usage, and then start using it right away.

SAR Installation

The SAR command can be installed on your system using the following steps:

After launching your Linux Mint 20 terminal, execute the command sudo apt install sysstat. The sysstat package in Linux contains the SAR command as well.

It will take a few seconds to install the sysstat package. Then, you will see the messages shown below on your terminal.

Enabling SAR Service

Once the SAR command or the sysstat package has been installed on your Linux Mint 20 system, we need to allow it to collect system activity data by taking the following steps:

Open the sysstat file in a text editor by running the terminal command sudo nano /etc/default/sysstat. However, we used the nano editor (Linux’s default editor) to open this file.

Once the sysstat file is open in the text editor, locate the line (ENABLED=”false”) and replace “false” with “true”, as shown in the image below, to enable the SAR command to collect your system activity data. After enabling this service, save your file and close it by pressing Ctrl+ X.

Restarting the SAR Service

Since we made some changes to the sysstat file, we need to restart our SAR service so that the changes can take effect. To do so, take the following steps:

Run the following command in your terminal to restart the SAR service: service sysstat restart. 

When you will run this command, you will be prompted for authentication; enter your account’s password and then click the Authenticate button.

Accessing SAR Help

Before using any new command or package, it is useful to read its help manual. For SAR, the help manual can be accessed as follows:

Run the following command in your terminal: sar –help. After executing this command, the syntax of the SAR command, all its variations and all the parameters that can be used with this command will be displayed.

You should carefully read the help manual of the SAR command because it will help you understand its usage. 

Next, we will show how the SAR command can be applied in some example scenarios.

Checking Memory Stats

To check memory-related statistics with the SAR command, we must first run the following command in the terminal: sar –r TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -r flag to check memory-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your memory statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the memory statistics. For this example, we want to check the memory statistics every two seconds until we have checked the statistics four times.

Running this command will show you the memory statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided, as shown in the following image.

Checking CPU Stats

To check the CPU-related statistics with the SAR command, we must first run the following command in our terminal: sar –u ALL TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -u flag and the ALL keyword to check all CPU-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your CPU statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the CPU statistics. For this example, we want to check the CPU statistics every two seconds until we have checked the statistics twice.

This command will return the CPU statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking the CPU Stats of a Specific Core

We can check the CPU-related statistics of a specific CPU core with the SAR command by running the following command in our terminal: sar –P CPU_Core TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -P flag by providing the CPU core (an integer value ranging from 0 to TotalNoOfCores-1) to check the CPU-related statistics of a specific core. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your CPU statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the CPU statistics of the specified core. 

For this example, we want to check the CPU statistics every two seconds until we have checked the first CPU core twice. It is important to note that CPU_Core numbering starts from 0. Therefore, the first core is referred to as 0, the second core is referred as 1, etc.  

Running this command will show you the CPU statistics for the first core according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking I/O Stats

To check I/O-related statistics with the SAR command, we must first run the following command in our terminal: sar –b TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -b flag to check all the I/O-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your I/O statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the I/O statistics. For this example, we want to check the I/O statistics every second until we have checked the statistics four times.

Running this command will show you the I/O statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking Swap Memory Stats

The swap memory is defined as the memory that can be borrowed from the hard disk when your RAM runs out of space. To check the swap memory-related statistics with the SAR command, we must first run the following command in our terminal: sar –S TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -S flag to check the swap memory-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your swap memory statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the swap memory statistics. For this example, we want to check the swap memory statistics every two seconds until we have checked the statistics twice.

Running this command will show you the swap memory statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking Disk Stats

The I/O statistics contain the information related to the input and output devices. However, if you want to check only the disk-related statistics with the SAR command, then you must first run the following command in the terminal: sar –d TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -d flag to check all the disk-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your disk statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check disk statistics. For this example, we want to check disk statistics every two seconds until we have checked the statistics twice.

