When should I actually update?

[Claghorn]

I'm just using TrueNAS on an old PC with a bunch of disks for local in-home stuff (mainly plex and file backups). I see updates available message in the web interface and when I look at the release notes, I see mostly stuff I don't understand. Is there any real need to update my system before a new RELEASE version shows up? Are the Un.n updates important to install on a system that is contained entirely within my home network LAN?

 

[Tigersharke]

Others know more about TrueNAS/FreeNAS than me, especially regarding the update mechanism and what it contains.

However, I do know about FreeBSD, and release versions for it only get critical updates and security fixes, the stable branch of FreeBSD gets updates semi-continually until the next release. I would suspect that the NAS software may be like FreeBSD releases and would be critical fixes or security updates and this would be different for a "train" (I think thats the term used) which follows a more frequent nearer to cutting edge release/update cycle.

 

[sretalla]

Generally, all updates on the stable train are a good idea to have (since 12.0 there have been quite a few updates which fix things that you would want to avoid encountering).

You could take the approach that if it doesn't seem broken to you, there's nothing to "fix" and just stay on the version you have forever... but that would land you out of support at some point.

I would recommend following the updates (with no specific hurry) as they are released on the stable train.

 

[pschatz100]

I tend to run updates about once every six months. There is no real need to jump on every update, unless a particular update fixes a problem you are having.