A package manager must understand the repository before it can fetch its own replacement. AerynOS is addressing that bootstrap problem with versioned repositories.
A transition mechanism, not a frozen package collection
The August 2 project update says phase two shipped in the July 5 unstable update. It coordinates repository-format and moss configuration changes. The 2026.08 ISO incorporates that transition; its network installer still selects current unstable packages. EROFS remains described as development work, while XFS reflink support has shipped.
Consider a fictional repository changing from format A to B. If the old client understands only A and the server immediately exposes only B, “update the client” becomes circular. A transition must keep a readable route to the client that understands B. This is the dependency our diagram illustrates, not the exact internal sequence of moss releases.
Shared content does not always mean shared file identity
A hardlink gives another name to the same underlying file, including its ownership and permissions. A reflink creates a distinct file identity while initially sharing storage blocks; changing one copy can allocate separate blocks. That distinction matters when several system states reuse content but need different metadata. It is not a claim that every filesystem or workload saves the same space.
The migration detail worth checking before reboot
The announcement also warns that network interface names change after the systemd packaging update. Its example is illustrative: do not copy someone else’s interface name into a firewall or remote-access configuration.
Record your actual interfaces and identify configurations that match them by name. After an update, verify the intended connection, routing and service enablement before treating a successful package transaction as a successful system migration. For a remote machine, retain a working recovery path. We have reviewed the announcement, not performed an AerynOS upgrade on your server.
September 8: separate delivered repository migration from planned EROFS; explain reflink versus hardlink and the network-name migration.