Running this command will show you the disk statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking Disk Names

This task is variation of that described above. Here, we check all the disk names by runing the following command in our terminal: sar –p –d TimeInterval NoOfTimes. SAR can be used with the -p and -d flags to check all the disk names. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your disk names, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the disk names. For this example, we want to check the disk names every two seconds until we have checked the statistics twice.

Running this command will show you all the disk names according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking Network Stats

To check all network-related statistics with the SAR command, we must first run the following command in our terminal: sudo sar –n DEV TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with sudo privileges and the -n flag, and the DEV keyword is used to check all the network-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your network statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the network statistics. For this example, we want to check the network statistics every two seconds until we have checked the statistics twice.

Running this command will show you the network statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking Context Switching Stats

Context switching is important in all operating systems because it enables your CPU to multitask by saving the current state of a process and allowing another process to be executed, and it can prevent conflicts and data loss. Once the execution of one process is complete, the previous process can be resumed based on the saved state. 

To check all the context switching statistics with the the SAR command, we must first run the following command in our terminal: sar –w TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -w flag to check all the context switching statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your context switching statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the context switching statistics. For this example, we want to check the context switching statistics every two seconds until we have checked the statistics twice.

Running this command will show you the context switching statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Checking Paging Stats

Paging is used in operating systems for memory management. It handles how data are stored and retrieved on the hard disk and how they are brought to and used in the main memory. To check all paging-related statistics, we must run the following command in our terminal: sar –B TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -B flag to check the paging-related statistics. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to check your paging statistics, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to check the paging statistics. For this example, we want to check the paging statistics every second until we have checked the statistics four times.

Running this command will show you the paging statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided.

Saving SAR Stats in a File

You can save the output of the SAR command for later use by running the following command in your terminal: sar –o FileName -u TimeInterval NoOfTimes. The SAR command can be used with the -o flag and any other flag (according to the statistics you want to generate) along with a file name to save the result of your SAR command to a file. Here, TimeInterval specifies the time in seconds after which you want to save your SAR command output, and NoOfTimes specifies how many times you want to save the SAR command output. For this example, we want to save the CPU statistics (as indicated by the -u flag) every two seconds in a file named sarFILE until we have saved the statistics twice.  

Running this command will show you the CPU statistics according to the values of TimeInterval and NoOfTimes, and average values are also provided. Moreover, it will save this output to a file.

To verify if such a file has been created, you can visit your Home directory by clicking on the File Manager icon. Here, you will find sarFILE, as highlighted in the image shown below.

Retrieving Past SAR Stats from a File

To use the SAR stats you saved to a file, you can run the following command in our terminal: sar –f FileName. Here, we want to retrieve the contents of sarFILE. 

Running this command will display the contents of sarFILE on your terminal, as shown in the following image. You can verify that this content is the same as that from above. 

Conclusion

This tutorial went over a handful of simple scenarios in which the SAR command can be used. However, there are many other (more complex) scenarios in which this command can be used effectively. We hope you found this article to be a useful introduction to the SAR command in Linux Mint 20. 

This article shows you how to install Linux Mint 20 along with Microsoft Windows 10. In this tutorial, we assumed that Windows 10 is already installed on your system. We will use the existing system to dual boot the Linux Mint 20 distro and the Windows 10 OS. Certain modern systems have UEFI in place of BIOS, and in this case, you would change the EFI configuration settings and disable the secure boot part.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites are necessary to install Linux Mint 20 with Windows 10 on your system:

• Your system should be connected to a power supply.
• Your system must have a good internet connection to download the supporting software and updates.
• The free space on your disk should be at least 15GB to install Linux Mint 20, which is larger than the space taken by this OS because more space will be needed for upcoming system updates.
• Linux Mint 20 ISO version burned to a USB drive.
• A Windows 10 bootable live USB (for preventive measures).

Note: Windows 10 must be installed before the installation of Linux Mint 20 can begin.

Once these prerequisites are fulfilled, you can now begin installing Linux Mint 20 with Windows 10. Follow the steps below to install Linux Mint 20 alongside Windows 10.

Create A Backup of Your System

First, you must create a backup of your USB data and Windows 10 so that no data is lost in the process. Adding a new system can mess with the new environment. For your convenience, it is recommended that you save your data on an external hard drive. It is recommended to create a Windows 10 backup so that, in case of any trouble, you can run the default backup of your Windows 10 and your data will be safe from harm.

Download the ISO File of Linux Mint 20

Next, download the Linux Mint 20 ISO file. To do so, open the browser and type the URL https://www.linuxmint.com/download.php. Download the ISO file from the given URL.

After successfully completing the download process, now, you will create a bootable USB to install Linux Mint 20.

Make a Bootable USB Drive

To make a bootable USB drive, we will use a tool known as “RUFUS.” This section shows you how to download Rufus and how to create a bootable USB drive with this tool. First, you will need to format the USB drive. Make sure that your USB is in FAT32 format. If it is not, then first, you will convert the USB into FAT32 and apply the format option on it.

Perform the following steps to format your USB into FAT32 format.

1. Plug the USB drive into your system.
2. Now, right-click on the USB and select the format option.
3. A dialogue box will appear on the window. Check that the USB is in FAT32 and select the checkbox true for quick formatting, then click the ‘START’ button.

Now, your USB drive is in FAT32 format.

We will use Rufus to make a bootable USB drive. Perform the following steps to download and install Rufus:

1. Download the Rufus setup from the official website, given below: https://rufus.ie/

2. Save the downloaded setup file of Rufus. Run and install Rufus by clicking on it.

3. After successfully executing the setup file, click the ‘SELECT’ button and a browse file dialogue box will display on the screen.

4. Choose the Linux Mint 20 ISO image file in it and click the ‘START’ button.

5. The process to create the bootable USB drive will now begin. The status will become green on completion of this process.

The bootable USB has been created successfully. You will likely have to clear some free space in the system to install Linux Mint 20. A disk management Windows utility can be used to shrink the disk space to make room to install the Linux Mint 20 distro.

Create Partitions for Linux Mint 20 Installation

We will use the Windows disk management tool to create space for the Linux Mint 20 system. Perform the following steps to create drive space using the disk management tool:

1. Right-click the Windows Start button. Here, type the diskmgmt.msc command to open the disk partitioning window.

2. The disk partitioning window will appear on your system screen.

3. Select the ‘C’ drive of your system and right-click on it. A dropdown list will display, from which you will select the ‘Shrink Volume’ option.

4. After selecting this option, a dialog box will display on-screen, into which you will enter the size in MBs, according to your needs. Then, click the ‘Shrink’ button to perform the shrink operation.

5. Note that an unallocated space partition has been created after performing this action. This partition is where you will install Linux Mint 20.

As you can see, an unallocated partition has been created. It is now time to move on to installing the Linux Mint 20 distro on your system.

Execute and Install Linux Mint 20

In this step, you will install Linux Mint 20 on your system. Perform the following steps to run Linux Mint on your system:

1. Plug in the bootable USB with the appropriate drive and reboot your system. Usually, the F10, F12, and F2 keys are used for the reboot. Hit the ‘F12’ bootable key to boot the Linux Mint 20 ISO image file.

2. The boot-up menu will now display on your system screen. Select the boot from the USB drive and continue the process.

3. After completing the booting process, select ‘Start Linux Mint’ and press Enter.

4. Select the ‘Install Linux Mint 20’ option.

5. The Linux Mint installation wizard will display. In the first screen of the wizard, select the language for the Linux Mint 20 installation and click ‘Continue.’

6. In the next window, select a keyboard layout for your Linux Mint 20 distro and press the ‘Continue’ option.

7. In the window that follows, install the multimedia codecs and click the ‘Continue’ button.

8. In the next window, if you select the first option, then you will simply install Linux Mint alongside Windows 10 on your system. But, if you want to do a manual partition, then choose the ‘Something Else’ option. Select the ‘Continue’ option to proceed further.

9. On the next screen, select the ‘Free space’ hard drive option and create the Linux Mint 20 partition by hitting the ‘+’ button.

We are creating the following partitions:

• Root partition  –  /   – 10340 MB

• Boot partition –    /boot   –  2011 MB

• Swap filesystem  – 4000 MB

10. On the ‘Create partition’ pop-up, specify the size of the partition and also the mount point (/). Then, click ‘OK.’ The complete partition table should display on the window.

11. Next, click the ‘Install Now’ button.

12. In the next window, select your location from the map and press the ‘Continue’ button to continue the installation.

13. In the next window, enter your name, your system name, the nick-name, and the password, hitting the ‘Continue’ option to move on.

Now, the installation is in progress. A progress bar will display on a new screen. You cannot interfere in the installation process at this stage.

14. After successfully completing the installation process, eject the USB from your system and press the ‘Restart Now’ button to reboot the system.

After restarting the system, the following window will display on the start screen.

15. Congratulations! Select the ‘Linux Mint 20 Cinnamon’ option and you can start working on this system immediately.

Conclusion

This article taught you how to create a bootable USB drive with the Rufus tool. You also explored how to dual boot Linux Mint 20 and Windows 10 operating systems. I hope this tutorial will help you use these two systems. By using Linux Mint 20, you can explore more features of this operating environment.

Three Best Screen Recorders for Linux Mint 20:

The three best screen recorders for Linux Mint 20 are discussed below:

Kazam Screencaster:

Kazam Screencaster is a highly simplified screen recording software which is designed for the Linux operating system. It allows you to capture the entire content of your screen in the form of a video recording. This recording can be played later on with the help of any of the video players that provide support for the VP8/WebM video file format. Moreover, it also provides you with the flexibility of recording audio from any audio input device that is supported by this screen recorder.

Kazam Screencaster even enables you to save your video files in the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). It also allows you to do dual recording i.e. recording your screen and your webcam at the same time. The best thing about this screen recorder is that it is highly suitable for beginners because of its minimalist interface that never confuses a naïve user. It also supports multiple video output formats and gives you the liberty of choosing the area of your screen that you want to capture i.e. it does not restrict you to capture your entire screen.

ScreenStudio:

ScreenStudio is a very straightforward and easy to use screen recorder designed for the Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems. It allows you to record your screen in the form of a full-fledged HD quality video. It enables you to record your screen and your webcam simultaneously. Apart from this, it even gives you the liberty to overlay any desired text or image on to your videos as captions or subtitles. The most fascinating thing about this screen recorder is that it is free to download and use.

It also allows you to get your output video in multiple different formats. ScreenStudio enables its users to record audio from audio input devices. You can configure this screen recorder according to your requirements by making use of the advanced configuration options. You can also set the frame rate and bitrate of your videos according to your own choice while using ScreenStudio. A good thing about this screen recorder is that it can be used across multiple platforms, which is responsible for making it all the more popular among users.

Open Broadcaster Software Studio:

Open Broadcaster Software Studio or simply OBS Studio is yet another free and open-source screen recorder and live streamer which is designed for the Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems. It offers a high-performance real-time video capturing feature with which you can conveniently record your screens without any hassle. You can even create scenes by mixing up video recordings captured from different sources. It allows you to set up unlimited scenes and you can even switch between different scenes seamlessly. It is capable of smoothly transitioning from one scene to another. OBS Studio has an intuitive audio mixer that is intelligent enough to overlay audios on your video recordings.

It provides you with powerful and easy to use configurations that you can tweak very easily according to your requirements. Its user interface is so friendly that it even lets you rearrange its layouts according to your choice. It supports all the famous streaming platforms which make it even more beneficial for its users i.e. they can do live streaming and screen recording while making use of a single integrated platform. You can also create custom shortcuts with the Hotkeys feature of OBS Studio for keeping all your important tasks on your tips. Lastly, the Studio Mode of this screen recorder allows you to preview your scenes before pushing them live.

Conclusion:

By installing any of the three-screen recorders that are discussed above, you can conveniently start capturing your screens and master yourself in the art of creating visually appealing video tutorials. The great thing about all these screen recorders is that they are very simple and easy to use.

This tutorial will show you how to upgrade from Linux Mint 19.3 to Linux Mint 20. Remember that to upgrade to Linux Mint 20, you must be running a 64-bit version of Linux Mint 19.3. You cannot perform this upgrade from a 32-bit version of Linux Mint 19.3.

Note: To install or update any package in any Linux distribution, including Linux Mint, you must be a root user or a standard user with sudo privileges.

We will be using the command-line Terminal application for the installation process. To open the command-line Terminal, use the Ctrl+Alt+T keyboard shortcut.

Requirements

64-bit Architecture

As discussed earlier, to upgrade from Linux Mint 19.3 to 20, you must be running a 64-bit version of Mint 19.3. Otherwise, you will not be able to perform the upgrade. To check whether the current architecture is 64- or 32-bit, issue the following command in Terminal:

If the above output returns “amd64,” this means that the system is running 64-bit architecture, and an upgrade can be performed. However, if the output returns “i386,” this means that the system is running 32-bit architecture, and the upgrade cannot be performed.

Prerequisites

It is recommended to complete the following prerequisites before upgrading Linux Mint 19.3 to the latest release.

Install All Updates

Open the Update Manager in your system and install any available updates. To open the Update Manager, hit the super key on your keyboard and go to Administration > Update Manager.

Here, you will see a list of the available updates. Select all the updates and click Install Updates. You will then be prompted for the authentication password. Provide the password and click Authenticate, after which the updates will begin installing.

To perform the update via the command line, issue the following command:

Create a System Snapshot

Next, create a system snapshot, so that if anything goes wrong during the system update, you can revert to the previous release. You can use the Timeshift utility to create a system snapshot.

To open the Timeshift utility, hit the super key on your keyboard and go to Administration > Timeshift.

From the Timeshift utility, choose the destination for your system snapshot and click the Create button save the snapshot.

Purge PPAs and Third-Party Repositories

Often, applications are installed through PPAs or other third-party repositories. However, these repositories may cause problems during the upgrade. Therefore, it is recommended to purge all the PPAs and third-party repositories from your system before upgrading.

Hit the super key on your keyboard and go to Administration > Software Sources. In the Software Sources application, go to the PPAs tab, from which you will select the Additional Repositories tab to disable the repositories there. Then, go to the Maintenance tab and remove all the foreign packages.

Upgrading from Linux Mint 19.3 to 20

As all the prerequisites are completed, we will now move on to the upgrade process.

Install Upgrade Utility

To upgrade Linux Mint from 19.3 to 20, you must first install the “Mintupgrade” command-line utility. Issue the following command in Terminal to install the Mintupgrade utility:

When prompted for the password, provide the sudo password.

After running the above command, the system might ask for confirmation that you want to continue the installation. Press “y” to continue, and after that, the installation will start on your system.

Run Upgrade Check

Once the required utility has installed, issue the following command in Terminal to run an upgrade check:

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the check. Note that this command will not run the upgrade, and will only check to see what impact the upgrade will have on your system and which packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.

Read the output of the above command carefully. If you are okay with the changes made by upgrading, then you can move on to the next step.

Download Updates

In this step, you will download the necessary packages and updates required to perform the upgrade. Issue the following command in Terminal to do so:

Upgrade to Linux Mint 20

Now, you can finally upgrade to Linux Mint 20. Issue the following command in the Terminal to do upgrade your system:

Wait patiently for this step to complete, as it will take some time to upgrade your Linux Mint 19.3 system to Linux Mint 20. Once the upgrade has completed, you can verify the upgrade by running the following command:

Finally, reboot the system to complete the upgrade process. After the reboot is completed, you will see the Linux Mint 20 Welcome screen.

Conclusion

Upgrading your Linux Mint 19.3 system to the latest release is easy, as we have demonstrated in this article. Now, you longer need to do a fresh install to have the latest Linux Mint 20 system, and you can upgrade directly from the previous release.